The Boston Teachers Union attempted to drum up public support for a new contract Thursday, calling for fair wages and a host of other proposals at a highly-publicized press conference, moments before beginning its first negotiations with the School Committee.
The talks kicked off as Boston Public Schools prepares to slash hundreds of positions and close dozens of classrooms in an effort to balance next year’s budget. It is the toughest budget season confronting BPS in years, even as annual spending is expected to exceed $1.5 billion next year, and those financial constraints could influence the talks.
More than 50 teacher union members, students, activists, and parents, many clad in blue T-shirts, turned out at Boston Teachers Union Hall in Dorchester, where the press conference and negotiations were held.
The union unveiled a long list of priorities, outlined in a 22-page initial bargaining package, that includes high-quality buildings and programs, a baseline budget for every school, more services and staff to support student well-being, and adequate teaching staff levels as BPS integrates more English learners and students with disabilities into traditional classrooms. The union’s current three-year contract is set to expire on Aug. 31.
“We are optimistic that we are able to achieve these goals through our regular bargaining process,” said union president Jessica Tang.
Superintendent Mary Skipper also expressed optimism in a statement, noting BPS and the union are aligned in doing what is best for students and in maintaining a positive work environment for teachers.
“Our partnership with the Boston Teachers Union is essential in our work to provide a high quality student experience for every young person,” Skipper said.
Around the region, teacher contract negotiations have turned contentious as unions have pressed for pay raises that reflect inflation while school committees have tried to keep spending in line with the state’s cap on annual property tax increases. The standoffs between the two sides have prompted about a half dozen unions to engage in illegal strikes, including a two-week work stoppage in Newton.
Shortly after Newton teachers ratified their new contract, the BTU praised the Newton Teachers Association in a bulletin for its show of resilience “while confronting hostile media coverage, a union-busting administration and significant fines.”
“The collective response from educators across the state assures us that we will have allies during our own upcoming contract campaign,” the bulletin read.
Over the last 50 years, the BTU has gone on strike at least three times, with one-day work stoppages in 1993 and 1989, and another strike in 1975 that shut down school for six days. The union almost went on strike in 2007, scheduling a Valentine’s Day strike vote. But it called off the vote after a judge intervened.
Teacher contract talks in Boston are typically contentious, with deals getting struck long after contracts expire. The union’s current three-year contract came together in July 2022, almost a year after its prior agreement expired.
The union secured big wins, including a 9.5 percent increase in pay over three years and a guaranteed 12 weeks of paid parental leave for all union members.
The average teacher salary in Boston was about $105,000, almost $20,000 higher than the state average, according to the most recent state data, which examined the 2020-21 school year.
But pay for aides in classrooms, libraries, and other areas is far lower, and among the union’s top priorities is increasing their wages — an effort that a growing number of other unions in Massachusetts and across the nation are undertaking. Some paraprofessionals, Tang said, make $32,800 annually.
”That’s wrong,” she said. “That’s something we have to fix.”
CasSandra Samuel, a paraprofessional at the Curley K-8 Lower School in Jamaica Plain, made a personal appeal for the union’s proposal for all BPS schools to have a librarian, a library paraprofessional, and $20 per pupil to fund and maintain libraries. She also called for increased wages for paraprofessionals, who she said are the “backbones” of schools.
”How can we create a standup community around our school if we can’t even afford to live in this community?” Samuel said, adding that some paraprofessionals have second and third jobs to make ends meet.
Earlier in the day, other education advocates urged the union and BPS to address wide-ranging issues in the contract negotiations.
Edith Bazile, a retired Boston school administrator and educator who belongs to the teachers union, said she hopes the new contract will provide more support for educators of color and foster better learning environments for Black students.
John Mudd, a longtime education advocate, said he hopes the union can secure appropriate staffing guarantees as BPS prepares to integrate more students with disabilities and English learners into traditional classrooms.
“The most important issue is that we do right by students,” Mudd said.
Jeremiah Manion of the Globe staff contributed to this report.
James Vaznis can be reached at james.vaznis@globe.com. Follow him @globevaznis. Madeline Khaw can be reached at maddie.khaw@globe.com. Follow her @maddiekhaw.