Layoffs, see Job Security.

Lead Teachers

The lead teacher position, negotiated citywide after a successful Bronx trial co-sponsored by the UFT and parent groups, creates a career ladder for teachers who wish to advance professionally without becoming administrators. It also provides a way that the system can improve struggling schools while offering additional pay to retain master teachers in our profession, with selection being based on what, not who a teacher knows.

Lead teachers teach for a portion of the school day and provide professional development for the rest. Lead teachers have an extended work year and work additional hours, and are paid more than a classroom teacher’s regular salary.

Lead teacher positions are advertised in a citywide posting. A regional committee determines the pool of candidates to be interviewed and selection is made at the school level. You may file a grievance if the regional committee does not forward your application to the school committee.

Leaves of Absence

Any regularly appointed teacher may apply for a leave of absence. Leaves of absence with partial pay include military leaves and sabbatical leaves for study and for restoration of health.

There also are leaves of absence without pay available for those who meet the criteria. If you require a leave of absence for the adjustment of personal affairs (a situation requiring your full-time attention), you can apply for a leave of up to two years. If your leave is denied, you can appeal to the Executive Director of the Division of Human Resources.

The federal Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) provides up to 12 weeks of paid and unpaid leave for maternity or care of a child under age 1, adoption, the start of foster care, caring for an ill family member or treating a serious personal health condition. You are eligible if you have worked for a total of at least 12 months as of the date the leave commences (the 12 months need not be consecutive) or for 1,250 hours (equivalent to one school year under DOE regs) over the previous 12 months. The leave can be intermittent or involve reducing your work schedule, such as if you need to go for medical treatments. (For further information, go to www.uft.org — click on Member Services and Publications to read “Not For Women Only.”) There is a specialist in each UFT borough office who can answer your questions regarding this leave.

Medical circumstances could lead you to apply for a “leave of absence without pay for restoration of health.” The most common reason is what is informally known as maternity or child-care leave. However, it can also be used for treatment of and recuperation from a serious illness after you have used all the days in your CAR. If your application for a medical leave is denied, you can go to arbitration.

Also see Cumulative Absence Reserve, Maternity Leave, Medical Arbitration, Sabbaticals.

Legal Assistance

If you face criminal or civil charges as a result of disciplinary actions taken against a pupil while you were doing your job, the DOE will provide you with legal representation. You should immediately contact your district representative or your UFT borough office for assistance in getting a DOE attorney.

To protect your right to representation, you must provide two agencies with copies of any legal papers with which you have been served (such as a criminal summons or a civil complaint). The first is the DOE’s Office of Legal Services (1-212-374-6888); the second is the city’s Corporation Counsel (100 Church St., New York, NY 10007; phone 1-212-788-0303). You must give each agency copies of the paperwork within 10 days of being served, although the UFT recommends doing this within five days.

There’s one additional step worth taking. At the same time that you contact the DOE and Corporation Counsel, ask your UFT borough office for an application for the New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) — our statewide affiliate — Legal Defense Fund. If you are fully exonerated of all charges, this fund will reimburse you for up to $25,000 in legal fees.

Length of School Day

If you are serving in a single-session school, your school day consists of six hours 20 minutes and a 37.5-minute extended time session Monday through Thursday following student dismissal. The day must start no earlier than 8 a.m. and end no later than 3:45 p.m. Friday’s schedule is six hours and 20 minutes. There is one faculty conference and one grade/department conference each month, for up to no more than 40 minutes within those same hours, except in September and June, when conferences must be held within regular school hours.

If you’re in a multi-session school, the school day is six hours and 50 minutes. District 75 schools also have a six-hour-and-50-minute school day unless the principal and chapter agree to the single-session-school schedule.

Also see Tutoring Sessions.

Length of School Year

Teachers begin the school year on the Thursday preceding Labor Day. The two days before Labor Day (Thursday and Friday) must include time for classroom preparation. Those two days, as well as Election Day and Brooklyn-Queens Day (the first Thursday in June), are for professional development; students are not present. The school year ends on the weekday before the last two weekdays of June. In addition, there are three recesses — winter, mid-winter and spring recess as well as several holidays in the school year. Please consult the calendar as the school year can vary depending on when the holidays fall.

