Guidelines state that classrooms should be large enough to give each student a minimum of 20 square feet of space, exclusive of wall cabinets, heat sources and other permanent architectural features. The only exceptions to these rules are for classrooms containing students with physical disabilities and kindergarten children, both which require a minimum of 35 square feet. 

Non-standard and sub-divided rooms with less than the required number of students on their register may be eligible for an exemption to these regulations, but each circumstance must be officially approved by the DOE.

DOE employees needing to express breast milk at work have the right to a lactation space. In accordance with state labor law, updates have been made to the DOE's lactation accommodation policy. 

DOE employees needing to express breast milk at work will be provided with paid break time of 30 minutes each time they have a reasonable need to express breast milk during regular work hours and during any per session hours worked and will be permitted to use their existing paid break or mealtime if they need additional time for breast milk expression beyond the thirty minutes. 

Principals/office head must identify a lactation space that could be made available if an employee needing to express breast milk at work requests a lactation space. 

An employee needing to request a lactation accommodation must complete and submit a Lactation Accommodation Request Form, including any proposed schedule of breaks and indicating if the employee needs a lactation space. Employees should make this request as far in advance as practicable, such as before returning from leave. The principal/office head will respond to a written request for a lactation accommodation as quickly as possible, but no later than five business days after receiving the request.

See the DOE's personnel memorandum for additional guidance.

In elementary and middle/intermediate schools, the contract is silent on class sizes for music instruction. It is the Union’s position that no class in elementary school should exceed 32 students (25 for kindergarten and 18 for pre-K) or 33 students in middle/intermediate school, with the exception of Title I schools.

In high schools, the class size limit for required music classes is 50, which applies to performance courses like band, orchestra, chorus and music survey classes. However, for specialized instruction classes that are neither required for graduation nor performance courses, the standard high school class size limit of 34 students applies. Music classes limited to 34 students are analogous to subject classes in their content and instruction.

Approved A+ classes are graded according to the grading policy of the provider/instructor. You must pass a course in order for it to count towards the second salary differential. 

All A+ courses are aligned with the Chancellor's priorities and meet high-quality standards. Teachers may take any A+ class they wish.

ASPDP offers courses over three semesters: Fall, Spring, and Summer. The course catalog for each semester is published shortly before the semester begins. Sign up to receive the ASPDP newsletter for updates on when the catalog is published. Courses offered through ASPDP will be accepted for A+ credit.
 
In order to ensure that we are providing the highest quality and most relevant courses aligned with the current Chancellor’s priorities, course offerings will change from semester to semester and we cannot guarantee that a course approved for A+ will be approved every semester in the future. 

For salary differential application questions, contact the Office of Salary Services through HR Connect at 718-935-4000.

You must file your salary differential via the salary application portal. Please consult the DOE guide below for deadlines for filing the salary differential application:

When using ASPDP courses to apply for a differential, you will be asked for a "school name," which doesn't apply to these courses. Instead, select "other" and enter "ASPDP" instead. 

If you have additional questions about the salary differential process, the DOE publishes a step-by-step guide which you can access on the UFT website. You may also contact the Office of Salary Services through HR Connect at 718-935-4000.

You may continue to use university courses, CLEP tests, and ASPDP P-credit courses towards the salary differential, in addition to a minimum of required A+ courses. In other words, other than the minimum number of A+ credits needed for your salary differential, you are free to complete the remaining credits needed for the differential through any other approved means.

A+ credits and P credits are both types of professional development credits that may be used towards teachers’ salary differentials. A+ credits are approved by a committee of UFT and DOE representatives, and are aligned with DOE educational priorities to promote teachers’ development of skills, knowledge, and methods aligned to the needs of the school system and students. P credit courses are offered through the New York City Department of Education’s  After School Professional Development Program (ASPDP), aligned with the Danielson Framework for Teaching, and may also be used by teachers to complete CTLE hours in addition to earning salary differential credits.