Candidates in the crowded race for New York City mayor must fulfill a new prerequisite this year if they want to be considered in the union’s endorsement process: They have to spend a day in a classroom, helping educators teach lessons, manage the classroom and keep students engaged.

“We have offered classroom time to candidates and elected officials in the past, but they don’t take us up on it,” said UFT President Michael Mulgrew. “So today we are on the record — if you want to be in the running for our endorsement, you have to understand the work we do.”

Special education teacher Amanda Dutton, the chapter leader at PS 134 in Manhattan and a screening committee member, said the mayoral candidates will not only see the great work that teachers are doing “but all the other things that we’re up against that make our jobs difficult,” such as short-staffing and lack of resources.

UFT Political Director Vanecia Wilson said the UFT supports candidates who will work with the union to effect positive change. “We choose candidates who will best ensure we have the resources, programs and funding we need to provide a better learning environment for our students and a better teaching environment for our educators,” she said.

The union’s endorsement process for the city’s June 24 primary elections began in February, with questionnaires sent to candidates for most citywide and boroughwide offices. The candidates answered questions about their support for public education and the labor movement, their willingness to work with the UFT, their campaign’s viability, and their stances on key issues such as the class size law and newcomer students. Then they are invited for an interview before a union screening committee. The union will send its questionnaire to mayoral candidates after they have made a school visit.

The union’s endorsement process ensures that rank-and-file UFT members are represented and have a voice, Wilson said.

For the citywide offices of mayor, public advocate and city comptroller, the UFT screening committee includes the union’s political action coordinators, UFT borough representatives, various union district representatives and rank-and-file members from the political action committee of each borough. Candidates for city comptroller are also screened by the three UFT trustees on the Teachers’ Retirement System board since the comptroller is the custodian of city pension funds.

For City Council and borough-specific races, the UFT screening committee is composed of the borough political action committee, the UFT borough representative, union district representatives and members who live and/or work in the district or borough.

Avi Gvili, who teaches at IS 7 on Staten Island, is on the Staten Island screening committee. Educators are already advocates for students and schools, so it’s a natural extension for them to be advocates in the election process, he said.

“It’s important that members of the district who are teachers become part of the screening committee so they can help in supporting the election of those candidates who support students, families, educators and schools,” he said.

Committee recommendations go before the union’s Administrative Committee (AdCom) for review and discussion. Then they are put up for a vote first at the UFT Executive Board and then at the Delegate Assembly, the union’s highest decision-making body.

Once candidates receive its endorsement, the UFT can assist with voter registration drives, door-knocking, phone-banking and other outreach.

Dutton said it’s both an honor and a necessity that union members are involved in choosing and endorsing political candidates.