Chapter Leader UpdateApril 21, 2021

UFT endorses Scott Stringer for mayor

Following an arduous four-month vetting process including five town halls attended by more than 12,000 UFT members, the UFT Delegate Assembly, at a special April 19 meeting, voted to endorse Scott Stringer in the June 22 Democratic primary for New York City mayor. The resolution to endorse Stringer, the current city comptroller, was carried with 90% of the vote. “As a school system and as a city, we are going to be facing unprecedented challenges,” UFT President Michael Mulgrew said during a press conference following the DA vote. “We have to have someone with a proven record of getting things done. That person is Scott Stringer.” In the months leading up to the endorsement, some 14,000 UFT members shared their views on the new UFT political action website, nyc2021.uft.org, about what they wanted in the next mayor and their policy priorities.

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3-foot guidelines in some schools on April 26

The DOE surveyed principals with 3-K, pre-K and grades K–5 to determine which schools would need to adopt the use of 3-foot social distancing protocols between students in classrooms. The only two reasons for schools to adopt this new distance would be to accommodate newly opted-in students or to expand in-person learning to five days a week. Elementary schools adopting the 3-foot guidelines received additional guidance on next steps from the DOE. The principals are using that guidance to develop a plan along with the COVID-19 building response team for implementation on Monday, April 26. The superintendent must approve all plans. UFT representatives are visiting schools this week to help create safety protocols for implementing the new guidelines. The union will then distribute these protocols to all elementary school chapter leaders. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact your UFT district representative. We will provide a complaint form to elementary school chapter leaders so issues needing resolution are addressed.  

Details of early retirement incentive must be negotiated

The final state budget signed by the governor on April 19 includes an early retirement incentive. The bill that passed applies only to New York City public employees and requires the city employers and unions to agree on which job titles it will cover. The passage of the bill puts the UFT one step closer to securing the benefit for its members before the summer. But there is still one more hurdle: negotiating the details with the mayor and the City Council. “The UFT fought hard in Albany to secure this early retirement incentive for our members,” said UFT President Michael Mulgrew. “We hope we can reach an agreement that provides this well-deserved opportunity for many of our members. We will work hard to negotiate these crucial details as quickly as possible.” Please ask members to be patient as we negotiate those details. 

UFT lobbying pays off in final state budget

New York City public schools are receiving a historic boost in state aid. The final budget provides a $1.3 billion increase for New York City schools. A sizable chunk of that money constitutes a long-overdue commitment to “foundation aid,” the part of the budget that goes to high-needs districts in New York City. Sixteen years ago, a state court settled the case of Campaign for Fiscal Equity v. State of New York by ordering the state to provide this money to the city’s schoolchildren to meet its constitutional responsibility to provide a “sound, basic education” to every child. “This is the best budget the children of New York City have had in years,” said UFT President Michael Mulgrew. Thank you to the chapter leaders and all our members who effectively lobbied state legislators this year for this funding increase. 

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 Letitia James to receive UFT's Dewey Award

State Attorney General Letitia James will receive the John Dewey Award for Excellence in Education, the union’s highest honor, at its virtual Spring Education Conference on Saturday, May 15. James, the first black woman to hold that post, has long been an independent, strong advocate for public schools and working people. There will be a town hall in the morning and in the afternoon, UFT members have their choice of two CTLE-eligible workshops to attend. 

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