Pat yourselves on the back, UFT members.

There is reason for pride and celebration. On Nov. 5, the people were heard. We have a new mayor, comptroller, public advocate and many new City Council members who support our schools and respect UFT members.

Their election came in large part from your work, your votes, your voice.

The UFT made the crucial difference in a number of key races, including Scott Stringer’s victory in the primary for comptroller.

That was a critical election for us because the comptroller serves as custodian and investment adviser to our pension funds. Your money is in those retirement funds. We need a comptroller whose judgment we trust.

In the City Council races, too, UFT members’ votes and work helped bring victory to a number of excellent candidates, including Mark Treyger, a civics teacher and UFT delegate from New Utrecht HS.

The most important election you helped win, of course, was for mayor.

When Bill de Blasio takes office on Jan. 1, our city will for the first time in its history have a sitting mayor with a child in the public schools.

As de Blasio said at Teacher Union Day, he respects educators. He wants to work on improving morale in the schools so that the teachers and staff who are there now stay.

The UFT will hold him to that.

We have much work ahead. After 12 years of Mayor Bloomberg’s destructive rule over our schools, we have to rebuild our school system.

But UFT members have always shown they are up to whatever challenge they face.

For now, we need to grit our teeth and get through the final two months of our lame-duck mayor.

Take a moment, though, to savor your victory.