This Week's Focus

Register early for the UFT’s Spring Education Conference

Online registration has opened for the UFT’s Spring Education Conference, our signature annual conference that celebrates, supports and inspires our work as public school educators. This year’s event will be held on Saturday, May 18, from 7 a.m. to 3 pm., at the New York Hilton in midtown Manhattan. It includes breakfast, a morning town hall, a large exhibit fair featuring CTE programs, new workshops and a gala luncheon. Participants can attend a two-hour workshop of their choice on topics including new technology, advancing literacy skills, teaching the new math learning standards and the Student Debt Relief Program. You can read detailed descriptions of the six workshops. The registration fee is $50 per person. For teachers who take a workshop for two CTLE hours, there is an additional $30 charge, for a total of $80. For paraprofessionals and other UFT members who want to take a workshop for two CTLE hours, there is an additional $15 charge, for a total of $65. School Leadership Team members may use funds allocated to the team to pay for registration fees by using the Spring Conference Purchase Order. For more information about paying by purchase order, see the UFT Purchase Order Memo.

Celebrate Women’s History Month at the UFT’s HERstory brunch

In honor of Women’s History Month, UFT members are invited to HERstory, a celebration of the women of the UFT, on Sunday, March 31, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at UFT headquarters, 52 Broadway. Participants will share stories about their roles as UFT leaders and activists and pay tribute to the women who helped build the UFT into the powerhouse it is today. A hot buffet brunch will be served. Every participant will receive a T-shirt commemorating the event. Register online. Please post the HERstory flier on your UFT bulletin board.

Nominate your chapter for a Trachtenberg Award

Are you proud of your union chapter? Nominate your colleagues for a Trachtenberg Award, the union’s way of celebrating the accomplishments of standout chapters. Hallmarks of award-winning chapters include holding regularly scheduled chapter meetings and having a high or growing proportion of members who contribute to COPE. Winning chapters will be honored and given their Trachtenberg plaque at the 2019 Teacher Union Day ceremony on Sunday, Oct. 20. See the online nomination form for more information about selection criteria. Please note that chapters that have received a Trachtenberg Award in the past three years are not eligible this year. Nominations are due by Friday, April 12.

Check out our new school safety Q&A

School safety is a prerequisite for teaching and learning. The mission of the UFT’s Safety and Health Department is to protect all UFT members from the safety threats that can confront them and their students in schools. The union provides information about safety regulations and rules, advocates on behalf of members to address unsafe conditions and deal with unresponsive administrators, and works with the Department of Education and the New York Police Department to enforce school safety standards. You can get answers to some of the most common school safety questions that school-based UFT members ask in this new Q&A on the Issues on the UFT website.

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Your Chapter Leader Checklist

• New  Professional activity period fact sheets: To empower chapter leaders, the UFT's Contract Empowerment Department, in consultation with the Grievance Department, created a professional activity fact sheet for elementary schools and a professional activity fact sheet for middle and high schools. Each fact sheet presents best when printed as one double-sided document. Each bulleted item on the fact sheets cites the relevant contract article, circular or arbitration. Please refer to these fact sheets to guide you as you consult with your principal on professional activities. If you have questions, contact your district representative or Debra Poulos, the director of the union’s Contract Empowerment Department, at dpoulos [at] uft [dot] org (dpoulos[at]uft[dot]org).
• New School librarian tenure workshops: Please inform librarians in your school or campus about tenure workshops presented by the UFT for school library media specialists and others serving in the role of school librarian. These workshops will show participants how to collect, organize and present information about student learning and professional practice as evidence of effectiveness. The workshops will take place from 4 to 6 p.m. in UFT borough offices throughout the spring. For dates and to register by borough, see the online form. 
• New Be mindful of social media postings: Remind your members that social networking sites often seduce us into saying or revealing things online that we used to share only in personal conversations or letters. Urge members to always think twice before posting messages, photos or videos on such sites. School staff is held to a higher moral code and, like it or not, we need to be aware of how such postings may be interpreted by the public. How to judge? Ask yourself: Would I be OK if my mother, clergy member or kid sister saw the posting? Some activities do not need to be memorialized online!
• Celebrate the UFT’s 59th birthday at your next chapter meeting: Saturday, March 16, marks the 59th anniversary of the union’s formation. Dignity and respect, professionalism, due process, competitive wages and health and pension benefits: Fifty-nine years ago, those things didn’t exist for New York City public educators. It has been progress hard-fought for by our union. The anniversary gives you an opportunity to remind UFT members how far they’ve come as union members. You can show this two-minute video about the story of the UFT’s founding to set the tone at your March chapter meeting for a conversation with your members about why the union matters to them. If you bring a cake or make a card to celebrate the anniversary, please send a photo to uftphotos [at] gmail [dot] com (uftphotos[at]gmail[dot]com).
• Start the discussion about SBOs with your members: The month of March is the time to begin discussing school-based options (SBOs) in your school. If your chapter would like to renew an SBO or implement a new SBO, you should discuss options at your next chapter meeting. An SBO allows staff at a school the flexibility to collaboratively modify contractual articles or to create positions not automatically allowed under the contract. You can use the SBO process to change your school schedule, including when members engage in professional development, parent engagement and Other Professional Work; change the dates for parent-teacher conferences; and create comp-time positions. An SBO can be proposed by either the principal or the chapter leader on behalf of the chapter. However, a principal cannot force the chapter to hold a vote on any SBO, and an SBO cannot be adopted unless at least 55 percent of the members who are voting support it. Please be sure to schedule the vote when most, if not all, of the members are available to vote. More information about the SBO process will be coming in future Chapter Leader Updates, so stay tuned. If you have questions, please contact your district representative.
• Follow UFT divisions and departments on Twitter: Did you know various UFT divisions and departments are on Twitter? To get the latest news and information, you can follow the UFT elementary schools division @UFT_Elementary; the UFT middle schools division @UFTMS_Division; the UFT high schools division @UFTTeamHS; the paraprofessional chapter @UFTParas; the pension department @UFT_Pension; the safety and health department @UFTSafety; the UFT Brooklyn borough office @UFT_BKOffice; the UFT Manhattan borough office @UFT_MBO; the Bronx borough office @BBOUFT; and the UFT Alliance of Charter Teachers and Staff @UFTACTS.

