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Chapter Leader UpdateMarch 27, 2024

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Erica Berger

PARAPROFESSIONAL POWERS: Paraprofessional Janet Velez of PS 206 in Manhattan, one of the day's honorees, shows off her plaque as Chapter Leader Priscilla Castro looks on at the Paraprofessionals Festival and Awards Luncheon at the New York Hilton on March 23. "Paraprofessionals wear many hats," Velez said. "We are the wind that meets many people's wings."

This Week's Focus

Mulgrew blasts the city's "shenanigans" in budget testimony

In testimony on the mayor's preliminary budget before the City Council, UFT President Michael Mulgrew asked Council members to intervene to stop City Hall from using increased state aid as an excuse to reduce its own investment in public schools. Despite an ever-growing city budget surplus, he said, "We are still debating a budget that shortchanges our students and seeks to undermine the new class-size limits designed to rectify years of inequity." Mulgrew rebuked the city for its false claims of scarcity and impending financial doom. He noted that the city's estimate for the cost of the influx of new immigrant families plummeted by more than $5 billion in just seven months and that the city continues to seriously underestimate overall city revenue and overestimate city expenses in its budget. "New York City has the funding it needs to properly support public education — City Hall has simply chosen not to do so," he said. 

Mulgrew said it's time to revamp the city budget process, which allows the mayor to set the terms of the debate. He called on the Council to work with the UFT to enact reforms to the budget process that will enhance transparency, accountability and consensus. The union offered a set of practical, short-term recommendations to retire the budget-scare tactics employed by every mayor.

Read the testimony

Time to consult on professional activities for next year

Principals and chapter leaders in high schools, middle schools and elementary schools with eight periods a day must meet by April 15 to consult on the professional activity menu for teachers at their school for the 2024–25 school year. Under the 2023 contract, the menu of available options greatly expanded. Review the full menu with your principal and discuss the professional activities that teachers would like to see on the menu at your school. The principal must also consult with you on the number of positions for each menu choice and the qualifications and duties for each activity. All of this information must be included on the final menu (see this sample professional activity menu). Once the principal has created your school's menu, which must include a minimum of six activities from the contractual menu only, teachers will select three activities in order of preference. If the teacher is not assigned one of their choices, they should have the opportunity to select another three choices. See the Professional Activity Contractual Guide for Middle and High Schools and the Professional Activity Contractual Guide for Elementary Schools with eight periods. If you have any questions, reach out to your district representative.

Members on leave must notify the DOE of their plans by May 15

UFT-represented employees who are currently on leave must notify the DOE about their plans for the next school year by Wednesday, May 15. If a member fails to notify the DOE about their plans or fails to apply for a leave extension by that date, the DOE will view that member as having voluntarily resigned from their position. The UFT and the DOE are emailing these members to remind them of this deadline. Members with questions should call the UFT at 212-331-6311 .

National Paraprofessional Appreciation Day is April 3

This past Saturday, nearly 700 paraprofessionals and their supporters gathered for our annual Paraprofessionals Awards Festival and Luncheon at the New York Hilton. The event was a wonderful celebration of the important work these school related professionals do to support students. View the event photo gallery . Next Wednesday, April 3, is National Paraprofessional Appreciation Day — another opportunity to thank paraprofessionals at your school for everything they do for the school community.

Chapter Leader Checklist

To Do #1 
Assemble an election committee for your school chapter's election 
UFT members in your school will vote this spring to determine who will represent them as chapter leader, delegate and paraprofessional representative in your chapter for the next three years, starting July 1, 2024. Please assemble an election committee now to oversee your school chapter's elections in your building. Candidates for chapter leader, delegate and paraprofessional rep may not serve on the election committee. You will receive an election packet in the mail at your school in early April. When you receive it, please read the materials carefully and post the Notice of Election on your school's UFT bulletin board. Give the election packet to the election committee once it is in place. For more information, see the special Chapter Elections 2024 section of the UFT website.

To Do #2 
Have you submitted your consultation committee summary? 
Your consultation committee summary for your February meeting with your principal is due this week. Please submit your summary via the Chapter Leader Hub . Submission of meeting summaries will be a factor in the size of your supplementary stipend in June.

To Do #3 
It's not too late to submit a SIPP form to pay for the UFT Spring Education Conference 
While the purchase order deadline is March 27, it's not too late to submit a Small Item Payment Process (SIPP) form and generate a check to purchase your chapter's table for the UFT's Spring Education Conference, which will take place at the New York Hilton on May 18.

