Dear Members,

Staying informed is critical to staying safe, activating our rights, connecting with community and enriching ourselves, our families, our students and their families. Each week, BTU staff seeks to provide you with information that can promote these goals. If you have questions about any of these opportunities, please reach out to the contact information provided in each promotion, or email info@baltu.org.

In Solidarity,

President Brown

BTU Members! Know Your Rights

If you are involved in an incident at school and you think you might be disciplined, speak with your BTU Building Rep or Field Representative BEFORE speaking to your supervisor. You have the right to have your BR or Field Rep present with you during your meeting with your supervisor. These rights apply to BOTH BTU Chapters, Teacher and PSRP, and was added to the BTU Teacher Contract in 2021:

13.9 Right to Representation

When a teacher is notified to appear for a meeting or an investigatory interview which may lead to discipline, including, but not limited to, reprimand, suspension, or dismissal, the teacher shall be advised of their right to representation prior to the beginning of any such meeting or interview and shall be given a reasonable time to arrange for representation.

REMEMBER TO USE YOUR RIGHTS!

SHOT OUT AN AMAZING BTU MEMBER !

Please click on the link below to send a shout out to a fellow BTU member! Shout outs are free and will be featured in the upcoming issue of the Baltimore Educator (BTU’S newsletter/magazine). The deadline for shout outs and all other submissions is Friday, February 11th.

CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT A SHOTOUT!

First Book is proud to support the National Education Association’s Read Across America program by highlighting a wide range of diverse and engaging titles for all ages.

Shop our special Read Across America section to find the perfect books to share with kids and teens during celebrations on March 2nd and year-round

CLICK HERE TO SHOP READ ACROSS AMERICA

Roses are Red. Violets are Blue. We love Community Schools and hope you do too!

To celebrate the 4^th annual We Love Community Schools Day, the Maryland Coalition for Community Schools is creating a video montage (or ‘Tribute’) for Maryland’s Community Schools and Coordinators. Please join us in sending love and support for the state-wide strategy, by making a short video to include in the virtual Valentine. The video will be shared out on February 14^th.

Use your phone or computer to make your Valentine tribute. Upload here. Don’t know where to start? Answer one or both of the prompt questions:

What do you appreciate most about Maryland’s Community Schools?
How has your life been impacted by Maryland’s Community Schools?

Or you can check out the tribute video made for last year’s Community School Coordinators Appreciation Week. Feel free to email hmay@mostnetwork.org with any questions.

Don’t be the last to submit! Share with someone you know that loves Community Schools.

CLICK HERE TO SHOW YOUR APPRECIATION

LAST WEEK’S FLYERS

TESTIFY AT THE 2/8/22 SCHOOL BOARD MEETING

The next school board meeting is February 8, 2022 at 5:00 PM.

Join the conference call at +14439611488 Conference ID: # 992 361 076. Or you can watch it on YouTube: City Schools TV. Click here for more information on School Board meetings. Click here for the meeting agenda.

To sign up for public comment…

Members of the public interested in submitting comments can e-mail Leatrice Jones at LLJones02@bcps.k12.md.us between 4:15 – 5:15 PM on the day of the meeting.
Please indicate whether you will be commenting live, submitting a video or submitting an e-mail to be read. Up to 10 members of the public may register to speak.
Members of the public can send an e-mail of no longer than 400 words that will be read aloud by the Board Executive, a three-minute video that will be broadcast during the meeting or sign up to deliver their comments live during the meeting.

SIGN UP FOR PUBLIC COMMENT

WATCH THE FEB 10 BTU EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING @ 6:00PM

This webinar will give members an opportunity to observe the BTU Executive Board Meeting on Feb 10 at 6:00pm.

Members will need to register and have their membership checked before being sent a Zoom link to join the webinar as an “Attendee”. The email will be from “BTU Admin #2”. Check your spam folder!

Attendees can observe the meeting, see Panelists (Executive Board Members) that have their cameras on, see screen sharing, and hear all the audio.

Attendees will not be able to chat with Panelists or other Attendees. Attendees will not be able to raise their hand. Attendees will be able to observe the meeting but not participate in the meeting.

THE DEADLINE TO REGISTER FOR THIS WEBINAR IS: FEB 10 AT 5:45PM. NO REGISTRATIONS WILL BE CHECKED AFTER THIS DATE/TIME.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

BCPSS MID-YEAR PERFORMANCE REVIEW DEADLINE EXTENDED TO 2/11/22

Discussions about employee performance and team goals midway through the year are important opportunities for each team member across City Schools to reflect upon their impact thus far in the year.

The district wants to ensure there is sufficient time for supervisors and their team members to pause and engage in meaningful performance-based conferences, and understand the return from the winter holiday has required each of us to navigate a great deal of uncertainty and to be responsive to the evolving needs of our students and school communities.

With that in mind, the deadline for Mid Year Performance Review for BTU Teacher and PSRP members has been extended by two weeks. The deadline for mid year performance reviews (originally communicated as January 31, 2022) has been updated and adjusted to Friday, February 11, 2022.

BTU NEEDS TO KNOW!

Substituting and safety violations are widespread, but BTU Staff doesn’t know about it, unless we hear from you.

Please complete the forms below if you are substituting (or “covering”) or are concerned by health and safety gaps in your schools or worksites.

FILL OUT THE SUBSTITUTE SURVEY

Whenever you serve as a substitute, whether for just a short period of time or a whole day, BTU leadership requests that you fill out this form to help us collect data and better advocate for policies that support fully staffed, well-functioning schools.

This form does NOT take the place of contacting a BTU Field Rep if you believe a contract violation has occurred, or in the case of PSRPs, you are owed additional pay for subbing. Always contact your Field Representative when you believe the contract is being violated.

CLICK HERE TO COMPLETE THE BTU SUBSTITUTING SURVEY

USE THIS BTU FORM TO REPORT HEALTH AND SAFETY VIOLATIONS

The BTU has created an online reporting form in order to document positive and suspected COVID cases. This online reporting form can also be used to report:

violations of the Teacher and PSRP Contracts
violations of the MOU we recently negotiated to protect members, and
violations of the District’s Safety and Health Guidelines.

This form is NOT meant to replace reported violations sent to supervisors, it is a supplement that will allow union membership a single, consistent, and safe place to report to BTU so that we are able to most efficiently and effectively support staff.

Please email info@baltu.org or your field rep if you have questions about how to fill out this form.

CLICK HERE REPORT HEALTH & SAFETY VIOLATIONS