LIVE BLOGGING FROM APRIL DA

 I got in a little late. This is not edited so sorry if it is a little off.

President's Report

Michael Mulgrew talked about the shooting yesterday in Brooklyn. and our rapid response and need for psychologists. Thanked Chapter Leader for high school for meeting the kids this morning getting off the train. 44 school days after the vacation

Federal: There is a new Supreme Court Justice. Randi helped Ukraine's situation by being in Poland. Schools being used for helping people coming from Ukraine. They are teaching still.

State: State budget is good. That is helpful in a contract negotiating year. Foundation aid fully funded, got extra $400 million. Nurses got money. We are still trying to get a nurse in every school. For chapter leaders: If your school doesn't have a nurse on Safety Committee, you should have them on the committee. They should be part of health and safety decisions, particularly with COVID.

Tier VI: For those who were Tier IV, the original Tier IV wasn't so good. AFL-CIO thinks it is the right time to fix TIER VI. We need to fix it before anyone is going to retire on Tier VI. Tier VI should not have happened. Then-Governor and a bunch of rich people ran a campaign across the state said state and municipalities would go bankrupt because of pensions. You cannot recruit workers at 21 and tell them they have to work until 63.

Debra Penney comes up and explains that there were 94 reforms to Tier IV. First reform was in 1998, 15 years after start of Tier IV. Tier IV was 17 years old before we got ten years only of contributions. It was 24 years old before we got 55-25.

Two reforms to Tier VI: 5 years until vesting. From April 1, 2022 until 2024, rate will be based on base pay only. Two year lag on contributions starts at 3% and goes up. Bill said that for people who did extra work, they would be held harmless for the contribution rate. We will continue to keep chipping away.

Mulgrew returns- NYC: A lot of uncertainty. Department of Education not working for children of NYC. That was brought out during the pandemic when the DOE didn't show up for work for an entire year. We have to wait and see where it goes. City Hall has to know that school has to open up in September. The problem is a bunch of us start planning for September a month ago but it's not happening. It will be a strange end of the school year. David Banks bringing in a majority of people who are not from inside the DOE. They want to solidify early childhood program. They need to do something with the curriculum. Having every school on their own isn't working. There will be a big push on career and technical planning. Civics is important to Banks and Mayor Adams. We train 50 people on a civics program. They are talking about civics in terms of doing right by each other and the world. Special Education will be a big issue. Mandated-based system. That's not the right way to do it. We need teams of psychologists and social workers to identify children at an early page. We refer students and they get IEPs and then they don't get the services. We told them they have to go faster. We asked not to do social-emotional screening for spring. $18 million contract. They gave the 48-question screening. Many schools did the screening but outside help never came. We tried to figure it out on our own. They wasted taxpayer money by signing contract in the first place. Calendar: we are asking that virtual parent-teacher conferences be permanent. We are seeing four times as many parents this way. For middle schools and elementary schools, most do it on one day. School Based Options, we are trying to get it out. Calendar is tight. They have to pay us if we don't have snow days. Electronic voting for SBO's. Summer school like last year. We will do the posting. Class size, we are working at the state level and then we will get loud with the City Council about getting this done. We lost 120,000 over an 8 year period. We have room. Lower class sizes if you want to make an attractive school system. Polling shows parents want lower class sizes and safe schools. We have to start digging into the discipline code. We are down over 200 Safety Agents. We need Safety Agents. Bronx can't set up a safe corridor because we don't have the Safety Agents. We needed NYPD to help set up safe corridor in Brooklyn yesterday. You can't have hundreds of students and one safety agent in a school

Chapter Leader Hub: 50% have logged on. Everybody who's gone on it, this was designed by chapter leaders. Feedback: there has been praise from chapter leaders. Place to upload Consultation Notes. Member, non-member, COPE all sitting there for you. Some of that work is for stipend. We need a push on COPE. We want to push on Tier VI issue. 

Negotiating Committee: We are getting feedback from questions from last survey. We are working with an independent company. 

Go back to beginning of the school year, we didn't know what it would be like with everyone back in the building. We then had a transition to a new administration. January 3 was the most tense day of the entire year. COVID numbers going up in the city but schools are the safest place. New variants becoming weaker. 23 in hospitals now. Over 100 on February 1. Most were unvaccinated and/or had underlying conditions. His wife has had him have three physicals in the last year. We keep children safe in spite of challenges. You have kept this school system going. We have been on our own for almost 2.5 years as a school system. Be safe, particularly in states that don't test people for COVID. Places where they say there is no COVID but instead 95 kids have strep at the same time. We have weathered this crap so we will come back strong in September. Wishes all a Happy Easter, Happy Passover. r4 days after vacation. (5:00 Report ends)

Staff Director's Report:

Leroy Barr notes ballots for UFT Election went out on April 8. They must be returned on May 9. They will be counted on May 10. Disaster relief for Ukraine, Spring Conference and next DA in late May.

Question Period:

Question about continuing Special Ed Recovery.

