Question 3 on the November 2nd ballot proposes cutting Massachusetts' sales tax by more than half, to 3%. AFT Massachusetts has joined the Massachusetts Coalition for Our Communities to oppose Question 3, because we understand that the sales tax provides necessary revenue for local aid that provides our communities with good schools, libraries and much more. Click on the above graphic for more information.
3,000 Teacher Jobs Saved in Massachusetts
Thanks to members of AFT Massachusetts and educators across the country, Congress has at last acted on an emergency measure to prevent teacher layoffs including 3,000 here in the Commonwealth. Thanks to everyone who called or emailed their elected officials in recent weeks!
Boston Teachers Union Wins Innovation Grant
The Boston Teachers Union has been awarded a grant from the American Federation of Teachers’ Innovation Fund. The funds will be used to increase students' engagement in lessons by creating prototypes of high-quality instructional units that can be distributed online. The BTU was one of eight unions across the country chosen to receive grant money.
Teacher Evaluations in the Spotlight
As a recent feature story in the Advocate describes, educators are seeking new forms of teacher evaluation that emphasize support over ‘gotcha.’ AFT union leaders from across the country offer their ideas on this topic in a special feature of the AFT’s magazine American Educator.
Globe Cartoonist Takes on Race to the Top
Boston Globe Cartoonist Dan Wasserman argues that the Obama Administration's education policy isn't a race but dodgeball, with teachers caught in the middle. See "Readin,' Writin' and Rich guys" for yourself by clicking here.
AFT Massachusetts and Race to the Top
The AFT MA Executive Board has passed a motion stating that AFT MA and its locals will not participate in round two of Race to the Top. A one-page brief explaining this decision can be found here.
Congratulations to the 2010 Massachusetts Teacher of the Year Honorees
Congratulations to Sharon Hessney, a math teacher at the John D. O'Bryant School of Mathematics and Science in Boston. Hessney is the recipient of a 2009 Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. The Boston teacher was one of 18 educators to receive honors as part of the 2010 Teacher of the Year awards. This year’s top honors went to Floris Wilma Ortiz-Marrero, an ELL teacher at the Amherst Regional Middle School. AFT MA member Maureen Parker, an eighth grade science teacher at the Locke Middle School in Billerica, was a semifinalist. Congratulations to all!
AFT MA, AFT, MTA, and NEA Partner to Organize Early Childhood Care Workers
We believe the way to improve young children's education is to improve the working conditions for Early Educators. AFT Massachusetts along with our national organization, the American Federation of Teachers, is assisting early educators to work together to unite the professionals who educate our youngest students. Click here to learn more about the campaign.
Updated Special Education Resource Page Now Available
The AFT MA Special Education Task Force is pleased to announce that it has updated its special education resource page. The page is designed to help all educators understand special education laws, regulations, and trends. It also provides links to trusted sites that support effective instruction and professional development. Take a moment to visit the page, and make sure you to tell your colleagues about it, too. If you’d like to join the Task Force, please send an e-mail to Dan Murphy at dmurphy@aftma.net.
AFT Massachusetts Advocate now online
Read the current issue of the AFT Massachusetts newspaper The Advocate.