Finding Courage to Stand Together
Finding Courage to Stand Together
Greetings, MTA members,
“Courage is contagious.”
Yes, a lot of people have said that – from Billy Graham to Kamala Harris. (I am partial to this TED talk by artist and activist Damon Davis.)
I heard it most recently from a union activist on a 2,000-person May Day planning call. It rang true as never before.
Given the speed with which an authoritarian-like state unduly influenced by billionaire techno-oligarchs is rushing to dismantle our democratic system of government, silence debate, use secret police to abduct and disappear immigrants, and people who believe in free speech, fear is prevalent, and also potentially contagious.
But MTA members have been learning courage for a while, and we are putting it to good use now. In contract campaigns (a few of which resulted in strikes), in campaigns to tax the rich and stop destructive high-stakes testing, you have been moving your muscles of courage. The three million people who showed up on April 5 were united in bucking the fear. And this past Saturday, all over the state and nation, defenders of democracy were out in force. And in local after local, standout after standout, in budget protests, in contract standouts, in school committee testimonies, and work-to-rule actions, our members have been undaunted.
Our next big moment to build the resistance, and spread the good virus of courage is on May Day – May 1, International Workers’ Day.
Here, again, are the steps we hope every local will take:
- Hold 10-minute meetings with your members in all of your buildings next week after April vacation. Here’s a guide for those meetings.
- Share the visionary platform for the fightback and the fight forward for public education and the common good.
- Let your colleagues know of our “one-stop shopping” site for information on the campaign to protect and advance public education at massteacher.org/protect.
- Plan for your local to join our entire union in walking into school together, local by local, building by building, on May Day. Check out the national website about on May Day to see how we are connected to hundreds of actions around the country.
MTA Events, Opportunities and Solidarity Actions
Safe Schools
On April 16, MTA members, organized by the Safe Schools for All Task Force, met online with Secretary of Education Pat Tutwiler so he could hear directly from members who have suffered injuries at the hands of students suffering from mental and behavioral health challenges. They presented the secretary with a set of proposals, which follow alongside our union’s budget and legislative proposals, to address this crisis. Learn more about the task force at massteacher.org/safeschools.
People’s Commission on Graduation Readiness
When: Wednesday, April 30, 6 to 7:30 p.m.
Where: Cambridge Rindge and Latin School
Citizens for Public Schools, in cooperation with other educational organizations, is organizing a series of six public forums across the state where parents, teachers, students and other people concerned with our public schools can come together to discuss three fundamental questions: What should students know and be able to do by the time they graduate from high school? How should students demonstrate their readiness to graduate? How can schools, pre-K to 12, support these goals? Register here.
The MCAS Graduation Requirement is Gone – What’s Next?
When: Thursday, May 1, 5-7 p.m.
Where: Worcester Technical High School
Members of the Governor’s Graduation Council, currently chaired by Secretary Tutwiler, are holding listening sessions around the state to get feedback about what our students should know and be able to do before they graduate. This is an opportunity for educators, students and parents to share their opinions. Let’s fill the room at the May 1 session in Worcester and all subsequent sessions! Register for the forum in Worcester. Please also visit the MTA’s testing page to get the full list of sessions, which run through June, and sign up to attend.
Cuts to Public K-12 Education Will Hurt Children
Massachusetts schools are facing significant threats to public education funding, but there are actions that members can take to help restore stability and help protect our students and public schools. The Trump administration has threatened federal cuts to public education that will harm students and communities. Do you want to know your local impact? The NEA has prepared a data set that explains how federal funds are helping area schools. Visit nea.org/data for information on your community. And to view ways in which you can get involved to stop the local fiscal crisis from escalating in Massachusetts, visit massteacher.org/fiscalcrisis. Universities Standing Up Together
“Talk the Talk,” a podcast recorded at WHMP Radio in Northampton, invited me (Max) to speak on recent developments in higher education resistance, including an effort by public universities to stand together to defend their academic freedom from interference by the Trump administration. The UMass Amherst Faculty Senate recently called on the system president and university chancellor to join together with other land grant and public universities to form an academic defense compact. The Big Ten recently did so. Earth Day Actions
The MTA Climate Action Task Force is calling on all members to take action on climate change in the week following Earth Day - April 28 through May 2. As educators, we have an important responsibility to tell the truth and educate students about threats to our environment and the solutions we need to pursue together. Members of the MTA Climate Action Task Force collaborated with educators from the Boston Teachers Union Climate Committee to pull together five days of lesson plans and inspiration for K-12 teachers. Please visit the Climate Week of Action guide.
