Chapter Leader UpdateNov. 30, 2023

Next Delegate Assembly is Dec. 13

Chapter leader stipend checks will be mailed in December

Chapter leaders are the face of the union for members, and we rely on your leadership. As a small acknowledgment of the work you’ve done and the work you will do this school year, we are mailing your base stipend check in mid-December to compensate you for out-of-pocket expenses you incur while performing your duties as chapter leader. You will receive $6 per member, up to a maximum of $1,350. The chapter leader stipend is based on your estimated expenses as chapter leader during the school year. The IRS is clear: For tax purposes, any excess you receive must be included in your gross income. Therefore, we strongly suggest that you keep all receipts. Chapter leaders who qualify will receive a second supplementary stipend in late June in recognition of the extra time and effort they have dedicated to organize, empower and engage members during the 2023–24 school year.

Tell the Council to reject school budget cuts

In his latest attack on our school system, Mayor Adams announced a plan to slash 5% of the DOE’s overall budget. If he is not stopped, funding will soon be cut for after-school programs, per session, per diem coverages, early childhood education, computer science, community schools, mental health and more. These damaging cuts are unnecessary. City revenue is higher than expected, the city’s reserves are at a near-record high, and state aid has increased. The influx of asylum seekers has cost the city money, but the mayor has exploited that issue to vastly inflate city expenses for the next four years. The City Council has the ability to block the mayor from enacting this cut and two more 5% cuts that he plans for the current fiscal year that ends in June. So far, more than 3,500 UFT members and parents have sent an email to their Council members telling them to reject these cuts. We need to keep the pressure on. Please urge your colleagues to take two minutes to tell their Council rep to stand up for our kids.

Send an email

Enrollment-based mid-year budget cuts, too

On top of his plan to cut as much as 15% from the DOE’s overall budget by June 2024, Mayor Adams is clawing back $109 million from schools where enrollment decreased over July projections. That means 653 schools — 43% of all schools — will be hit with another set of midyear budget cuts. It’s the first time since 2019 that a mayor has not held schools harmless for enrollment decreases. Other public schools, including those that received an influx of children from asylum-seeking families, will see a budget increase based on higher-than-projected enrollment. You can use this lookup tool to find out if your school will lose funding and how much. If your school is facing an enrollment-based cut to its budget, put the topic on the agenda for your next consultation committee meeting to discuss your principal’s plans for reducing costs.

UFT keeps pressure on the city to implement class size law

UFT President Michael Mulgrew, joined by by parents, educators, advocates and elected officials, held a press conference at Brooklyn Landmark Elementary School on Nov. 21 to release a union survey that showed  — despite claims by critics — more than 300,000 students in the city’s high-need schools are in oversized classes. The state’s class size law states that New York City's “class size reduction plan shall prioritize schools serving populations with higher poverty levels.” And yet, in nearly 700 Title 1 schools, according to the union survey, 50% or more of the classes, containing a total of more than 322,000 students, are larger than the new state law allows. The law requires that by September 2028 — the end of the five-year phase-in period — all classes in New York City public schools must comply with these new maximums: 20 students for kindergarten through Grade 3; 23 students for grades 4–8; and 25 students for high school.

UFT Shanker scholarship applications now available

Make sure high school seniors in your school apply for a $5,000 Albert Shanker college scholarship. The application deadline is Feb. 28, 2024. Each year, the UFT awards $1 million in scholarships to academically excellent and financially eligible New York City public high school seniors through the Albert Shanker College Scholarship Fund. Please reach out to your school’s college advisers and school counselors to make sure that eligible seniors apply for these scholarships. If you do not work in a high school, please reach out to family, friends and community members who may qualify for this award. Eligible recipients must be accepted into a full-time, matriculated, degree-granting program at an accredited college or university for fall 2024. Students can apply electronically through the Albert Shanker College Scholarship website. You can find more information and the application materials on the UFT website.