UFT Executive Board Analysis/Summary/Minutes, 11/18/2024
Summary/Analysis
- In the open mic, a Queens music teacher, Matthew Labanca, discussed his play, Communion, about a gay Catholic school teacher fired for marrying a man, which UFT members can see at a discount (see below). Kate Connors then spoke about NYHA, which now is the only reasonable path toward universal healthcare for Nyers (and probably always was). NAC approves of the NYHA provided that the version passed in the end meets certain requirements, which Kate argues the current version does.
- President Mulgrew was not here today, but some of the Vice Presidents spoke. Rich Mantell and Karen Alford discussed the coat and toy drives. Apparently, at least for the coat drive, which aims to give new coats to students in need, there are fewer donations this year than usual. NAC delivered a donation to Karen Alford before we left and encourage you to do the same if you’re able to do so.
- After some controversial articles were put out by opposition bloggers about UFT District Rep., Aqeel Williams (Unity), who allegedly made disparaging and ageist comments about retired non-Unity delegates during the last Delegate Assembly, he made a statement during the question period. While it appeared that there may have been some truth to his involvement (he didn’t deny it outright), he claimed that there were a number of comments placed out of context, some of which were outright misattributions. This was a story that I intentionally did not take up for a number of reasons when it first came out, and which I’m only discussing now because it relates to tonight’s minutes. I’ll just say that NAC has 99 retired delegates at the DA this year – dedicated unionists who are still organizing years, sometimes decades, after leaving their classrooms. They deserve respect, as all retired people do. I’ll also say that bloggers must be careful about publishing stories, especially when they’re publishing information about people that can affect their lives. As a working teacher who has been attacked by Unity blogs time and time again, often with information taken wildly out of context or even with complete lies, I know that well. As election season heats up, I hope everyone involved can stick to the issues and not subject educators to attacks.
- A few resolutions passed, including one about funding for CTE, which the City is apparently investing very little in when it comes to recruitment and now sees a workforce that is quickly diminishing as members retire. We’ve seen this happening for a number of titles (lab techs, for instance, much to the detriment of our students and teachers in lab classes), and we should not be seeing it happen with CTE either.
- The second resolution that passed was about curriculum mandates. I did not vote against it, as the goals (i.e. having some teachers involved in choosing mandated curriculum, reasserting our rights to ‘adapt’ curriculum, arguing against ‘fidelity,’ and supporting teachers affected by curriculum mandates via the Teacher Center) obviously aren’t bad goals in themselves. Nevertheless, I considered making an amendment, which due to the length of the resolution, would have to wait until I have time to go over it (i.e. for the next DA). Namely, this resolution doesn’t change the UFT’s position on curriculum mandates in the first place. Even if a curriculum mandate is teacher led, should a teacher who had no part in the selection process, and who deems a curriculum improper for their own classroom, be forced to use that curriculum and only that curriculum? I would argue that the answer to this question, from a union-perspective, should be no. If we can’t fight for absolute autonomy (something I support), we should at least be fighting for options, not just mandates that ‘some teachers’ (but not all) have a say in mandating. I recommend that readers take a look at the reso (copied below) and think about what an ideal union policy would be on curriculum. We should be ready to discuss at the next DA.
Open Mic:
Matthew Labanca: Music teacher in Queens. Parents are teachers, dad was Tier 1. Entire family filled with educators, always admired. Came to NYC to pursue broadway acting, taught in catholic schools. Married my husband and it all changed. Lost my job because of who I am, set me on a path of public education, moment I joined UFT was welcomed. Community/belonging at heart of play I have written called Communion tale of gay Catholic school teacher fired for marrying man. Power of communion. Love for you all to come and see it. The Celt Theater. Thanks Rashad Brown. UFT discount ($20). Learned so much from my time in the UFT. Fix Tier 6. Thank you for welcoming me, inspiring me…Hope to see you at communion.
Kate Connors: Incoming Trump admin, NY Health Act is the only way to protect our healthcare. Majority of democratic sponsors for that bill, so will it pass. So we can either protect our healthcare or… Can’t fight for nationwide program, wasn’t going to happen before, but certainly won’t now. Address some misinformation, embarrassing because can be debunked, on UFT website. First, impact on cost of Nyers hasn’t been quantified – but it has by brilliant economists at Rand and Umass – will be a boon to the state, tons of savings. It won’t sink the budget. Seems to be a republican talking point that the UFT shouldn’t adopt. Also says out-of-state in-service or retiree won’t necessarily be covered, but you will. Concern that not enough spelled out in NYHA, but it’s spelled out, and says nothing we have can be taken away. In fact, we pay less. Certain perks for labor. But we pass now, because have to lock in 100% rate, don’t want it to go below 90 (and locked at 80). Just cost me 500 bucks to have pneumonia, series of appointments (250 in one night). Love our healthcare until we get sick. Author of bill responded to website, being passed around.