Lesson Plans

For many years, supervisors collected lesson plans en masse and dictated a strict format, but that is no longer permitted under the teachers’ contract as a result of contract changes in the 1990s. As the educator responsible for providing classroom instruction to your students, you are responsible for developing lesson plans and can determine their format, organization, notation and content. Your supervisor may suggest, but cannot require or insist upon, a particular format unless you have received, or are about to receive, a “U” rating. Your supervisor may enter your classroom and ask to see your lesson plan, at any time, but cannot collect them on a regular basis. If you need help perfecting your lesson plans, you should contact your mentor (if you have one); math or literacy coach or lead teacher (if your school has them); or the UFT Teacher Center (1-212-598-9500).

Letter In File

Before any letter is placed in your file, you must be given an opportunity to read it and acknowledge its receipt by signing it. If the letter is negative, you should write a response, detailing why you disagree with its contents. You should speak with your chapter leader, who can help you write an appropriate response and advise you on any other possible course of action, including procedural matters that may be grievable. The response should be attached to the original letter in your file; your supervisor cannot respond to your response.

If the letter is not used as the basis for a disciplinary procedure for three years, under a new provision you can (and should) have it removed from your file. Talk to your chapter leader about how to do this.

Also see Official School File.

Lunch Periods

You are entitled to a duty-free lunch period. This was a strike issue in the 1960s. Duty-free means just that. It’s free of any and all duty assignments.

If you teach in an elementary school, you must have a daily 50-minute duty-free lunch period. In a secondary school, you must receive a full period for duty-free lunch each day. The only exception to these time frames is when you are conducting school activities outside of the school building, such as a class trip.

Material in File, see Letter in File.

Maternity Leave

It was not so long ago that women had to leave the classroom as soon as they “showed.” Today you can start your unpaid maternity leave at any time during your pregnancy, but it must end six weeks after the birth of your baby. If your recuperation requires more time and you have medical documentation, you can use your CAR (sick bank) or borrow up to 20 sick days if necessary. You also are entitled to a grace period, which pays you for all weekends and holidays for the calendar month following the exhaustion of the days in your sick bank. Your payroll secretary can tell you how many days remain in your sick bank and can give you the necessary forms to apply for your leave of absence. Call your borough office if you have questions.

If you are disabled as the result of pregnancy, and you have medical documentation, the UFT Welfare Fund will pay for up to eight additional months of medical benefits identical to what you had while working.

Either parent can apply for a child-care leave, which begins six weeks after the birth of your baby and can last for a period of up to four years from the following September. Again, your school secretary can give you the necessary forms to fill out.

For further information, see “Not for Women Only” at www.uft.org — click on Member Services and then Publications. If you have questions, call your UFT borough office for assistance.

Also see Leaves of Absence.

Medical Arbitration

Medical arbitration may be appropriate for you in one of several instances: 1. If you are regularly appointed and have been denied injury-in-the-line-of-duty status for more than 20 consecutive days. 2. If you have been denied either a sabbatical leave for restoration of health or an unpaid leave of absence for restoration of health. 3. If you believe you are fit for duty and the DOE says you are not. The medical arbitrator is an independent doctor, jointly selected by the union and the DOE, who will review your medical documentation to determine if the medical bureau’s decision was correct. The medical arbitrator’s decision is final and binding. You should speak to your UFT borough office if you want to pursue this course of action.

Also see Injury in the Line of Duty, Leaves of Absence, Sabbaticals.

Mentors

If you are a first-year teacher who has not had prior teaching experience, you are entitled to one-to-one mentoring throughout your first year. The mentor assigned to you is an experienced colleague who has been trained extensively in ways to best support you (including doing demonstration lessons, co-teaching with you, offering suggestions about classroom management and helping you plan your lessons). Your discussions are confidential and your mentor does not report back to your principal.

Micromanagement

Exercising your personal judgment in determining how best to teach your students is a basic professional right that the UFT has always had to fight for. The school system may set standards and guidelines for content and even recommend teaching techniques, but the day-to-day methods you use to individualize your instruction should be largely left to you. Still, some principals — particularly in the aftermath of NCLB — have attempted to micromanage the smallest details of your pedagogy. While they may make suggestions for improvement, the contract expressly forbids supervisors to discipline you for the appearance and format of your bulletin boards, the arrangement of your room, or the length of segments of your lesson. If your evaluation is rated “U” for any of those reasons, see your chapter leader about filing a grievance or pursuing professional conciliation.

