Let's make waves together at Virtual Lobby Day the week of March 11

For the first time ever, we're rallying schools across the city for a Virtual Lobby Day to coincide with our in-person Lobby Day on Monday, March 11. We kicked things off in our Feb. 28 training for chapter leaders and other Chapter Action Team members as we dove into how we'll amplify the message that members deliver in Albany about our legislative priorities and flex our union muscle. Check the CAT Lobby Day resource folder for all you need: our training presentation, eye-catching signs and other resources to make our first Virtual Lobby Day epic. Here's how to make it happen at your school: 

• Pick your day: Choose your Day of Action during the week of March 11 and invite your members to a meeting to learn about and participate in Lobby Day.
• Show your colors: Wear blue and share photos online. Let's see that sea of solidarity!
• Be heard: Send an email to your state reps asking them to support the union's legislative priorities.
• Connect and share: Engage with our community on social media. Share why our legislative priorities matter to you and your students. Tag your state reps in posts asking them to fix Tier 6, overhaul mayoral control and increase state funding for NYC public schools. Don't forget to also tag the UFT and use the hashtags #UFTLobbyDay and #FixTier6. Send your best photo (with caption info) to uftphotos [at] gmail [dot] com (uftphotos[at]gmail[dot]com).

Together, we'll make sure those in Albany can't ignore us. Every tweet, every email counts. Your part in this is crucial. Let's be heard loud and clear!

UFT to city: Class size reduction is the law

UFT Assistant Secretary Michael Sill testified at a City Council oversight hearing on Feb. 29 that Mayor Eric Adams and the DOE must stop treating the state's class size law as if it were optional. "Lowering class sizes in New York City is not an experiment, a wish list, an 'unfunded mandate' or even another expenditure competing for DOE funding," he said. "It is the law." He stressed the importance of smaller class sizes. "Our city's young people deserve better," he said. "They deserve the same class sizes that students across New York State already have. They deserve to be seen and to enjoy the academic, social and emotional benefits small classes have proven to provide."

This school year, the Department of Education is in compliance with the law, which requires 20% of all classrooms to be under the new caps. But as a result of the DOE's failure to take meaningful steps toward implementing the law, Sill said, it is increasingly possible that the DOE will not meet the mandate in the class size law next year that 40% of classes comply with the new caps. Given the city's failure to adequately fund the five-year school capital plan, it is even less likely that they will achieve the mandates in years three to five.

Prior to the public hearing, the UFT joined parents and an array of city and state elected officials to say the Adams administration needs to do better. Sill said the city and the DOE are "inflating cost estimates, inventing excuses and gaslighting the public. It's the policy equivalent of saying the dog ate my homework."

Read the testimony

Is MindUP right for your school?

MindUP is an evidence-based social-emotional learning program of the Goldie Hawn Foundation that has forged a partnership with the UFT and the DOE. MindUP empowers educators with the knowledge and tools to promote their own well-being and cultivate a positive and mindful learning environment. The program, which is currently operating in 175 schools, will expand to more schools in the fall. If you think the program might be a good fit for your school, please attend the MindUP professional learning event on Thursday, March 14, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Participants will learn about MindUP's core principles and the research behind them, experience practices from the program and hear from other educators currently implementing it in their classrooms.

Register

Collect signatures to elect Christina McGrath to the pension board

The UFT Delegate Assembly on Feb. 7 voted overwhelmingly to endorse Christina McGrath for election as a teacher-member on the Teachers’ Retirement System board. The law requires that nomination of candidates to the TRS retirement board be made by petition. To show our full support for Christina, we are asking in-service UFT members who belong to the Teachers’ Retirement System to sign her nominating petition. Please collect all the signatures you can on this petition sheet. Make sure that each petition sheet is properly certified as indicated on the bottom and is returned to the UFT no later than Tuesday, March 26. Please post this notice on your UFT bulletin board. Our representatives on the retirement board are extremely important, and Christina will be a vigilant guardian of our pension rights and a strong supporter of Tier 6 pension reform. Christina has over 20 years of experience working as a UFT pension representative. Her profound knowledge of retirement benefits makes her the ideal candidate for this position. 

Encourage your School Leadership Team to host a table at our Spring Education Conference in May

Online registration will open soon for the Spring Education Conference, our premier annual conference that celebrates, supports and inspires our work as public school educators. We'll gather at the New York Hilton Midtown on Saturday, May 18, from 7:30 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. As always, there will be a morning townhall at breakfast, CTLE workshops, an exhibit fair where career and technical education students show off their skills, and a gala luncheon. The registration fee for the conference is $50 per person. There is an additional $30 fee for teachers and $15 fee for paraprofessionals and others who take a workshop for CTLE credit. School Leadership Team members may draw on funds allocated to the team to pay for registration fees by using a school purchase order. For more information about paying by purchase order, see the UFT Purchase Order Memo. The purchase order deadline is Wednesday, March 27.

Come to our Early Childhood Conference on April 6

Eric Litwin, the original author of the Pete the Cat book series, will be the keynote speaker at the UFT Elementary School Division's 16th annual Early Childhood Conference. Be inspired by this teacher-turned-author and engage with colleagues from across the city during this fun and interactive conference. Please encourage UFT members who work with children in 3-K through second grade to attend the event at UFT headquarters on Saturday, April 6, from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Teachers and paraprofessionals can earn up to four CTLE hours by attending their choice of 11 workshops tailored to the specific needs of early childhood educators and their students. Attendees can also browse a vendor fair showcasing educational resources and materials for early childhood education. The fee is $35 for teachers and $25 for paraprofessionals. A continental breakfast and a grab-and-go lunch will be provided. School Leadership Team members may use a school purchase order to attend this event. Contact Glen Lopez at glopez [at] uft [dot] org (glopez[at]uft[dot]org) for more information. See the conference brochure for workshop topics, the day's agenda and other information.

Register

Come to a Hamilton Scavenger Hunt in lower Manhattan 

At the UFT Middle School Division's 2nd annual Scavenger Hunt, we'll follow in the footsteps of Alexander Hamilton, one of our country's founders. Our journey will cover the streets of Lower Manhattan, from Wall Street to Battery Park, visiting locations where the feisty founding father worked, played, debated, fought and planned his fatal duel. This event takes place on Saturday, March 9, from 9 a.m. to noon. (The hunt begins at 10 a.m.)  Participants will meet at UFT headquarters at 52 Broadway. The fee is $20. Breakfast will be provided. Friends and family, including kids, are welcome to attend. Whether you're a fan of the hit Broadway musical or are curious about the founding fathers and early New York City history, you'll love this event.

Register