spacer Boston Teachers Union Contract Language
on Pilot Schools
   
The following language is from the  Collective Bargaining Agreement between the Boston Teachers Union Local 66 MFT, AFL-CIO, and the Boston School Committee Effective September 1, 2003 through August 31, 2006, pp. 27-28.  The new Amendment III E was ratified in January 2006.  Web Link: See the Boston Teachers Union website to download the contract: http://www.btu.org/leftnavbar/contractdownload.html

   The Boston Public Schools and the Boston Teachers Union are sponsoring the establishment of innovative Pilot Schools within the Boston Public School system. The purpose of establishing Pilot Schools is to provide models of educational excellence that will help to foster widespread educational reform throughout all Boston Public Schools. The parties hope to improve dramatically the educational learning environment and thereby improve student performance. 

   Pilot Schools will be open to students in accordance with the Boston Public Schools controlled choice plan. Pilot Schools will operate with an average school-based per pupil budget, plus a start­up supplement, and will have greatly increased decision-making authority, including exemptions from all Union and School Committee work rules.  The actual establishment of such schools will be pursuant to the issuing of Requests for Proposals (RFP). The RFP will be developed and reviewed by the BPS/BTU Steering Committee. No pilot school shall be established without the approval of the Joint BTU/BPS Steering Committee and the School Committee.

   Teachers, paraprofessionals, nurses, guidance counselors, substitutes, and all other employees at Pilot schools who fall under the jurisdiction of the BTU contract throughout the school system will be members of the appropriate BTU bargaining unit. These employees shall accrue seniority in the system and shall receive, at a minimum, the salary and benefits established in the BTU contract.

   Employees in Pilot Schools will be required to work the full work day/work year as prescribed by the terms of the individual Pilot School proposal. Further, they shall be required to perform and work in accordance with the terms of the individual Pilot School proposal.

   Nothing in this Agreement shall prevent Pilot School governing bodies from making changes to their programs and schedules during the year.

   All BTU members who apply for positions at Pilot Schools shall receive the following information at the time of their application

  • the length of the school day and school year;
  • the amount of required time beyond the regular school day;
  • any additional required time during the summer or school vacations; and
  • any other duties or obligations beyond the requirements of the BTU contract.

   BTU members who are employed at a Pilot School shall receive, prior to the end of the school year, the same information as stated above.

   The Governing Board of each Pilot School shall develop an internal appeals process to allow any staff member to raise issues, concerns, or problems. The internal appeals process shall be submitted to the Joint BTU/BPS Steering Committee for approval. (The BTU/BPS Steering Committee is created through the BTU contract. The committee exists of an equal number of members appointed by the superintendent and teachers union president, presided over by the superintendent and teachers union president.  The committee’s charge is to oversee implementation of the BTU contract, of which Pilot schools are one provision.) The internal appeals process shall be provided in writing to all BTU staff members.

   Issues not resolved at the school level may go to mediation under Article X-C of this agreement. Final resolution will be made by the Superintendent of Schools and the President of the Boston Teachers Union.

   Employees shall work in Pilot Schools on a voluntary basis and may excess themselves at the end of any school year. (This process must take place within the Voluntary Excess timeline set forth in the BPS Staffing Calendar, which is included in Superintendent Circular HRS-25.) No BTU member may be laid off as a result of the existence of Pilot Schools.

   The specifications for the RFP on Pilot Schools is agreed to by the parties and is hereby incorporated by reference.

   Pilot School positions will be posted on the BPS web page.

New Article III E

  1. The parties agree that a minimum of seven Pilot schools, provided there are sufficient, proposals to consider, will be created through September 09 under this agreement.  The new Pilot Schools may result from conversions, newly created schools, and/or charter schools that opt to become Pilot schools.  There shall be a union-sponsored, teacher-run Pilot School at the site of the Thompson Middle School, effective 9/2009 or as soon as the Thompson building is available for such use.  This school shall be run exclusively by the BTU Bargaining Unit members on staff.  This Pilot at the Thompson shall be counted as one of the seven schools.  Nothing described in this paragraph shall supersede the Contract language found in Article III D, specifically, the language that gives the BTU president or superintendent veto power over any particular Pilot School.
  1. The parties agree that a teacher work year schedule (including length of work year, length of work day, professional development time in and out of school, and summer work) shall be created by the Governing Board and shall be given to affected staff no later than January 15 of the previous school year.  By a 66% or 2/3 vote, affected BTU Bargaining Unit staff may vote to override the proposed schedule, sending it back to the Governing Board for possible re-working.  If a schedule for an upcoming school year has not been approved by February 15th the previous year’s schedule shall remain in place.  Staff wishing to excess may do so on February 15th.  If after the start of school year, the Governing Board of a Pilot School wishes to change, it must be approved by a 66% or 2/3 vote of the affected BTU Bargaining Unit staff.  The following paragraph, currently found in Article III D of the 2003-2006 CBA, shall be deleted: “Nothing in this agreement shall prevent Pilot School governing bodies from making changes to their programs and schedules during the year.”

   i. Bargaining Unit members who work in a Pilot School shall get paid at the contractual hourly rate for hours scheduled in accordance with the above paragraph as follows:  For all hours scheduled in excess of the traditional teacher work day and year (as mentioned in the first sentence in section 2) for their respective school levels (elementary, 6:30 per day: secondary 6:40 per day) of 183 days and 18 hours), the following schedule shall be in effect:

  1. In 2006/2007, excess hours up to 105 per school year shall not be compensated.  Compensation for hours from 105-155 shall be paid by the school department.  Compensation for hours beyond 155 shall be the responsibility of the individual Pilot School.
  2. In 2007/2008, excess hours up to 100 per school year shall not be compensated.  Compensation for hours from 100-150 shall be paid by the school department.  Compensation for hours beyond 150 shall be the responsibility of the individual Pilot School.
  3. In 2008/2009, excess hours up to 95 per school year shall not be compensated.  Compensation for hours from 95-145 shall be paid by the school department.  Compensation for hours beyond 145 shall be the responsibility of the individual Pilot School.

ii. All pay, regardless of the source of funding, will be annualized and retirement-worthy.  

  1. The parties agree that there will be established an intervention process that can be invoked under certain conditions to be established.  Either party will be able to initiate an intervention process.  The process will parallel the process as found in Article IV C of the CBA.
  2. Each Pilot School’s Governing Board shall include no less than four teachers.
  3. Disputes over the interpretation or application of Article III E I 1, I 2, and I 3 shall be resolved in accordance with the arbitration procedure, waiving all intermediate steps, of the parties’ collective bargaining agreement unless the superintendent and the union president can agree on a resolution.
  4. The two Boston Horace Mann Charters, the Boston Day and Evening Academy and the Health Careers Academy, will fall under this newly named Article III E of CBA.
  5. Teachers in Pilot Schools must excess themselves by February 1 of a given school year. Pilot School principals and headmasters must excess teachers by February 1 of a given school year.
  6. The parties agree that sections 2i 1, 2, 3 and section 6, if applicable, apply to paraprofessionals.
  7. Article III E in the CBA will be renamed Article III F.