This Newcomer Checklist will help you prioritize and stay on track. You can find it at www.uft.org/news/teacher/newer/ with electronic links to the many online resources listed below.

• Some 1,800 newer teachers are still in danger of termination on July 1 — down from 5,000 earlier this year — unless they resolve their certification problems quickly. If you received a warning letter from the DOE in April and have not yet gotten DOE confirmation that your problem has been resolved, call the UFT’s Certification Services office at 1-212-420-1830 or your UFT borough office. A specially trained consultant or an educational liaison will guide and help you.
• Your supervisor should give you a copy of your preliminary fall program no later than June 12 for teachers in high schools and junior high schools; and by June 15 for elementary school teachers. It should reflect the requests you submitted on your preference sheet to the extent possible. See your chapter leader immediately if you believe your program violates your rights since you have only two school days from the date of notification to file a grievance. Your chapter leader is familiar with rotation and program preference rules and will guide you if there is a problem.
• Be sure to register for the UFT’s summer courses before the June 18 deadline since space is limited and these popular reduced-cost graduate courses close out. UFT members may register online at www.uft.org using a valid credit card — MasterCard or Visa. The remaining in-person registration opportunity is on June 18 at 52 Broadway, 2nd floor, starting at 3:30 p.m.
• The UFT offers weekend coaching sessions to prepare the performance videotape required for permanent New York State certification (ATS-P). The final session this school year is on Saturday, June 21, from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at UFT headquarters, 52 Broadway. To download a registration coupon, go to www.ufttc.org and click on Conferences.
• Your last chance to take the New York State Teacher Certification Exam before the next school year is on July 22. The regular registration deadline is June 16 and the late registration deadline, with an extra $30 fee, is June 30. The entire exam schedule is online at www.nystce.nesinc.com or you can find it in the registration bulletin, which is available at UFT borough offices or by calling TeacherLine.
• Interested in switching from your current school to another school? Then participate in this year’s “open market” transfer plan. The DOE continues to post anticipated vacancies on its Web site www.schools.nyc.gov. To apply for a vacancy in any license you may hold, complete an online application form; then follow up with a mailed, faxed or personally delivered hard copy of your cover letter and resume. Check the site regularly since new vacancies may appear. Also, you may apply to transfer to a school that has no posted vacancies in the event that one develops later. For fuller information about the transfer plan, read the Q&A on the UFT Web site at www.uft.org. An article on how to apply for positions in new schools and recently opened smalls schools that are expanding appeared in the May 8 issue of the New York Teacher. You may apply to as many positions are you wish, provided you meet the criteria for the available positions. Each school’s selection team will contact you if they need follow-up information or wish to schedule an interview.
• Check the Annual Professional Performance Review you will receive soon from your principal to make sure your attendance and Cumulative Absence Reserve (CAR) records are accurate. Report any disagreements or discrepancies to your school secretary right away. Teachers who receive a U-rating should immediately contact their UFT borough office and ask to speak to a U-rating advocate. Keep this document in a safe place for future reference.
• Online registration continues for summer P in-service courses. These courses offer a high-quality, convenient, low-cost alternative to college courses if you are looking for credits that may be applied toward salary differential requirements. Keep in mind that P courses may not meet certification or master’s degree requirements. To register, go to www.nycenet.edu/aspdp/ and follow instructions. For further information, e-mail aspdp@schools.nyc.gov or call 1-718-935-5753.
• Administrators have been known to try to pressure teachers regarding student grades at test and report-card time. If anyone pressures you to do anything questionable in this regard, call your UFT borough office. Also, keep in mind that, under Article 8D of the contract, a principal who changes a student’s grade in any subject area must notify teachers in writing of the reasons for such changes.
• Have you ever checked to see what is in your file? This is a good time to have a look and do some spring cleaning. You have the right to examine your file and should do so once a year to learn what’s in it and to have any old or inappropriate materials removed. Just notify your principal that you would like to see your file and make an appointment. It’s a good idea to have either your chapter leader or a colleague with you when you look at your file. If you find letters in your file that have not been used in a disciplinary proceeding three years from the date the original material was placed in the file, you may ask to have those letters removed per Article 21A of the contract. In addition, you have the right to photocopy any material in your file.
• Teachers who were approved to receive tuition reimbursement or loan forgiveness grants under the Teachers of Tomorrow Program should look for a letter from the DOE this summer. It contains instructions about picking up your check on a specific date. The letter also will tell you what to do if that date presents a problem. These tax-free grants go as high as $3,400 annually for up to four consecutive years, subject to statute and funding availability.
• Have you completed courses during the spring semester that qualify you for any pay differential? Then be sure to file for the extra payment within six months or the salary increase will not be retroactive to your date of eligibility. To access information about salary differentials and to download an application, go to http://schools.nyc.gov/offices/dhr and then click on DHR forms under Most Popular Clicks, then on Salary Services, then on Teacher Salary Differential Application. After completing the application, make a copy for your records, together with all required documentation. You can hand-deliver your application to 65 Court St., Room 815 or mail it, returned receipt requested, to the address indicated on the application.
• Remember how the UFT recently beat back attempts to tie tenure to student test scores? And how it won the enactment of the long-sought 55/25 pension improvement? And how it succeeded in getting an increase of more than $600 million in state aid for city schools? These are just a few examples of COPE contributions at work. COPE — not union dues — pays for the political activities that made these victories possible. Sign up for automatic COPE contributions so you can help fund the lobbying and other actions that more than pay for themselves in the results they bring. Aren’t sure if you already contribute to COPE? See your chapter leader.
• New teachers are invited to a series of free UFT summer fun and learning activities around the city. These are opportunities to network with fellow teachers in each borough, increase your knowledge about key subject areas and meet your union leaders. Summer trips include a visit to the Queens Botanical Gardens on July 21; to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden on Aug. 6; a “Ways to Save” program at UFT headquarters on Aug. 12; and a trip to the new Sports Museum of America on Aug. 25. Space is limited so contact Jeannette Downes at jdownes@uft.org soon to sign up.
• Making summer vacation plans? As a UFT member, you can purchase discounted theme park admission tickets online through the AFT, our national affiliate. Tickets are available for Adventure Island, Busch Gardens, Hershey Park, Paramount’s Great America, SeaWorld, Six Flags and Universal Studio. Visit www.aftplus.org and click on Discounts and Special Services, then on Entertainment, then on the link at the bottom to find theme park discounts. You can purchase and print out tickets right from your computer.
• The AFT Plus student loan consolidation program could save you thousands of dollars over the life of your student loans. The program, guaranteed by the U.S. Department of Education, lets you do the following: 1. lock in a low fixed interest rate for the life of the loans; 2. lower monthly payments; and 3. make one monthly payment. If you recently graduated and are still in your grace period (i.e., you have not started repaying your loans), you may be eligible to get up to an additional 0.60 percent interest rate reduction for the life of your loans. You can also request to maintain your grace period while locking in the lower rate. For more information, go to http://aftplus.slcp.com or call 1-800-936-4976.
• As a New York City teacher, you can become vested — that is, earn the right to eventually collect a pension — if you have at least five years of membership service in the Teachers’ Retirement System (TRS) or the Board of Education Retirement System (BERS). While your pension payment will not be large and you will not be able to collect it until you reach retirement age, vesting is a right the UFT won for teachers and improved by reducing the service requirement.
• See the UFT Calendar on page 38 for additional new teacher opportunities.
• See also Know Your Rights, Know Your Benefits and Grants, Awards & Freebies.