hen NYSUT fights, we win. Nowhere was this more apparent than the Aug. 23 round of primary elections. Several NYSUT-endorsed candidates won pivotal, hard-fought races.

From the nail-biter between Marc Molinaro and Pat Ryan in the 19th Congressional District special election, to the re-election win by State Sen. Robert Jackson in the 31st Senate District, NYSUT members helped put the muscle behind the statewide union’s message. Members volunteered countless hours to support union-endorsed candidates through phone banking and other election activities, and showed up making their voices heard at the polls.

“From Albany to Washington, we need representatives who will help us support public schools as the center of every community,” NYSUT President Andy Pallotta said. “These candidates are partners who will put public school students, families and educators first.

“We stand with them in fighting to secure the resources necessary to provide a high-quality, 21st century education and to enact the policies that help our students thrive academically, socially and emotionally.”

or Mary Ann Calzada, there’s no better way to demonstrate the value of New York’s network of special education programs than an image of her two daughters in college T-shirts.

“When you have special needs children, the assumption is that these kids aren’t going to go anywhere in life,” said Calzada, a middle school Spanish teacher and North Syracuse Education Association member. “Well, my girls are living proof that with the right kind of support, the results can be amazing.”

Calzada and her daughters were among the first to answer NYSUT’s call for videos showing how important it is for the state to support Special Act, 853 and 4201 Schools as well as 4410 programs.

The girls, both of whom attended a state-funded special education preschool in North Syracuse, are proudly decked out in their college apparel and say “Thanks Main Street School!”

Calzada has a hard time imagining what her daughters’ lives would be like if the special education preschool hadn’t been there. “In addition to providing highly specialized academic help, occupational therapy and adaptive physical education, the staff was a huge support system for my husband and me, too,” Calzada said. “They were our advocates and showed us the way to advocate for our girls for the bumpy road ahead.”

hen the Fed Loan email came in the middle of the night this summer, social studies teacher Jeff Krautheimer was afraid to open it.

After so many years of frustration and disappointment, he waited until morning to open the email. But this time, the news was incredible: His student loan balance totaling tens of thousands of dollars was gone. Zero.

“I couldn’t believe it,” said Krautheimer, a Long Island teacher for more than 20 years. “It was surreal. I showed it to my wife and double-checked my online account.”

For Krautheimer, whose son is starting college at SUNY Binghamton this fall, the timing couldn’t be better. He’s hoping his wife, a New York City teacher, will be getting the same relief soon.

Krautheimer is one of thousands who have successfully applied for Public Service Loan Forgiveness under a temporary waiver available through Oct. 31. The limited waiver enables educators to count old payments, late payments and payments made through a range of federal loan repayment plans.

ith districts across the state facing historic staffing shortfalls, local unions recently scored substantial wins for School-Related Professionals, resulting in raises, longevity bonuses and increased stipends. The new contracts are the result of intense negotiations, or renegotiations, between local unions — with support from their NYSUT labor relations specialists — and the districts.

“These contract wins for our locals prove that we will continue to fight for our SRP siblings to get them better working conditions and more respect from districts,” said NYSUT Second Vice President Ron Gross, whose office oversees SRP issues. “These agreements represent a significant step forward in appreciating the hard work and dedication of these education professionals.”

The Berne-Knox-Westerlo Teacher Support Staff, led by co-presidents Brenda Dibble and Diane Chrysler, negotiated a contract extension a year before their contract was up. The contract includes raises of 4.5 percent each year from 2023–24 to 2026–27, with one dollar per hour raises in 2024–25 and 2026–27 as well. By the end of the contract, minimum salaries for aides will be $19.13 an hour and will be $21.26 per hour for teaching assistants. The negotiated contract also includes increased longevity payments.

scholarship fund created in the aftermath of a horrific, racially motivated attack at a Buffalo-area supermarket has raised more than $42,000 — but more support is needed.

The attack left local residents feeling unsafe and insecure within their own community. Ten people were killed and three were wounded. Among those killed were union members Margus Morrison, Pearl Young and Aaron Salter Jr.

earn about the impact implicit bias can have on classroom dynamics by taking “Sticks & Stones: Understanding Implicit Bias, Microaggressions & Stereotypes,” a series of workshops presented by NYSUT as part of its Many Threads, One Fabric series.

The free, four-hour workshop teaches participants to look at the world from a different perspective — one that takes in consideration how someone’s socio-economic background, ethnicity, ability and race can impact how they experience our society.

“The goal is to bridge cultural divides and make our schools and communities more welcoming and inclusive places for people of all abilities and backgrounds by promoting social unity and increasing cultural awareness,” explained J. Philippe Abraham, NYSUT secretary-treasurer, whose office oversees the statewide union’s social justice initiatives.