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Share with Your Members

New HERstory brunch flier

Paraprofessional Festival and Awards flier

Middle School Conference flier

2019 UFT Election Notice

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You Should Know

Evaluation

Know your MOSL: CORRECTION — Teachers evaluated under the DOE’s Advance teacher development and evaluation system should know the courses and measures included in their Measures of Student Learning (MOSL). To avoid future complications, teachers should log into their Advance web page, navigate to the reports tab (not the MOSL tab, as previously indicated) and review the information to ensure the measures listed there reflect their school MOSL Committee’s decisions. If the measures are other than the committee’s selections, the teacher should immediately contact the chapter leader and the principal.

Functional Chapters

New Nominate your school secretary for a UFT award: School secretaries work hard every day to keep schools running and make a difference in children's lives. We encourage members to nominate school secretaries who excel at their jobs for a UFT School Secretary of the Year award. Winners will be honored at the union’s 33rd annual School Secretary Awards Luncheon on Saturday, June 15. Nominees must have at least three years’ experience as a licensed school secretary. To nominate a school secretary, use the online nomination form. The nomination deadline is Friday, April 5.

New Sub paraprofessionals covering an absent para for 30 consecutive workdays: Please make sure your principal and the payroll secretary know that, as per Article 10 of the paraprofessional collective bargaining agreement, a day-to-day substitute paraprofessional who covers the absence of the same paraprofessional for 30 consecutive workdays or more is covered by all the provisions of the DOE-paraprofessional contract, which includes pay, benefits and sick days, for the duration of that assignment.

Follow your colleagues on Instagram: The Social Workers and Psychologists Chapter now has an Instagram account. Follow the chapter at @SWPsyChapter.

Health and Safety

Special open-enrollment period for New York City health benefits: A special open enrollment period for NYC Health Benefits is available for in-service members during the month of April. Members can make changes during the entire month of April. These changes are effective July 1, 2019. Though any plan change can be made during this time, this period was specifically created to give members the opportunity to enroll in the restructured HIP HMO Gold Plan.

Opportunities

New  April 30 deadline for scholarship for LGBTQ student activists: The application deadline to apply for the UFT Pride Committee Daniel Dromm Scholarship, named for the member of the New York City Council and chair of the Council’s LGBTQ caucus, has been extended to April 30. High school educators and guidance counselors are urged to encourage seniors who are LGBTQ activists to apply for this award. Winners will receive a $1,000 scholarship. Applicants must be attending college in the fall and have a minimum 3.0 GPA. For full application requirements, see the online application.

