Whether in good times or bad, the UFT stays in the fight for the things that matter to our members, the students we serve, their families and our communities. As the budget process gets underway in Albany — followed closely by the city’s — the UFT is geared up to fight for our legislative priorities once again.

Obviously, we must fix Tier 6. There is no reason why teachers who enter the profession in their early 20s should have to contemplate working for the next 40 years if they are to avoid severe reductions in pension. Thirty years should be a career. Beyond that, we need to ease the penalties for early retirement and the contributions our members have to pay.

We must fix the state Foundation Aid formula. New York City students are being shortchanged by the state to the tune of $314 million. That needs to change, and the best way is for the state to increase the aid it sends New York City for English language learners and students with disabilities. Additional weight also needs to be given for students who are experiencing some form of being unhoused. It is not enough that the state formula provides some additional consideration for poverty. Homelessness is a step beyond living in poverty. Failing to acknowledge that for a city where 140,000 students are unhoused is unacceptable.

The state budget proposed by the governor does offer a true highlight: money the city is set to receive for universal 3-K and 2-Care. We applaud both the governor for this step and New York City’s mayor for his advocacy of this program. The UFT stands ready to work with our partners to make sure this program is implemented well. However, as part of the process, we need to recognize the important role of family child care providers, including the over 8,000 hardworking providers who are represented by the UFT. The best way we can recognize them is to begin to phase out the role “market rate” plays in compensating family child care providers and replace it with a rate that allows providers to make a real living wage.

We also need the state and city to continue to support the implementation of our class size legislation. Yes, that will require the city School Construction Authority to finally uphold its end of the bargain — but we also need the state to evict charter schools from DOE space. Public school space needs to be the exclusive domain of public school students.

In supporting public schools, the state and city need to continue their commitment to the UFT’s United Community Schools network, whose core mission is to foster student success by supporting the needs of whole school communities. Funding is needed to maintain the current network and expand to additional UCS schools. They are an essential component of the success of our students.

Finally, we need continued funding for UFT Teacher Centers, which have been providing school-based professional development and vital support for educators for almost 50 years. There is no reason the DOE should spend millions of dollars on outside vendors who provide lower-quality professional learning at higher costs.

And so, the fight continues. We can win on all these fronts if we continue to fight the way we always have — together.