Nov. 13, 2025
TAKING ACTION FOR RESPECT: The paraprofessionals from John F. Kennedy Jr. School in District 75 in Queens with Chapter Leader Mara Baboff (center, at back) framed their message as part of the UFT's citywide day of action calling on the City Council to pass the RESPECT check bill.
This Week's Focus
Members show solidarity with paraprofessionals on day of action
Schools across the city joined our day of action on Thursday in support of paraprofessionals fighting for an annual "RESPECT check" of $10,000 or more. School-based actions and a morning press conference on the City Hall steps were timed to coincide with the date of the City Council's public hearing on the "RESPECT check" bill. UFT President Michael Mulgrew, Paraprofessionals Chapter Chairperson Priscilla Castro and five paraprofessionals testified on behalf of the union before the council's Committee on Civil Service and Labor and Committee on Governmental Operations and State and Federal Legislation. Another 57 parents, paraprofessionals and other UFT members submitted written testimony. The hearing marked an important step forward. Next, the committees must vote to advance the bill to the full Council for a vote. See the coverage on our Facebook, Instagram and website gallery.
Enrollment in TRS' new Roth option begins on Nov. 17
The Teachers' Retirement System will introduce a Roth option in addition to its Tax-Deferred Annuity Program starting in 2026. Starting on Monday, Nov. 17, in-service TRS members can log in to the secure section of the TRS website to open a Roth account. However, they cannot start contributing to their Roth account until January 2026. Unlike a TDA account, which allows you to defer taxes by reducing your taxable income now but requires you to pay taxes when you withdraw funds, a Roth option offers no upfront tax break. Instead, withdrawals in retirement are generally tax-free. If a TRS member already has a TDA account, the new Roth option does not affect their current TDA participation. But members will now have the choice of investing their savings in the Roth option, the traditional TDA option or some combination of the two.
Organize a toy drive at your school
The number of New York City students experiencing homelessness grew to more than 154,000 in the 2024–25 school year, an increase of 8,000 students from the prior year, according to a recent analysis. Let's brighten the holidays for children from newborns to age 16 with the gift of new, unwrapped toys.
Ways to give joy:
- Bring toys to the Delegate Assembly on Nov. 19 or in December.
- Drop them off at any UFT borough office through Dec. 17.
- Shop online and ship toys directly to the UFT Elementary Schools Division, 52 Broadway, 14th Floor, New York, NY 10004.
- Make a monetary donation via PayPal — we'll purchase toys on your behalf.
Many of these toys will be distributed at our annual holiday party for children in need, spreading cheer and smiles all around.
Determine if PROSE is right for your school
If you work in a school that is highly collaborative and has innovative practices, you may be interested in becoming a Progressive Redesign Opportunity Schools for Excellence (PROSE) school. PROSE schools may change the UFT contract and DOE regulations to create educator-led, community-driven innovations. More than 250 schools are currently participating in the PROSE program. The UFT is now accepting applications from schools interested in joining the PROSE program in the fall of 2026. If your school is interested in applying, please register for a virtual information session on Thursday, Dec. 4, at 4:15 p.m. In the interim, check out the PROSE section of the UFT website. A PROSE school liaison would be happy to set up a meeting with your school. Contact PROSE [at] uft [dot] org (PROSE[at]uft[dot]org) to request a visit or ask questions. The earlier your application is received, the sooner it will be reviewed by the panel. The deadline to submit an application is March 27, 2026. Applications are reviewed and approved on a rolling basis by the PROSE panel. Here are links to the application template, rubric and program brochure.
Chapter Leader Checklist
To Do #1
Bring coat or toy donations to the Nov. 19 DA
As your school's elected union representative, your participation at Delegate Assembly meetings is a crucial part of the UFT policymaking process. You should have received your email invitation this Wednesday to the next DA, which will take place on Wednesday, Nov. 19. You can bring new winter coats and accessories ranging in size from toddler to adult or new toys for children in need from newborns to age 16.
To Do #2
Get your flu shot at next week's DA
The UFT is bringing back free flu shots at the Delegate Assembly. The shots are available from 2 to 5:30 p.m. on the second floor of 50 Broadway, rooms B & C. All in-service, DOE-employed members who have a New York City employee health plan are eligible to receive a free shot.
To Do #3
Talk about MOSL assignments with your teachers
Teachers will receive their individual Measures of Student Learning assignments on Friday, Nov. 14. Let the teachers know if your school is using the "no decision" default for MOSL because your principal did not agree with the MOSL committee's decision or because your MOSL committee did not reach consensus. In the default, a teacher's individual MOSL rating includes all state assessments for all grades on a schoolwide growth model. If you have any questions, please contact Sally-Ann Famularo at sfamularo [at] uft [dot] org (sfamularo[at]uft[dot]org).
Action you can take: At your next chapter meeting, review the MOSL assignments for the teachers at your school.
To Do #4
Review DOE guidance on school handbooks
Make sure your principal is adhering to the DOE's guidance about school handbooks. While school handbooks may be used to notify staff of school procedures such as safety drills and student dismissal, they may not contain directives that contradict the DOE-UFT contract or Chancellor's Regulations. For example, handbooks may not establish a staff dress code. In addition, members can be asked to sign and acknowledge only the receipt of the handbook — not that they have familiarized themselves with its contents. If you think your school's administration is ignoring the DOE's school handbook guidelines, contact your UFT district representative.
