Dec. 17, 2025
SPREADING CHEER: Volunteers from the UFT and Coalition for the Homeless gather for a group photo before commencing a merry and bright holiday party at UFT headquarters on Dec. 13. Thanks to UFT members' generosity, more than 100 children received toys after enjoying a day of crafts, activities, a magic show and a visit from Santa.
This Week's Focus
Chapter leader stipend checks will be mailed in December
Chapter leaders are the face of the union for most members, and we rely on your leadership. As a small acknowledgment of the work you've done and the additional work you will do this school year, we are mailing school-based chapter leaders their base stipend checks at the end of December as compensation for out-of-pocket expenses incurred while performing chapter leader duties. The base stipend is calculated at a rate of $6 per member. Each chapter leader receives a minimum of $300 and 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 very clear that for tax purposes, any excess you receive must be included in your gross income. Therefore, we strongly suggest that you keep all receipts. Paraprofessional representatives and delegates also receive an annual stipend and should have received an email with details on Dec. 5. Members who hold more than one eligible position will receive one stipend, equal to the highest applicable rate. Chapter leaders who qualify will receive a second stipend check at the end of June in recognition of the extra time and effort they have dedicated to empower, organize and engage their members during the 2025–26 school year.
RESPECT campaign will continue strong
At borough town halls last Thursday afternoon, UFT President Michael Mulgrew and Paraprofessionals Chapter Chairperson Priscilla Castro spoke to paraprofessionals and chapter leaders about how our RESPECT campaign will continue at full force in the new year. City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams turned her back on paraprofessionals, their families and the communities that support them by blocking a vote on the "RESPECT check" legislation by the full Council when 47 of 51 Council members supported it. But the bill is very much alive as we approach the Council's new legislative session in January. Forty of the 41 Council members whom the UFT endorsed in the November election won. The RESPECT check bill will have the support of Julie Menin, who will be the new Council speaker, and Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani. We will not stop until we get it done.
We are gearing up to fix Tier 6 in '26
We are launching the next phase of our campaign to fix Tier 6. On the 6th of every month, we will hold a day of action called a "6" day. On Tuesday, the 6th of January, we will be organizing around the theme "Make It Visible." We are asking school chapters to create a Fix Tier 6 wall and have members sign a pledge to join the fight. We will "Make It Human" in February and "Make It Loud" in March. These actions will build momentum toward a major rally in Albany on March 8 and our annual UFT Lobby Day the following week.
Saturday, Dec. 6, was our virtual campaign kickoff, where we discussed our main goal of lowering the Tier 6 retirement age to age 55 after 30 years of service with an unreduced pension. An encore meeting was held on Wednesday, Dec. 17, where members heard about the plans from Michael Mulgrew, TRS trustee Victoria Lee and campaign organizers. Members are being asked to wear blue on the 6th of January and work together to create a Tier 6 wall in schools to make our fight visible. There is also a pledge for members to sign to join in the campaign to fix Tier 6 this year.
ACTIONS YOU CAN TAKE: Use this toolkit to help with the following tasks.
- Educate your membership about the Fix Tier 6 in '26 campaign.
- Brainstorm for Jan. 6. Plan for how your school will come together to create a Fix Tier 6 wall and encourage members to pledge their commitment to the campaign.
- Reach out to new members and engage with them on Tier 6.
Members can call the UFT during the winter break
During the winter break, you and your members can call the UFT to ask questions about your union rights and benefits, including your UFT Welfare Fund benefits.
- Members can call 212‑331‑6311 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays through Monday, Dec. 22, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 23, and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 29, and Tuesday, Dec. 30.
- The union's offices will be closed on Wednesday, Dec. 24, Thursday, Dec. 25, Friday, Dec. 26, Wednesday, Dec. 31, Thursday, Jan. 1 and Friday, Jan. 2.
- The UFT will return to its regular 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. schedule beginning on Monday, Jan. 5.
- A special hotline for questions about the NYCE PPO only will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 1 and Friday, Jan, 2 and can be reached at (212)-331-6327.
Resources for immigrant students and families
Has your school chapter established a committee to support immigrant families? The UFT has created a template to help your chapter develop a school-based plan. Key items in the resource include how to connect families with community services, how to share information and resources with families and your school's plan of action if a student needs support. The UFT is offering training on the planning process, so reach out to your district representative for more information if you are interested. You can also download and print "All are welcome here" placards to display in classrooms and other spaces in your school to let all students know that they belong. For additional resources and the latest information, visit our immigrant student and family resources hub on the UFT website. If you have questions or need support, you can contact the UFT via our immigrant student and family inquiry form.
