Chapter Leader UpdateApril 23, 2026

$1,000 retention bonus to be paid starting May 1

All UFT-represented DOE employees who worked full time during the 12 months leading up to April 1, 2026, will receive a $1,000 retention bonus as a supplemental check in their bank account.

This annual retention bonus, which was negotiated as part of the 2023 DOE-UFT contract, will be paid on May 1 to teachers, other pedagogues and all paraprofessionals. Here is some other important information:

• All employees must have been on payroll on April 1, 2026, to receive a payment.
• A pro-rated amount will be issued to members who were on a leave without pay during the 12 months leading up to April 1, 2026.
• H-bank employees, including occupational and physical therapists and school nurses, will be paid on May 7.
• Per diem or other part-time UFT-represented employees who worked a minimum of 30 days during those 12 months will receive a prorated amount based on the number of days they worked during the year. The pay date for per diems will be finalized soon.
• Employees on sabbatical leave, military leave with pay and paid parental leave on April 1 also qualify since those leaves keep them on payroll.

As is always the case with supplemental checks, some banks take longer than others to post payments to your account. This annual bonus will be paid to all UFT-represented DOE employees every year at the beginning of May in perpetuity (forever!). The bonus will increase to $1,035 in 2027 and continue to increase with future contractual raises. Learn more in our FAQs.

NYCE PPO is here to stay

The lawsuit against the NYCE PPO health plan was dismissed. Hands Off NY Care, a group with mysterious funding, was trying to block our health plan and filed this suit back in November. Judge Lyle Frank ruled against them on April 21.

NYCE PPO, the city's new health care plan, which on Jan. 1 replaced the GHI CBP plan for 750,000 city employees, pre-Medicare retirees and their families, will continue to provide high-quality, premium-free care.

You can learn more about this plan in the NYCE PPO section of the UFT website or at the health plan website.

Class size funding update

Class size funding for next year should have been announced by now, but the city has been reluctant to release any information until the state budget is passed. While we are pushing back on that delay, we want you to be aware that the amount your school receives should be very similar to the amount your school submitted on the DOE survey back in November/December. We were told by the DOE that any changes to disbursements were made in collaboration and discussion with principals, so your administration should have an idea of how much money they are receiving. The city is projecting that 80% of classes across the city will be in compliance with the class size law next year.

State budget extended again

After missing the April 1 deadline for a new state budget, lawmakers have passed six temporary budget extender bills as they continue negotiations with Gov. Kathy Hochul. This delay just means we have to keep pushing so that we see Tier 6 reform included in the budget. There are several items still being debated by the state, and we hope to have a final budget in the coming weeks. The state budget delays affect the city budget and may lead to delays on decisions about our city funding priorities as well.

Join us at the May 16 Spring Education Conference

Registration is still open for the union's premier education event of the year, the Spring Education Conference. Bring your sense of curiosity and adventure for a day of camaraderie, professional development and inspiration.

This year's workshops will delve into the ever-evolving nature of education and technology. It will be an amazing opportunity to broaden your educational practice and earn CTLE hours! There will also be a town hall, exhibits, a gala luncheon and entertainment.

Registration closes on May 1, so claim your spot soon.

• Date: Saturday, May 16
• Time: 7:30 a.m. to 2:45 p.m.
• Where: New York Hilton Midtown, 1335 Sixth Ave.
• Cost: $50 and an additional $30 for each CTLE hour for teachers; $15 for each CTLE hour for paraprofessionals

Register now

Get ready for TRS elections

Thank you to everyone who participated in the petition drive last month to put the UFT-endorsed candidate, Tom Brown, on the Teachers' Retirement System (TRS) ballot! Tom has more than enough signatures, and we anticipate that he will officially be on the ballot. Your participation was incredibly important to ensure UFT members have a say in who leads TRS.

Now we enter Phase 2: TRS members will vote for their chosen candidate for the TRS board. Voting will take place in schools on Wednesday, May 13. We will be in touch soon with more information about the voting process, which will be run by the DOE.

Learn more about the election and about the UFT's endorsed candidate, Tom Brown, current TRS chair.

Update on our RESPECT check legislation

All UFT members, including paraprofessionals, received an update on our RESPECT check legislation in the April 17 UFT Update. If any of your paraprofessional members are asking about the status of the RESPECT check, please share the information below with them.

Latest updates:

• Feb. 24: Our 2026 version of the RESPECT check bill was introduced in the City Council. A supermajority of 46 City Council members have sponsored the bill, making it veto-proof.
• March 7 and 9: Julie Menin, the City Council speaker, pledged her support for the bill's passage. The bill had a hearing before the City Council Committee on Civil Service and Labor.
• March 23: UFT President Michael Mulgrew testified at a City Council budget hearing and listed the RESPECT check as one of our top priorities for this year's city budget.
• April 23: Speaker Menin said during the UFT's City Council legislative breakfast that the council remains "deeply committed" to raising pay for paraprofessionals. "We are going to get this done," she said.

Next steps:

First, the bill needs to be voted out of committee. Then it can be put on the agenda of a stated meeting of the full City Council for a final vote to pass it into law.

Right now, the council is waiting for the state budget to be finalized in Albany because the outcome of the state budget directly affects our city budget for next year.

As always, we remain committed to this fight. We must keep the pressure on, and we will not stop until we get the RESPECT check legislation passed. We will keep you updated.

You can find answers to your questions about the proposed legislation in our RESPECT check FAQ and learn more on our RESPECT campaign page.