CONTRACT UPDATE
UFT President Michael Mulgrew reported on the dire budget situation during a Nov. 19 visit with the staff of PS 95 in District 21 in Gravesend, Brooklyn. He said that both the city and state budgets are in bad shape.
“Tough decisions need to be made, but protecting our children and classrooms must be our first priority,” he said. “If cuts to education are unavoidable, they need to be made elsewhere.”
Mulgrew was also asked about contract negotiations. He clarified that delegates on Nov. 18 gave the union leadership the authority to declare an impasse in contract negotiations should it become necessary. But he emphasized that the union has not yet filed for impasse.
Mulgrew also shared some great news about recent improvements that the UFT Welfare Fund achieved in benefits including disability, hearing aid reimbursement, and child care (to be reported in the Nov. 26 issue of the New York Teacher.)
FILE NO EXCUSE COMPLAINTS
The Union has received almost 10,000 complaints. There is a bigger push to report violations of the IEP than ever before. A complaint should be filed for each student who is not receiving a mandate; even if it is part-time. Reporting is the only way to fix the issue.
Violations include no or part-time OT/PT/speech, NO paraprofessional during an instructional period as mandated, as well as busing before the end of the school day. As pedagogues, we are legally responsible to protect our students, as is every school administrator. Reports are confidential and your name will not be used.
Is safety a concern at your site?
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