Social Worker and Psychologist Newsletter
February 2009
Dear Colleagues:
Best wishes for a healthy and happy new year!
Our new president, Barack Obama, is an inspiring figure who has urged us to volunteer for community service as a means to get ourselves through this unprecedented world economic crisis and turbulence.
In that spirit, the UFT also needs you to volunteer for our political action campaign. Protecting direct services for students and our members' economic security are our first priorities. We believe that this will require a massive mobilization of effort and you must do your part. In this unprecedented crisis, we need to mount an unprecedented response. The state budget has a $15 billion hole in it and the Mayor has threatened 14,000 layoffs in September. We need every person in every school to get involved. This is no time to leave it to others. Go to the UFT Web site's political action page to sign up to volunteer, to send faxes to your Congressional representatives, download flyers to give to your colleagues and more.
Be a part of the solution.
Send a fax to your Congressional representatives asking them to support the president's economic stimulus plan.
Come to the Fair Budget for ALL March 5 rally at City Hall, 4pm, and bring everyone you know.
In Solidarity,
Ann
Economic Challenges
The UFT has proposed a tripartite campaign as an alternative to “slash-and-burn solutions” that would devastate our school system and decimate services our most vulnerable citizens depend on: a federal stimulus package that includes aid to states and cities; progressive state tax increases, and responsible cuts that protect direct student services, including a retirement incentive to lower salary costs.
You will begin to see the effects of this crisis in your work with the children and families, as more people face unemployment and loss of their homes. This is a deep and broad recession, and it will probably take a few years to get out of it. It will be far worse if we do not get federal aid and raise taxes on the wealthy.
For us directly as union members, our contract provides us with protections and our united, collective action is needed to protect us as well.
The single most important thing you can do is to come to the Fair Budget for ALL March 5 rally at City Hall, 4 p.m., and bring everyone you know— co-workers, friends, neighbors, family, people from your church, synagogue, mosque. Spread the word to everybody. We will not be able to protect our schools and essential public services unless we show the politicians in Albany and City Hall that New Yorkers are united and determined to get a fair budget—a budget in which everyone does their fair share. To avoid devastating cuts, the state must raise the personal income tax on our richest citizens to generate more revenue.
Over the last 30 years, New York has reduced income tax rates on the wealthiest New Yorkers by more than 50 percent and eliminated high-income brackets so that working-class families and the very rich now pay the same rate. These changes have resulted in a loss of $8 billion of state revenue a year. And while their taxes went down, the incomes of the rich have skyrocketed at the same time that working families were just treading water. Surely it is only fair that our wealthiest citizens be asked to dig deeper to help solve our economic crisis.
It will not happen unless we mount the biggest mobilization this city has ever seen. Click here for a flyer you can use to give to colleagues and others.
Teacher's Choice for CSE Staff
We expect that CSE members will receive their Teachers Choice money in February 2009. An error occurred because this was the first year people received the money via direct deposit. The DOE wanted to control the expenditure to ineligible people and failed to take into account that CSE staff, although not in a school building, do work directly with children, and therefore, are eligible to receive the money. We will proceed with a grievance if the money is not received, but I have been assured by the DOE that this matter has been resolved.
Standard Operating Procedures Manual: Special Education Evaluation and Placement
Hard copies of the SOPM were to be distributed one per school and one per team, beginning on December 15, 2008. Due to a change in state regulations involving parental revocation of consent, the printing was halted in order to accommodate new language.
The DOE expected to resume printing by the end of January, 2009. The DOE still plans to distribute one per school and one per team. Once everyone has access to the hard copies, there should be less confusion about the changes.
The DOE also committed to doing staff development on the SOPM. Let us know if this has not taken place or if more training is needed.
Copy Machines of SBSTs
The Xerox contract has expired and Xerox machines are being replaced by Toshiba machines. Contact your chapter borough leader if you have not received your new machine. Toshiba has a contract with the DOE for service and maintenance. Paper should be provided by your principal.
Per Session
We continue to have an agreement with the DOE that social workers are to be hired to do social history updates during per session activities. Contact your chapter borough leader if this is not happening in your borough.
Training for SBST Clerical/Family Workers
The ISCs in each borough have been conducting training for the clerical/family workers. This will continue through the end of February 2009.
Upcoming Borough Meetings
February 5 - Brooklyn - 335 Adams Street
February 9 - Staten Island - 4456 Amboy Road
February 11 - Queens - 97-77 Queens Blvd.
February 12 - Manhattan - 52 Broadway, 10th Fl.
All meetings will take place at 4:30 p.m.
Borough Leaders
Manhattan - Rick Eisman - 212-737-9774 x4030
Bronx - Ann McKie - 718-794-7420 x2326
Brooklyn East - Vanessa Pressly - 718-385-1665
Brooklyn West - Anurag Singh - 718-467-1700 x780
Queens - Lester Lehon - 718-793-3060
Staten Island - Joan Smith - 718-981-1321
