Sept. 30, 2025
MAKING THE CASE: Holly Fleischer, a teacher at PS 199 in Brooklyn and a member of the UFT Health Care Committee, motivated the union resolution to support NYC Employees PPO at the special Sept. 29 Delegate Assembly to vote on the plan
This Week's Focus
NYCE PPO to replace the GHI CBP plan on Jan. 1
This Tuesday morning, the Municipal Labor Committee voted to approve the New York City Employees PPO (NYCE PPO) plan, with the UFT casting its vote in accordance with the Delegate Assembly's vote in favor of the plan. On Monday, at our special Delegate Assembly, 78% of UFT delegates voted to approve the resolution to support the proposed health care plan. This means that on Jan.1, 2026, the NYCE PPO plan, provided by EmblemHealth and UnitedHealthcare, will replace the GHI CBP plan for in-service city employees and pre-Medicare retirees. Members will soon receive detailed information about the new plan directly from NYCE PPO. Those who are currently enrolled in the GHI CBP plan will be automatically enrolled in the NYCE PPO starting on Jan. 1, 2026. Their new ID card will be sent to them in the mail prior to that date. Members who are enrolled in other city plans can transfer into the new plan during the open enrollment period in November. Please advise members not to ask their doctors if they take the new plan; since the NYCE PPO has just been approved, many doctors will not have heard of it yet.
Amplify member voice with school-based committees
School-based committees ensure that UFT members have a voice in decision-making at the school level and that all the work does not fall on the chapter leader's shoulders. Make sure that you have the following active committees at your school:
- Consultation committee that meets monthly with the principal to discuss and attempt to resolve issues at the school level before they escalate.
- Special education committee that meets at least twice a year (once in the fall and once in the spring) to address schoolwide special education compliance issues. The union's new reporting form goes live on Oct. 1 in the Chapter Leader Hub.
- Staff development committee (SDC), which serves as the instructional leadership team, to plan and review the professional learning that is offered during the time set aside for professional learning in the contract.
- School safety committee that meets monthly to address safety-related violations and issues such as crisis response, student removal procedures and fire drills.
- School leadership team that develops the school's comprehensive educational plan and makes sure it is aligned with the school-based budget.
If you need support, please contact your district representative.
Report class size data to your district rep this Friday
We are addressing the class size issues that school chapter leaders reported on Days 6, 10 and 14. The final key reporting day is Day 19 (this Friday, Oct. 3). These contractual class size limits are separate and apart from implementation of the state's class size law. Please obtain your school's RACL (elementary or middle schools) or Master Schedule Final (high schools), which indicates class sizes on these dates. For most schools, the oversize classes that had not been resolved by Day 14 (Sept. 25) went to your district representative and superintendent to tackle. On the 21st day, unresolved cases will be escalated a step higher to the central Class Size Labor-Management Committee.
Celebrate Teacher Union Day with fellow members
Organize a group of members from your school to attend this year's Teacher Union Day, our annual awards ceremony and commemoration of the strike that put the newly formed UFT on the path to becoming the activist organization it is today. We'll gather at the New York Hilton Midtown on Sunday, Nov. 2, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Each year, we recognize UFT members who are leading our union into the future. There will be a continental breakfast and post-awards reception. Cost: $40 if you register before Oct. 6 (early bird discount); $50 after that date.
Chapter Leader Checklist
To Do #1
Ask members to wear pink on Oct. 15
On Wednesday, Oct. 15, the same day as the Delegate Assembly, your chapter can show its support for breast cancer awareness by wearing pink. Post this flyer on your UFT bulletin board or distribute it in mailboxes. Each year, we send a UFT photographer to two or three schools. If a UFT photographer has not come to your school since the pandemic to take photos of members wearing pink, please send an email request to New York Teacher Editor Dara Sharif at dsharif [at] uft [dot] org (dsharif[at]uft[dot]org). In your email, tell us if there is a particular member of your school community whom you are supporting or commemorating. Take photos of your members wearing pink, post them on Instagram and tag them @uftny so we can include them in our Instagram story. Please send your best one or two photos (large size, with captions) to uftphotos [at] gmail [dot] com (uftphotos[at]gmail[dot]com) for us to share on social media.
