LIVE BLOGGING FROM MAY DELEGATE ASSEMBLY (unedited with commentary from Nick Bacon)

President Michael Mulgrew's report

Rashid Mathis who does the voice for our meetings passed away suddenly at the age of 41. He helped with the town halls and hybrid Delegate Assemblies. Moment of silence.

California, Buffalo and Texas shootings. What will it take to stand up to the gun lobby? Teachers again wrapping themselves around their students to save them. Schools with shootings around them in NYC. Three murdered in Buffalo were NYSUT members. We will always be at the center at what is happening in society because of where we work at schools. Another moment of silence for victims who lost their lives in a tragic way in Buffalo, California, and Texas.

Nationally gun violence and a women's right to choose are the big issues.

State

Mayoral control is in the balance in Albany. We had a series of mayors who were at war with the Board of Education, the governing body. Mayors were at war with Boards of Education and mayors kept cutting Board of Ed budgets. Mayors understand budgets now under mayoral control. We cannot have a policy where the mayor can announce whatever he wants whenever he wants. Budget system under the old system was starving the schools. Other cities have a check and a balance. We are also lobbying in Albany to lower the class sizes in NYC. That is what is under discussion. States also trying to get ahead of what looks like a bad decision from the Supreme Court on abortion. Legislative session over next Wednesday or Thursday. May be extended. We have math on our side on class size. Many schools have plenty of space. Now we have 820,000 students. The average class size is lower than it has been since Mulgrew was here. $5 billion not spent. Getting an additional $1.3 billion from C4E money. 20 children is the right number for k-2. 32 in a class is insane. Should we be paying for smaller class sizes? Does any other agency pay for their working conditions? Do police officers pay for their guns? Do firefighters pay for air conditioning in firehouses? Do sanitation people pay for their gas? Social-emotional support comes from lower class sizes. Higher quality of interaction comes with lower class sizes. DOE will continue to lie about lower class sizes. DOE lies and cheats about educating the children of NYC. City says lower class size will bankrupt the city. In the proposed budget, the city is forcing schools to increase class sizes. They cut budgets. Principals will be told to maximize class sizes when they get their budgets. Post photos at UFTphotos@gmail.com. Why are NYC class sizes 15-30% higher than the rest of the state? DOE doesn't want to lower class sizes because they can't expand their bureaucracy.

Superintendents

The superintendent hiring process has started. It has turned into a competition. Since there is parental input, candidates talking to parents. This is now a competition and not about who is the best person to be a superintendent. We are glad they got rid of executive superintendents. We do not need bigger bureaucracies. c37 starts next week. Participate and have some fun. Push candidates who will work with us to support schools. We don't need candidates who call legal after you say good morning for them. Our first-year Chapter Leaders are really in year 3. 

Calendar not out yet. Told it was coming out weeks ago. Two days ago we were told it will be out today. This morning they said this afternoon. They said this afternoon it will be tomorrow. This is insane. We are consulted but it is up to the DOE. We need to do SBO's. They are looking for guarantees from the state. Hundreds of other districts have calendars out. We agreed to the calendar they sent up to the state. It is supposed to be out tomorrow. Principals don't know what is up with things like excessing. DOE has federal money. 

June 9 PD day is coming. In consultation, three months ago we were told by the administration to look at Principal's Weekly that June 9 would be handled like Election Day: remote unless people out of necessity had to be in the building. The DOE didn't get information out until recently. DOE must inform members by this Friday if members have to come in live. If you disagree, get in touch with the UFT immediately. June 28 last day on a Monday. It happens every few years. June 28 should be a virtual day. DOE principals have until June 14 to tell us if we have to come in live. Have that conversation.

US History Regents canceled. Children will get credit if they pass the class.

Politics

District lines redrawn in NYS. Primary for governor and assembly in June.

