New York CIty Department of Education | New Action - UFT

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New Action/UFT and MORE: Support Chapter Leader and School under attack

New Action Caucus / UFT and MORE Caucus, and our representatives on the UFT Executive Board wrote to the Unity Caucus controlled leadership of the UFT, asking for real demonstrations of support for an embattled Chapter Leader (Marilyn Martinez, Central Park East 1, facing trumped up 3020a charges) and an embattled school (JHS 145, District 7, threatened with closure at the PEP, in service to Moskowitz).

Shamefully, the leadership chose not to come to the Chapter Leader’s 3020a hearing. We hope they do better with the PEP in support of JHS 145, but if they do not, you can still attend: Wednesday March 22, 6PM, HS for Fashion Industries, W24th Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenues.

March 9, 2017

Dear President Mulgrew, Vice Presidents Alford, Hinds, and Mantell and Assistant Secretary Barr:

As you know, our union, and the labor movement as a whole, is under major threat by the anti-labor initiatives promised by the Trump administration, as well as by the inevitable return of a case like last year’s Friedrichs to the Supreme Court.

In such an environment, it is crucial that the rank and file members of our union see that the UFT is at the front lines fighting to defend members publicly at every available opportunity.

There are two important opportunities to do so in the coming days that our union leadership must act on.

First, the Chapter Leader of Central Park East I, Marilyn Martinez, is facing 3020A charges which are clearly retaliatory from the abusive principal Monika Garg. Fifty parents and UFT members attended the first two days of hearings last week. We ask that you or Elementary Vice President Karen Alford attend the final day of the hearing this Friday, March 10 in order to send a clear message to the DOE, the arbitrator, and UFT rank and filers that the UFT supports this chapter leader. We further ask you to offer the assistance of the UFT press office in publicizing this defense. We further ask that you intervene personally with the chancellor around this case. If we do not defend our chapter leaders publicly and strongly, we may soon not have a union to defend at all.

Second, JHS 145 in the Bronx is facing a closure vote at the Panel for Educational Policy meeting on Wednesday March 22nd. The largely immigrant school community has mobilized to oppose the closing. As unionists committed to defending public education, we must join our voices with those of parents, students and teachers in opposition to this proposed closure. The Delegate Assembly scheduled for that day should adjourn early to allow Delegates, Chapter Leaders and the union leadership to attend the nearby PEP Meeting en masse.

In Solidarity,

UFT Executive Board members high school division

KJ Ahluwalia, Arthur Goldstein, Ashraya Gupta, Jonathan Halabi, Marcus McArthur, David Rosen, Mike Schirtzer

Movement of Rank and File Educators (MORE caucus UFT)

New Action Caucus / UFT

For Sensible Placement of Counselors and Social Workers in Excess

Published June 8, 2016 New Action , New York CIty Department of Education , NYC , UFT , UFT Executive Board Closed
Tags: Guidance Counselors, School Social Workers

Guidance Counselors and Social Workers in excess are being rotated once a month. In many schools administrators can find or create no short-term counseling assignments – and leave counselors who want to work sitting idle. This may not be from administrative malice; it might just be the result of a stupid system.

New Action, with counselors, considered forms of relief that we might pursue. Extending the period of rotation to a full semester or full year seemed like the simplest, easiest to achieve step towards providing relief.

We drafted a resolution, proposed it to the leadership. They edited it. (They added language to indicate that they have already been pursuing this with the Department of Education. They certainly have – but to this point it has not been public and has not been part of the conversation in the organization as a whole).

And this Monday, June 6, 2016, it was on the UFT Executive Board agenda. Matt Ravick, a counselor in excess, spoke at the open mike about his experiences. And later LeRoy Barr motivated the resolution and Jonathan Halabi of New Action spoke in support. It passed unanimously.

What of other groups being treated unfairly by the Department of Education? This resolution does not help them directly. But 1) anytime we show solidarity with our colleagues, we are all uplifted, and 2) if this happens it will be a crack in the system of rotation, making it easier to make progress for other groups of members.

There is no contradiction between seeking immediate relief for a couple of titles while standing against the system that flooded the ATR pool in the first place. What changes need to happen? An end to short-term rotation for all titles. Placement of ATRs into vacancies in their district with their agreement. A return to unit costing (current funding system forces principals to consider experience as a negative factor in staffing). An end to school closings. A freeze on hiring in a license until all ATRs in that license are assigned. And a return to seniority transfers and an end to the “open market” hiring system.

On Monday we took a very small step in the right direction, but one that our Guidance Counselor in excess and Social Worker in excess colleagues will appreciate.

FOR SENSIBLE PLACEMENT OF COUNSELORS AND SOCIAL WORKERS IN EXCESS

WHEREAS, there are UFT Guidance Counselors and Social Workers in the ATR pool; and

WHEREAS, the Department of Education rotates those Guidance Counselors and Social Workers each month; and

WHEREAS, schools have counseling and social work needs, but these require professionals who are assigned for a longer period of time; and

WHEREAS, the United Federation of Teachers values the dignity of all our members; therefore

WHEREAS, the United Federation of Teachers have consistently argued to the Department of Education that the current rotation system is not appropriate for Guidance Counselors and Social Workers due to the nature of their work and have advocated for assignments to schools for longer periods of time such that they can be a tremendous benefit to the schools and students of New York City; be it

RESOLVED that the United Federation of Teachers will work with the Department of Education to change the rotation system so that Guidance Counselors and Social Workers in the ATR pool will be assigned to schools for a sufficient period so that they can continue to serve the children of NYC.

Resolution on Discontinued Probationary Staff Members

Published April 25, 2016 Abusive Administrators , New York CIty Department of Education , UFT , United Federation of Teachers Closed
Tags: Probationary Teachers

New Action wrote the original version of this resolution (March 28, 2016), and supported the revised version which was passed by the Executive Board (April 4, 2016) and by the Delegate Assembly (April 20, 2016.) It does not go far enough. As long as we have abusive and incompetent principals with the power to arbitrarily discontinue we will have a big problem. But this is an important start, publicly committing the UFT to trying to help, and publicly recognizing that there is a problem with incompetent administrators. New Action’s Greg Di Stefano (MORE/New Action candidate for Assistant Treasurer) has been actively working on this issue for two years, meeting with a deputy commissioner, several times with the Secretary of the UFT, organizing a press conference, a rally, and speaking at PEPs.

Resolution on Discontinued Probationary Staff Members

WHEREAS, a number of Probationary Teachers have been discontinued over the last several years; and

WHEREAS, some of these teachers were in schools with abusive, incompetent and in some cases corrupt principals; and

WHEREAS, many of these teachers were discontinued receiving no support or mentoring, a clear violation of City and State Education Law; and

WHEREAS, New York State Law states that discontinued teachers should have the opportunity to work in another NYC district or work under another license they may have; and

WHEREAS, the last administration under Michael Bloomberg purposely prevented this from happening; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, that the UFT will continue to explore all avenues for these teachers to exercise their right to have the opportunity to work in other districts in full time positions or as per diem substitutes; and be it further

RESOLVED, that the UFT will continue to work with the DOE to ensure that legal, proper and fair practices are in place with regards to teacher discontinuances and that probationary teachers be treated with respect and professionalism.

New Action – UFT

Archive for the 'New York CIty Department of Education' Category

New Action/UFT and MORE: Support Chapter Leader and School under attack

Resolution on Discontinued Probationary Staff Members

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