News Stories

The state’s new UFT-backed cellphone ban is getting rave reviews from educators who say students are more engaged in class — and rediscovering “old-fashioned” pastimes like reading, playing board games and simply talking to one another.

Eighty UFT members will receive the $3,000 ratification bonus negotiated in the 2023 DOE-UFT contract after an independent arbitrator ruled in the union’s favor on Sept. 17. The decision resolves a union-initiated grievance challenging the DOE’s refusal to pay the bonus to UFT-represented employees on terminal leave as of June 27, 2023.

UFT-represented educators will receive roughly the same Teacher's Choice alloment as last year to reimburse them for some of their out-of-pocket expenses for supplemental instructional supplies and materials of their choice.

New York City public school students in grades 3 to 8 made dramatic gains in reading and math on 2025 state exams. The percentage of students overall performing at grade level in reading jumped 7.2 percentage points to 56.3% and 3.5 percentage points in math to 56.9%. UFT President Michael Mulgrew said the results were “a testament to the hard work by New York City educators and students.”

UFT-represented employees covered by the DOE-UFT contract will see a pay raise of 3.5 percent on Sept. 15.

The number of new teachers who turned out on Aug. 26 for the kickoff of New Teacher Week was about twice as large as last year, thanks to the surge of hiring over the summer to reduce class sizes in some 750 schools. As the new hires lined up outside Barclays Center in Brooklyn early that morning, about 100 UFT reps, including UFT President Michael Mulgrew, were on hand to welcome them and enroll them in the union.