Mulgrew Answer: Special Ed Recovery not supposed to be about paperwork and compliance. Some principals just worrying about compliance. DOE is supposed to manage the system. They are managment, we are employees. Schools are taking care of the kids, but it would be nice if we had help and not hindrance. They sit in meetings where DOE says it's about the children when they fight so children don't get services. 

Question: Tier VI, 5 proposals put up so what are the 3 other reforms?

Answer: Some had to do with cutting down the percentage people would pay as contributions. Legislative session not over. We are working with AFL-CIO. 

Question: Exciting stuff on Amazon and Starbucks. Have there been conversations on the UFT supporting Amazon and Starbucks?

Answer: They had their plan and they went forward with it. We will approach them in a hands-off manner. We do not like telling other unions what to do. We believe in the sanctity of the union. We were impressed with them. 

Question: Negotiation on last day. Can teachers do it remotely?

Answer: DOE knows this. On a normal calendar, that day wouldn't be scheduled. We are trying to figure out if they are willing to do that. 

Question: Are we allowed to use a vacation day for 683 in summer?

Answer: As far as UFT is concerned, you can use any day you want. Arbitration is clear.

Question: When are Chapter 683 dates going to be confirmed.

Answer: Hopefully the week we return. Waiting for DOE to make a decision.

Question: Principal says it will be her way or the highway on SBO. Can we fight that?

Answer: Make sure she can only have what is in the contract. Dean up to 1,000 and a programmer. If you don't want to entertain any SBO's, we won't entertain anything either. That is not in the collaborative spirit of the day. 

Question: Mayor talking about dyslexia. Are teachers going to be required to do screenings?

Answer: Teachers not trained to do this screening. Mulgrew lucky to learn with phonics; second-grade teacher picked it up and gave mother flash cards. Mulgrew can't do dyslexia screening. Mulgrew taught in the basement and went to SBST to find out about certain students. We are happy Mayor Adams wants to do this but it has to be done right. 

Question: Thanks her District Rep

Answer: Question period is over. 

Motion Period:

Place an item on this month's agenda (requires 2/3 vote without debate.

Resolved that loss from pandemic won't be solved with more DOE bureaucracy, need expectations for Chancellor and Mayor to more accurately reflect what has gone on in the last two years, lobby for lower class sizes, rely on teacher skills to ensure dividends for student futures. 

629 yes- 108 no on phone  (I couldn't hear results live). It carried and was placed on agenda.

Resolution on Mosaic curriculum that does not have Asian Pacific Islander history included. Wants curriculum on putting Asian Pacific Islander curriculum.

Nobody spoke against the resolution.

It carried to get on next month's agenda easily 708 to 47 on phone. It carried unanimously live. 

Resolution to improve Tier VI for next month's agenda. UFT with AFL-CIO will work to improve Tier VI

Peter Lamphere moves to extend motion period ten minutes. 

Someone makes a point of inquiry. Can there be a motion placed when a motion is already is already on the floor. Yes, it was done correctly.

391 Yes-435 No on phone but I couldn't hear results live but it couldn't get 2/3.

Resolution to improve Tier VI benefits carries on phone 668 yes to 63 noon phone. 186 yes to 7 no live. 

(Someone else asks that we can't hear the live results. Mulgrew repeats them so that is how we get the 186-7 results.)

Motion period is over.

Rita Joseph a teacher until December 23 who is chair of the City Council Education Committee will be leading a meeting tomorrow at UFTHQ. Members of Board of Regents and State Ed Department leaders will be ther. Over 500 UFTers volunteered. This is an event where will make a tape out of it. 

Special Orders of Business:

Janella Hinds speaks for eliminating distributive scoring for High School Regents Exams. NYC different from all other schools around the state including charters and Catholic Schools who do it in their own schools. Janella and Michael Schirtzer wrote this. Nobody wanted to speak against. 

Mulgrew still had a vote on ending debate where748 to 55 was the vote to end debate.

606 yes to 53 no on phone. Live it is 182 Yes to 1 No. Total is 93% yes. It passes.

Resolution to have an observance of a moment of silence to commemorate anniversaries of 9-11 attacks. Someone argues we need an appropriate curriculum on 9-11. A former auxiliary cop from 9-11 says that it is a new generation that needs to learn about that day. 

Question is called, Mulgrew asks if there is a speaker against. Nobody wants to Vote on ending debate. 97% vote to end debate. 95% vote yes and the resolution carries.

Motion to suspend the rules to extend so the third item can be dealt with.

Mulgrew says it will be finished.

Recognize School Related Personnel now for what has happened the last two years. Someone recognizes paras, nurses and guidance counselors. 

Dermot Myrie speaks against because he says we need a pay raise for SRPs and not just accolades.  He wants to amend but can't on the phone.

 94% vote to close debate.

94% vote for the resolution.

Mulgrew thanks everyone for participating. He wishes everyone well and says we will see everyone at the end of May.