Minutes approved.
Reports
Rich Mantell: Not doing great with coat drive. Kids need it. 220 children coming here. Should come on Saturday. If you want to come and help out, come on down.
Janella Hinds: Two events. On Friday, Future in Focus at Lehman College, 1200 students. Heard from about 50 unions. UFT folks as well. Got to talk about what the labor movement is. Thanks to Bronx members from UFT. Another event as well.
Karen Alford: Buy the coats so the kids are nice and warm, then reach back in your pockets and buy a toy. Have the flyers on the table. Will take toys however you want to bring them. As parents think about having to make these real choices, toys are last on parent’s list but first on a child’s list. United community schools (UCS), proud to lead this group. 255 million received. Lists some of what schools are receiving.
Greg Di Stefano from NAC donates cash.
Question Period
Nancy Armando: What do we do when members put out false information about UFT staff members.
Barr: Assuming we’re talking about something that happened over the week, some of which wasn’t true. Gonna ask Aqeel Williams to come to the microphone.
Aqeel Williams: Allow me to reintroduce myself. It’s important to know that the commitment that I have to this work that I’ve been doing for so many years, but also need for folks to understand that I’m an advocate for people, regardless of age, size, etc. In particular, I’m a care giver of an 81 year mother with Kidney disease, life and world, exceptional human being. Have a grandmother (in law?), who I do things like pay her phone bill, etc. Some of you may know this, but I was a caregiver for a 97 year old person with Alzheimer’s; did everything I could before seeking outside help. I’m not an ageist. Names left off of items making it seem like just me, certain things attributed to me that aren’t, certain things put out of context. Rest assured and know that I do look forwardd to being a retiree and getting older and it’s going to be a blessing.
Reports from Districts
Charles Di Benadeto: 2 great events we had this month, first a celebration of tenure for high school teachers. Another event for OSHA certification.
Shawn Rockowitz: parent conference, topics about education and IEP writing, student online safety.
Faiza Khalid: Had an amazing UFT uptown game night, great especially following that election.
Rashad Brown: Performance coming up, tickets online. Jewish Heritage Committee, Dec. 5, Mulgrew will be honored.
Adam Shapiro: Mets game, Tuesday May 27th. Over 1,200 tickets sold in just under two hours. Raffles and such, 500 people allowed on field – made a new rule because of how many of us went on last time – the UFT rule.
Raul Garcia: Functional chapter weekends have gone great; highlight that this year is more enhanced, had large numbers, topics were a highlight. Making us stronger. All have different paths but have a common goal. Allowed us to connect as human beings.
Priscilla Castro: UFT event 6 hours of CTLE to paras.
Joe Usatch: Shanker scholarship is live as of Friday, so students are earnestly encouraged to apply. Special thanks to guidance counselors who pushed this out.
Nurse CL (name missed): Fantastic weekend, school nurses were the largest numbers that ever came.
Legislative Report
Election was bittersweet, not in that it taught me anything new about America, but because gave hope and people will be disappointed. Thank you, because I’m on a journey with a group of women, studying gratitude. Let me give my thanks out loud for the things we have done. 29,016 calls – more calls in 2024 than we did combined UFT and NYSUT in 2020 and 2022. Door knocking, labor walks. Lists some labor walks with thousands of doors knocked. Buses to PA in collaboration with NYSUT. Also did bus to DC for a women’s march. Lit distribution, members specifically in PA .I’m unapologetically black, grateful, a woman, grateful, a unionist, grateful, public school educator, grateful for that. MLK said two things that I take on my journey – any justice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere…The labor movement was the principle force that transformed misery and despair into hope and progress, 1965. 2024 still applies, 2025 too. Stand for common ground, stand for humanity.
Election committee listed. Approved.
Fhaiza Khalid: Happening to us all too often, teachers left to teach curriculum, and told to do so with fidelity, but doesn’t mean mastery, significantly impacts learning outcomes. Ties our hands as teachers and subjects us to our outcomes. Want teachers to have more voice in curriculum decisions, adapt, continue to have UFT teacher center working with science of reading. UFT members. Need teacher voice.
