Oct. 16, 2025
POSITIVELY PINK: Chapter Leader Elkis Felice (in pink tutu) and fellow members from PS 28 in Manhattan show their support on Oct. 15 for a colleague recently diagnosed with breast cancer — and for all survivors, as well as in memory of those who have lost their lives to the disease.
This Week's Focus
UFT pushes for clear MTSS guidance
The UFT is negotiating with the DOE to establish clear guidance for schools on the Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) after the rollout of the new initiative was plagued with problems.
In the meantime, the union is asking chapter leaders to keep these three points in mind:
- Principals may not add extra periods to teachers' schedules to provide MTSS.
- Progress monitoring should take place no more than five to seven times per school year.
- Members should not be required to complete any spreadsheets or data trackers related to MTSS.
Be vigilant and report any issues immediately to your district representative.
Election Day PD will be remote with time for new child abuse training
Professional development on Election Day will once again be conducted remotely for all school-based staff. Principals cannot require staff to report in person on Nov. 4. All schools will devote two hours of the workday to updated training on child abuse identification and reporting that covers new content for recognizing abuse in children with developmental or intellectual disabilities. Six different sessions will be offered at staggered times to prevent system overloads. All DOE employees who are mandated reporters are receiving a registration email from the DOE this week. The workday for teachers and paraprofessionals on Election Day is six hours and 50 minutes, inclusive of lunch. If your principal directs staff to report in person or offers in-person professional development as an option, please notify your UFT district representative immediately.
Let's get the 'RESPECT check' bill over the finish line
Our paraprofessionals turned up the heat on social media this weekend — and it worked! The City Council has moved up the hearing date for the paraprofessional "RESPECT check" bill from Dec. 19 to Nov. 13. This earlier hearing is a major accomplishment, but our work isn't done yet. Now we need to make sure the City Council passes the bill. Our message for Nov. 13 is simple: Pass the bill!
Chapter leaders are invited to join our Paraprofessional Town Hall on Wednesday, Oct. 22, from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. We'll discuss the next steps to get the bill signed into law and how we can organize to keep the pressure on elected officials to make the RESPECT check a reality.
Member-led activism to be celebrated at Teacher Union Day
The award winners have been announced for this year's Teacher Union Day, a celebration of the activism and dedication that strengthen our union. See all of this year's honorees.
Honorees include:
- LeRoy Barr, UFT Secretary and Staff Director – Charles Cogen Award, the day's highest honor
- Members of the UFT Health Care Committee – Jules Kolodny Award
- The chapter leader and three members of the UFT Occupational and Physical Therapists Chapter – David Wittes Award for their successful campaign to enable BERS members to transfer to TRS
- Eighty-three chapter leaders and their chapters – Ely Trachtenberg Award, named for a teacher whose rank-and-file organizing was instrumental in building the union
Join us for this year's special event on Sunday, Nov. 2, at the New York Hilton Midtown. The program will include a continental breakfast and a post-awards reception. The cost is $50.
Organize a Thanksgiving coat drive at your school
Let's make sure students in need have new apparel to stay warm this winter. Consider organizing a winter clothing drive at your school to collect NEW winter coats, sweaters, scarves, mittens, gloves and hats ranging in size from toddler to adult. Members can also make a monetary donation toward the purchase of winter apparel for New York City public school students living in temporary housing. You can drop off donations at your UFT borough office between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. starting Oct. 27 or bring items to the Nov. 12 Delegate Assembly. If your school or worksite has collected many items, the union can arrange to pick them up. If you have any questions, please contact Jeannette Noriega at JNoriega [at] uft [dot] org (JNoriega[at]uft[dot]org). Please share the UFT Middle Schools Division's coat drive flyer with your members.
Chapter Leader Checklist
To Do #1
Enroll new members in the UFT
Take a moment to welcome new staff in your building. About 3,000 new teachers joined the UFT on Aug. 26, the opening day of New Teacher Week, but we weren't able to reach every new hire. Please personally invite every new nonmember in your school to join the union. You can either collect their union enrollment card or have them enroll online. You can view the list of nonmembers in your chapter in the Chapter Leader Hub. A QR code linking directly to the online enrollment form is available in the Chapter Leader Hub.
To Do #2
Report unresolved issues from your special ed committee meeting
Make sure you schedule your fall school-based special education committee meeting with your principal by early December. According to the DOE-UFT contract, the committee meets with the principal at least twice a school year and more often as needed with the goal of resolving compliance issues at the school level, including teacher and paraprofessional programming. You should then use the online Special Education Committee Notes form in the Consultation Committee Notes section of the Chapter Leader Hub to report unresolved issues. Those issues may be escalated by your district representative for district-level consultation with the superintendent.
To Do #3
Register for training for new chapter leaders
We are excited to invite new chapter leaders to part one of the union's annual three-part chapter leader training series, which is designed to equip chapter leaders with everything they need to succeed in their first years as a chapter leader. Part one of the training will take place on Saturday, Oct. 25, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., at UFT headquarters. The training series is open to all chapter leaders who have not attended a chapter leader training before. Eligible chapter leaders received an email invitation last week.
To Do #4
Submit your summary for September consultation by Oct. 31
Please submit your consultation summaries on the Chapter Leader Hub soon after your consultation committee meeting with the principal, but no later than the end of the following month. Consultation summaries should include all topics discussed during the committee meeting. It's important that chapter leaders submit these summaries in a timely fashion so the union can escalate unresolved issues to the monthly district consultation with the superintendent or — if the same issue is reported by chapter leaders across the city — to the monthly consultation at the chancellor's level.