Also see Professional Conciliation.

Observations, see Classroom Observations.

Official School File

Every UFT member has an official file at school that contains the administration’s observation reports, annual evaluation sheets, licensing and salary documents and other materials. There is only one official file maintained in your school; if a supervisor keeps private notes or reports about you in his or her possession they may not be used as official records against you. If you transfer to a new school, your file (but not any private notes) will follow you there.

No derogatory material can be placed in your file unless you have seen it and signed the original copy; your signature does not mean that you agree or disagree with its contents, only that you have seen them. You can, at any time, write a response to any derogatory material in your file and have it attached to the original copy. You always can examine and make a copy of your official file; we recommend that you ask your chapter leader or a colleague to go with you when you review the file.

If negative material has not been used in any disciplinary action against you (such as in a “U” rating, discontinuance of service or 3020-a termination procedure), it must be removed from your file three years from the date of the letter. See your chapter leader about how to do this. If you file a grievance, the grievance decision cannot be placed in your file.

Paperwork Reduction

In this age where the buzz words are accountability and assessments, required paperwork is a growing concern. Yet redundant, excessive paperwork only shortchanges instruction. As a result, a newly negotiated provision requires the union and DOE to form a central committee to develop recommendations to the chancellor to reduce unnecessary, excessive or redundant paperwork that reduces the amount of instructional time to students. Issues that cannot be resolved at the school or district levels will be referred to the committee for recommendations to the chancellor to resolve the matter. If you believe the forms and paperwork are excessive, unnecessary, redundant, or plainly ridiculous, speak to your chapter leader, who can help you try to resolve the problem or bring your concerns to the central committee.

Peer Intervention Plus

Starting in the 2007-08 school year, teachers in danger of being charged under section 3020-a of the State Education Law for incompetence may either volunteer or be recommended by their principal to participate in a newly designed “Peer Intervention Plus” program to improve their teaching skills.

Independent Consulting Teachers, provided by an independent third-party vendor agreed to by both the UFT and the DOE, will be assigned to work with “U”-rated teachers and to tailor a specific plan for each participating teacher, based upon his or her individual needs. While the teacher is participating in the program, charges under section 3020-a will not be filed.

If, after the intervention is complete, charges are filed against a participant in the program, then the observation reports of the consulting teacher will be admissible in a 3020-a hearing. If a teacher is denied the right to participate, or the teacher refuses to participate in the program, that fact is also admissible in the 3020-a proceeding. As a result of this program, we should see the end of principals’ ability to railroad teachers based upon personality conflicts or pettiness.

Peer Intervention Program (PIP)

The Peer Intervention Program, negotiated in the 1980s and operated by the UFT, helps tenured teachers and guidance counselors who are experiencing difficulties in the classroom to strengthen their performance. Assistance by this specially trained staff is voluntary and confidential. If you are experiencing difficulties in your classroom (i.e., classroom management/behavior modification, lesson planning, questioning techniques, etc.) a peer intervener will tailor assistance to your strengths and weaknesses and work with you in your classroom. If you believe that you can benefit from this program, phone 1-212-598-6585.

Per-Session Work

Throughout the school year, teachers apply for “per-session” activities that are done either before school, after school, on weekends or holidays or during the summer. If you apply for and are accepted for such an activity, you are paid at the per-session rate listed in the contract. Selection for most per-session activities is based upon the individual criteria established in each posting, which appear on the DOE Web site. If the activity you desire is specifically listed in the contract, selection is based upon your meeting the posted qualifications and your seniority in the system.

Upon completing two consecutive years of satisfactory service in the same activity, you gain “retention rights,” giving you priority for hiring in future years in the same activity. To exercise your retention rights, you must indicate on the per-session application form that you have such rights and you must be applying for the same activity in the time frame specified in the posting. You can exercise your retention rights to only one activity each school year, although you can apply for more than one per-session activity during that time.