Motion carries.
Leo Gordon: motivates CTE reso (see below). Very few CTE teachers being recruited, most are Tier 4, money not being spent at rate needed to recruit. They say it’s too expensive. Large number of teachers ready to retire. Going to leave some of our CTE teachers out in the cold. Will affect some of our top schools.
Approved.
Appendix: Approved minutes
EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING
In-person only
A G E N D A
Monday, November 18, 2024 – 6:00 PM
52 Broadway, 2nd Floor Shanker Hall
A. Routine Items
1. Open Microphone Speakers (10 minutes)
2. Approval of the Minutes
3. President’s Report
4. Staff Director’s Report
5. Question Period (15 minutes)
B. Standing Committees
1. Report from Districts
2. Legislative Report
C. Special Order of Business
1. Election Committee
2. Resolution in Support of Teacher Voice in the Use of P-12 Curricula
3. Resolution to Ensure Equitable Funding and Resource Allocation for Career and
Technical Education Programs
Future Meetings:
AdCom: Nov. 22; Dec, 6, 13, 20
Exec Bd: Dec. 2, 16
DA: Dec. 11
52 Broadway
New York, NY 10004
Executive Board Minutes
November 4, 2024
Present: Adika, Aklu, Alford, Alexander, Aromando, Arroyo, Artis, Arundell, Atkinson, Ayrovainen, Barr, Bello, Bennett, Bongiovanni, R. Brown, T. Brown, Calamia, Cambria, Castro, Conaboy, Crinigan, Crispino, Diakite, DiBenedetto, Eaddy, Espert, Franks, Friedman, Garcia, Ginese, Gordon, Highland, Hill, Hinds, Jallot, Josaphat, Kazansky, Khalid, V. Lee, Mantell, Miller, Mulgrew, C. Murphy, Nanay, Perez, Polite, Poulos, Rock, Rotkowitz, Ruiz, Rzonca, Santos, Sill, Silva, Sorkin, Thompson, Tindal, Usatch, Vaccaro, Waltzer, Webb-Geddes, Weinerman, Williams, Yon.
Excused: S. Abrams, Almonte, Anastasiou, Bacon, Barker, Bart, Colvin, Coppola, Destin, Gaglione, Geist, Goldman, Harmon, Hughes, Kuzar, S. Lee, Lozupone, Mejia, T. Murphy, Negron, Nobles, Peña, Pender, Ramos, Reed, Robbins, D. Rodriguez, L. Rodriguez, Rogers, Romero-Lee, Rosier-Rayburn, Sandau, Sarabia, Schirtzer, Shapiro, Surpris, Wilks-Duplan, Williams-Crawford.
Secretary Barr called the meeting to order.
A moment of silence was observed for a long-time chapter leader and political activist Lisa North
and a member from Staten Island Pat Lockhart.
The Executive Board minutes of October 21, 2024 were approved.
President Mulgrew’s report:
Yesterday’s Teacher Union Day was phenomenal. Thanks to all who attended.
We just launched a new online service to help our members navigate parental leave.
Thanks to the Welfare Fund we have increased disability benefits by $100. Reimbursement for formula needed by infants with digestive problems has increased from $2,500 to $7,500.
Members who have set up a digital classroom will receive a $225 check on November 7.
Election Day is virtual. Schools are closed on Monday, December 23. It was an attendance and safety issue. The new Chancellor agreed.
The next couple of weeks will not be easy pertaining to elections. We are the adults, and we all have opinions and judgements. When we are in schools we have to do the work of educators. It’s going to be tough because emotions are so high on any election. The DOE is sending all the superintendents and their staff to schools for the next couple of weeks to monitor any situation that may arise. Principals have been told to report anything they see.
We don’t know when this election will be called. The AFT has been coordinating with other organizations and lawyers in different states. There’s a plan to try to stop certifications at the local and state levels. The goal then would be to get the case sent to the Supreme Court. While all this takes place, we must go to schools and teach. We have to be able to show students that there can be respectful debates. Thanks to all who have volunteered through phone banking and have taken part in political actions. We’ve been making 3,000 to 5,000 calls a night. We should know the results of most of the congressional races by tomorrow. Hopefully the results will be for people who support public education. Go out and vote.
Secretary Barr announced that the Special Order of Business will be postponed until the next
executive board meeting on November 18.
The meeting was adjourned.
