Chapter Leader UpdateApril 12, 2024

#StartStrong campaign to protect 3-K and pre-K

New York City led the nation when it established free, full-day pre-kindergarten a decade ago and expanded it several years later to add 3-K. But the Adams administration has let these valuable early childhood education programs wither. Read our editorial. We launched our #StartStrong campaign to restore funding and seats for 3-K and pre-K at the 16th annual UFT Early Childhood Conference on April 6. The 400 attendees filled out postcards addressed to Mayor Adams telling him in their own words why early childhood education matters. At the conference, we also launched an email campaign calling on the mayor, the schools chancellor and the members of the Panel for Educational Policy to restore funding for 3-K and pre-K seats in the city budget, market the city's programs better in our communities and allocate seats where the demand is. No seat should go empty when we have families eager for these educational opportunities for their young children. More than 7,500 emails have been sent so far.

Send an email

Smaller class sizes: It's the law

We are at a moment in which we believe it is possible to implement the state class size law in substantive ways next school year if we activate our collective power. April 4 was the kickoff for our new class size campaign. Via Zoom, we met with activists from schools that have the space to implement the class size law now. For the remainder of this month, these schools will be mobilizing to educate their school communities and join with them to let the city and the DOE know that we expect the law to be implemented with fidelity.

In May, we are going to take this campaign citywide. There will be a Chapter Action Team (CAT) meeting in the first week of May and a week of action later in the month to show the city and the DOE that we will accept nothing less for our students than what private schools and 98% of public school districts across the state currently provide for their students. Start the conversation with your members and get ready to join the class size movement and make history together.

Open Market Transfer Plan period has begun

The DOE's Open Market Transfer Plan, which gives UFT members the opportunity to transfer to a different school, opens on Thursday, April 11, and closes on Aug. 6 this year. The plan gives pedagogues, including teachers, clinicians, school counselors and school secretaries, as well as paraprofessionals, the chance to apply for a position at another school. You can view vacancies citywide and submit applications online via the DOE website during the transfer period. We recommend that in addition to applying online, you follow up after each application by emailing or mailing your cover letter and resume to the school. Read the Open Market Transfer Plan Q&A on the UFT website for more information. The vacancies posted on the DOE website change as positions are filled and principals add new openings, so it's a good idea to check regularly. More vacancies will be listed after principals receive their school budgets for the 2024–25 school year in June. If you are aware of a vacancy at your school that has not been posted, please contact your UFT borough office or your district representative as soon as possible with the details.

Bring a group to our Spring Education Conference

Organize a group of members from your school to attend this year's Spring Education Conference to celebrate, support and inspire our work as public school educators. We'll gather at the New York Hilton Midtown on Saturday, May 18, from 7:30 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. The theme of this year's event is "Our Hopes, Our Voices, Our Future." UFT President Michael Mulgrew will challenge educators to organize, advocate, lobby and vote.

Participants can earn two CTLE hours by attending two of the five timely and relevant workshops. The choices are:

• Graphic Novels in the Classroom: A Resource for English Language Learners
• Bringing Math to Life
• The Science of Reading: Making a Difference for All Learners
• MindUp For Life
• Literary Supports for English Language Learners

Guests will also enjoy a town hall at breakfast, an exhibit fair where CTE students show off their skills, a chance to win raffle prizes and a gala luncheon with special guest Grandmaster Dee of the legendary hip-hop group Whodini. If you register by Friday, April 19, the early-bird special is $40 per person. After April 19, the registration fee is $50. There is an additional cost of $30 per CTLE hour for teachers and $15 per CTLE hour for paraprofessionals and other UFT members who attend workshops for credit.

Register 

Enroll in UFT committees via the Member Hub 

Union organizing is about meeting members where they are. For many educators, the first point of connection with the union might be a shared academic or personal interest or an ethnic or religious affiliation. Our union's professional committees offer the chance for UFT members to build lasting connections with other members while pursuing their own passions. The 28 union committees organize a wide range of activities from workshops and conferences to dinner-dances, film screenings and other fun activities. Now, via the UFT Member Hub, it's easier than ever to enroll in the committees of your choice. You can simply select the committees that interest you on the Member Hub enrollment page, hit submit and receive email invitations to those committees' future meetings and events. The list is a little longer this year, too, with five newly formed committees: Muslim Educators, Climate and Environmental Justice, Physical Education, Divine Nine and Caribbean heritage.

Learn more