Summer Conference Highlights: Learning, Laughter and Solidarity
Summer Conference Highlights: Learning, Laughter and Solidarity
Greetings, MTA members,
Summer Conference is a wrap! Hundreds of MTA members spent several days at UMass Amherst learning from one another in dozens of workshops and panels, and having some good laughs (thanks, Worcester school custodian Jimmy Cash!) and eating their fill of the university’s “best in the nation” dining hall food. It is one of our favorite weeks of the year, feeling the buzz of learning and conversation, and getting to know more members on an informal basis. If you have never been, next year is your chance – hold July 27-30, 2025, open for four days to build union solidarity!
Another event that ended this week was the Legislature’s formal session. The budget is, finally, signed and sealed (we are always the last state in the nation to pass a budget). There is much to be proud of in the budget, and….there’s so much more to be done next year.
We especially want to note the victory of winning free community college for all residents. Achieving high-quality, debt-free public higher education is a longstanding goal of the MTA, and one of our top priorities. We are now one step closer to achieving that goal. Read more on the budget below.
Yes on 2 – Get Involved!
August 17 Coalition Campaign Kick-Off Canvass
The work to spread awareness of our ballot campaign, Yes on 2, will culminate on Saturday, Aug. 17, when we will hold simultaneous canvasses across Massachusetts, with big focused events in Springfield, Worcester, Malden and Lawrence. There will be others and we are working to set up many canvasses on this Saturday. Much more information will come on this soon.
Hold an event for Yes On 2
The MTA is compiling a spreadsheet of events we can attend and have tables at for the YES on 2 campaign. To that end, we have created a form for any upcoming events. Members and allies are letting us know about various events. Put them in this form.
MTA Events, Opportunities and Other Stuff
MTA Virtual Forums: AI in Education
Location: Virtual
Get ready to go back to school with an exciting series of free MTA Virtual Forums on using Artificial Intelligence in our schools, colleges and universities.
- Aug. 6 at 1:30 p.m. — An Introduction to AI with Girls Who Code
- Aug. 7 at 1:30 p.m. — Bot Fun: Adapting to AI’s Arrival in our Classrooms
- Aug. 13 at 1:30 p.m. — Prompting Artificial Intelligence for Student Success: Nurturing Responsible Usage of Generative AI
Have you ever wanted to present at an MTA Conference or event? The Training & Professional Learning division is always looking to feature the work of our members at our events. The easiest way to find out when there are speaking opportunities is to add yourself to the MTA Facilitator Database. We are looking for presenters in any and all subject areas for educators in preK-12 and Higher Ed.
Upcoming events in the 2024-25 school year that will need speakers include the Ethnic Minority Affairs Committee Conference, Early Career Educator Conference, Education Support Professionals Conference, Summer Conference and our long-form Professional Development Points courses. We are particularly interested in adding to our pool of presenters for and from Higher Education and ESPs, and people interested in running PDP courses.
Music, by MTA Members
This Saturday, Aug. 4, at 5 p.m., the Commonwealth Wind Symphony will perform at the South Shore Conservatory in Hingham. The event is free, and features MTA members, including Springfield educator Lee Burgess. Now in its fourth year, the Commonwealth Wind Symphony, with Massachusetts music teachers forming a majority of its musicians, seeks to empower music educators to forge meaningful professional networks, reconnect with their instrument, view themselves as an artist, and model this for their students in performance.
REMINDER: Take Action Now to Support the Senate Version of the Educator Diversity Act
The MTA strongly supports the Educator Diversity Act that was recently passed by the state Senate as part of a larger economic development bill. The proposal offers a comprehensive framework to recruit and retain educators of color, including a pilot program to develop additional pathways for earning teacher licensure, which could allow for the waiver of one MTEL testing requirement. The House has passed its own version, but we do not support it. Most concerningly, the House proposal adds consideration of MCAS student growth scores as a factor for teachers seeking a license through the pilot program.
The Legislature has convened a conference committee to decide which of these two proposals will be included in a final economic bill expected to pass the Legislature this week. Please email the members of the conference committee now to urge them to support the Senate’s version.
MTA celebrates Fair Share impact on state budget, pushes back on governor's cut to scholarship and educator loan forgiveness
The state budget that was signed into law this week by Governor Maura Healey includes many significant investments in public education, which are a tremendous benefit to the students and families of Massachusetts. This is a testament to the significance of the Fair Share Amendment and educators’ advocacy for more equitable state funding for public schools. However, the governor did not sign off on one key item. Read more.
Political Education
Nora De La Cour, former Westfield educator and widely published author, feels especially passionate about ending the high-stakes use of the MCAS. Here’s a piece she wrote last year.
And listen while Max interviews her on Talk the Talk radio tomorrow at 9 a.m.
In Solidarity,
Max and Deb