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Q&A on Excessing
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Excessing is the process of reducing staff in a particular school or office when the number of available positions in a title or license area in that school is lower than the number of people in the school who require an assignment in that title or...
Open Market Transfer Plan
If you want a new opportunity, wish to work closer to home or have been placed in excess, the Open Market Transfer Plan gives you the chance to apply for a position at another school. This Q&A addresses the most commonly asked questions about the...
A failing exam
I am a licensed 8th-grade English language arts teacher and reading specialist. In April, I proctored the 8th-grade ELA exam and encountered several problems.
Student goal-setting must be done during workday
Following a stipulation brokered by the state labor board, the Department of Education has reminded principals that teachers do not have to work on student goal-setting outside the school day. A notice to that effect was published in the June 6 issue...
April 3, 2015: Union wins paperwork ruling
The union defined standards for paperwork reduction in it's 2014 DOE-UFT contract, and when a principal at John Dewey HS in Brooklyn ignored those standards in 2015, the contract enabled the union to hold the principal accountable.
Para-lyzing process
New York City schools, particularly in District 75, are in dire need of paraprofessionals, who provide essential support services for children with disabilities. The shortage won’t get resolved until the city Department of Education streamlines its...
Kudos to Lillian Palladino, Susan E. Wagner HS on Staten Island
Susan E. Wagner HS Chapter Leader Lillian Palladino credits the union-negotiated process for tackling excessive paperwork for resolving an issue at her Staten Island school and for “unifying staff, revitalizing morale and bridging the gap with...
Unions help get hospital cost law passed
A new city Office of Healthcare Accountability will force all New York City hospitals to disclose what they charge for medical procedures and make it harder for them to engage in price gouging.
Kudos to Catrina Como, PS 376, Brooklyn
When Catrina Como became chapter leader at PS 376 in Brooklyn, she faced a tricky situation: The principal was demanding, and staff did not know their rights and were reluctant to speak up for themselves. “I work with a lot of amazing teachers who...
Kudos to Anna Willis, PS 896, Brooklyn
PS 896 in Sunset Park had no chapter leader, delegate or paraprofessional representative, and an administration that placed excessive demands on the staff. The turnaround was stark after Anna Willis, a second-year, untenured teacher, took on the...
Healthy boundaries
It's important to set and maintain personal boundaries, or the limits and rules we set for ourselves in our relationships with others or with work, in order to keep relationships healthy. Here are some strategies to help you.