Feb. 6, 2025

Organize your school to fight for an annual "respect check" for paraprofessionals

Together with your school's paraprofessional representative, speak at your next chapter meeting about the proposed city legislation to give every full-time paraprofessional an annual payment of roughly $10,000 and how important it is that we stand in solidarity with our paraprofessionals in the fight to get the bill passed. The biggest question that paraprofessionals have is why this money isn't pensionable. The answer is that the City Council does not have the authority to increase workers' regular salaries. To get a sizable payment now, the union's best alternative was to go outside collective bargaining. UFT members have embraced the campaign. If you have any colleagues who are skeptical, remind them that paraprofessionals, who earn roughly $32,000 to $53,000 a year, have fallen further and further behind because the same percentage increase translates to smaller dollar amounts for workers on the low end of the pay scale. This proposed legislation would be funded by general city funds and not the collective bargaining reserve, so this money would not affect the funds we have available in contract negotiations. If we were to wait until 2027 to push for an extra-large wage increase for our 26,000 paraprofessionals in the next round of negotiations, the city would demand that other members give up part of their pay increases to pay for it. Learn more in our FAQs.

ACTIONS YOU CAN TAKE: Talk about the proposed legislation at your next chapter meeting. Ask every member of your chapter to sign our petition and share it on social media with their friends and families.

Make sure your principal follows new algebra curriculum policy

As a result of our intense negotiations with the DOE over our concerns with the Illustrative Mathematics curriculum, the DOE released key policy updates to all middle and high school math teachers and principals on Feb. 4. The updates address concerns related to pacing flexibility, the purpose and use of cool-downs, and professional learning. Going forward, math teachers can use planning time to make modifications to the curriculum based on the needs of their students to ensure access for all. Educators are encouraged to use professional discretion, with flexibility of up to two weeks, to meet the unique needs of their students. The completion of cool-downs may vary based on instructional timing and the selection of other Illustrative Math activities. Teachers are no longer required to record data from cool-downs in spreadsheets. Professional learning will be provided to support educators in understanding how the curriculum can be effectively modified to meet the diverse needs of their specific student population. Paraprofessionals working in math classrooms will be included in these workshops. These policy changes address some of our key concerns, but our work as a union is not complete until the new policies are put into action in every algebra class.

ACTION YOU NEED TO TAKE: Are algebra teachers seeing changes? Use the consultation process to drive change and discuss remaining issues with your administration. If you are unable to resolve an issue, discuss it with your UFT district representative and file an operational issues complaint.

UFT calls out DOE's special education shortcomings

Following the Jan. 30 press conference on the City Hall steps in support of the proposed legislation to give more money to paraprofessionals, UFT President Michael Mulgrew testified at a CIty Council hearing on a range of issues affecting the delivery of mandated services to students with disabilities. After highlighting the successful actions the UFT has taken to expedite the DOE's application and hiring process for paraprofessionals, he discussed these issues that the DOE still needs to address:

• Ending the outsourcing of therapy work in schools by either hiring more full-time occupational and physical therapists or scheduling therapy sessions with current therapists using the additional ninth session that the union negotiated as part of the 2023 DOE-UFT contract
• Funding and staffing all other special education staffing vacancies.
• Streamlining the hiring process and hiring enough paraprofessionals to serve all special education students who require their services before classes begin in September.
• Placing students with disabilities in the least restrictive environment that offers what each individual student needs and training educators in how to support them.
• Ensuring that students with disabilities, both in ICT and self-contained classes, have access to SETSS teachers equipped with the knowledge and skills needed to deliver intensive interventions and instruction in reading and math.

Read the testimony

Come to our annual Paraprofessionals Awards Luncheon on March 22

Encourage paraprofessionals from your school to attend the annual Paraprofessionals Awards Luncheon at the New York Hilton Midtown on Saturday, March 22, from 7:30 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. This year's theme is "RESPECT for Paraprofessionals," and the best way to show your respect is to come and celebrate with them! Paraprofessionals from across the city who have demonstrated exceptional dedication and commitment to their work will receive awards. The union's premier annual event for paraprofessionals features a breakfast, CTLE workshops, a carnival with games and prizes, a bag of wellness freebies and a luncheon. Those who are not yet members are welcome; UFT representatives will be on hand at the event to help them join the union and build the power of paraprofessionals. School chapter leaders, in conjunction with their school leadership team, can use this school purchase order to buy a table for paraprofessionals at their school. The purchase order deadline is Friday, March 14.

Register now

Come to our Early Childhood Conference on April 5

Embracing the joy in academic approaches designed especially for our earliest learners takes center stage at the UFT Elementary School Division's 17th annual Early Childhood Conference. Early childhood educators will be inspired by innovative techniques and engage with their colleagues from across the city during this fun and interactive conference. Please encourage UFT members who work with children in 3-K through 2nd grade to attend the event at UFT headquarters on Saturday, April 5, from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Teachers and paraprofessionals can earn up to four CTLE hours by attending their choice of 10 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 hot 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@uft.org for more information. See the conference brochure for workshop topics, the day's agenda and other information.

Register now