Union support for teachers on final ratings 

The DOE sent final APPR ratings for the 2022-23 school year to teachers’ DOE email addresses on Oct. 2. If a teacher at your school believes their final rating was calculated incorrectly due to a MOSL issue or concern, they should speak to their UFT district representative and submit a UFT online inquiry form. When submitting an inquiry, the member must upload the PDF of their complete rating booklet. If the teacher thinks their MOSL doesn’t comply with proper procedure, they should initiate an APPR complaint within five school days of receipt of the rating. 

If a teacher received a final rating of Ineffective, they may file an appeal by emailing their borough rating liaison. If a teacher received an overall rating of Developing and they believe the rating was based on reasons other than their pedagogy, they should contact their district rep. The teacher should be prepared to briefly explain why they believe the D rating was not based on their job performance and submit supporting documentation. 

If a retired member or a member who has resigned contacts you because they cannot access their final APPR rating report, tell them to send an email to advancesupport [at] schools [dot] nyc [dot] gov (advancesupport[at]schools[dot]nyc[dot]gov) to request it. They must include their full name and file number in the email for verification.  

Learn how to activate your Special Education Committee

The UFT is holding special virtual training sessions for chapter leaders about the school-based special education committee established in each school in the 2023 DOE-UFT contract. The committee, which is selected by the chapter leader, will meet with the principal at least once in the fall and again in the spring and more as needed to discuss special education compliance issues that are not student specific with the goal of resolving problems at the school level. Here are some examples of the range of issues the committee can tackle: 

• Failure to fill a special education vacancy with a special education teacher. 
• Pulling ICT teachers to cover for other absent teachers, leaving the other ICT teacher alone with the class. 
• Exceeding special education class-size ratios (such as 14 students in a 12:1:1 setting). 

District 75 special education committees will tackle additional topics specific to their district. After these initial training sessions, the UFT’s Special Education Department will establish office hours via Zoom for chapter leaders and Special Education Committee members in each borough to ask their questions. Queens and Bronx chapter leader training sessions have taken place. Chapter leaders in the other three boroughs and District 75 will receive an invitation from their district or borough rep. All training sessions are from 4 to 6 p.m. in October. 

Ask members to wear pink on Oct. 11  

About one in eight women in the United States will develop breast cancer over the course of her lifetime. Organize your fellow UFT members to wear pink next Wednesday, Oct. 11, to raise awareness about breast cancer and build chapter unity. Post photos of your members wearing pink on your own social accounts and tag @uftny on Instagram and @UFT on Twitter/X so we can reshare your post. Please send your best one or two photos (large size, with caption information) to uftphotos [at] gmail [dot] com (uftphotos[at]gmail[dot]com). You can submit a request for a UFT photographer to take photos at your school, and we’ll let you know if one is available. You and your school delegate(s) are asked to wear pink at the Delegate Assembly that day.

Help for members struggling with student debt 

The pandemic-era pause on federal student loan payments ended on Sept. 30. Interest also began accruing on these loans on Sept 1. If you have colleagues who are worried about how they will manage their monthly loan payments, the Student Debt Relief Program, only for UFT members, can help them navigate the options and apply for the right federal student debt relief program. UFT members are invited to attend a 90-minute introductory webinar that will cover the basics of the federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program and how they might benefit from President Biden’s Oct. 4 pledge of more than $5 billion in debt relief for public service employees who qualify for PSLF. Members will also learn about the U.S. Department of Education's income-driven repayment (IDR) plans, which are designed to make student loan debt more manageable by giving people a monthly payment based on their income and family size.

 Register for a webinar

Organize a Thanksgiving coat drive at your school  

Let’s make sure students in need have new apparel to stay warm this winter. Organize a winter clothing drive at your school or ask your members to make a monetary donation toward the purchase of new winter coats and accessories for New York City public school students living in temporary housing. This year, we are focusing on supporting the more than 20,000 asylum-seeking students in our schools. Bring your school’s donations of new winter coats, sweaters, scarves, mittens, gloves and hats to the Oct. 11 or Nov. 15 Delegate Assembly. You may also drop off donations until Nov.17 at UFT borough offices or at UFT headquarters on the 14th floor. The union can only accept NEW articles of clothing. The garments may range in size from toddler to adult. For questions, contact Jeannette Noriega at JNoriega [at] uft [dot] org (JNoriega[at]uft[dot]org). Please post this Thanksgiving coat drive flier on your UFT bulletin board.