New Apply now for Peer Independent Evaluator positions: Peer Independent Evaluators observe teachers who were rated Ineffective in the previous school year and can play an important role to ensure that teachers are evaluated fairly. The city Department of Education is now seeking applicants for this teacher assigned position. Eligible members must have a minimum of five years of teaching experience, an overall rating of Highly Effective or Effective (or Satisfactory, where applicable) in the most recent school year and must currently be a teacher, teacher assigned, assistant principal with reversion rights to a tenured teacher position, or education administrator with reversion rights to a tenured teacher position. You may apply online for the peer independent evaluator position on the DOE website. Applications will be accepted online until March 25. For more information, see the Peer Independent Evaluator position posting.

New  Speak Up, Sing Out songwriting contest: High school teachers are asked to encourage their students to enter the Speak Up, Sing Out songwriting contest, created by Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights in partnership with the American Federation of Teachers. In this contest, students create new songs to raise awareness about important human rights issues and inspire action to solve these problems. Students can submit music of any genre, and entries will be judged by artists such as Beyoncé, Katy Perry and Kelly Clarkson. The application deadline is May 12. For more information, including previous winners and contest application, see the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights website. 

March 20 deadline for Speak Truth to Power video contest: The application deadline for the Speak Truth to Power video contest is Wednesday, March 20. High school teachers should encourage students to enter this contest, which was created by Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights in partnership with the American Federation of Teachers. Students should submit a three-minute video about a human rights issue that resonates with them. The judges include award-winning actors Keegan-Michael Key and Alfre Woodard. Winning submissions will be showcased at the Tribeca Film Festival.  For more information, including previous winners and contest application, see the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights website.

Recognition

New  Chapter leader shoutout to Jeanette Acevedo: Chapter leaders are on the front lines, defending members’ rights, ensuring members have a voice in school decision-making and mobilizing members in political action to benefit public schools. Congratulations to Jeanette Acevedo, the chapter leader at Automotive HS in Brooklyn, for standing up to a domineering principal. When Acevedo started as chapter leader at her new high school, she found her principal was waging a letter-in-the file campaign to intimidate UFT members. “I know the contract and read up on the Chancellor’s Regulations and managed to keep 43 letters from going into teachers’ files,” she said. “I fought her at every step.” When the principal refused to consider member-recommended school-based options, insisting on only her own, Acevedo filed a grievance. You can read more about Jeanette Acevedo’s achievements on the UFT website.

March 22 deadline for the Empire State Excellence in Teaching Award: The application deadline to apply for the Empire State Excellence in Teaching Award is Friday, March 22. All pre-K to 12 teachers may submit an application. This award recognizes innovative educational leaders who exemplify professional work and strive to attain New York State standards and foster critical thinking for all of their students. Winners receive a $5,000 stipend for continued learning and professional endeavors. For more information, see the State University of New York website. For full eligibility requirements and to submit an application, see the online form.

Salary and Personnel

New vendor for commuter benefits: New York City is changing its commuter benefits vendor from WageWorks to Edenred Commuter Benefit Solutions this spring. If you participate in the commuter benefits program, you’ll receive a new card. Balances on your WageWorks card will be automatically transferred to the new card. Please verify your email and mailing address by logging on to the DOE payroll portal/Employee Self Service/Wageworks commuter website or by calling the DOE Payroll Benefits Unit at 718-935-3545. For more information about transit benefits, see our Know Your Benefits column on transit programs.

Apply to become a Teacher Leader: The application period for Teacher Leader positions is open through Monday, April 1. Teacher Leaders receive an additional $7,500 for the Model Teacher role and $12,500 for Peer Collaborative Teacher (PCT), as well as yearlong professional learning including opportunities to collaborate and network with other Teacher Leaders in their community. For eligibility requirements and to apply, see the online form. For updates about the program, sign up for the DOE mailing list. You can also read the FAQ or email the DOE at teacherleadership [at] schools [dot] nyc [dot] gov (teacherleadership[at]schools[dot]nyc[dot]gov).

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This Week in Education and Labor News

Youth lobby group finds student debt a major issue: Student debt is among the chief concerns for young voters going into the 2020 presidential election, according to The Hill. The Association for Young Americans, which advocates for Americans between the ages of 18 and 35, finds the $1.5 trillion debt crisis is causing 40 million Americans to buy homes later or not be able to afford rent. The group says there are two core issues: the huge debt load of those no longer in school and the rising cost of higher education.

Trump seeks to cut billions from education budget: President Donald Trump on March 11 outlined a plan to slash the U.S. Department of Education’s budget by 10 percent, according to Education Week. Among the 29 programs Trump wants to eliminate are Title II teacher development grants, Title IV grants for academic enrichment and after-school aid. His proposals have little chance of passage in the Congress. 

