This message was originally sent via email on October 27, 2023.
Dear colleagues,
City Schools has been at the forefront when it comes to investing in the teaching profession with our local career pathways for educators. We’ve seen the energy and interest amongst our educators to advance along these pathways for over a decade.
The Kirwan Blueprint for Maryland’s Future requires that by the 2024-2025 school year, districts have a career ladder that supports teacher leadership and educators’ professional growth and development. City Schools wants to use this moment to better meet the current needs of educators and support student achievement by building on the strengths and addressing some of the challenges of our existing career pathways.
To align with the Kirwan legislation, City Schools has been working on ways to improve pathways for teachers, also known as the Teacher Career Ladder, to increase their skills, leadership, and compensation. This framework, which City Schools’ leadership shared with the BTU in July, meets the Kirwan Blueprint Act requirements and meets our goals for advancing teacher development, leadership, and compensation. The new framework:
- creates more pathways to leadership;
- has faster interval progression leading to salary increases; and
- represents an increased overall investment in teacher compensation, more than what is required by law.
On October 25, in the BTU Joint Operating Committee (JOC), comprised of City Schools and BTU representatives, City Schools representatives voted to not recertify the pathways in the BTU contract. This means that the current pathways will no longer be in effect after June 30, 2024. For teachers, this means:
The contract states that when the pathway is not recertified, BTU member salaries and benefits will not decrease.
BTU members will continue to earn AUs through the 2023-24 school year and HC will continue to process them.
- Currently approved AU menu items and professional development activities that are completed during the 2023-24 school year will be honored.
- What will happen with evaluation AUs and any AU balances as of June 30, 2024, is subject to negotiations with BTU.
- City Schools and BTU have already agreed that there will still be Model Teacher selection and accelerated movement from the Standard Pathway to the Professional Pathway selection** during the 2023-24 school year.
Our teachers matter, and we will maintain open lanes of dialogue with the BTU to find the best career pathway solution for our educators. We have an opportunity for sustainable change and ask for your patience while we work with our labor partner to develop it.
Should you have any further questions, please email teacherpathways@bcps.k12.md.us Keep in mind that we may not have answers to a number of questions as they will be subject to negotiations with BTU. We will keep you posted with any new developments or changes and provide further guidance when it becomes available.
**New information as of 11/13/23 is bolded.