Primary for congress and state senate in last week of August. Multiple UFT endorsed candidates in same districts. Others have no endorsement. Speaking to NYSUT President Andy Pallotta on a process. Does anyone want to redo the process? We've already interviewed candidates. New district is 10th district that is lower Manhattan and parts of Brooklyn. Many people running. We will interview everyone for this one. Carolyn Maloney and Jerry Nadler running against each other. Want to have a process we can move forward with.  Last week in August means probably around a 5% turnout.  "The rent is too high" guy may be running and could do well.

Vacation days cannot be denied because it is June. 

Go back to September, think about December where Covid numbers were through the roof. January was the worst month of the worst school year ever. It's been a long road to get to the week before Memorial Day. Two waves this year. Hospitalizations have stayed down unlike in other parts of the country that are not as vaccinated. Thanks Delegates and God Bless.

Report over at 4:57 pm.

Staff Director's Report

Puerto Rican Day Parade June 12, Pride march, 5K run, Daniel Drumm Scholarship for LGBTQ students. Reach out to rbrown1@uft.org. Shanker Scholarship hybrid, will be on June 7. We gave up $1 million of our money for scholarships for students. Secretaries have something. Negotiating Committee meeting June 15.

Mulgrew back: Met with VP of the Ukranian Teachers Association. Terrible stories. 90% of teachers refuse to leave. Teaching virtually when not fighting.

Question Period

Question: What actions can we take to show solidarity with Texas and other gun shooting victims?

Mulgrew Answer: We are talking about massive union rallies, maybe in NYC or DC. We are dealing with crazy stuff in NYC. We want to move quickly on this. We are talking to friends in Texas. NRA convention is in Houston. Mothers are the strongest advocates. We are in a battle with gun lobbyists. Majority of NRA members say nobody needs these rifles. Gun manufacturers threaten to spend money against politicians who oppose them. Gun violence is going up. City is infiltrated with guns. 

Question: Mayor talking about extending school day, is that going to happen?

Answer: No. We have schools that can extend days by having voluntary Saturday programs. First question is why. Finland has the best or second best school system in the world and they have a shorter school day. What are you going to do with the time? Teachers will work a 70-hour week voluntarily but if you mandate an extra 20 minutes, they will lose their crap. We need screening but most teachers are not reading teachers. Mayor wants to fix things but he will not be at the table when we try to get things done. Why are we doing the DESA stuff next week? Every school identified children who needed outside help. Help never happened. 

Brian from UFT asked to be the voice for now for online Delegate for the rest of this school year.

Question: June 28, uptick in Covid and multiple sights, we don't want to be together.

Answer: Email Leroy Barr and someone else.

Question: Problems with DOE email. Have to put in a code in the phone. I don't have a DOE phone.

Answer: Official response is we don't have DOE phones so they cannot ask us to use personal phones for DOE business. DOE getting hacked so they put in a double identification system but DOE doesn't pay for our phones. If they want double authentication, they have to pay for our devices or give us a stipend for using them.

Question: D79 superintendent in Manhattan being forced out. He works well with union and students. What can we do to keep him around?

Answer: Working well with the union means the person is a problem solver, not that he is in the tank with the union. This superintendent has tried to solve the problems. I don't know what his relationship is with others in power now. We are advocating from our side. This is a superintendent who has risen above.

Motion period

Move resolution on Asian American curriculum from 11 to 1 because it is Asian American Pacific Islander month.

Press A to thank Rashid for all the work he has done for us or press 1 on the phone.

734 +176 live vote to thank him.

Back to motion on the Asian American curriculum moving from 11-1 

693 yes on phone to 44. Live 176-3. 95% yes so it moves to number 1.

Mike Sill moves to move a new resolution as number 2

Resolved that the UFT condemns the mass shootings and demands as safe environment and more funding for trained professionals and to wear black on Friday for victims of gun violence and wear orange next Friday and support Governor Hochul for a ban on assault weapons and will work with AFT.

717 Yes to 24 No on phone; 177 yes and 4 No live= 97%

Special Orders of Business

Asian American curriculum resolution. Hate crimes up against Asian Americans. API need to be included. 