Elite parents indicted in college admissions fraud: Fifty people on March 12 were charged in an alleged conspiracy to buy access for their children to elite institutions, reports Education Dive. According to court documents, wealthy parents paid an admissions company between $15,000 and $75,000 to have someone take college entrance tests in place of their children or change their answers. The amounts were typically paid through a nonprofit set up to receive them as tax-free donations. In other cases, parents paid to get their children placed on lists of recruited athletes even though the students had demonstrated no particular athletic ability.

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Events Calendar

Featured

Saturday, March 16: The UFT’s 12th annual Early Childhood Conference will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at UFT headquarters, 52 Broadway. For more details, see the Item in Professional Learning Opportunities.

Saturday, March 23: The UFT’s 38th annual Paraprofessional Festival and Awards Luncheon celebrating the 50th anniversary of the UFT Paraprofessionals Chapter is from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the New York Hilton at 1335 Sixth Ave. This year’s theme is “Uplifting Hearts and Minds: Pathways to Social Emotional Learning.” For a full list of workshops and to register, see the online form.

Saturday, March 30: The UFT’s sixth annual Middle School Conference will take place from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at UFT headquarters, 52 Broadway, 2nd floor, Shanker Hall. The theme is “William Shakespeare, In Recognition of His Relevance and Impact 400 years after his Death.” Participants can attend two workshops of their choice on topics including teaching Shakespeare in the middle school classroom to science exploration and educating our ELL students. Participants can earn up to four CTLE hours. See the day’s agenda and workshop choices. The special guest speaker will be Mark Treyger, chair of the City Council’s Education Committee. The conference includes breakfast, guest speakers, lunch, workshops and giveaways. For more details, download the conference flier and post it on your UFT bulletin board. For fee breakdown and to register, see the online form.

This Week

Sunday, March 17: Educators and parents are invited to the Association of Black Educators of New York’s general membership meeting to celebrate Women's History Month. This event will be held from 3:30 to 6 p.m. at the Bedford–Stuyvesant YMCA, 1121 Bedford Ave. For more information, please contact Dr. Sheilah Bobo at Sbobo [at] schools [dot] nyc [dot] gov (Sbobo[at]schools[dot]nyc[dot]gov) or call her at 917-412-9099.

Monday, March 18: The School Counselors Chapter Executive Board meets from 4 to 6 p.m. at UFT headquarters, 52 Broadway, 19th floor.

Wednesday, March 20: The UFT Jewish Heritage Committee and Jewish Labor Committee, Educators’ Chapter, invite all members to its first Purim costume party and social from 6 to 8 p.m. at UFT headquarters, 52 Broadway, 3rd floor. There will be food and drink, including hamantaschen. A $50 cash prize will go to the best costume and there will be a 50/50 raffle. Registration is not necessary. For more information, see the Purim Costume Social flier.

Wednesday, March 20: The Delegate Assembly will take place from 4 to 6 p.m. at UFT headquarters, 52 Broadway, 2nd floor.  

Wednesday, March 20: The UFT's Member Assistance Program invites new members to the first art therapy group of this spring. Art therapy involves the use of creative techniques such as drawing and sculpting to help people express themselves. It can help you explore your emotions, improve your self-esteem, build self-awareness, manage addictions and relieve stress and anxiety. The workshop will take place from 4:30 to 5:45 p.m. at UFT headquarters, 52 Broadway, 2nd floor, room A. There is a $10 registration fee. Register online.

Wednesday, March 20: The UFT's Member Assistance Program invites those with family members affected by mental illness or addiction to Weathering the Storm: Crisis Management. This support group will meet from 4:30 to 5:45 p.m. at UFT headquarters, 50 Broadway. You'll learn coping strategies and get practical information. This support group is led by a trained mental health professional and is held in a safe and confidential space. In this session, we'll discuss how to manage issues that arise when a family member is ill. Register online.

Thursday, March 21: REGISTRATION CLOSED — Manhattan-based members will attend a maternity and child care leave workshop from 4 to 6 p.m. at the UFT Manhattan borough office, 52 Broadway, 10th floor.

Thursday, March 21: Queens-based members in their third trimester may attend a maternity and child care leave workshop from 4 to 6 p.m. at the UFT Queens borough office, 97-77 Queens Blvd., 5th floor, Rego Park. Participants will learn about their rights concerning paid parental, maternity, child care and FMLA leaves. Please contact Karla Jordan at kjordan [at] uft [dot] org (kjordan[at]uft[dot]org) to register for this workshop. For more information, see the Queens Maternity Workshop flier.