To Do #5
Share photos of your members at a Making Strides walk
Will your school have a team at a Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk this Sunday, Oct. 19, in Manhattan, Queens or Long Island or on Sunday, Oct. 26, in Brooklyn, the Bronx or Staten Island? Raise awareness about breast cancer by sharing your photos on social media and tagging the UFT. Send your best photo with caption information to uftphotos [at] gmail [dot] com (uftphotos[at]gmail[dot]com).
To Do #6
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
Answers to all your questions
Chapter leaders have access to the UFT knowledge base, a deep and extensive repository of information, in the Chapter Leader Hub. This searchable database supplies the answers to many of your members' questions about their rights and benefits as UFT members. Whether it is confirming the process for accessing a UFT Welfare Fund health benefit or obtaining information about retention rights, the UFT knowledge base has the answers. Remember, you can access the hub using your UFT website username and password.
Work in progress
The UFT is tackling the following issues with the DOE and other city, state and federal-level entities as appropriate:
- Pushing the DOE and the School Construction Authority to speed up school construction to enable more schools to reduce class size.
- Working with the DOE to create clear guidance on the roles and responsibilities of the school-based staff development committee/instructional leadership team.
- Pushing the DOE to process Q status for substitute teachers who are being paid incorrectly.
You Should Know
Contract empowerment & enforcement
Check out our interactive parental leave guide
The UFT-secured parental leave policy provides at least six weeks of time off at full salary for maternity, paternity, adoption and foster care leave for eligible members. The UFT Member Hub includes a handy UFT Parental Leave Guide — exclusively for members — to help them understand their leave options and calculate how much paid time off they may be eligible for. Answer a few questions and the guide will do the rest. Check out the flyer and access the UFT Parental Leave Guide in the UFT Member Hub.
Medical & wellness
An information session on breast cancer support and resources
Whether you or someone you love is currently affected by breast cancer, or you simply want to be prepared for the future, the UFT Welfare Fund, in partnership with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, is offering an information session to highlight programs, resources and support available to UFT Welfare Fund members. The session will take place on Thursday, Oct. 23, from 4:30 to 6 p.m. at UFT headquarters, but members can also join remotely. Learn how to navigate care, support others and feel confident knowing where to turn if and when breast cancer touches your life.
Political action
Join the labor contingent at the No Kings March this Saturday
As educators, we know how vital it is to defend democracy and uphold the values of inclusion and tolerance that help our schools and communities thrive. At the second No Kings March on Saturday, Oct. 18, UFT members will join with fellow New York City union members to protest President Trump's attempts to consolidate power, weaken workers' rights and undermine the rule of law. The UFT and other city unions will gather at 10:30 a.m. at Duarte Square on Sixth Avenue between Canal and Grand streets, then march north to join the main No Kings March at 14th Street.
Early voting begins on Saturday, Oct. 25
The in-person early voting period for the Nov. 4 general election runs from Saturday, Oct. 25, to Sunday, Nov. 2.
Hours for early voting:
- Saturdays, Sundays, Monday and Thursday, 9 a.m.–5 p.m.
- Tuesday and Wednesday, 10 a.m.–8 p.m.
- Friday 8 a.m.–4 p.m.
- Hours on Election Day: 6 a.m.–9 p.m.
Members who live in New York City can use this tool to find their early voting and Election Day polling sites.
Salary & personnel
$225 payment on Oct. 30 for digital classroom setup
School-based teachers and mandated service providers will receive $225 in a supplemental check on Thursday, Oct. 30, for setting up their digital classrooms. As part of the 2023 DOE-UFT contract, we made sure that members would continue to be appropriately compensated for that work. School-based teachers and mandated service providers on payroll as of Sept. 30 will be paid $225. Those who came on payroll after Sept. 30 may submit for this payment. As is always the case with supplemental checks, some banks take longer than others to post the checks.
Oct. 23 deadline to apply for a spring study sabbatical
Eligible secondary school teachers who want time to study to enhance their teaching skills during the spring 2026 term have until Oct. 23, 2025, to submit an application in SOLAS. The deadline for a principal's recommendation to the superintendent is Oct. 30. Coursework must be rigorous and related to the teacher's teaching appointment. Middle or high school classroom teachers with seven years on the job may apply for a six-month study sabbatical for the spring semester. During a study sabbatical, teachers earn 70% of their salary. You can find out more in the sabbatical leaves section of the UFT website. You can read the current guidelines and eligibility requirements in the DOE sabbatical memo, which the DOE updates and reissues each spring, and Chancellor's Regulation C-650 on sabbatical leaves of absence.
Everything else
Tell us about an inspiring classroom at your school
Is there a classroom in your school you admire for its unique décor, innovative organization or creative use of the space to support learning? We would love to feature it in the New York Teacher's Inside My Classroom. If a teacher in your school has created a classroom that inspires student learning, use this online form to tell us about it or submit a photo.
Come to the UFT Jewish Heritage Committee's awards dinner
Join the UFT Jewish Heritage Committee for its third annual awards dinner on Tuesday, Dec. 2, from 6 to 10:30 p.m. at Russo's on the Bay, 162-45 Cross Bay Blvd., Queens.
Enjoy an evening of music, dancing and a kosher-style dinner as the committee celebrates this year's honorees:
- Mary Vaccaro, UFT Vice President for Education – Tikkun Olam Award
- Ann Toback, CEO of the Workers Circle – Public Service Award
- Sari Beth Rosenberg, high school history teacher and co-founder of Teachers to End Gun Violence – Teacher of the Year Award
Tickets: $110
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.