Dear Members,
I am very pleased to announce that negotiations for the Teacher Chapter contract have concluded with agreements on salary increases for 2026-27 and 2027-28 and no changes to the structure or cost of our healthcare plans. While our salary increases are not as high as our last contract, we faced a challenging situation in which district management initially sought to double health care costs during the life of the contract while providing no compensation increase at all for the current school year. Through BTU’s advocacy and resilience, we secured our healthcare and a retroactive salary increase. This two year contract builds on recent contract wins while expanding critical protections that make our jobs more sustainable and strengthen the services we provide to our students.
Our Tentative Agreement includes the following pay scale adjustments, which are retroactive to July 1, 2026:
- Healthcare protected: There will be no changes to healthcare terms in 2026, 2027, or 2028.
- SY 2026-2027 – 2% increase (retroactive to the beginning of the year)
- SY 2027-2028 – 2.3% increase
- Each year’s raise now applies to the Master’s Degree base salary supplement, and Master’s Equivalence now qualifies for this salary increase as well
- Protection from forced class coverage: Full or split classes may now only be assigned in emergencies, and members who give up planning time for coverage now receive 120% of the stipend rate
- Stronger due process rights: Members must be informed of the nature of allegations before providing statements or attending potentially disciplinary meetings
- 1st and 2nd year teachers will now be able to participate in the voluntary transfer window, which will improve retention and facilitate teachers being able to secure a better fit within City Schools
- RSPs will gain access to an evaluation Off-Cycle process by 2028-2029
- Stronger licensure protections with clearer processing timelines, explanations of district actions, and expanded opportunities to advance credentials on a faster timeline
- Major workload protections for Special Education teachers and ELD teachers, including four dedicated IEP/compliance days for Special Education teachers, two half-days for ELD compliance, and stronger limits on inappropriate substitute and reassignment duties
- Teachers can no longer have their formal observations recorded without their consent
- More accountability for workplace bullying and harassment: City Schools must provide BTU an annual report showing the number and disposition of staff bullying/harassment complaints
- And much more. Read a summary of the changes to the BTU Teacher Chapter contract here.
Over the next two weeks, myself and others from the collective bargaining team will provide details on all aspects of the agreement. Ratification of the contract will happen via online voting from Friday, October 2 through Friday, October 9. See below for meeting schedules and registration links.
Here is a link to the entire tentative agreement, highlighted text is new language.
With the end of Teacher Chapter negotiations the BTU will move to negotiate the PSRP contract reopener on wages for the current school year, followed by a successor PSRP contract for next year and beyond.
We are excited to have a two year agreement and meet with members over the next two weeks as we work toward ratification.
In solidarity,
President Brown
Please see the enclosed information about the 2026-2028 BTU Teacher Contract Tentative Agreement Ratification process:
Voting Window: Friday, October 2 @ 8:00am – Friday, October 9 @ 11:59pm
- BTU Teacher Chapter Members can vote by online voting using their BCPSS email address via Election Runner
Information Sessions
- Monday, September 21 @ 4:00pm– BTU Private Facebook Group-Facebook Live
- Tuesday, September 22 @ 4:30pm– Zoom General Session
- Wednesday, September 23 @ 4:30pm– Building Representatives Meeting (all members can attend @ BTU Office 5800 Metro Drive – Jamaican dinner included!)
- Registration: https://forms.gle/H2WnjhNmDfWSmLbe9
- Thursday, October 1 @ 5:00pm– In-Person Session at BTU Office (5800 Metro Drive – pizza dinner included!)
- Registration: https://forms.gle/GduPap8KuYh7w2Ri6
- Monday, October 5, 2025 @ 4:30pm– Zoom General Session
Voting Window: Friday, October 2 @ 8:00am – Friday, October 9 @ 11:59pm
BTU Teacher Chapter Members can vote by online voting
Online Voting Instructions:
- Every BTU Teacher Chapter member will be sent an email at their BCPSS email address from Election Runner to vote on the BTU Teacher Chapter Contract Tentative Agreement Ratification on Friday, October 2, 2026 at 8:00am.
- Election Runner will send each BTU Teacher Chapter member a link that includes a unique voting ID and password (see picture below). This will ensure anonymity. Election Runner will only tell us that you voted, not how you voted.
- Select Yes to ratify (accept) the contract tentative agreement or select No to reject the contract tentative agreement.
- Submit your online vote by 11:59pm on Friday, October 9, 2026
Important Information:
- Results of the BTU Teacher Chapter Contract Tentative Agreement Ratification will be announced by email blast on Monday, October 12, 2026
- If the BTU Teacher Chapter contract is ratified, then the BCPSS School Board will vote to ratify the contract at the school board meeting on Wednesday October 21, 2026
- Salary adjustment and retroactive payment will appear on the November 6, 2026 paycheck
If you have any questions, please email info@baltu.org