To Do #5
Flyers to share with your members
Here are flyers you can print and distribute in member mailboxes or post of your school's UFT bulletin board:
Hub Highlights
Access to all the DOE and union forms you need
When a member asks you for the form to enroll in the UFT Welfare Fund or the form to apply for a FMLA leave of absence, visit the Chapter Leader Hub. We've assembled the forms you most often need in one easy-to-access location. 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:
- Working with the DOE to create guidance to clarify the role of the staff development committee that serves as an instructional leadership team.
- Pushing the DOE to accurately report the actual shortage of paraprofessionals in the school system.
- Fixing the problems with paying school nurses for overtime.
You Should Know
Professional learning & instruction
UFT Teacher Center offers more addendum workshops on child abuse reporting
As you know, the state added an addendum requirement for those who took the mandated "Identification and Reporting of Child Abuse and Maltreatment/Neglect" workshop last school year. We were able to get the New York State Education Department to agree that UFT members could take the addendum through the UFT Teacher Center regardless of where they took the original workshop. If members did not take the addendum on Election Day, the UFT Teacher Center has scheduled five additional addendum workshops — three on Monday, Nov. 17, and two on Tuesday, Nov. 25. You must be logged in the entire time to complete the training. The certificate will be sent to you, and the UFT will upload proof of completion to the state Education Department website. Your TEACH account will be updated within a few weeks. If a mandated reporter needs to take the entire child abuse workshop (not just the addendum), they can do so for free through the state Office of Children and Family Services. The state's updated workshops include the new addendum.
Medical & wellness
Telehealth is available for sub paraprofessionals and other per diems
Remind your per-diem members about the UFT's telehealth benefit for members who are not eligible for city health insurance. UFT members who are substitute paraprofessionals and per-diem substitute teachers can access virtual medical care through the AllyHealth Telemedicine Program. The program gives these members and their families unlimited access to a doctor by phone or video chat, any time of day, regardless of health insurance status, with no copay. Each family is also entitled to 10 free mental health sessions per year with a licensed professional, assistance with negotiating onerous medical bills, a discount program for prescription drugs and access to a concierge service to help with everyday challenges like finding child care or elder care.
Open enrollment for city health plans during month of November
The annual open enrollment period for New York City health benefits is from Nov. 1 to Nov. 30. City employees may switch city health plans during that month. All health plan changes take effect on Jan. 1, 2026. UFT members currently enrolled in the GHI CBP plan will be automatically enrolled in the NYCE PPO plan on Jan. 1, 2026. Members in HIP HMO or other city health plans can switch to the NYCE PPO plan during the month of November. The city's health benefits program application/change form and an online version of the UFT Welfare Fund's comparison chart of New York City health plans are on the UFT website. Members can also reach out to the UFT Welfare Fund for assistance at 212-539-0500 or healthbenefithelp [at] uftwf [dot] org (healthbenefithelp[at]uftwf[dot]org).
Join a Member Assistance Program support group
This holiday season, the UFT's Member Assistance Program (MAP) is offering a special series of its grief and loss support group and its building better habits support group. These groups provide a supportive space for UFT members to connect, reflect and care for their emotional well-being during what can be a challenging time of year. The grief and loss support group will meet online on Tuesdays from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. from Nov. 18 to Dec. 16. The building better habits support group will meet online on Wednesdays from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. from Dec. 3 to 17. To learn about MAP's upcoming events and support groups and get self-care tips and other resources, follow the program on Instagram at @uftmap.
Salary & personnel
Teacher's Choice money in Nov. 28 paychecks
Members eligible for Teacher's Choice should receive the money in their Nov. 28 paychecks. If a member in an eligible title who was on payroll as of Nov. 1 does not receive the payment, your principal should inform the DOE's Teacher's Choice unit by Wednesday, Dec. 3. A second distribution for those missed on Nov. 28 is scheduled for Dec. 30. The Teacher's Choice purchasing window, which began on Aug. 1, closes on Jan. 9, 2026. Members must submit the receipts of purchases with a Statement of Purpose/Accountability form, by Jan. 16, 2026. If a member who received a Teacher's Choice payment does not file an accountability form with required receipts by the deadline, the DOE will take back the money by subtracting it from the June 30, 2026 paycheck. For more information, go to the Teacher's Choice section of the UFT website. If you need assistance, call the DOE at 718‑935‑4000 or speak with your payroll secretary.
Dec. 10 deadline for BERS members to transfer to TRS
The deadline for school nurses, occupational and physical therapists and other UFT members enrolled in the BERS pension plan to switch to the TRS plan is Dec. 10. All eligible titles, details about each pension system and answers to commonly asked questions can be found in our FAQ on BERS to TRS transfers on the UFT website. The UFT Pension Department will host two final online information sessions about the transfer process and how to make the appropriate choice. Register for the first workshop on Tuesday, Nov. 18, at 4:15 p.m. or the second workshop on Wednesday, Dec. 3, at 4:15 p.m.
Everything else
Change to the dates for spring parent-teacher conferences
Please note that the 2025–26 School Year Calendar has been updated to reflect new spring parent-teacher conference dates. The dates were changed due to a conflict with several religious holidays. The spring evening parent-teacher conference date for middle schools and District 75 will now be Wednesday, May 6. The spring parent-teacher conference date for high schools, K-12 and 6-12 schools will now be Wednesday, May 20. An updated calendar for families is available on the DOE website. Schools that passed an SBO to change the May date or passed a pre-approved SBO for in-person May conferences will have their SBO implemented. No further action is necessary.
Recent Guidance and Agreements
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.