Hundreds of Brookline parents and children visit the BEU’s booth at Brookline Day every year! It’s fun — we’ll collect signatures for Raise Up Massachusetts and encourage children to draw pictures of school activities that students deserve.
We need the help of 3 BEU members an hour between 10:00 and 3:30. (Four to set up between 10:00 and 11:00) 
All showings are at 6:00 p.m. in the BHS MLK room. Come at 5:45 for pizza and stay for a discussion after the film.
WHAT WILL I DO?
WHAT WILL I GET?
If you’d like to become a “One,” Sign Up here, or if have any questions, please contact Jess at beu-mta@hotmail.com
Retired Devo teacher Bob Miller is the BEU Financial Consultant (Bob Miller from Heath is BEU vice-president). Here’s Bob’s first 2017-2018 financial message, including a workshop scheduled for October 5. Save the date!
Much Ado about Money for Educators!
Investing for your future with the 403b – As you think about your teaching career, you should be aware of a great investment opportunity for teachers, the 403b7. This retirement account – completely separate from your MTRS retirement account – is a pre-tax dollar funded retirement account, and it’s almost identical to the 401K in the private sector.
Saving on a new mortgage or considering refinancing – Does half a percent or even a quarter of a percent really make that much of a difference in your mortgage payment? Absolutely! The difference between an interest rate of 3.78% and 4.28% translates into a savings of $1,000 per year and $30,000 over the life of a 30 year loan! If you’re exploring the possibility of refinancing or purchasing a home, you should take advantage of the MTA’s discounted mortgage program with Berkshire Bank. The contact person is Bill Poirier, Senior Mortgage Consultant: bpoirier@berkshire bank.com. (Countless BEU members have participated in this program over the years.)
You need a will! – According to a recent survey, 78% of Millennials do not have a will. If you die intestate – without a will – your assets will be governed by the laws of “intestate succession.” In the case of a married couple in MA, you might be surprised to learn that your surviving spouse is only entitled to receive 50% of your assets with the remainder divided amongst relatives – some of whom you may not like. In short, don’t wait like Prince until “the party over” and “Oops out of time.” Create a simple will for as little as a couple of hundred dollars with LegalZoom, RocketLawyer or USLegalWills.com.
Bob Miller, BEU Financial Consultant and retired Devotion teacher: odysseus7@comcast.net
geralt / Pixabay
RSVPs encouraged at bit.ly/backpack_BOS
The Unit A contract (teachers, specialists) gives members the right to apply, and be interviewed, for jobs inside the system. Postings are here. What follows is the contract language and instructions on how to apply for internally posted positions.
Promotions. All qualified professional employees will be given adequate opportunity to
apply for any positions normally considered to be above their rank and status. An adequate
opportunity to apply for such promotion means that during the school year the entire
professional staff shall be promptly notified in writing (or via e-mail) that a vacancy exists
and that any professional employee applying for promotion shall be given full opportunity
to interview by persons designated by the Superintendent. The notice shall contain a job
description of the vacancy.
Instructions for viewing job postingSee the list of new or clarified protections in the new agreement
Brookline Educators Union members have been actively involved in Educators for a Democratic Union since its inception. Here’s some exciting news….
EDU Members Nominate Merrie Najimy for MTA President, Max Page for Vice-President
We are writing to thank MTA members and staff for once again having an impact on misguided DESE policy proposals.
When we fight, we win!
For weeks, MTA members and staff had been fighting a regulation proposed by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education that would have vastly expanded the commissioner’s disciplinary authority — thereby trampling on the constitutional and statutory rights of educators.
Specifically, the change would have allowed license actions against educators for misconduct that, in the opinion of the commissioner, “discredits the profession, brings the license into disrepute, compromises student safety or the integrity of the student-educator relationship.”
On Monday, we learned that the DESE will not include this language when it presents final proposed changes on educator licensure and renewal to the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education on June 27.
MTA field staff collected petitions signed by about 10,000 MTA members in opposition to the proposal. Our advocacy also included a social media campaign, extensive comments by MTA’s Legal Division and the Massachusetts ACLU, and input from MTA’s Center for Education Policy and Practice.
Stay tuned for more details on license and license renewal regulations once the BESE has voted on the full package of proposed changes.
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Join other MTA members and community activists from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 27 at the MTA headquarters in Quincy, 2 Heritage Drive, 1st Floor. Learn about and share ideas with other MTA members about organizing strategies in the fight against high-stakes testing. We will hear from:
This meeting is the fifth meeting with a focus on planning for the fall and next year. All are welcome, from PreK- 12 to Higher Education colleagues who want to support these efforts and/or opt their children out of high stakes testing. |
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| LOCATION | MTA Headquarters Quincy |
| ADDRESS | 11 Heritage Drive Quincy, MA 02169  |
MTA News