MTA Benefits Webinar: Addiction and Recovery - What do we do, where do we turn?
When: Tuesday, April 29, 4:30 p.m.
Where: Virtual
With ever-changing stressors presented to educators, many find themselves overworked and underpaid. As a result, there has been an increase in substance abuse to ease stress. During this webinar, Mary Ferrara, LCSW-R, CASAC, in partnership with MyRosalie and MTA Benefits, will delve into the complexities of addiction amongst educators to understand risk factors, warning signs and helpful resources to support those on the journey to recovery. Register now.
Public Comment on Time-out and Seclusion
DESE is considering changes to regulations on time-out and seclusion policies. Please share your opinion. The public comment deadline is 5 p.m. on Friday, May 2. For more information, please visit the Policy Minute website. Help Children in Need
MTA preK-12 locals still have plenty of time to take advantage of The Massachusetts Child program and provide helping hands to students in need. Making sure a student has books to read while on summer break is just one of the many ways locals can use Mass Child funds. Go to massteacher.org/masschild for details on getting reimbursed when your local helps students facing hardship. Empowering the Next Generation of Women Leaders
When: July 22-31
Where: Emerson College, Boston
The MTA has partnered with Empower Peace and the Women2Women – America International Leadership Program to sponsor several participants from Massachusetts who want to participate in a 10-day learning experience at Emerson College from July 22 through 31. The 2025 program is open to applicants aged 15 to 19 and features training in leadership and communication skills, networking with peer leaders and development in cultural competency and empowerment. The application deadline is Monday, May 5. Contact Tricia Raynard at traynard@empowerpeace.org. Meeting the Challenge for Educators of Color
When: Wednesday, May 7, 3-4:30 p.m.
Where: Virtual
The next Retiree Speaker Series edition will focus on challenges experienced by educators of color. Featuring MTA members Phyllis Neufeld, Marguerite Foster-Franklin, Joe Zellner and Rhonda Hall-Reynolds, the session will be on Zoom. The discussion will include the new Mentoring of New Educators of Color program, a joint effort of the Retired Members Committee and the Ethnically Marginalized Affairs Committee. To register, visit massteacher.org/retired. Educating for Peace: A Teachers’ Conference for Nuclear Disarmament Education
When: May 9-11, 2025
Where: Ikeda Center, Cambridge
Organized by the Ikeda Center for Peace, Learning and Dialogue, the Soka Institute for Global Solutions, the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, and Ed Ethics at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, this conference seeks to bring together and empower educators to advance nuclear disarmament through youth education. For more information visit the program website.
Political Education
Did you know that we in Massachusetts spend more per capita on lottery tickets than any other state, and by a wide margin? On average, each of us spends over $1,000 a year on lottery tickets! By comparison, the average adult in North Dakota spends $47 a year. And we have left in the dust even our nearest competitors – New York, for example, where the average adult spends around $500 a year. Why does this matter for schools? Because the expansion and promotion of the lottery is directly connected to the passage of Proposition 2 1⁄2 in 1980 and the dire threat it posed to funding for our public schools. Faced with catastrophic cuts, the legislature permanently dedicated lottery receipts to local aid. With progressive taxes hard to win (until we did it in 2022!), the pressure was on for the state to promote the lottery and bring in newer, more lucrative games to shore up schools and other local services. We are, in a word, dependent on the willingness of regular people to part with lots of their hard-earned cash on a “game dreams were made of,” in the language of the Megabucks ad campaign.
Learn about all of it on the “Scratch and Win” podcast on WGBH.
In solidarity,
Max and Deb