All recommendations on an IEP, including the subjects and number of periods for ICT, must be determined by, and designed to address, the student’s needs, NOT the school’s needs. IEP recommendations must not be based on the services currently offered in a school, budget, availability of staff or space limitations.

There are legal guidelines regarding who writes the IEP and how it should be written as well as who can change an IEP and the process for making changes. All decisions regarding special education services are made at an IEP meeting with the participation of the parent, mandated IEP team members, and other participants which may include related service providers, other school personnel, and persons invited by the parent. After an annual review, changes that do not require the participation of the school psychologist or alter the student’s program recommendation can be made by amendment. In general, only minor changes should be made without an IEP meeting. When amending an IEP without a meeting, the IEP team must clearly notify the parents of all proposed changes using the Waiver of IEP Meeting to Amend IEP form found in SESIS. The proposed changes cannot be implemented until the school receives the parent’s written agreement If the parent does not agree or does not respond, an IEP meeting must be held.

Talk to your chapter leader or special education committee members if IEP decisions are being made in a manner not consistent with the information provided above. Ask your chapter leader to raise the issue at consultation. If the issue is not resolved, and you are the student’s teacher or service provider or an assessment professional with responsibility for the student, please file a special education complaint.

Z-status is applied to a day-to-day substitute who covers the same program for 30 or more consecutive days. Z-status is paid at 1/200th of the gross annual salary up to step 4A, including differentials, you would make in a full-time appointed position. Checks can be via direct deposit or they will be mailed to the address on file with the DOE.

Active members can request duplicate/corrected W-2s via the DOE Payroll Portal. Those who have separated from DOE service must email the W-2 duplicate/correction form to W2unit [at] schools [dot] nyc [dot] gov (W2unit[at]schools[dot]nyc[dot]gov). The W-2 Unit can be reached at 718-935-4373. 

F-status salary is 1/200th of the gross annual salary up to step 4A, including differentials, that the member would make as a regularly appointed teacher. Health benefits are earned if the F-status worker is scheduled to work a minimum of 1/2 of their title's regularly scheduled program.

Either through the payroll portal (https://payrollportal.nycboe.net), or by faxing the application and supporting documentation to 718-935-3702.

CAR days are for your own illness and can be accumulated up to 200 days. Members earn and can use 10 self-treated days per school year as long as they are on payroll. Self-treated days do not require a doctor's note. Three of the self-treated days can be used for personal business and/or to care for an ill family member (a total of 3; not 3 each).

Medically-certified days (and anything beyond 10 self-treated days) do require medical documentation.

Personal business is defined as something that can only be done during the school day, such as closing on a house. Personal business days should be requested in advance and the principal may ask the nature of the personal business before granting approval. 

See our page listing all current pension clinics being offered with a link to register: https://www.uft.org/your-benefits/pension/pension-clinics.

Termination Pay: You retire with all your Cumulative Absent Reserve (CAR) days and are paid out for half your days at your daily rate.  

Terminal Leave: You use your CAR days, every 2 days in reserve counting as one day, to stay on payroll and retire off your leave. Terminal Leaves may not cross over semesters and you must give your principal at least 30 days notice (OP40) before the start of your leave. 

You are entitled to only one final consultation during your career, so most members complete them in the final months of work.

To make an appointment, call 212-331-6311 between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. Meetings are scheduled in the borough office most convenient to you.  If you are a BERS member, call 929-305-3800 to schedule an appointment with a BERS representative.

During the final pension consultation you will be able to: 

• Estimate your retirement allowance;
• Discuss using the Teachers' Retirement System or the Board of Education Retirement System as a means for protecting heirs and beneficiaries;
• Discuss removing contributions, where permissible, from the system at retirement;
• Aid you in completing the retirement application;
• Learn about health and welfare fund benefits;
• Answer all of your other retirement questions.

If you have several questions or are planning a career change, resignation or retirement, you should make an appointment for a preliminary pension consultation at one of the UFT's borough offices. At this private consultation, you will receive an estimate of your retirement allowance and answers to your questions about retirement benefits. We advise that everyone have a minimum of one preliminary borough consultation before your final consultation. You may have more than one preliminary consultation during your career. To make a preliminary appointment, call 212-331-6311 between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., Monday through Friday.