As a matter of right, you can work up to 400 per-session hours in one year (July 1 through June 30). If you want to work more than 400 hours, you need to obtain a waiver in writing from the executive director of the Division of Human Resources.

There are certain high school extracurricular activities listed in the contract — athletic and non-athletic — that are paid based upon a maximum number of “sessions” allocated for each activity. A “session” is defined as two hours beyond the school day. Effective September 2007, the number of sessions for these activities will be increased by 12 sessions per school year.

You accrue sick leave in a per-session activity on the basis of one day per 20 days worked. If it is not used, the time may be transferred into your Cumulative Absence Reserve.

Like regular salary, per-session pay is now pensionable, as a result of a long legal battle the UFT won.

Preparation Periods, see Teacher Programs.

Probationary Period

If you are appointed under a new license, state law requires that you serve a three-year probationary period. Each time you change your license and are reappointed, you must serve a new three-year probationary period. You may be able to reduce your probationary period in one of the following ways:

Jarema Credit. This is a way that appointed teachers who worked satisfactorily as regular substitutes in the same license and at the same school level can reduce the normal three-year probationary period by up to two years. To obtain one term of credit, you must have worked as a sub for a minimum of 80 days within a period of 90 consecutive school days in the same school. For a credit of one year, you must have worked at least 160 days in a one-year period. If you have any questions, call your UFT borough office for assistance. You can find the application for Jarema Credit online at http://schools.nyc.gov/Offices/DHR/ToolsResources/DHRForms.

htm or at your DOE Regional Operations Center (ROC). Return the completed form to the Division of Human Resources, Office of Regional Field Services, 65 Court Street, Room 811, Brooklyn, NY, 11201. Make sure to keep a copy of the application for your records, along with the “return receipt requested” notice.

Traveling Tenure. If you received tenure in one license area and elect to take an appointment in a new license area, or if you were tenured in another school district in New York State, you can apply to have your probationary period reduced to two years. This is commonly known as “traveling tenure.” If this applies to you, call your UFT borough office for more information.

Once you complete probation, you are granted tenure. If the DOE intends to discontinue your service prior to your obtaining tenure, you must be given 60 calendar days’ notice prior to the end of your probationary period. If you are discontinued, call your UFT borough office for assistance in preparing for an administrative hearing. You may not be dismissed without cause. An advocate will be assigned to assist you in fighting the termination.

Also see Tenure.

Professional Activity Options

Most secondary school teachers and elementary teachers in eight-period schools are programmed for a professional period, for which they elect a professional activity. (You are required to select a professional activity and to work on it — but, you need not spend every minute of your professional period working on it.) You select your activity from a menu appropriate to your grade level that is specified in Article 7 of our contract. If you want to participate in an activity not listed on the menu, you can do so with the permission of your principal. Your principal is required to meet with your chapter leader to consult on the number of positions and qualifications for each menu item. If your principal fails to consult, the chapter leader should file an appeal to the chancellor and, if denied, to the city Office of Labor Relations.

If you are assigned homeroom or AM/PM bus duty, you are fulfilling the responsibilities of the professional period; your professional period becomes one for you to use like a preparation period.

Professional Activity Procedures

If you have a professional period in your teaching program, your principal will give you a preference sheet listing the appropriate menu (this is the same preference sheet for choosing your program). You must prioritize three of the activities and the principal will make the final decision. Selection will be based upon the established criteria for the requested activity and the availability of the item. If you are not given one of your three choices, you may select three other menu items.

If the principal assigns you to an administrative assignment (e.g., lunchroom, hall or yard duty), voluntarily or involuntarily, he or she cannot assign you to any administrative duty the following year unless you voluntarily agree to do it. Principals must make all involuntary administrative assignments on a rotational basis in inverse seniority order. Before the end of the current school year, your principal must notify you in writing as to which professional activity you’ve been assigned for the coming school year.

If you are new to the school system or in danger of receiving a “U” rating, the principal can assign you to either professional development or common planning as your professional activity, regardless of your preference.