A second person speaks in favor. Asians make up almost 20% of students but less than 10% of teachers. Vote in favor this is necessary.

Another Delegate moves to call the question. Mulgrew asks if there is a speaker against. There isn't.

613 Yes to 21 No on ending debate on the phone. 172-1 to close debate live.

Resolution on curriculum: Phone 609 Yes to 26 No on phone. 182 Yes to 0 No live.

Resolution to stand against gun violence. 

Mike Sill motivates the resolution on supporting the victims of gun violence. Says he is tired of the violence and nothing getting done. Power has to rest with the people if legislatures won't get this done.

Another Delegate gets up in support. Didn't think Sandy Hook would be the new normal. Gives numbers of mass shootings. Shocking that the legislatures can't pass reasonable gun laws. Guns are top cause of death of children. Done with thoughts and prayers. 

Motion to amend: Add a resolved that UFT and AFT take steps to divest from companies that sell assault rifles. Mulgrew asks for trustees to confirm that we have already divested. We did that after Sandy Hook. (Trustees confirm that we are divested and were the first pension system to do it.)

Tom Murphy Retired Teacher Chapter Leader then speaks in favor. 

Someone calls the question. Nobody wants to speak against. 

595 Yes to 18 No on phone; 151 Yes to 0 No live on closing debate.

On resolution it is 609 Yes to 8 No on phone; 159 Yes to 1 No in the room.

Decorum resolution: Congratulates Mulgrew on winning.

Mulgrew thanks everyone who ran.

Debate decorum resolution:

We are professionals, we must debate our differences but be respectful. Youth will suffer if we don't do this.

Another Delegate supports it. Civil discourse welcome but we should as RBG said we should disagree without being disagreeable. 

A third Delegate talks about civil discourse. Says this year was a disaster. 

Motion to amend:

Olivia Swisher adds three resolved

1-Chair will adhere to calling alternate sides.

2-Reports shouldn't take more time than deliberations.

3- Joint Subcommittee should be formed to discuss restructuring procedures and bylaws.

Leroy Barr rises in opposition to amendments. We have rules and customs. Robert's Rules do not call for alternating sides. We can't put a limit on reports. Information from reports are critical. Thankful for reports.

High School Delegate talks about increasing democracy. This debate is healthy. He supports the amendments to push us in an even more democratic way. 

Question called on all matters.

On the phone, 567 vote Yes to close debate to 53 voting No. Live I couldn't hear numbers.

On the 3 amendments: 

Yes 287 to No 293 on phone 30 Yes to over 100 No in room (sorry, I didn't get actual number)

On the original resolution:  436 Yes to 105 No on phone; 140 Yes to 15 No live.

Mulgrew tells all to enjoy Memorial Day.

Update:

Nick Bacon who is a newly elected High School Executive Board member has this quick commentary in the DAover at the New Action blog:

Commentary and Notes Delegate Assembly, 5-25-2022

Posted by baconuft

Short Version: Though there were some decent resolutions passed on Asian American curriculum and gun control, from an opposition perspective, this was a very disappointing May Delegate Assembly. The reports lasted until 5:00. There was no attention to critical subjects like the impending MOSL nightmare and our APPR mess, for which Mulgrew has suggested previously that he has only made tepid responses that will be unlikely to work. While Olivia Swisher was called on to speak during the question period, no opposition delegate was called on to raise a motion during the new motions period. Remember: we haven’t been called on since November. Then, the decorum resolution was rushed through. Three resolves that UFC put into one amendment, despite popularity over the phone, failed to pass after a one-sided (Unity-friendly) debate on the resolution itself, and only two speakers being allowed to debate the amendment – one of which was LeRoy Barr (President of Unity Caucus). I was ready to speak to this amendment on the phone, but Rashad Brown called the question after only one opposition speaker – Ryan Bruckenthal – got a chance to speak.

If this is how UFT plans to handle future delegate assemblies, the message isn’t ‘unity,’ as they’ve been pretending (little ‘u’), it’s ‘Unity’ with a big U.