The Batavia Teachers’ Association welcomes you to its official home page. In our mission to better serve our members, as well as the children and families of Batavia, we hope to use this site to share helpful resources and updates for our members and the community. Here, you will find important documents, such as our current contract, access to a shared drive that provides access to important member-only resources, updates on the good work our members are doing for the Batavia community, and much more. You will also find access to an archive of press releases shared with local and regional media, posts such as this with updates that are important but don’t warrant a media blast, and soon, digital access to our Association newsletter.

To our members: united we stand. WE are the union. If there is something you would like to see on the site, let us know.

To the Batavia community: One of our core missions in creating this site was to forge a digital home where we could share our message and speak directly to you, the parents, grandparents, guardians, siblings, and families. While we are a proud union, we are also proud members of the Batavia community. Even those of us who may reside elsewhere, we work here, spend here, and invest ourselves in helping Batavia’s children achieve and become the best people they can be. To do that, we want you to know us and we want you to know that we are for you.

If you experience difficulty with any portion of the site, please don’t hesitate to use the Contact Us page at the top of the website. This site has been in development since the summer 2025 and will remain so in perpetuity to deliver the best service to our members and the people of Batavia.

If you are a member of the press, or need to reach the web administrator, please visit the contact page or email me directly at press@bataviateachersassociation.org.

 

The BTA is pleased to announced that our shared drive, previously hosted on district servers, is now fully accessible to all members right here on our web page! You will find information and forms related to health insurance, APPR, FLMA, current and prior year contracts and more.

Because this information is not public, it is accessible only with an officer or union provided password. It should be sent to all members that have registered a personal email on January 1st, 2026. If you require access to the Drive and do not have the password, please reach out to an officer or building representative and it will be provided to you. Alternatively, you may use the Contact Us page via this website.

You can access the BTA Drive by scrolling to the top of the page and clicking Drive from the top menu, navigating to drive.bataviateachersassociation.org, bataviateachersassociation.org/drive, or simply clicking here.

At the current time, members are able to view and download files but cannot add, edit, or delete. If there is something you feel should be included for member access, please reach out via the contact form or email an officer or representative directly.

On Wednesday, December 17, the Batavia Teachers’ Association was proud to help turn a local hockey game into a meaningful community event. During a Batavia Notre Dame JV Hockey game, we hosted Batavia’s first-ever Teddy Bear Toss—an evening focused on generosity, connection, and supporting local children.

Community members attending the game were encouraged to bring a new stuffed animal. At the end of the first period, fans filled the ice with teddy bears as donations were tossed from the stands. By the end of the night, approximately 300 stuffed animals had been collected.

All donated bears will be distributed to local children through organizations serving Batavia families, including the Salvation Army, children’s hospitals, shelters, and other community-based groups. In addition to the stuffed animals, the event also raised more than $100 in cash donations, all of which will be donated directly to the Salvation Army.

To make sure everyone had the opportunity to participate, the Batavia Teachers’ Association purchased 100 teddy bears in advance and coordinated on-site bear sales throughout the evening. This allowed families and fans who arrived without a donation to still take part in the event and contribute to the cause.

The Teddy Bear Toss is one more example of how Batavia educators work together to support the community we serve. While our work begins in classrooms across the district, it extends far beyond school walls. Events like this allow us to connect with families, partner with local organizations, and create moments that make a real difference for children in need.

We are grateful to the Batavia Notre Dame JV Hockey team and to every community member who participated, donated, or helped spread the word. The success of this first Teddy Bear Toss shows what can happen when our community comes together with kindness at the center.

The Batavia Teachers’ Association is celebrating two heartfelt projects that helped local families heading into the Thanksgiving season. With nearly 300 teachers and staff spread across Batavia’s five schools, giving back is something the BTA takes seriously—and this year’s efforts show just how much educators care about the community they serve.

A Thanksgiving Food Drive With Deep Roots

At John Kennedy, school counselor Eric Knapp has been running the Thanksgiving Food Drive for 20 years. What started as a small Batavia Middle project in 2005 has grown into a districtwide tradition that now brings together students, educators, and community partners.

This year, members donated more than 1,000 food items—everything needed to help about 15 families, nearly 100 people total, enjoy a full holiday meal. Local partners like Wegmans, Lawley Insurance, the Batavia Police Department, and the Batavia Fire Department once again joined in, offering gift cards and hands-on support with organizing and delivering the boxes.

Eric is also behind John Kennedy’s Christmas toy drive for Golisano Children’s Hospital, which pulls in hundreds of toys each year. His focus is always on kindness and reminding students why caring for others matters. He often says that helping people—especially those going through a tough time—is one of the most meaningful parts of his job.

A New PB&J Drive at Batavia High School

Over at Batavia High School, social studies teacher John McCarthy kicked off a brand-new initiative this year: a Peanut Butter & Jelly Drive to support the Salvation Army. The idea came from watching how national issues were affecting families and wanting to make sure students had a reliable food option during tough stretches.

PB&J isn’t fancy, but it’s dependable, filling, and something families can use right away. McCarthy hopes the drive not only provides real support but also shows students what community care looks like in action. His long-term hope is that they’ll carry that spirit forward and maybe even start their own service projects someday.

Caring for Families, Not Just Classrooms

Both efforts reflect something Batavia educators believe deeply: supporting students also means supporting the households they come from. Whether it’s donating food, collecting toys, or organizing a new kind of drive, BTA members consistently step forward to help families feel seen, supported, and cared for.

These Thanksgiving-season projects highlight the heart of Batavia’s schools—people who show up for their community in ways big and small, year after year.