Oftentimes the leaders of this union are the faces in the media, but we know the real work happens when our members drive the change.

Our successes from our contract and class size campaigns show what happens when our members are at the forefront of the fight, standing together to make their voices heard. This school year, we will again be joining together across our schools to form citywide union committees to tackle some of the most significant policy debates and challenges on the horizon.

Our members need to be at the table, identifying issues, shaping strategy and pushing for solutions. I invite you to join the union committee in which you think you can make the most meaningful contribution.

Here are six issues we’re focusing on in the new school year:

Class size: Since Albany passed landmark legislation in 2022 to lower class sizes in New York City, our focus has been on pushing the Department of Education to implement the law in our schools. The state has provided the money, so there’s no excuse. This school year, 40% of classrooms across the city must be in compliance with the new caps, and each September, 20% more must be. The DOE doesn’t want to do the hard work, so it will be up to each school to create its plan for reducing class size and making clear what it needs from the DOE. As we push for compliance with the law over the next three years, we will also need to keep saying how smaller classes will improve learning conditions for our students.

Regents exams: Under the state Board of Regents’ draft plan, students would no longer have to pass the state’s Regents exams to earn a high school diploma. As educators, we want meaningful graduation requirements, but we also know there are multiple ways of assessing student achievement, and our students can show mastery of the material in different ways. Our members need to be part of this important conversation about the future of high school education and alternative assessments.

Virtual learning: We all remember being propelled into the age of virtual learning during COVID without notice or preparation. None of us would ever want to go back to that time, but we gleaned new ideas and perspectives from the experience. We learned that with careful thought and planning, the virtual space can benefit some of our students. As part of our 2023 contract, we are working hard to expand remote learning opportunities for high school students. Those who do the work should be the driving force.

Early childhood education: Thanks to our advocacy work with parents last spring, some seats and services for 3-K and pre-K were restored in the final city budget. But we must continue the fight to get what our youngest students and their educators need and deserve. 3-K and pre-K must not be considered an afterthought or an add-on — they are an integral part of a child’s education. This fall, we will push forward with the #StartStrong campaign we launched in April. We need to keep the pressure on the mayor to fully support and fund our early childhood education programs.

Technology: We’ve seen what happens when we leave the DOE in charge of the decisions regarding technology. Remember the system failure on our pivot-to-remote day in February? We have members with lots of technological expertise, and they should be part of the conversations about school technology since bad tech decisions affect all of us. In late August, the mayor announced that he is delaying the launch of a cell phone ban in public schools, but if and when he moves forward with a ban, our members need to be part of the conversation about how it will be implemented and enforced.

Health care: We are proud to be one of only a handful of unions across the nation that has preserved premium-free, quality health care for members. We are committed to improving the health benefits we have, not giving anything up. But as we have been learning, it is a constant fight as health care costs skyrocket. Health care will continue to be a hot topic this school year, and member involvement will be key as together we navigate the road ahead.

The challenges we face as educators are constant. We get wrapped up in the individual worlds of our own schools, but it’s important to remember that we share common struggles across our schools and profession. With collaboration comes power and voice. Our committee work will be integral to our success.

Michael Mulgrew, UFT President