News for Chapter Leaders
Union eyes races for the White House and Congress
UFT President Michael Mulgrew emphasized in his Delegate Assembly report on May 22 that, besides 2024 being a presidential election year, New York State Congressional races might be just as important.
Kudos to Anna Willis, PS 896, Brooklyn
PS 896 in Sunset Park had no chapter leader, delegate or paraprofessional representative, and an administration that placed excessive demands on the staff. The turnaround was stark after Anna Willis, a second-year, untenured teacher, took on the chapter leader role last fall.
Kudos to Amanda Dutton, PS 134, Manhattan
Amanda Dutton, the chapter leader at PS 134 in Manhattan, has stood up again and again for students with disabilities and the UFT members who work with those students at her school.
Fix Tier 6 presentation in schools now
Chapter leaders have taken the Delegate Assembly’s Fix Tier 6 presentation on the road. Chapter Leader Lillian Crespo at PS 216 in Brooklyn and her UFT district representative, Adam Shapiro, showed it to PS 216 members at a Jan. 22 chapter meeting.
Kudos to Catrina Como, PS 376, Brooklyn
When Catrina Como became chapter leader at PS 376 in Brooklyn, she faced a tricky situation: The principal was demanding, and staff did not know their rights and were reluctant to speak up for themselves. “I work with a lot of amazing teachers who just want to do their jobs,” she said. “I needed to make sure that they were in an environment where that could be accomplished.”
Kudos to Sonja Hill at PS 41, Brooklyn
The UFT’s COPE — Committee on Public Education — program is one of the benchmarks of Sonja Hill’s chapter leadership. Hill, a 5th-grade teacher in her 31st year at PS 41 in Brownsville, Brooklyn — and the school’s chapter leader for more than half of those years — stresses the program’s importance to members.