Ed Expert: Unmet Promises from BPS & BTU Contracts
Read the latest from education expert Erin Cooley on BPS' contracts with BTU
Boston Public Schools and the Boston Teachers Union are currently in negotiations for a new contract. The BTU contract is always an important policy document, but it is even more important right now: the June 2025 deadline of the agreement that Mayor Wu struck with DESE to prevent a state takeover of BPS is fast approaching.
BPI asked our education expert Erin Cooley to take a look back at the public conversation that accompanied previous BTU contracts to see how things have changed over the past decade. Read it below, and find links to more of Erin’s work monitoring and analyzing BPS this past year.
BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS: A DECADE OF UNMET PROMISES
In 2012, then-City Councilor-at-Large John Connolly captured the frustration of many across Boston when he remarked, "City and union leaders touted the hollow accomplishment as groundbreaking school reform, but parents and teachers were left with a sense of resignation knowing that when it comes to the Boston Public Schools, help rarely comes from those in power." More than a decade later, this sentiment still rings true. Teachers, parents, and education advocates continue to grapple with a system that has yet to deliver the meaningful change promised by both city officials and district leaders.
A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE BPS TEACHER CONTRACT
The Boston Teachers Union (BTU) contract has long been a point of contention between district and BTU leaders, and while the 2012 agreement was celebrated by some as a step forward—introducing a new teacher evaluation system, modest pay increases, and a focus on professional development—it ultimately failed to address deeper, systemic issues and existing gaps in achievement. In fact, many teachers and families found that it provided little relief from the challenges of appropriating resources, an unpredictable school assignment system, and widespread variance among schools. Even more concerning, the promises of reform often felt disconnected from the lived realities of educators and students.
Now, more than a decade later, the challenges present in 2012 remain largely unchanged. Despite repeated rounds of contract negotiations, the Boston Public Schools continue to struggle with the same issues: an education system that remains deeply unequal for many of the city's most vulnerable students, ongoing turnover in leadership, inadequate support for English learners and special education students, and frustration between teachers and school and city leaders.
A DECADE LATER: LITTLE HAS CHANGED & SOME PROMISES REMAIN UNFULFILLED
In the years since the 2012 contract, Boston's education system has continued to struggle with many of the same challenges including significant achievement gaps between student groups (especially EL students), the rising costs of unreliable school transportation,and suboptimal facility conditions.
One of the clearest examples of progress yet to be fully realized in Boston is the goal of universal pre-kindergarten (pre-K). In 2014, then-Mayor Marty Walsh made a bold promise to expand access to early education, aiming to make pre-K available to all 4-year-olds in the city by 2022. By 2024, the city has made significant strides, with 5,000 seats now available for 4-year-olds; enough to meet the needs of the city’s 4-year-old population. Despite that progress, there remain insufficient seats for 3-year-old children, leaving many families unable to access free early education for their youngest learners.
These persistent delays to changes and improvements reflect a larger issue within the Boston Public Schools: despite lofty promises and goals, the city has struggled to deliver on its commitments to provide equitable, high-quality education for all students from age 3 through high school graduation.
THE IMPACT ON TEACHERS & STUDENTS
For staff, the teacher contract and its associated reforms since 2012 have had mixed results. While some benefits, such as new professional development programs, have been welcome, many educators continue to report feeling unsupported. As recent as October 2024, the Boston Teachers Union (BTU) is actively fighting for better pay for both teachers and paraprofessionals and demanding what they call “inclusion done right”—a call for the district to properly staff the inclusion model used in classrooms for students with disabilities and English Language Learners. Relatedly, the union is seeking to alter existing policy that requires general education teachers to obtain additional licenses in order to meet the needs of students with disabilities., For students, especially those in underserved communities, the BPS experience has deteriorated. Despite the promises of reform, late buses, inadequate facilities, insufficient mental health support, and inconsistent implementation of reading curriculum continue to hinder academic success. With a per pupil expenditure of over $28,000 per student, Boston has the resources to address these issues, but a lack of political will and a failure to follow through on promised improvements have left students in some of the city's most at-risk neighborhoods without the support they need to thrive.
The 2024 MCAS (Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System) scores further illustrate the ongoing struggle within Boston Public Schools. Achievement gaps that have long existed between White and Black, Latino, and low-income students have not only persisted, but in many cases, have widened. While the pandemic exacerbated these gaps, recovery has been slow, and the most marginalized students are falling further behind.
THE STATE IMPROVEMENT PLAN: A STEP TOWARD CHANGE OR ANOTHER MISSED OPPORTUNITY?
Amid the struggles, the state of Massachusetts implemented a Systemic Improvement Plan (SIP) to address the long-standing challenges facing Boston Public Schools. The SIP was launched in 2020 to help the district improve its academic outcomes and address the root causes of systemic inequities. The plan included specific measures such as expanding access to advanced coursework, reducing student absenteeism, increasing on-time school bus arrival, fixing school facilities, and reducing the number of students with disabilities in substantially separate classrooms.
However, as reported in The Boston Globe in September 2024, this plan is now in its final year, and many of the SIP’s provisions have yet to materialize in any meaningful way. The failure to adequately implement the SIP also underscores a broader issue: while there have been numerous strategic plans and initiatives over the years, real, systemic change in Boston’s schools remains elusive. The state’s oversight and intervention have not overcome the entrenched challenges of inequality, and ineffective policies. For parents, students, and teachers, the SIP feels like another in a long line of well-intentioned but ultimately ineffective reform initiatives.
WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?
As Boston heads into the next round of contract negotiations, the need for meaningful reform has never been more urgent. Teachers and staff are once again calling for better pay and increased investment in student support services. Meanwhile, parents and education advocates are pushing for more than just symbolic changes—they are demanding real, lasting solutions that address the root causes of inequity in the city’s public schools.
For substantive progress to be made, city leaders must stop relying on half-measures and start making the kind of bold investments that can transform the education system. This means funding universal preschool for three-year-olds, improving access to high-quality, evidence- and research-based curriculum and instruction, and ensuring that every school has the facilities and resources it needs to meet the diverse needs of its students.
The city cannot afford to let another generation of students fall behind.
Erin Cooley is an educational policy expert who has spent her career analyzing public school data. She worked nearly six years at the Boston Public Schools and currently serves as the managing director at one of Massachusetts’ leading education policy organizations.
Interested in reading more from Erin? Here is more of her analysis from 2024:
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