To Do #4 
Check your school's member report on the Chapter Leader Hub 
Please check your school's member report in the Chapter Leader Hub for any mid-year hires. Then reach out to welcome these new staff members and encourage them to enroll in the UFT.

To Do #5 
Nominate your chapter for a Trachtenberg Award 
The deadline to nominate your chapter for the UFT's Ely Trachtenberg Award is Friday, April 19. See the online nomination form for the selection criteria. We will honor winning chapters at the 2024 Teacher Union Day ceremony in the fall.

To Do #6 
Fliers to share with your members 
Print and distribute these fliers in member mailboxes or post on your school's UFT bulletin board.

Hub Highlights

Request a UFT representative to visit your school

Request a school visit from any of the UFT's vice presidents, or from any of these UFT departments: Certification, Personnel, Contract Empowerment, Pension, Grievance, and Safety and Health. You can also ask for a visit from the UFT Welfare Fund. Make your request through the Chapter Leader Hub. Remember: You can access the hub with your UFT website username and password.

Enter the hub

Work in progress

The UFT is working on the following issues with the DOE and other city, state or federal entities as appropriate:

  • Pushing the DOE to provide an accurate number of vacancies throughout the system as a necessary step in the implementation of the class size law.
  • Finalizing remote work for District 79 and transfer schools.
  • Finalizing the implementation of the incentive program and certification changes to beef up the ranks of ENL and bilingual education teachers.
  • Pushing the city and DOE to invest in class size reduction.

You Should Know

Health & Safety

Plan for the next Climate Action Day on April 17

The DOE, with our strong support, is holding a Climate Action Day on health, wellness and green space on Wednesday, April 17. It's the third of four Climate Action Days planned for this school year. The UFT has compiled climate education teaching resources to help educators plan lessons for these Climate Action Days.

Medical & Wellness

Learn about acupuncture and the mind-body connection

Acupuncture can stimulate the body's natural healing mechanisms and promote physical and emotional well-being. In the latest episode of the Member Assistance Program's Brewing Wellness podcast, Nicholas Sieben, a licensed acupuncturist and healer, shares his personal journey with Chinese medicine and discusses how acupuncture can be used to manage chronic health conditions and decrease mental stress. Subscribe to the Brewing Wellness podcast on your favorite podcast platform so you don't miss any upcoming episodes.

Listen to the podcast

Salary & Personnel

Changing certification requirements for computer science teachers

The New York State Education Department's application for the Computer Science Statement of Continued Eligibility (SOCE) is now open in the TEACH system through Sept 1. Teachers who plan to teach in the identified computer science course list must hold either a Computer Science certificate (all grades) or apply for and receive the Computer Science SOCE by Sept. 1. Eligible teachers who hold a professional or permanent teaching certificate and have taught at least one computer science course between Sept. 1, 2017, and Sept.1, 2024, will receive an email notification from cseducation@schools.nyc.gov by early April to alert them of the impending deadline to apply for the Computer Science SOCE. Computer science teachers in career and technical education programs may be able to use their current state certification, but they should confirm with a certification specialist. Members with questions or concerns can call the union at 212-331-6311 and ask to speak with a certification specialist.

DOE employees must give 30 days' notice before resigning

DOE employees must give at least 30 calendar days' notice of their intention to resign according to the Chancellor's Regulations. Therefore, if a UFT member wants to resign (not retire) effective Tuesday, Sept. 3, the first day of work in the 2024–25 school year, that member must submit a letter of resignation by Sunday, Aug. 4. Principals are not permitted to ask UFT members to add the word "irrevocable" to their letters of resignation because UFT-represented educators have a contractual right to withdraw their resignation at a later date should they want to return to the DOE. According to the DOE, employees who resign without providing 30 days' notice will receive a problem code in their personnel file that will flag them for review should they wish to return in the future. On a related note, while there is no requirement to give notice for retirement, DOE employees who wish to take terminal leave prior to retirement must also give 30 days' notice.

Everything Else

Save the date for First Book's special book giveaway on May 11

First Book, in partnership with the AFT, has given away millions of free books to children across the country for years. The UFT, for its part, has helped organize First Book events in New York City every year for the past decade.

First Book invites New York City educators and parents to celebrate the 10 million books the organization has given away so far at a special book giveaway at the Graphics Communication Arts Education Campus at 439 West 49th St. in Manhattan on Saturday, May 11, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (or until the last book is given away). Caregivers can take up to 25 free books for their children, and teachers can take up to 50 free books for their classroom libraries and students. First Book's goal is to ensure that all children, regardless of background or ZIP code, can share in the joy of reading and owning their own books.

Recent Guidance and Agreements

Key Events & Deadlines

Contact the UFT

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