Chapter Leader UpdateMay 18, 2023
Chapter Leader UpdateMay 18, 2023
LABOR SOLIDARITY: UFT representatives showed their support for striking workers from the Writers Guild of America at their picket line at the Javits Convention Center on May 16.
This Week's Focus
Bring members to your borough's contract rally
As negotiations heat up, it is so important that we stand together to show our strength and solidarity. Those at the bargaining table have assured us that our activism is having an impact. After school on Wednesday, May 24, we will come together at five simultaneous rallies:
- Brooklyn Borough Hall, 209 Joralemon St.
- Queens Borough Hall, 120-55 Queens Blvd.
- Staten Island Boardwalk, 300 Father Capodanno Blvd. Parking available at Lot 2 near the Vanderbilt. Gather on the boardwalk closest to Lot 2.
- Manhattan Borough President's office, 163 W. 125th St.
- Bronx at Virginia Park (across from the Parkchester train station)
Gather a group of members from your school and head to your borough's rally after school next Wednesday. We will start gathering at 3 p.m. in Queens and the Bronx and at 3:30 p.m. in the other three boroughs. If you can, organize a sign-making activity at your school. For those who can't make their own signs, signs will be provided at the rallies. We will also have blue UFT T-shirts at each location.
Our push to reach a contract agreement by the end of June
Negotiation meetings are taking place daily as the UFT, the DOE and the city try to reach a contract agreement by the end of the school year. Some subcommittees have reached tentative agreements while other subcommittees continue to negotiate. As the subcommittees begin to wrap up their work, the union continues to focus on larger overarching demands that have not yet been resolved, including many working-condition issues. The full 500-member negotiating committee will meet next week to hear an update on where we are and next steps. While we hope we can reach an agreement by the end of June, we will continue to push until we get our demands met. We will keep you informed as negotiations proceed.
See you on Saturday at the Spring Education Conference
We look forward to seeing registrants this Saturday, May 20, at the New York Hilton Midtown. Registration and breakfast in the hotel ballroom runs from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. The morning town hall, "An Educator's Guide to Self-Care: A Discussion about Stress Reduction and Wellness," begins at 8:30 a.m. Then there will be CTLE workshops, an exhibit fair and a gala luncheon featuring special guests, including hip-hop icon Kurtis Blow. When posting on social media platforms during the event, please use the hashtag #UFTSpring.
Chapter Leader Checklist
To Do #1
Present UFT certificates for your chapter's deserving graduates
UFT officers and the chairs of the union's Professional Committees have a long tradition of supporting and rewarding our schools' graduates by awarding certificates for excellence in academic achievement. Certificates may be presented to the most deserving students in each subject area as well as our youngest students in early childhood classrooms and pre-K centers. Download the student certificates for excellence in academic achievement, extraordinary effort and early childhood. For more information, read the letter from UFT President Michael Mulgrew and George Altomare, the director of the UFT Professional Committees.
To Do #2
Let us know about an impressive new teacher at your school
We want to showcase the great things happening in New York City public schools and honor our members' accomplishments. Does your school have a teacher in their first three years on the job who is already leaving their mark on your school? Is one of your new teachers using skills they honed in a prior career to benefit New York City students? We are looking for dynamic new teachers to feature in the Building Your Career section of the New York Teacher and on social media.
Nominate a teacher
To Do #3
Friday deadline to request a duplicate ballot
If a paraprofessional at your school did not receive a ballot in the mail for the special chapter election, or if they misplaced their ballot, they can request a duplicate ballot from the American Arbitration Association through Friday, May 19. The deadline for the receipt of ballots at the American Arbitration Association is next Wednesday, May 24. Ballots will be counted on May 25. For detailed information about the election, see the Paraprofessionals Chapter Election 2023 section on the UFT website.
To Do #4
Contact your district rep if members are pressured to sign extension of probation
Untenured teachers whose principals want to extend their probations do not have to sign the extension of probation immediately. Members have a right to have one of the union's lawyers look it over. In fact, every extension of probation should be submitted to the UFT for a NYSUT attorney to review before the member makes the decision to sign or not. Contact your district rep each time a member receives an extension of probation or when your principal insists the member sign the extension without the proper time for it to be reviewed.
To Do #5
Fliers to share with your members
Here are fliers you can print and distribute in member mailboxes or post on your school's UFT bulletin board.
Hub Highlights
Find key dates and milestones in the hub
Did you know June 2 is the deadline for spring observations? Did you know June 13 is the deadline for middle school and high school teachers to receive their programs? The Chapter Leader Hub has a calendar of important deadlines and milestones that will help keep chapter leaders focused and on track throughout the school year. Remember, you can access the hub using your UFT website username and password.
Work in progress
The UFT is working on the following issues with the DOE and other city, state and federal entities as appropriate:
- Pushing the DOE to comply with the state class size law by putting out a draft plan for public comment on how it intends to have 20% of the classes in New York City schools meet the law's lower caps in September.
- Pushing the DOE to share its plan for how the Division of Early Childhood Education can best support 3K and pre-K students, families and educators.
- Lobbying in Albany for bills to require accountability and transparency from the charter sector and to end loopholes that benefit corporate charters at the expense of our public schools.
- Working with the DOE to finalize the 2023–24 school calendar and permit SBO voting to begin.
You Should Know
Instruction
DOE sent MOSL selections to teachers
Teachers should have received an email from the DOE on May 4 confirming their MOSL selection for the current school year. Tell your members to carefully review this email to make sure they are attached to the correct classes. If teachers have any questions, they should talk to their administrator and let the school chapter leader know if there is an unresolved issue.
