As we prepare for the end of the school year, I hope you are doing well and getting ready for summer. I would also like to acknowledge your hard work this year. As school counselors, we actively engage our students in taking the critical leap from adolescence to adulthood. The work you do behind the scenes is integral to their future success. Thank you for all that you do in making a difference in your students' lives and school community.
 

In preparation for the end of the year, I'd like to share some important information for our chapter and from the union with you. I hope it is helpful.

If you have any questions, please email them to me. I will intermittently look at my email during the vacation. Have a safe and restful summer!

In solidarity,

Rosemarie Thompson
RThompson [at] uft [dot] org (RThompson[at]uft[dot]org)
 

June 28 is our last day of work and the deadline to complete IPRs

As a reminder, our last workday of the 2023-24 school year is on Friday, June 28. It is also the deadline to complete individual performance reviews (IPRs) for each of our students in grades 6 through 12 in STARS.

The New York State Education Department requires us to complete IPRs to reflect each student's educational progress and career plans. Prior to this new regulation, we used the Guidance Review Card to record student progress at the end of each school year. You may use the card again as a model, but all of your IPRs must be recorded in STARS.

Excessing

When a school reduces the size of its faculty for any reason, staff in a particular title or license area may be excessed. According to the UFT-DOE contract, you must be informed in writing no later than June 15 that you have been excessed.

If you have been excessed, pay close attention to support staffing among school counselors and social workers at your site. Our existing arbitration agreement ensures that full-time school counselors will not be excessed first. If excessing takes place at your school, please review our arbitration agreement to ensure that it happens properly across titles.

You should also register on the Open Market System to provide updated contact information, access a list of current vacancies throughout the city and apply to any or all of them in your license area.

If you have any questions or feel that you have been wrongly excessed, please email me. For more information, you can read the UFT's frequently asked questions about excessing.

Timeline for wage increases and bonuses

The DOE-UFT contract, ratified on July 10, 2023, includes a ratification bonus and new annual retention bonuses in addition to regular across‑the‑board wage increases. It also boosts reimbursement payments for medical expenses related to an injury on the job and loss of personal property.

I advise you to read the UFT's Q&A on money included in the contract.
 

Open Market Transfer Plan has begun

The DOE's Open Market Transfer Plan gives UFT members the opportunity to apply for a position at a different school. You can apply via the DOE's online portal, which is open until Tuesday, Aug. 6.

The vacancies posted on the DOE website change as positions are filled and principals add new openings, so it's a good idea to check regularly. More vacancies are listed after principals receive their school budgets for the 2024-25 school year.

For more information, read the Open Market Transfer Plan Q&A on the UFT website.

Annual performance review for all school counselors

This year, we'll continue to be rated "S" or "U" in our evaluations. Your payroll secretary should access the EIS Web Rating Form System to update online rating forms for school counselors. The EIS rating system will close at the end of June. If you receive a "U" rating, you must contact me and your district representative to file an appeal.

Employees must give 30 days' notice before resigning

Resigning DOE employees must give at least 30 calendar days' notice. For instance, if a UFT member wants to resign effective Tuesday, Sept. 3, the first day of work in the 2024-25 school year, you must submit a letter of resignation no later than Sunday, Aug. 4. This ensures that your health and UFT Welfare Fund benefits remain intact over the summer.

Recently, chapter leaders have reported that principals are asking members to add the word "irrevocable" to their letters of resignation. This is unnecessary. UFT members have a contractual right to withdraw their resignation at a later date should they want to return to the DOE.

When you resign or retire and have CAR days, please fill out the OP44 Application for Termination Pay and submit it to your school payroll secretary.

Know your rights

I'd like to remind you of a few of your contractual rights as a UFT member. The UFT website provides comprehensive guidelines about your rights to adequate work conditions and fair treatment on the job.

• Per session and retention — Throughout the school year, members apply for “per session” activities conducted either before school, after school, on the weekend or holidays, or during the summer. Upon completing two consecutive years of satisfactory service in the same activity, you gain “retention rights,” giving you priority for hiring in future years in the same activity. Read more.
• Official school files — Every UFT member has only one official school file. Any additional folders, notes or critiques cannot be used as official records against the employee. This file may contain an employee's observation reports, annual evaluation sheets, licensing information, salary documents, and in certain cases, disciplinary material. Read more.

• Graduation — You may receive an excused absence to attend a graduation ceremony of a close family member. See the guidelines. 

   

2024-25 school year calendar

The calendar for the 2024-25 school year is available to view on the UFT's website.