To Do #2
Make sure new teachers have assigned mentors
Every new teacher in your school without at least two years of prior teaching experience must have mentoring. As the chapter leader, you are a required member of your school's new teacher induction committee, which ensures new teachers receive this mentoring. The mentor should be an experienced classroom teacher, coach or lead teacher, ideally in the new teacher's subject area. The mentor will provide a minimum of two periods a week of confidential, non-evaluative and nonjudgmental support. Ask your principal for a list of new teachers and their mentors. If new teachers at your school have not been assigned a mentor, or if you have questions about the mentoring program, contact your UFT district representative.
To Do #3
Save the date: UFT Lobby Day is on March 16
Mark your calendar for the UFT's annual Lobby Day in Albany on Monday, March 16, 2026. We'll board early morning buses leaving from each borough to speak with our state representatives about issues important to UFT members, such as fixing Tier 6 and increasing funding for New York City public schools. UFT members who contribute to COPE, the union's political action fund, are invited to come.
To Do #4
Flyers to share with your members
Here are flyers you can print and distribute in member mailboxes or post on your school's UFT bulletin board:
Hub Highlights
Conduct a "salary checkup"
You can find a new online tool in the UFT Member Hub that will help you determine if your paycheck accurately reflects your salary. Use it to make sure you're earning what you deserve and to get a personalized schedule of your upcoming salary steps and longevity pay increases.
Work in progress
The UFT is tackling the following issues with the DOE and other city, state and federal-level entities as appropriate:
- Discussing with the DOE this year's class size funding application process for schools.
- Pushing the DOE to provide functioning learning devices for students in all schools.
- Preparing training for superintendents and UFT district representatives on the paperwork and operational issues resolution process.
You Should Know
Contract empowerment & enforcement
Be mindful of timelines for appeals of final ratings
The UFT Grievance Department is processing and filing rating appeals for the 2024-25 school year. If any teachers in your school have been rated Ineffective under the APPR rating system, they should call their UFT borough office as soon as possible to make an appointment with a rating appeal adviser. Appeal paperwork should be submitted by Oct. 15. If members have been rated Unsatisfactory under the S/U rating system, they need to bring their Unsatisfactory rating form to their borough UFT borough office within three weeks of receipt. Probationary teachers who have been discontinued or denied tenure may also file an appeal if they wish.
Professional learning & instruction
Tell us how the cellphone ban is going at your school
What has been the impact of the new cellphone ban at your school? We want to tell the story in the New York Teacher and on social media about the wide-ranging and perhaps unexpected changes that the ban has sparked. Whether you've seen an increase in focus in the classroom, more in-person socializing and engagement among students or a reduction in the number and/or severity of fights, or if you've navigated unforeseen challenges, we want to hear your school's story.
Medical & wellness
24/7 mental health helpline for UFT members
UFT members or their family members can call or text 866-UFT-FOR-U (866-838-3678) at any hour, seven days a week, to receive immediate, confidential support from a union-trained licensed counselor during a moment of crisis or to request a referral for ongoing mental health services or a substance-abuse treatment center. Counselors from the mental health service Vibrant Emotional Health are available to assist in multiple languages. The counselor will request the caller's union ID number to identify them as a UFT member.
Brewing Wellness podcast on supporting bereaved students
Check out the latest episode of Brewing Wellness, a podcast created by the UFT's Member Assistance Program to support the mental health and well-being of members. This episode, "Holding space for bereaved students," features Cara Belvin, founder of Empower, a nonprofit that supports children and young adults who have lost a parent. Drawing on her own experience of losing her mother as a child, Belvin discusses how grief can affect students' academic performance and emotional well-being and offers guidance on how educators can respond with compassion. Brewing Wellness, which releases a new episode at the end of each month, is available wherever you listen to podcasts.