Professional Conciliation

If you have a difference of professional judgment with your supervisor, the contract provides you with a mechanism for resolving it that is similar to nonbinding mediation. Often an entire staff or department uses this procedure to settle differences about educational practices. Call your UFT borough office to request that an impartial third party be assigned to help you resolve conflicts over issues including curriculum, textbook selection, student testing, program offerings and scheduling, and pedagogical and instructional strategy, techniques and methodology.

Program Preference

Each spring (or each term in some high schools), you may request an assignment for the following school year (or term) on a preference sheet that your principal will hand out. (This is the same preference sheet as for professional activities.) You should indicate the subject and grade level you desire in priority order. If you are a special education teacher, you should place in priority order the age range of special education classes you want, as well as the special education program designation you want to teach. Requests for special teaching positions (cluster positions) or compensatory time positions should be made in a separate application to your principal as they are posted and become available.

If you don’t get your first choice for two consecutive years, you can file a reorganization grievance. Talk to your chapter leader.

Also see Teacher Programs.

Programs, see Teacher Programs.

Ratings

If you have worked for 20 days or more, you will receive a rating from your principal within the last 10 days of the school year, but not less than four days before the end of the school year. It will either be Satisfactory (“S”), Unsatisfactory (“U”), Doubtful (“D”) or Not Applicable (“N/A”). If you are a probationer, the “U” rating could lead to discontinuance of your probationary period. Since there are ramifications to a “U” rating, you should immediately contact your borough office for assistance. Specialists there will help you file an appeal of your adverse rating and explain the various options available.

Also see Classroom Observations.

Redesigned Schools

Very often the DOE decides to redesign a low-performing school to improve student performance. When that happens, the DOE must follow strict guidelines in staffing the new school. A personnel committee must be established to interview prospective staff. In the first year of redesign, at least 50 percent of the former school’s staff must be placed in the new school, provided they wish to serve there. They are the most senior members who are appropriately licensed and who meet the qualifications for the positions. Speak to your chapter leader, who can help you through this transitional period.

Also see Excessing.

Religious Observance

If you are going to be absent due to religious observance, you should give your principal sufficient notice so that he or she can hire a substitute teacher for you. Your school secretary has the appropriate form for you to fill out. If your principal denies you the day, you should immediately speak to your chapter leader, who can help you file a grievance.

Rotation

In order to assure fairness, our contract requires that classes, sessions and annex assignments be rotated among those who are qualified. This assures that if you are qualified, you will have an opportunity to get an assignment you want within a reasonable period of time.

Sabbaticals

Sabbaticals are available if you want to study to enhance your teaching skills or if you are ill and need to restore your health. For study sabbaticals, coursework must be rigorous and applicable to your teaching assignment. If your Local Instructional Supervisor (LIS) does not approve your proposed course of study, you must be given the right to amend it. All sabbaticals for restoration of health must be approved by the medical director. If your application is denied, you may go to Medical Arbitration.

All teachers are eligible for one-year sabbaticals of either type after 14 years of regularly appointed service; after seven years of regularly appointed service, all teachers are eligible for a one- to six-month sabbatical leave for restoration of health. In junior high and high schools, you also can apply for a six-month study sabbatical for the spring semester only. Before retiring or leaving service, you are required to return to your post for one year after a six-month sabbatical and for two years after a one-year sabbatical. Other rules apply, as well. UFT borough offices hold sabbatical workshops in the fall and spring to guide prospective applicants.

Also see Leaves of Absence, Medical Arbitration.

Salary

All teacher salary schedules can be found in the contract or on the UFT Web site (www.uft.org/member/contracts/teachers_contract/appendixa/index.html). Check that you have been given credit for all the educational credits you’ve earned and all the experience you have. Note that you may be able to get salary credit for teaching experience elsewhere or other relevant experience. However, longevities apply only to service in NYC public schools. You may be able to increase your salary by taking courses through the UFT Teacher Center. Watch for the catalog in the New York Teacher, or call

1-212-475-3737.

If you have any questions regarding your salary step, differentials or longevity payments, you should ask your payroll secretary to assist you. If you believe you are being improperly paid, you should call a salary representative in your UFT borough office. If necessary, a salary grievance will be filed on your behalf.

