Cara Matthews

The 52nd NYSUT Representative Assembly on May 3-4 was a celebration of recent victories, including Tier 6 pension reform, and a rallying cry for the battles ahead.

The push to ensure New York City implements the state class size law gained new momentum this spring after state lawmakers included a provision in the state budget requiring the city Department of Education to fund class size reduction in individual schools so every school can meet the law’s requirements by 2028, the law’s deadline.

The UFT consultation committee, led by the school chapter leader, meets monthly with the principal to discuss and attempt to resolve issues at the school level. As of May 7, more than 14,000 issues were raised in consultation committee meetings this school year, 539 of which were escalated to the district because they were not resolved at the school level, according to the consultation notes submitted by chapter leaders.


The UFT welcomed City Council members to its annual legislative breakfast on May 9 to educate them about union programs and initiatives that need funding in the upcoming city budget.


This year's Retired Teachers Chapter Luncheon celebrated the "visionaries" on whose shoulders stand retirees and in-service members alike as some 500 attendees were urged to continue advocating for political change and the rights of educators, students and families.

"Pete the Cat" author Eric Litwin led early childhood educators in a merry dance as they practiced how to engage the city's youngest learners in a love for reading during the 16th annual Early Childhood Conference held at the UFT headquarters.

In March, educators at Maxine Green HS for Imaginative Inquiry in Manhattan received word that their school would close in June. Winning the Academic High School Division's Team High School Award, said the chapter leader, was "a fitting end to the journey."

CTE Award winning teacher Craig Cannizzaro has a knack for getting his students in his video design class at Ralph McKee CTE HS on Staten Island animated about coding and other key software engineering skills.

CTE Award-winning baking teacher Shamel Donigan provides his students at Food and Finance HS with the tools to find success in the culinary industry and in life.