News for School Counselors

Two longtime UFT legends stepped down as officers of the union and their replacements were voted in by the Executive Board on Sept. 24. Mel Aaronson, who served as treasurer of the union since 1998, will be replaced by pension trustee Debra Penny, while Mary Jo Ginese, until recently the leader of the Supervisors of Nurses and Therapists Chapter, will take over for Carmen Alvarez, who has been the vice president for special education since 1990. 


If you are the designated liaison for your school's Child Abuse Prevention and Intervention Team, you're required to attend a training by Oct. 31. Take a look at the training dates.

Don't miss this year's guidance expo on Wednesday, Oct. 17, at Westchester County Center in White Plains, NY, from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

The first UFT School Counselors Recognition Ceremony on June 12 at the union’s Brooklyn borough office honored 18 school counselors for the critical role they play in the lives of many of the city’s more than one million students. 


High school seniors in public schools who are of Hispanic/Latino heritage and have parents or guardians who are union members are eligible to apply for a $1,000 scholarship from the AFT.

Keep calm and counsel on. T-shirts given out at the UFT’s 14th annual School Counselors Conference on March 10 at union headquarters in Manhattan bore those words because that’s what school counselors do, School Counselors Chapter Leader Rosemarie Thompson told the more than 200 members gathered in Shanker Hall.

The DOE has released the timeline for fall 2018 sabbatical applications.

Although the union is called the United Federation of Teachers, the membership has grown to include many other types of educators and professionals who serve the children of New York City in a variety of ways.
These Department of Education-employed members have functional chapters of their own to address common issues and concerns.

Effective May 18, 2017, every school employee who has a car will receive a Department of Education-issued parking permit, and the school’s on-street parking spots will become available on a first-come, first-served basis.