Teachers are paid twice a month, on the first and 16th, by check at your school or direct deposit. Starting in September 2007, all newly hired employees shall be paid through direct deposit. If when you start working there is a delay in placing you on the payroll, you can apply for an emergency check for each missed pay period to tide you over. You may also be able to collect interest on delayed paychecks or raises for which you have made proper application. Talk to your payroll secretary.

Also see Summer Pay.

SAVE (Safe Schools Against Violence in Education), see Disruptive Children.

School-Based Options (SBO)

In order to provide a voice for school staff and flexibility in the contract, when staff, the school UFT chapter and the principal believe it will improve their school, they can agree to modify a specific clause of the contract regarding class size, rotation of assignments, rotation of coverage, teacher schedules, etc. However, there must be a vote of the chapter to permit the modification and 55 percent of those voting must be in favor. Votes are also required on all compensatory time positions and administrative assignments agreed to between the chapter committee and your principal (see Circular 6R). Your chapter leader can explain the procedures to be followed if your chapter wants to do such an SBO.

School Budget

Before the end of June and by the opening of school in September, your chapter committee should meet with your principal to discuss and have input into the school’s budget. This contractual provision also requires the principal to share school budgetary information with the faculty. The union can help faculties understand their school budgets so that good decisions can be made on how best to allocate the money for the needs of your school.

School Day, see Length of School Day.

School Safety

Safety is a basic prerequisite of quality education. To ensure a safe environment, principals — in consultation with the UFT chapter — are required to develop and annually update two documents: a safety plan (routine procedures for ensuring school safety) and a crisis response plan (emergency procedures for major school disasters). These plans should complement each other and, if necessary, be modified during the school year to meet the needs of your school.

Your chapter leader is required to sign off on the school safety plan. If modifications to the safety plan are made during the school year, the chapter leader must sign off on them, too. Your principal is required to hold a meeting of the school safety committee each month. Violations of the safety plan are grievable, and your chapter leader can file the grievance for you.

If you believe your school is not safe for students or staff, ask your chapter leader to contact the UFT’s Safety and Health Committee. A trained expert can visit your school to assess security and help you develop a safety plan.

Your principal also is required to report all incidents involving staff to the Division of School Safety (1-718-730-8800) and the Office of Legal Services (1-212-374-6888). If a crime has been committed, your principal must report it to the police.

For more information regarding school safety, including tips you can use to ensure your personal safety in school, go online to www. uft.org — click on Member Services and then Publications to read “Security in the Schools.”

Also see Assaults.

School Year, see Length of School Year.

Shortage License Areas

Each school year, the DOE determines the license areas where there is a citywide shortage of teachers. If your school has a vacancy in one of those license areas, and you possess that particular license and have at least three years of experience, you may volunteer to teach up to five additional periods per week in lieu of your preparation period for additional pay (which is also pensionable). If the DOE gives its written approval, you must be paid at the contractual rate of pay for a shortage area, which is found in Article 7-O of our contract. If you teach an additional class, you are exempt from selecting a professional activity on your professional period.

Special Education Referrals

As a teacher, you are in the unique position to recognize when one of your students may need special education services. While you always should use discretion in referring students to be evaluated for special education services, you should not be pressured to not make needed referrals. The DOE cannot take any action against you if you exercise your professional responsibilities and identify students who have or are suspected of having disabilities.

Storm Day Procedures

In the event of a major storm, the chancellor will determine whether to open, close or delay the opening of school. Normally, in these situations, the union will try to convince the chancellor to do what is safe. The school system is too often concerned with its custodial function, which is why it rarely closes schools.

You should listen to the radio and TV for the most up-to-date information. You also should call the UFT Hotline (1-212-777-0190) for the most accurate information on any affected union activities.

Summer Pay

On the last day of school teachers receive five checks, or check stubs for direct deposit, dated the first and 16th of the summer months.

Also see Salary.

Summons

If you are summoned for an interview for the record that may lead to disciplinary action, you are entitled to be accompanied to the hearing by a union representative (or a representative employed by the school system). An interview that is not held in accordance with these procedures cannot be made part of your personnel or school file, and any statements you make at such an interview cannot be used against you in any DOE proceeding.