Political action
Canvass in Brooklyn for Mamdani this Saturday
The UFT is holding canvassing days in every borough this fall to help get out the vote for Zohran Mamdani. Join fellow UFT members for our next canvass in Brooklyn this Saturday, Oct. 4. We'll gather at PS 20, 225 Adelphi St. in Fort Greene, at 11 a.m. before heading out to knock on doors of fellow members. You can also sign up for our UFT phone banks, held at every UFT borough office from 4 to 6 p.m. on select days, to help elect Mamdani and our other UFT-endorsed candidates.
Join the UFT at the No Kings March on Oct. 18
As educators, we understand the importance of defending democracy and protecting the values of inclusion and tolerance that allow our schools and our communities to thrive. At the second No Kings March on Saturday, Oct. 18, UFT members will join millions of Americans nationwide in a nonviolent march to protest President Trump's attempts to consolidate power and undermine the rule of law. We’re demanding safe schools, affordable health care, union rights for workers and a strong democracy in which every person is valued. The UFT contingent will assemble at 11 a.m. at the corner of Broadway and 49th Street.
Salary & personnel
Friday deadline to apply for school-based parking
It's time for school-based UFT members to apply for their new parking permits. The DOE's self-service portal is now open and available for applications through this Friday, Oct. 3. (Please note: The portal works best in Google Chrome.) The following parking permits are available to UFT members if there are DOT-designated on-street parking spaces at your school:
- On-street general (OSG) parking
- Itinerant on-street (OSI) parking
The DOE will deliver parking permits to your school by Nov. 1, which is when last school year's parking permits expire. The new DOE parking permits are distributed after the expired parking permits are collected. Please remember to tell your members that OSG parking permits are school-specific. These permits specify the school name and the designated streets for parking. School-based staff who work at more than one school are issued itinerant on-street (OSI) parking permits for use at assigned schools with available DOT-designated street-parking spaces. These spaces are available on a first-come, first-served basis. If you have questions, email DOEParkingPermits [at] schools [dot] nyc [dot] gov (DOEParkingPermits[at]schools[dot]nyc[dot]gov).
Upcoming pension workshops for UFT members
The UFT Pension Department offers online workshops throughout the school year to help members understand their pension benefits. All workshops take place online from 4:15 to 5:15 p.m. Members can now register for Health Benefits at Retirement on Tuesday, Oct. 7, and Retirement Workshop for Paraprofessionals on Thursday, Oct. 16.
UFT members enrolled in the BERS pension plan now have the option to switch to TRS. The UFT Pension Department is holding more in-person information sessions this fall to guide eligible members through the decision-making and transfer processes. Members currently enrolled in BERS have until Dec. 10 to request a transfer. Members can register for the first BERS to TRS transfer workshop on Tuesday, Oct. 21 at the UFT's Queens borough office. Stay tuned to sign up for the same workshop on Thursday, Oct. 23, at the Brooklyn borough office; Tuesday, Oct. 28, at the Staten Island borough office; Thursday, Oct. 30, at the Bronx borough office; and Thursday, Nov. 6, at UFT headquarters in Manhattan.
Everything else
Register middle school students for our Anti-Bullying Student Conference
Middle school students will learn how to identify and prevent bullying at school at the UFT Middle Schools Division's annual Anti-Bullying Student Conference on Thursday, Oct. 23, from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at UFT headquarters in Manhattan. Up to 12 students per school may attend. At the conference, students will hear from dynamic speakers, participate in interactive workshops and learn strategies to create calmer, safer school environments. They will leave empowered to serve as ambassadors for their schools and to help their peers deal with bullying.
Recent Guidance and Agreements
- Labor Guidance: Paperwork Standards and Operational Issues (September 2025)
- Personnel Memorandum on Additional Compensation for Teachers in Shortage License Areas (September 2025)
- Chancellor's Regulation A-413: Cellphones and Other Electronic Devices in Schools (July 2025)
- Advance Guide at a Glance for the 2025-26 School Year (September 2025)
Contact the UFT
- DOE members, call 212‑331‑6311.
- DOE functional chapter members, call 212‑331‑6312.
- A health benefit question? Call the Welfare Fund at 212‑539‑0500.