On May Day, Join Us to Protect Public Education
On May Day, Join Us to Protect Public Education
Greetings,
There is not a local in our union that is not dealing with fiscal strains. Despite our great success with the Student Opportunity Act and the Fair Share Amendment, which have allowed us to make great strides for educational access and equity, the financial stresses this year are threatening to undermine our progress.
We must fight the local battles, of course. And those have been impressive, involving all of you in alliance with parents and students, some of whom have walked out in solidarity with their educators.
But to win what we need, we have to band together to demand more from Beacon Hill, and to resist the attacks from Washington, D.C., including those against our LGBTQ+ communities. Several MTA members, including those representing the MTA LGBTQ+ Committee, spent last weekend organizing for power – and gaining skills and tactics to “fight forward” against the Trump administration’s hateful attacks on the community. Learn more about standing up for LGBTQ+ communities by visiting our website.
Last Thursday we had an all-member webinar aimed at preparing members for the upcoming actions centered around May Day. We hope you’ll get involved, whether or not you were able to make that webinar!
The key goals leading up to this national campaign are:
– Hold 10-minute meetings with your members in all of your buildings this week and the 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 200 other union locals in walking into school together on May Day – May 1, International Workers’ Day – and the next mobilization against the existential attacks on public education. Check out the national website on May Day to see how we are connected to hundreds of actions around the country.
MTA Events, Opportunities and Solidarity Actions
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 Education Secretary Patrick 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.
Share Your Comments: New Regulations on Vocational School Admissions
Changes being proposed by the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education include a lottery system, terminology updates and middle school student outreach language. The public comment deadline is 5 p.m. on Friday, April 18. Visit the MTA Center for Education Policy and Practice to learn more.
Financial Help for Educators
The application period for the Educator Loan Repayment Program, an MTA initiative, opens this Monday, April 21 and closes on June 15.
The program is available to educators who completed their undergraduate degree after January 2020. Educators can receive up to $7,500. Learn about this program and additional financial aid for educators at massteacher.org/financialaidforeducators.
Human & Civil Rights Award Nominations
The MTA Human Relations Committee is seeking nominations for the 2025 MTA Human and Civil Rights Awards, which honor individuals and groups for showing extraordinary dedication to civil rights and human relations. To access the nomination form, please visit massteacher.org/hcr. The deadline to submit nominations is Monday, April 21.
Building a Fighting Union: Stories from the Frontlines
When: Thursday, April 24, 7 p.m.
Where: Virtual
Back by popular demand, hear from activists from Rutgers University and Clark College about how adjuncts, professional staff and full-time faculty came together to strike and WIN. Previously offered in person at MTA’s Higher Education Conference in March, we’re bringing the panelists back to share their stories with a broader virtual audience. Register Here.
Revolutionizing Education: MTA’s New Journal
The MTA and UMass Amherst Libraries have partnered to launch Revolutionizing Education, an open-access journal of peer-reviewed articles with a focus on advancing education policy and practice in Massachusetts. UMass recently published an article on its website about the effort.
Please also visit the journal’s website. Article submissions are now being accepted.
Spring MTA Today is Out
The spring edition of MTA Today is online starting this week. Read about educators’ response to the Trump administration’s actions and more about Katherine Monteiro, the 2025 MTA ESP of the Year. This edition also includes full coverage of what to expect at the Annual Meeting.
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.
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.
New NEA Resource: Are the President’s Actions About Public School Legal?
To help members understand the legality and impact of the actions of the Trump administration, the NEA’s Office of the General Counsel recently began a newsletter that asks the question: Is this legal? Please visit the site.
Political Education
The Governor’s Council on Graduation Requirements has had two meetings and one public forum. (The next public forums, where your voice can be heard, are listed at massteacher.org/testing. There also will be a “People's Commission” forum led by Citizens for Public Schools on April 30, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School. Some of us have been reading Jal Mehta and Sarah Fine’s book, “In Search of Deeper Learning,” which is useful in helping to challenge the current “grammar” of schooling, centered around testing and limited forms of assessment and support.
In solidarity,
Max and Deb