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UFT city legislative priorities

NYC City Hall
Read the UFT's 2026 legislative policy recommendations for New York City below or download a PDF of these priorities. 
 

Respect for Paraprofessionals

Respecting, recruiting and retaining paraprofessionals in New York City is paramount. Paraprofessionals are the backbone of our public schools. Yet the city cannot hire or retain them due to the unfair practice of pattern bargaining. Conversations about affordability must address the harm pattern bargaining has caused paraprofessionals.

The city is on track to spend $1.5 billion on Carter cases next year because students are not receiving special education services. It’s time to pay paras directly, instead of paying for their absence.

What we’re asking
  • Pass City Council Int. 0692-2026 to give paraprofessionals an additional $10,000 per year.
  • 45 City Council members have signed on as sponsors of the bill and a UFT petition has gained 108,000 signatures in support of this legislation.

Class Size

The UFT commends Mayor Mamdani for fully funding class size reduction in the preliminary budget for fiscal year 2027. If all class size applications are funded, the city is on target to reach 80% compliance by the fall. We are glad to have a true partner in City Hall as we head into the construction phase of this process.

What we’re asking
  • The School Construction Authority must update the capital plan so that it creates the new seats we need.

Child Care

All New York City families deserve affordable, safe care for their children.

In response to the child care crisis, the UFT created NYC Childcare Navigator to connect our members to affordable child care. We are proud to now offer this valuable resource to all residents of the five boroughs.

The UFT applauds Mayor Mamdani and Gov. Hochul’s investment in universal child care. We are eager to partner with the mayor and the City Council to fulfill the promise of truly universal 3-K and to ensure the successful rollout of 2-K for families across New York City. 

What we’re asking
  • Pay providers in a timely manner without delays. 
  • Include independent, non-network affiliated and home-based providers in the expansion of 3-K and the rollout of 2-K. 
  • Provide our youngest learners with the appropriate special education services. 
  • Use NYC Childcare Navigator as a frontline tool for families and providers to navigate eligibility and placement for existing and new child care capacity. 

Fund UFT Programs

UFT Teacher Center

The UFT Teacher Center promotes teacher excellence and student achievement through professional learning that addresses the diverse needs of the whole child. The number of school-based sites has increased to 197 sites today from 115 sites in the 2020–21 school year.

✓ 203 Teacher Center site coaches embedded in schools across NYC in 2025–26.

✓ 341,864 participants — educators, principals and parents — attended Teacher Center seminars in 2024–25.

✓ 126,547 hours of transformative professional development were delivered in 2024–25.

✓ 99% of participating educators report that the professional learning sessions improved their practice.

What we’re asking
  • $6.5 million from the City Council Speaker’s Initiative and $4.12 million from the City Council’s Discretionary Funds to open a site in every district and:
    • Support students with the highest needs and engage all learners.
    • Increase our support for early childhood education providers, especially throughout the rollout of truly universal 3-K and 2-K.
    • Support schools in retaining and mentoring new teachers.
    • Support curricula rollout across the city.
    • Keep schools at the forefront of technology.

United Community Schools

United Community Schools (UCS) is a teacher-inspired nonprofit improving outcomes for close to 20,000 students and their  families at the 32 community schools it operates across New York City.

✓ Higher test scores 
✓ Better attendance 
✓ More credits earned 
✓ Increased sense of safety 
✓ 6:1 return on investment 
✓ 48,000+ health and wellness exams, screenings and check-ins
✓ 71,000+ families fed

What we’re asking
  • $5 million to implement and sustain 32 community schools that provide critical support to children and families.

Social Emotional Learning Support

Two proven programs, the UFT Member Assistance Program (MAP) and the Positive Learning Collaborative (PLC), are addressing the growing mental health and wellness crisis in NYC through vital support and programming for staff, students and families.

  • The MAP careline has received over 30,000 calls since 2022.
  • Over 1,000 members this school year have attended the weekly support groups.

What we’re asking

  • $1.9 million for the 2026-27 school year, to continue to sustain and expand all these citywide supports.

Progressive Redesign Opportunity Schools for Excellence (PROSE)

PROSE amplifies the voices of educators at over 280 schools by enabling them to propose school-level innovations that bolster student excellence. These innovations may include how teachers are hired and evaluated and how students are programmed throughout the day.

What we’re asking
  • $300,000 in City Council funds to support schools in continuing these efforts, to expand the program to more school communities around the city and to facilitate the sharing of best practices between schools around these innovations.

BRAVE Hotline

UFT’s BRAVE (Building Respect, Acceptance and Voice Through Education) hotline allows students, families and educators dealing with bullying to contact our hotline for immediate help 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For fiscal year 2027, we want to expand our workshop offerings for students, staff and families and create a digital resource hub with guides in multiple languages on handling bullying, reporting incidents and seeking mental health support.

What we’re asking
  • $300,000 to help us increase access to this crucial program and to expand the range of services available to our students and families.

Dial-A-Teacher

Dial-A-Teacher began in January 1980 and currently operates Mondays through Thursdays from 4 to 7 p.m., offering homework help in nine languages, including Spanish, Mandarin and Bengali. Last year, the program received over 35,000 calls, but the funding amount from the city has not increased in years.

What we’re asking
  • $325,000 to increase the number of teachers available to answer calls, continue with technological upgrades and provide staff development that will enhance our ability to service students in the modern educational arena.

Teacher’s Choice

We thank you for your ongoing support of this program.

What we’re asking
  • Continue the $20 million baseline funding for Teacher’s Choice.

Arts in Education

The arts introduce our students to new ways of thinking and expressing themselves.

What we’re asking
  • Support Broadway Bridges.
    • This Broadway League program provides $10 tickets for 10th grade students to see Broadway shows, aiming for every student to attend a show before graduation.
    • This program also celebrates educators by hosting special events for them to experience the theatre.
  • Increase funding for arts education in city schools and cultural centers such as museums and music halls.

Common Point

Common Point is a social services organization that supports the diverse needs of New Yorkers of all ages, abilities and backgrounds.

What we’re asking
  • Support Common Point’s programs in the fiscal year 2027 budget.
     

For more information, contact:
vwilson [at] uft [dot] org (Vanecia Wilson), Political Director
brein [at] uft [dot] org (Briget Rein), City Hall Liaison
Michael Mulgrew, President
Michael Sill, Secretary
Victoria Lee, Treasurer
Tom Brown, Assistant Treasurer
Vice Presidents: Karen Alford, MaryJo Ginese, Anne Goldman, Leo Gordon, Janella T. Hinds, Richard Mantell, Mary Vaccaro