Regardless of which office has summoned you to appear, you should not answer any questions without representation. If you are summoned to either the principal’s office or the district superintendent’s office, you should immediately ask your chapter leader and UFT district representative for assistance. If you are summoned to the DOE’s Office of Appeals and Review or the Office of Special Investigations, your UFT borough office will provide a representative to attend the hearing with you. If you are summoned by the Special Commissioner of Investigations, you should not answer any questions unless you are accompanied by an attorney, which your UFT borough office will help arrange for you. The allegations investigated there involve criminal activity, financial fraud and other serious matters.

See also Disciplinary Actions.

Supplies

It is your principal’s obligation to provide basic instructional supplies and books (including textbooks, paper, chalk, microscopes, manipulatives, etc.) so you can provide an effective educational program to your students. If the principal does not do so, the chapter committee should raise the issue with him or her at the monthly consultation meeting. At the same time, your chapter leader should notify your district representative to see if he or she can resolve the matter. If necessary, the union will forward the dispute to the chancellor for resolution.

See also Teacher’s Choice.

Teacher Facilities

You are entitled to have adequate supplies in the teacher washrooms in your school (toilet paper, paper towels, soap, etc.). Your school must also make available to all teachers a pay telephone for their personal use. If your school does not have continuous cafeteria service, you should have your chapter leader request in writing a beverage vending machine for your school.

Teacher Files, see Official School File.

Teacher Programs

Elementary Schools. Most schools are programmed for either seven or eight periods per day. In seven-period schools, you are scheduled for a daily duty-free lunch period and five preparation periods per week. In eight-period schools, in addition to the daily duty-free lunch period and preparation period, you receive one professional period per week. Schools may use an SBO to change the number of periods in a day but principals cannot do so unilaterally. If you believe you have been given an incorrect assignment, speak to your chapter leader immediately about filing a grievance.

JHS/IS/MS Schools. You should receive your teaching program no later than five school days before the end of the school year. Your teaching program must consist of a maximum of 25 teaching periods, five preparation periods, five professional periods and five duty-free lunch periods per week. In Title I schools, senior staff members who qualify must be programmed for 22 teaching periods, eight preparation periods, five professional periods and five duty-free lunch periods. If you think you qualify for the additional preparation periods, you should check with your chapter leader. Your chapter leader also can help you file a grievance if your teaching program does not follow contractual guidelines (e.g., more than three teaching periods in a row, four working assignments in a row, etc.)

High Schools. You should receive your teaching program no later than the end of school on the next to last day of the term. Your teaching program must contain a maximum of 25 teaching periods, five preparation periods, five professional periods and five duty-free lunch periods. However, if you have a reduced teaching program (e.g., a compensatory-time position), you receive one preparation period for every five periods you teach. Speak to your chapter leader to file a grievance if your teaching program does not follow contractual guidelines (e.g., more than three teaching periods in a row, four working assignments in a row, etc.).

Also see Professional Activity Options, Professional Activity Procedures.

Teacher’s Choice

As a result of UFT advocacy, the City Council created a program called Teacher’s Choice, and allocates money each year so that teachers can buy a wide range of instructional materials and supplies for their classes (beyond the basic books and supplies that the school system is required to supply). Keep the receipts for any supplies you buy beginning in August. Your chapter leader can fill you in on the procedures you must follow to receive this money. You can also pool your money with other teachers to buy larger items to share.

Also see Supplies.

Tenure

Tenure is a status that appointed pedagogues achieve after completing a probationary period with satisfactory service. In January 2007, Chancellor Joel Klein announced his intention to use student test scores as part of the decision to grant tenure. The UFT believes this is morally and contractually wrong and will fight such a policy.

Once you have tenure, you cannot be dismissed without being formally charged and having a hearing before an independent tribunal on those charges. This protects you from being fired for the personal or political objectives of a supervisor. The normal probationary period is three years, although this can be reduced by prior service or extended if the tenure grade is in doubt. To acquire tenure you also must meet all eligibility requirements.

Also see Disciplinary Actions, Job Security, Probationary Period.

Termination, see Probationary Period.

Transfers

If you wish to transfer to a different school, there are more opportunities available than ever before. Previously, because of the numerous restrictions, only about 300 to 400 people could get seniority transfers. Now virtually anyone can apply and be selected, provided the principal agrees. In the 2005-06 school year, more than 2,700 people transferred.