ACTION YOU CAN TAKE: Work with members at your school to create a school-based plan to protect immigrant students and families.
Chapter Leader Checklist
To Do #1
Secure your items prior to the holiday break
Please remind members to protect themselves against theft by securing all personal belongings and valuable school equipment, such as laptops and projectors, during the break. For more tips, read this article on the UFT website. Please distribute the NYPD Larceny Prevention flyer in your members' mailboxes and post it on your UFT bulletin board.
To Do #2
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 to finally enact the occupational and physical therapists’ 9th session.
- Advocating to ensure a faster process for the payment of sustained grievance awards.
- Working with the DOE to make sure that class size funding is allocated to schools correctly
You Should Know
Contract empowerment & enforcement
Applications are open for teacher leaders
Do you have teachers in your school who are interested in formalizing teacher leadership or developing their leadership skills? The application period to become a teacher leader for the 2025-26 school year is now open. Teacher leaders receive additional compensation for their time and commitment (a $7,500 stipend for model teachers and a $12,500 stipend for peer collaborative teachers) and yearlong professional learning. Peer collaborative teachers support their colleagues through mentoring or coaching, intervisitation initiatives, collaborative teacher teams and designing professional learning. Model teachers create a welcoming classroom environment in which teachers can continually and collaboratively reflect and explore innovative instructional strategies.
To be eligible to apply, teachers must:
- Be a current full-time teacher (with at least one class of record and 40% of the time spent in the classroom). Be tenured by September 2026.
- Anticipate receiving an Advance rating of "Effective" or "Highly Effective" for the most recent year the teacher received a rating.
Visit the Teacher Career Pathways website for more information about becoming a teacher leader. The application deadline is March 26. If you would like to speak with a current teacher leader to learn more, you can complete this request form. For additional information, email teacherleadership [at] schools [dot] nyc [dot] gov (teacherleadership[at]schools[dot]nyc[dot]gov).
Professional learning & instruction
Teacher's Choice accountability forms due Jan. 9
The Teacher's Choice purchasing window, which began on Aug. 1, 2025, closes on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. Remind your members that the receipts for those purchases must be submitted with the DOE accountability form to your school's payroll secretary by Friday, Jan. 16. Members who received Teacher's Choice funds in their November 2025 paycheck but fail to file an accountability form with required receipts by the deadline must return the money to the DOE. For more detailed information about the program, go to the Teacher's Choice section of the UFT website.
Medical & wellness
Judge rules to allow the NYCE PPO plan to take effect
The city's new health care plan can be implemented as planned, starting Jan. 1, for 750,000 city employees, pre-Medicare retirees and their families, according to a Dec. 1, 2025, ruling by a New York State Supreme Court justice. The judge denied a request for a preliminary injunction while the court case is heard.
Members in the plan will receive a NYCE PPO ID card and welcome kit from EmblemHealth and UnitedHealthcare, the new plan administrators, this month. Members will receive one ID card for both medical and hospital coverage instead of the two cards they have had under GHI CBP (EmblemHealth for medical and Anthem BlueCross and BlueShield for hospital). All member information and documents will now be in a single portal. You can learn more about this plan in the NYCE PPO section of the UFT website or at the health plan website.
Political action
Encourage your members to make COPE contributions
As you know, the union's political lobbying — including our campaigns to fix Tier 6 and pass the "RESPECT check" bill — cannot be paid for with union dues. That's why member contributions to our Committee on Political Education (COPE) are so critical. The more members who contribute, the stronger our voice will be in Albany, at City Hall and even in influencing the political climate at the national level for public schools. Please mention at your next chapter meeting and in conversations with colleagues that members can easily initiate or increase their COPE contributions through the UFT Member Hub or through our online enrollment form. Also, remind your members that political engagement only starts with a COPE contribution. They can also take political action by participating in events like our virtual lobby day in March, which we'll send out invitations for in the new year, or the NYSUT Rally to Fix Tier 6 on March 8.
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.
Save the date for the Paraprofessionals Awards Luncheon
Registration is open for the union's premier event for paraprofessionals. This year's Paraprofessionals Awards Luncheon will be on Saturday, March 7, from 7:30 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. at the New York Hilton in Midtown Manhattan. There will be breakfast, CTLE workshops, a festival with games and prizes, a bag of wellness freebies and a luncheon. UFT President Michael Mulgrew and Paraprofessionals Chapter Chairperson Priscilla Castro will present awards to paraprofessionals who have demonstrated exceptional dedication and commitment to their work. The conference registration fee is $25 per person. For members who choose to take one or more workshops for CTLE hours, there is an additional fee of $7.50 for each workshop.
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.