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Boston teachers stage ‘walk-in’ rallies to pressure contract talks [Video]

Members of the Boston Teachers Union staged demonstrations before classes Thursday to put pressure on Boston Public Schools for a new contract.”We’re now going into our second month without a contract,” organizer Erika Kouka of the BTU said.Thursdays rallies followed similar “walk-ins” last month.Caroline Alexis, a Boston Public School teacher and BTU representative, said she thinks there has been some progress.”Well, I feel like BPS is starting to take us a little bit more seriously. They are starting to come with actual responses to our requests,” she said.”For the first time, BPS at our last session, so I believe that was last week actually did come with an inclusion proposal, whereas previously they had said that they were not willing at all to negotiate around that topic, so we are getting some movement, but it’s definitely not enough,” Kouka said.The Teachers Union said pay and benefits are on the table. BTU is also seeking to end the practice of requiring general education teachers to also serve as special education and ESL teachers.”We are the only district in the entire state that requires teachers to use multiple licenses, as if that’s efficient for kids,” Alexis said.Mayor Michelle Wu, at a ribbon-cutting at CarGurus new office in the Back Bay, explained that the former model for students with Individual Education Plans required students to travel to schools that offer the needed services.”Now, we’re flipping that around so that services will follow the students, but it requires a lot more flexibility in being able to have inclusion across the board so that that will eventually serve students and their families much better,” Wu said.The demonstrations were taking place before school, and once the bell rang, the teachers were in the classroom with the students. Negotiations are continuing between BPS and the Teachers Union.