Your Voice, Our Victories

ll year, you told us what would make a difference — in your schools, for your students and in your own lives. When lawmakers convened in Albany from January to June, we fought to deliver on what our members were telling us. The results speak for themselves.

When you told us hungry students couldn’t learn, we fought for universal meals. When you said phones were disrupting your classrooms, we championed distraction–free schools. When you demanded better CTE funding, we made it happen. This year, your voice became our mission — and your priorities became legislative victories. Read on to learn how NYSUT’s work is continuing to make a difference in your classroom:

What NYSUT did: We fought for and won universal meals for all New York students, regardless of household income. This victory was years in the making. When 726,000 students lost access to free meals after COVID–era waivers ended in 2022, we partnered with other advocates and never stopped pushing. We made sure Gov. Hochul heard your voices, and she included universal meals in her budget. The Legislature made it law in May.

What it means: Nearly 300,000 additional students will now have access to free breakfast and lunch, removing stigma and administrative barriers that kept hungry kids from eating. For our members, this means fewer disruptions, better classroom dynamics and students who are ready to learn. For those with children in New York schools, it means real savings — an estimated $165 per child per month in grocery costs for families. This victory is part of NYSUT’s broader push to address child poverty and cost of living through our 1 in 5 and Share Our Wealth campaigns.

What you told us: Employers across the state are desperate for skilled workers, and students are eager to get into CTE programs that lead directly to good–paying careers. But you’ve seen hundreds of students stuck on waiting lists because of outdated funding formulas, some unchanged since the 1990s.

What NYSUT did: We lobbied hard for adequate funding for these practical and highly sought–after programs to ensure more students have access to high–quality Career and Technical Education — and won! This is a huge victory for students and employers alike, and it started with boots–on–the–ground advocacy by our members.

What it means: Over the next three years, the BOCES salary cap will increase from $30,000 to $60,000 and Special Services Aid will rise from $3,900 to $4,100. In 2025–26, ninth grade will be included in Special Services Aid, greatly expanding access for students across New York.

These changes will allow BOCES and programs within the Big Five school districts to expand vital CTE programs and create more opportunities for students to gain in–demand skills. (See related story on page 17.)

What NYSUT did: Because of our members’ voices, NYSUT pioneered the distraction–free schools movement, first securing groundbreaking social media protection laws in 2024, then turning to cellphones in schools. After our September “Disconnected” conference brought together educators and health experts, we recommended a statewide bell–to–bell cellphone policy. Gov. Hochul heard us and included it in her budget. We lobbied hard and held regional conferences across the state to build support. The policy passed in May.

What this means: The new policy will go into effect for the 2025–26 school year and applies to all schools in public school districts, as well as charter schools and BOCES (See related story on page 7.)

Rich Nigro, Buffalo Teachers Federation president, testifies at a Foundation Aid Public Hearing last summer.

What you told us: Foundation Aid should meet the promise of public education for all students. The aid formula is a vital mechanism for driving state support for public schools, but the formula doesn’t take into account the full scope of student needs, and many elements haven’t been updated since 2007.

What NYSUT did: For years, NYSUT has pushed for an overhaul of the Foundation Aid formula. When the Legislature tasked the Rockefeller Institute with studying the issue and revising the formula last year, NYSUT made sure we had a seat at the table. This year, NYSUT submitted a series of recommendations on how to fix the formula, and our members turned out in force at hearings across the state to testify on behalf of our students.

What this means: As a result of NYSUT’s successful campaign, the state updated the formula with the latest poverty and census data, changed the weighting of English language learners from .50 to .53, amended the regional cost index for Westchester County and provided a 2 percent increase for every school district. Plus, the 2025–26 budget increases state aid by nearly $1.4 billion over last year.

El-Wise Noisette

Professional Staff Congress President James Davis and NYSUT Executive Vice President Jaime Ciffone rally at the Capitol.

What you told us: Our public colleges and universities are struggling with budget cuts and aging facilities, threatening jobs for our higher ed members and limiting affordable options for our students and families.

What NYSUT did: We fought for and won significant funding increases: $147.5 million more for CUNY operations, $115.1 million more for SUNY operations, plus additional millions for community colleges. We also secured hundreds of millions in capital funding to modernize aging facilities across the system. We helped secure $450 million to stave off the closure of SUNY Downstate Hospital and $450 million for the construction of a new hospital annex at SUNY Upstate.

What this means: These investments protect jobs for our higher ed members while ensuring affordable college pathways remain available for all New York families. Our colleges and universities are centers of their communities — they support local economies, provide cultural enrichment and serve as economic anchors in towns and cities across the state. Every state dollar invested in SUNY returns $8.17 to our economy, strengthening the communities where we all live and work.

What you told us: Training programs for teachers, by teachers, are critical to promoting effective instructional practices that share the most up–to–date research–based information.