Principals must announce all their vacant positions by April 15 and revise listings throughout the spring and summer as openings occur. These vacancies are posted on the DOE Web site; the page is revised as positions are filled and new vacancies arise.

All qualified teachers, including those who have been placed in excess, can apply for specific positions at job fairs or send applications to the schools they are interested in. You also can send applications and résumés to schools that have not advertised vacancies so that, in the event a vacancy arises, principals will be aware of your interest.

School-based committees made up of supervisors and teachers may interview candidates and make recommendations to the principal. However, the final decision is the principal’s. All transfers made after Aug. 7 cannot be completed unless you are released by your current principal.

Hardship transfers are available for travel and for health reasons. All hardship transfers are discretionary, and the DOE makes the final determination. You should obtain as much documentation as possible to support your need for a hardship transfer. See your chapter leader for the specific requirements regarding each of these transfers.

Also see Excessing.

Transit Chek

If you are a frequent rider of New York City transit, you can save up to $200 or more in taxes by purchasing a Transportation Savings Card (TSA). You can select a deduction plan to suit your personal transportation needs, whether it be for occasional rides, frequent rides or express bus rides. You fund your TSA card with pre-tax dollars up to $100 per month, through payroll deductions. As a result, you do not pay federal, state, city, Social Security and Medicare taxes on your transportation deductions.

Starting in the 2007-08 school year, your TSA card may be used to purchase tickets for mass transit on the LIRR, Long Island MTA buses, and MetroNorth. The administrative costs for this program will also be deducted from your paycheck.

If you need more information on this program, you should contact your UFT borough office. It can provide you with all the necessary information to help you to enroll in the program.

Tutoring Sessions

Teachers are required to conduct tutoring, test preparation or small-group instruction for 37.5 minutes after dismissal at the end of the school day, Monday through Thursday. Schools may elect, with an SBO, to hold the sessions in the mornings before school starts.

This is not a regular teaching period. Small-group instruction during this time must be used for review, remediation, homework assistance — generally something less than what might occur during a regular classroom period. General education groups cannot exceed 10 students, while special education groups cannot exceed five students. If you have any questions, or your group size exceeds the specified contractual limits, contact your chapter leader. A grievance should be immediately filed on your behalf.

Verbal Abuse

State law and chancellor’s regulations prohibit verbal abuse of students, which includes using language that causes fear or physical or mental distress; using language that denotes race, ethnicity, religion, gender, disability or sexual orientation which tends to cause fear or mental distress; threatening physical harm; or belittling or ridiculing students.

Verbal abuse is not considered corporal punishment. If you are accused of verbal abuse, you should immediately notify your chapter leader. Consult Chancellor’s Regulation A-421 for additional information. Among other things, the regulation requires your principal to inform the staff about what constitutes verbal abuse. Starting in October 2007, if accusations of verbal abuse are found to be unsubstantiated, all references to the accusations will be removed from your file.

Victim Support Program

If you should be the victim of a crime or are injured by a student or intruder, the UFT’s Victim Support Program (1-212-598-6853) will help you on a confidential, one-to-one basis. The program offers advice, counseling and assistance with the police, the judicial system and the DOE’s medical bureau. Services include counseling and, if the need arises, a representative to accompany you to the medical bureau or court.

If you are assaulted or injured by a student or an intruder, take these steps: First, get any necessary medical treatment. Inform the school administration. Consider filing a criminal complaint. Notify your UFT chapter leader and the Victim Support Program. And be sure to complete the paperwork required to protect your rights. Filing delays could cost you money. This paperwork is spelled out at www.uft.org — click on Member Services, then Publications to read “Security in the Schools.”

Also see Assaults.

Whistle-blower Protection

Under state law, you have immunity from civil liability and protection against retaliatory actions by your employer if you do any of the following: report a suspected act of violence; disclose information regarding a violation of the law that creates a substantial and specific danger to the public health or safety to someone in government (including law enforcement officials, legislators or City Council members); or disclose information regarding what you reasonably believe to be an improper governmental action (such as a violation of any federal, state or local law, rule or regulation).

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