I am a teaching assistant working in the Life Skills program with students of various abilities and disabilities. I run circles where we sit and share feelings about topics of interest or just about their day. We do physical activities such as cardio drumming, gardening, nature walks and lots of art projects. Our class cooks and goes on interesting field trips. We also go out into our community and shop or recycle.

What brings me joy is giving the gift of learning to my students. I love sharing with them something they were questioning or didn’t know at all. Their reactions and interest to the new information is affirmation that I am doing what I was meant to do in my life.

Why is union involvement important to you?

I became involved in my union to help members and to spread the benefits and the importance of being an active participant.

I am currently the corresponding secretary for the Rondout Valley Federation. I have had the honor of attending state and local union conferences for SRPs, including a recent conference that focused on negotiating. How timely and beneficial that was for me, as I was a member of the negotiating team for our para contract.  I was empowered by the knowledge that I received from NYSUT to positively impact the new contract.

I have also been privileged to help with union activities such as our food drive, highway clean up, SRP Recognition Day and more.

on’t miss NYSUT’s largest leadership, professional development and networking opportunity for School-Related Professionals!

The 44th annual SRP Leadership Conference, under the theme “SRPs Rising: Investing in our Future,” will be held Nov. 4–6 at the Albany Hilton.

This year’s conference features workshops especially for food service, custodial and maintenance, and clerical professionals. The event will also include several new health and safety offerings.

NYSUT Second Vice President Ron Gross, whose office coordinates SRP concerns, encouraged local leaders to send a full team to the conference.

group of educators at the Herricks Public School District in Nassau County on Long Island are breaking new ground — they’re teaching in New York state’s only fully immersive K-12 Spanish language program. The program graduated its first class of K-12 immersion students in June.

It’s the equivalent of “dropping students off in a Spanish-speaking country,” explained Llilian Vera, Herricks Teachers Association. She teaches third-grade Spanish-language math and science classes at the Denton Avenue Elementary School, which houses Herricks’ K-5 immersion program.

Launched as a voluntary option for first-grade students at the start of the 2010 school year, Herricks’ immersion program now starts in kindergarten and offers 48 student slots. Currently 524 of the district’s roughly 4,000 students participate.

rom bus drivers to school nurses to teachers, districts statewide were scrambling to fill a variety of staff vacancies before the opening of the school year.

A number of districts were offering signing bonuses, incentives for hard-to-fill subject areas and even negotiating jobsharing for retirees.

Local union leaders reported the shortages seem to be most acute in big city, rural and high-need districts. In addition to a lack of certified teachers, districts reported difficulty hiring teaching assistants, teacher aides, maintenance workers and bus drivers.

With hundreds of positions still unfilled in mid-August, Rochester TA President Adam Urbanski warned there is a good chance students will be in combined classes at least a portion of the school year.

hey traveled to Poland to teach English. They brought back a lesson on hope.

Four NYSUT members joined a delegation of 15 educators from across the nation in July for a two-week summer camp to work with students from Poland and war-torn Ukraine. The trip — organized by the American Federation of Teachers and partner organizations — was designed for English language immersion for 12-to-15-year-olds affected by the disruptions of war.

Beyond language lessons, the aim for Yonkers Federation of Teachers members Colette Hebert and Shai Stephenson; Syracuse Teachers Association member Jean-Pierre Rosas; and Alexandra Hernandez of the United Federation of Teachers was to provide some semblance of normalcy for the students.

Curiously, I had never set out to be one.

I began teaching entirely by accident in 1999. The Jesuits offered me the opportunity to travel overseas, see a bit of the world, and generally bide my time until I could figure out what I wanted to do when I grew up. In return, I was to teach science and math on a small island in the Pacific. During that year I experienced an entirely different world. I was immersed in cultures unlike my own and languages I’d never heard. I was called “Teacher” as an honorific that felt alien, and struggled to earn the title. While I knew that experience would shape me, I never expected it to define me.

chool-Related Professionals in the Southern Tier are heading back to cafeterias this fall with a fresh take on cooking. Over the summer, they attended “Farm-to-School Culinary Experience,” a four-day training for food service staff focused on using farm-fresh ingredients.

“We are incorporating more New York state products throughout our district menus,” said Annie Hudock, Broome BOCES Support Services Association. She serves as senior food services director for Broome-Tioga BOCES.

Broome-Tioga BOCES partnered with Cornell Cooperative Extension and the Food and Health Network to host the event. Food service managers, cooks and helpers rotated through multiple units that covered knife skills, cooking techniques and how to use industrial-grade equipment to make short work of shredding, slicing and dicing.

The Farm-to-School program originated with a desire to serve healthier meals at schools. Initially, just five districts statewide participated. Those districts committed to using only local ingredients on “NY Thursdays.” Today, 15 districts are on board.

he best educators are also lifelong learners. Many educators hit the books this summer with help from NYSUT’s Education & Learning Trust, the union’s professional development and learning arm.

