Information about 55 minutes for remote work, repurposed time and hours, student services managers and suspensions.

As part of its contract negotiations with the UFT, the DOE revised the 2023-24 school year calendar in late June to add four more days off for students and educators and issued calendars for the following two school years at the same time.

The union’s new contract with the city Department of Education was ratified with 75 percent of the vote, the union announced on July 10. The more than 95,000 UFT members who cast ballots was the largest in UFT history.

Three-quarters of the UFT members who cast ballots ratified a new contract that raises members’ salaries by 17.58% to 20.42% when compounded and gives educators more say over how and where they spend their out-of-classroom time. The agreement marked the end of an eight-month battle for a fair contract.

Hundreds of UFT members took advantage of a free UFT Teacher Center course on the science of reading in July. The course, which combined in-person and virtual learning, was part of the union’s effort to support educators as the Department of Education embarks on a major change in how reading is taught in elementary schools.

More than 1,500 new teachers signed their union cards at the opening day of the Department of Education’s annual New Teacher Week on Aug. 28.