Respectfully submitted,
LeRoy Barr
Secretary
UNITED FEDERATION OF TEACHERS
52 Broadway
New York City 10004
AdCom Minutes
November 15, 2024
Present: Alford, Barr, Brown, Ginese, Goldman, Gordon, Hinds, Lee, Mantell, Mulgrew, Sill, Vaccaro.
Motion: To approve the $1,020 stipend for delegates attending the NYSUT RA on May 1-3, 2025 in Rochester, NY, for transportation, lodging, meals and incidentals.
Carried
Motion: To send 4 members to the National Association for Bilingual Education (NABE) Conference on February 20-22, 2025, in Atlanta, GA, at a cost of $2,320 per person.
Carried
Carried
Motion: To approve the following:
RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF TEACHER VOICE IN THE USE OF P-12 CURRICULA
Whereas the New York City Department of Education mandated that school districts use one of three literacy curricula in grades kindergarten to five based on the Science of Reading, each of which incorporates a formal assessment component, and
Whereas many secondary school algebra teachers have been required to use the Illustrative Math curriculum, a new math curriculum with different terminology, processes, and pacing to which many students are unaccustomed and therefore students lack the necessary foundations, and
Whereas there is a place in our schools for curricula that are research-based and developmentally appropriate, and
Whereas administrators in schools and central DOE have harped on “fidelity” to the curricula, regardless of the readiness of actual students or the recommendations of its educators, and
Whereas the diversity of our students within schools and across schools is what makes the New York City public schools great, and
Whereas teachers constantly make instructional decisions based on their own assessments of students’ educational experiences and learning styles, and
Whereas each teacher’s ability to implement instructional strategies and incorporate appropriate activities in their classrooms are integral parts of the professional responsibility of our members, and
Whereas one UFT member is worth at least 100 consultants,
Resolved that the UFT continue to support and defend a teacher’s right to adapt the curriculum to benefit their students and to use teacher-created assessments based on their own knowledge of students’ work, which enables the teacher to evaluate both the skills of students and the efficacy of the curriculum and instruction, and be it further
Resolved that the UFT oppose the administrative and bureaucratic evaluation of “fidelity” or “integrity” or other related catchphrases to a curriculum based on prescriptive pacing calendars that do not recognize differences in students or schools, and be it further
Resolved that the UFT Teacher Center continue to assist and support teachers in all aspects of the Science of Reading, especially the assessment component, and be it further
Resolved that the UFT will continue to fight for the professional autonomy of our members and against administrators who value DOE vendors more than UFT members.
Carried
Motion: To approve the following:
RESOLUTION TO ENSURE EQUITABLE FUNDING AND RESOURCE ALLOCATION FOR CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS
WHEREAS, Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs provide essential pathways to career success and economic mobility for thousands of New York City students, and
WHEREAS, CTE programs have demonstrated significant positive outcomes, including higher graduation rates, increased college enrollment, and better career preparation, with CTE concentrators having a graduation rate 10 percentage points higher than the national average, and
WHEREAS, despite their proven effectiveness, many CTE programs face chronic underfunding, inadequate resources, and outdated equipment that does not align with current industry standards, and
WHEREAS, inequitable funding patterns have disproportionately affected CTE programs in historically underserved communities, limiting access to high-quality career preparation for students who could benefit most, and
WHEREAS, the cost of maintaining industry-standard equipment, securing qualified instructors, and providing necessary materials for hands-on learning experiences continues to rise, and
WHEREAS, high-quality CTE programs require ongoing partnerships with industry professionals, regular curriculum updates, and continuous professional development for educators, therefore, be it
RESOLVED that the UFT calls upon the New York City Department of Education and the New York State Education Department to establish dedicated funding streams for CTE programs at the federal and state levels that ensure equitable distribution of resources across all boroughs and communities, and be it further
RESOLVED that the UFT advocates for additional funding at the federal and state levels, beyond Carl Perkins funding, specifically for CTE programs to cover essential equipment, materials, professional development, teacher externships, and industry certification costs, and be it further
RESOLVED that the UFT will work with the CTE Advisory Committee, comprising educators, industry partners, and community stakeholders, to implement these initiatives, with periodic public reporting on progress to ensure accountability and prioritize equitable resource distribution to historically underserved communities.
Carried
Motion: To adjourn.
Carried
Nick Bacon
Nick Bacon is a co-chairperson at New Action Caucus. He is also an elected member of the UFT executive board
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