“ELT’s courses combine top-shelf knowledge with maximum flexibility so that all educators can get the training they need to succeed in today’s demanding school environment,” said NYSUT Executive Vice President Jolene DiBrango.

These courses give educators new ideas and tools so they can continue to make a real difference for their students. By incorporating the latest teaching and learning standards, the courses also prepare educators for Continuing Teacher and Leader Education and certification requirements.

This summer, the ELT calendar was packed with courses designed to address some of educators’ biggest concerns, like how to effectively manage classrooms and how to integrate technology. The most popular courses also provided answers to some of teachers’ most pressing questions about equity, parent engagement and discipline.

ore than 410,000 New Yorkers are living with Alzheimer’s Disease — and almost two-thirds are women.

The disease affects women disproportionately in other ways, too. The responsibilities of caring for someone with Alzheimer’s most often falls on women, and that takes a toll mentally, physically — and financially.

The NYSUT Women’s Committee will address Alzheimer’s and its disastrous impact on women at its annual meeting, Nov. 18–19.

“Since the inception of the Women’s Committee, the women of our union have always prioritized women’s health as a key issue they wanted to explore and be informed about, so they can advocate for themselves and other women in their lives,” said NYSUT Executive Vice President Jolene DiBrango. “We know Alzheimer’s is hitting women hard, both as patients and as caregivers. We want to empower women and give them better tools for dealing with this devastating diagnosis.”

egistration is now open for the 43rd annual NYSUT Community College Conference. This year’s event, “Overcoming Challenges through Solidarity,” will be held Nov. 4-6 at the Gideon Putnam Hotel in Saratoga Springs.

Irene Mulvey, president of the American Association of University Professors, will deliver the keynote address. Delegates to the association’s June 2022 meeting voted overwhelmingly to affiliate with the American Federation of Teachers.

The NYSUT conference features a host of informative and timely sessions. Workshop topics include:

• Health and safety: The union seat at the table
• Challenges facing community colleges in New York

YSUT has a network of 11 retiree services consultants to serve as liaisons between retired members, retiree councils and NYSUT headquarters. In honor of the 30th anniversary of NYSUT retiree councils, we’re highlighting each regional consultant so retiree members know who to reach out to for assistance. Meet Ellen Pincus, Claire Zatorski, James Kinnier and Miriam Hanan, the retiree consultants representing the lower Hudson Valley, Long Island and Florida.

5 Questions for Megan Wright

You were recognized by the NYS Board of Regents for your teaching on the Holocaust. What peaked your interest in this topic?

My interest was sparked as a young child … with both of my late grandfathers being World War II veterans, as well as having ancestors from Prussia and Germany. When I saw “Literature of the Holocaust” as an undergrad English elective at SUNY Brockport, I just had to take it. During that course, I met six Holocaust survivors and essentially made the vow to continue to learn as much about this topic as I can.

How were you able to translate your interests into popular courses at your school?

When I started teaching at Alexander, I created an elective based on the course I took at Brockport. I now teach two high school English electives that center on the Holocaust and other human rights violations: “WWII/Holocaust Literature” and “Post WWII Literature” (which starts at the Nuremberg Trials and continues to current events). We cover the history to ensure that students have a solid foundation, with readings and examination of artifacts. Students dive deeper into topics of interest with project-based learning. The most popular activities tend to be student presentations, activities generated by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and survivor testimonies.

YSUT Member Benefits provides an update in this publication each September about its role within the NYSUT organization, its endorsement process and the many endorsed benefits available to NYSUT members.

NYSUT created a separately funded trust in 1983 (Member Benefits Trust) to leverage the unified buying power of its members and offer competitive benefit programs to members. Subsequently, the Member Benefits Corporation and Catastrophe Major Medical Insurance Trust were created in 2008 and 2015, respectively, to add to the breadth of offerings.

Each of these entities is overseen by a board of appointed trustees/directors who help to ensure these endorsed benefit plans continue to meet the needs of NYSUT members. The Member Benefits department is under the leadership of NYSUT Secretary-Treasurer J. Philippe Abraham, chairperson of the NYSUT Member Benefits Trust, and is directed by Ginger LaChapelle.

f you are a Tier 3 or 4 New York State and Local Employees’ Retirement System (ERS) member, now is the time to plan for retirement. Understanding your service credit milestones and retirement benefit calculation will help you make important retirement-related decisions.

You are a Tier 3 or 4 member if you joined ERS from July 27, 1976, through Dec. 31, 2009. For most Tier 3 and 4 members, your retirement benefits are based on Article 15 of the Retirement and Social Security Law.

For these members:

• You can retire with full benefits at age 62.
• You are eligible to retire once you are age 55 and have at least five years of service credit, but your benefits may be reduced.
• If you have 30 or more years of service credit, you can retire as early as age 55 and before age 62 with no benefit reduction.
• If you retire with fewer than 20 years of service credit, your benefit equals 1.66 percent of your final average earnings (FAE) for each year of service.