What NYSUT did: Our members are lifelong learners and they told legislators, in no uncertain terms, just how much these professional development opportunities mean to them. They showed up for lobby days, sent MAC actions to legislators, and demanded support at press conferences and rallies. The result? The latest state budget includes $21.4 million for New York’s 124 teacher centers.

What this means: NYSUT continues to demonstrate its commitment to being a resource for professional learning. This year alone, NYSUT began the work of training New York teachers in the Science of Reading, a new for–educators–by–educators course that uses the latest research–based pedagogy for literacy instruction. The 30–hour blended course will be offered to all New York educators at no cost via ELT, NYSUT’s professional development arm.

What you told us: You told us that the amount of unstructured playtime our younger students get has been greatly reduced over the past few years and this is having negative consequences. Recess isn’t a break from learning; it’s how kids learn. When kids play, they return to class calmer, more focused and more prepared to learn. Plus, recess improves students’ overall health and well–being.

What NYSUT did: NYSUT members gathered at the Capitol to highlight the power of unstructured play and sent thousands of emails to lawmakers calling on them to pass legislation to make sure recess is a daily priority in schools.

What this means: This year, SED will conduct a statewide survey of recess in elementary schools and charter schools from K–6. This information will help us shape our next move to make sure all children have access to regular playtime.

Gina K. Callaghan

Members join local officials to call for passage of the Freedom to Read Act at a news conference outside the New York Public Library.

What you told us: The freedom to learn is increasingly coming under attack nationwide, with book challenges and bans affecting schools and libraries at alarming rates.

What NYSUT did: When our members spoke out against book bans in their communities, our educators rallied behind them, sending huge numbers of emails to their legislators. To enshrine New Yorkers’ civil liberties and preserve the joy of reading, NYSUT lobbied for the Freedom to Read Act, a bill that empowers school libraries and library staff to develop varied, age–appropriate collections. Thanks to this strong show of support, the Freedom to Read Act successfully passed both houses in June.

What this means: This legislation is timely and judicious; it protects New Yorkers’ constitutional freedoms, while still respecting parents’ rights to make decisions for their children. (See related story on page 6.)

What NYSUT did: Government agencies are increasingly using AI for everything from processing records to educational services, often without transparency or proper safeguards. NYSUT recognized this as the problem it was and, so did legislators. They passed a law in 2024 that would require human review of AI systems, but it covered only state employees. NYSUT went head–to–head with Big Tech (again) this year to make sure all school employees received the same protections.

What this means: AI should enhance the work of our dedicated public servants, not replace their professional judgment. This law will ensure that when it comes to decisions that affect people’s lives, there’s always a human professional involved.

What you told us: Our SUNY community college faculty and staff deserve a voice and a seat at the table on the board of trustees.

What NYSUT did: NYSUT pushed for a bill that would require community colleges to add a faculty or staff member to its board of trustees — and won!

What this means: Faculty and staff interact with students every day, and including their perspective on the board of trustees will improve decision–making and ultimately benefit New York’s community college students.

What you told us: Legislative victories matter, but so do the daily workplace improvements you want — safer working conditions, adequate time off to care for family, fair healthcare costs and contracts that respect your professional dignity.

What NYSUT did: We stood with local unions across the state to win concrete improvements in hundreds of contracts. We helped implement workplace violence protections and establish toileting guidelines. We secured paid family leave for thousands of educators in Elmira, North Shore and Ogdensburg. We fought alongside nurses at NYU Langone Hospital–Brooklyn to establish proper staffing ratios and file grievances that led to hiring 100 new nurses. We protected retirees from harmful healthcare cost increases and continue pushing to fix Tiers 5 and 6 because 30 years should be a career.

What this means: While we fight for big policy wins in Albany, we never forget that union power starts at the local level — in your contract, your workplace, your paycheck. Every grievance filed, every contract negotiated, every workplace protection secured makes your professional life better and stronger.

The work doesn’t stop here. We’re already focused on the next steps: getting pending bills signed into law and turning your ongoing priorities into our next legislative victories.

Upcoming priorities: We’re already listening and planning for what comes next. Here are just some of the priorities you’ve told us matter most:

• Fixing Tier 6 — because 30 years should be a career
• Expanding paid parental leave — supporting educators as working parents
• Ensuring recess and playtime — because children learn through play
• One Job Should Be Enough — ensuring livable wages for all our members
• Tackling childhood poverty — so every student can focus on learning
• A generational investment in SUNY, CUNY and community colleges
• Fighting corporate charter expansion — protecting neighborhood public schools
• Strengthening Foundation Aid — continuing to improve school funding

The work goes on: You tell us what matters, we fight for it, and together, we win. That’s how we’ve always done our best work, and it’s how we’ll keep delivering results that make a real difference in your professional and personal lives.

Stay tuned at nysut.org as we continue to fight for you, your students, your families and our public schools.