Thursday, March 21: Bronx-based members may attend a maternity and child care leave workshop from 4 to 6 p.m. at the UFT Bronx borough office, 2500 Halsey Street, rear entrance. Participants will learn about their rights concerning paid parental, maternity, child care and FMLA leaves. Register online. For more information, see the Bronx Maternity Workshop flier.

Thursday, March 21: The Paraprofessionals Chapter representatives meet from 4:15 to 6 p.m. at UFT headquarters, 52 Broadway.

Friday, March 22: REGISTRATION CLOSED — The UFT Bronx College Fair will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the UFT Bronx borough office, 2500 Halsey St. Participants will learn about the college application process. For more information, see the UFT Bronx College Fair flier.

Friday, March 22: All educators are invited to Creative Reuse for Teachers, a creative, hands-on workshop incorporating wonderful, colorful, tactile materials. This event will take place from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at UFT headquarters, 52 Broadway. Participants will learn how to construct a work of art with recycled materials and to incorporate differentiated instruction, problem-solving and synthesis through the making of art projects. Two CTLE hours will be offered. For fee breakdown and to register, see the online form.

Upcoming LearnUFT workshops

LearnUFT, the UFT’s professional development institute, offers an array of affordable workshops and professional learning opportunities for UFT members. The cost to register, unless otherwise indicated, is $30 for teachers seeking CTLE hours and $15 without CTLE hours. The cost for all paraprofessionals is $15. Participants will earn two CTLE hours for each workshop, unless otherwise specified.

These workshops will take place at UFT borough offices, unless otherwise indicated:

See LearnUFT courses in the Bronx »
See LearnUFT courses in Brooklyn »
See LearnUFT courses in Manhattan »
See LearnUFT courses in Queens »
See Learn UFT courses on Staten Island »

For a full listing of upcoming LearnUFT workshops, see the LearnUFT page on the UFT website.

For more events, go to uft.org/calendar.

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In Case You Missed It

UFT election voting instructions and caucus statements

Photo Gallery: School Counselor Conference

Photo Gallery: Mulgrew visits HS for Environmental Studies and Independence HS, Manhattan

Special NYC health benefits open enrollment period

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Professional Committees

UFT Professional Committees offer a wide range of workshops, presentations and exchanges, enabling all members to take an active part in their professional growth. Unless indicated, meetings are at UFT headquarters, 52 Broadway, Manhattan. Check in the lobby for exact locations. For further information, contact us at 212-598-7772 or visit us online.

Association of Teachers of Social Studies/UFT and UFT Jewish Heritage Committee

• Sunday, March 24, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:15 p.m., annual Holocaust for Educators Program with American Society for Yad Vashem. For more information, see the Holocaust for Educators Program flier.

Capably Disabled

• Thursday, March 21, 4:15 to 6 p.m., General Membership Meeting. Speaker: Patricia Hazell, TV host of “Patreesha’s Potpourri.” For more information, see the Patreesha’s Potpourri flier.

Hellenic American Educators Association

• Friday, March 22, 4:30 to 7:30 p.m., Celebration of Greek Independence Hellenic Heritage and Culture. For more information, see the Celebration of Greek Independence Hellenic Heritage and Culture flier.

Irish American Heritage Committee

• Thursday, March 21, 4:30 p.m., annual heritage celebration. For more information, see the Annual Heritage Celebration flier.

Italian American Heritage Committee

• Tuesday, March 19, 6:30 p.m., St. Joseph’s Day Dinner. For more information, see the St. Joseph’s Day Dinner flier.

New York City Art Teachers Association

• Friday, March 22, 4:30 p.m., Creative Reuse for Teachers Workshop. For more information, see the Creative Reuse for Teachers Workshop flier.

 

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We are committed to making the Chapter Leader Update as interesting and relevant as it can be. Please fill out this online form to let us know what you found most valuable in this week's newsletter and how we can improve the Chapter Leader Update.

Editor: Peter O’Donnell

Executive Editor: Bernadette Weeks

Contributors include: Karen Alford, George Altomare, Amy Arundell, LeRoy Barr, Jackie Bennett, Hannah Brown, David Campbell, Joseph Colletti, Catherine Creegan, Evelyn DeJesus, Crystal Deoraj, Doug Friedlander, Anthony Harmon, Sarah Herman, Janella Hinds, Junior Linton, Joe LoVerde, Samantha Mark, Deidre McFadyen, Michael Murphy, Gabriel Nott, Suzanne Popadin, Debra Poulos, Jeffrey Povalitis, Nadine Reis, Sterling Roberson, Michael Sill, Anne Silverstein, Geofrey Sorkin, Rosemarie Thompson, Miriam Vega, and Shelvy Young-Abrams.