May 23 training for chapter leaders in reading curricula
Tuesday, May 23, will be a full-day training session at UFT headquarters for elementary school chapter leaders and principals from the 15 community school districts that are going to use one of the DOE's required reading curricula starting in September. In a shift toward research-backed curricula grounded in or supported by phonics, Schools Chancellor David C. Banks announced on May 9 that superintendents will have a choice of only three reading curricula for their elementary schools: Wit and Wisdom, Expeditionary Learning or Into Reading. Beginning in September, elementary schools in districts 5, 11, 12, 14, 16, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 25, 26, 29, 30 and 32 will begin using one of the required curricula. The rest of the city's community school districts will adopt the new curricula in September 2024. The union's main focus throughout this process has been ensuring that educators receive the appropriate training and support in the curricula. With that in mind, the UFT got the DOE to agree that the UFT Teacher Center will play an integral role in the training to make sure the DOE fulfills its responsibility and provides the support that our members need. Contact Vice President for Education Mary Vaccaro at mvaccaro [at] uft [dot] org (mvaccaro[at]uft[dot]org) or your district rep if you have questions or concerns.
DOE to discontinue the DESSA screener
The DOE is discontinuing the systemwide use of the Devereux Student Strengths Assessment (DESSA), the time-intensive tool to screen students' social-emotional skills that it adopted in the fall of 2021 in the wake of the pandemic. Schools that choose to administer the optional spring screening should do so by Friday, June 9. Next school year, if principals want to continue to use the DESSA tool, they will have to purchase it with school funds and administer the assessments themselves.
Ask early childhood educators to take UFT curriculum survey
The DOE's Division of Early Childhood Education has announced that Creative Curriculum will be the common curriculum in most 3K and pre-K classes starting in September. The UFT is seeking to learn which early childhood curriculum and assessment tools our members are currently using in elementary schools and pre-K sites as well as what professional learning support early childhood educators will need to begin using the new required curriculum. If you are an elementary school chapter leader, please encourage all 3K and pre-K educators at your school or site to take the survey.
Health & Safety
COVID rapid tests to be distributed on request
As of May 1, COVID-19 rapid tests are no longer automatically distributed monthly in schools. Students and staff who are experiencing symptoms and/or have a known exposure to someone with COVID-19 can request test kits. See the updated DOE school health policy.
Salary & Personnel
June 9 is for clerical work — not PD
Friday, June 9, is a Clerical Day for pre-K centers, elementary schools, 3K–8 schools, middle schools, K–12 schools and standalone District 75 programs. As always, this day is for staff to do their clerical work. No professional development should be scheduled. School-based and functional professional development committees, however, may spend part of the day on their work. If your principal is planning to do PD on that day, contact your district rep.
Pension workshops continuing through June
The UFT Pension Department offers virtual workshops throughout the school year to help members understand their pension benefits. All workshops are virtual and take place from 4:15 to 5:30 p.m. Upcoming workshops include:
- Information seminar for BERS members: May 25 for Brooklyn and June 1 for the Bronx, Manhattan and Staten Island.
- Health Benefits at Retirement, a June 13 workshop for UFT members to learn about the health benefits for retiring and retired members before they are eligible for Medicare.
- Medicare and Turning 65, a June 20 workshop designed for UFT members to learn about enrolling in Medicare. This workshop is especially useful for members approaching age 65.
Everything Else
AFT National Latino Caucus scholarships for high school seniors
UFT members are invited to join the AFT National Latino Caucus to learn about Latino culture and history. The caucus, a strong advocate for our schools and students, is the sponsor of the annual Maria Portalatin National Freedom Scholarship — named for the longest-serving chapter chair of the UFT Paraprofessionals Chapter — which awards three Hispanic high school seniors a $1,000 book stipend and a laptop to use in college. High school teachers, school counselors, paras and chapter leaders should encourage eligible seniors to apply for the scholarship through the mail-in application process. The application deadline is Friday, June 2.
March this Sunday in the Asian American and Pacific Islander parade
You're invited to march with the UFT in the second annual Asian American and Pacific Islander Cultural and Heritage Parade this Sunday, May 21. The UFT contingent will gather on West 44th Street between 6th and 7th avenues at 11 a.m., and the march is set to begin at noon. Hosted by Better Chinatown USA, the parade will showcase many performances and cultural and artistic displays from the AAPI community. May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, and New York City is home to the second-largest Asian American and Pacific Islander population in the United States.
School Secretaries Awards Soiree on June 2
School secretaries are invited to attend the union's School Secretaries Awards Soiree on Friday, June 2, at UFT headquarters. We are alerting chapter leaders via email if a school secretary at their school is receiving an award at the event. If your school secretary is being honored, gather your colleagues to come out in support as our school secretaries receive their recognition. Doors open at 4 p.m., and the program commences at 5 p.m.
Show your pride at the Puerto Rican Day Parade
You're invited to march with the UFT on Sunday, June 11 in the Puerto Rican Day Parade, the nation's largest annual cultural celebration. Join your colleagues, parents and people from every walk of life to show your pride and enjoy the festivities. UFT members will meet at 10 a.m. at the corner of West 46th Street and 6th Avenue in Manhattan. The parade starts at 11 a.m. and heads north to West 79th Street. Come join us!
Recent Guidance and Agreements
- DOE school health policy (April 4, 2023)
- DOE summer 2023 calendar (March 2, 2023)
- Clarification on duties of centrally funded IEP teacher (March 7, 2023)
- Digital classroom agreement for 2022—23 (Aug. 24, 2022)
- Personnel Memo No. 1 for 2022—23 (July 1, 2022)
Contact the UFT
- DOE members, call 212‑331‑6311.
- DOE functional chapter members, call 212‑331‑6312.
- A health benefit question? Call the Welfare Fund at 212‑539‑0500.