ong-awaited Annual Professional Performance Review reforms went into effect in March, and districts can begin to negotiate new performance review plans immediately. That means in the near future, punitive APPR plans will be a thing of the past.

“We’re excited to be able to create our own plan, instead of having it be the state-mandated plan,” said John Hines, president of the Cornwall Central Teachers Association. “We’re looking to make it a meaningful process for both teachers and the administrators who are evaluating us.”

Hines began conversations with Cornwall administration about adopting a new review system right after the new evaluation system was signed into law in June 2024 but wanted to wait for additional guidance from the State Education Department before beginning discussions in earnest.

2025 NYSUT LAP: Teaching the power of teamwork

f there’s one thing NYSUT members have proven time and again, it’s that when we work together, we win. Sixteen locals from around the state learned how to do that more effectively this summer at NYSUT’s Local Action Project.

“Being a president, there’s a lot of pressure on you. You’ve got a lot of things on the table … and a lot of responsibilities,” said Fillmore Faculty Association President Jennifer Austin. “I’ve only been president for two years, but I’ve learned it takes a team to run a good union, to make it functional, to make it successful.”

Austin and the Fillmore FA are in their second year of LAP. She says the summer training is helping her to build a solid group of driven leaders beyond her executive team.

“At presidents’ meetings when I hear other presidents ask … ‘How do I motivate my people? How do I get member engagement?’ I say, go to LAP! It is a gamechanger.”

For the past 13 years, I’ve served as an account clerk typist at the Kenmore Staff Development Center. I’m lucky to be surrounded by amazing co-workers who have become some of my closest, lifelong friends. The sense of support, collaboration and community we share makes coming to work something I genuinely enjoy.

I first got involved with the union by staying informed — attending meetings and regularly using the KTSEA app, which is such a valuable resource. Over time, I found myself wanting to give back so I began volunteering whenever I could. One of the most rewarding experiences was personally delivering retirement gifts to 25 of our retirees — it was a small gesture, but one that meant a lot. I help coordinate T-shirt fundraisers and create breast cancer awareness buttons. Being involved has really deepened my appreciation for the work our union does and the sense of community it builds among members.

I make a difference by being a dedicated, hard-working person who truly cares about supporting others. At the Staff Development Center, our mission is to help staff grow both personally and professionally — and I take pride in being part of that.

Leslie Fottrell

Working together to develop skills and create plans for a peer mentoring program in their district the RHEA team includes (from left) Jessica Mattice, Katy Smith, NYSUT LRS Jon Hickey, and Colleen Brennan.

aty Smith heard about the NYSUT SRP Peer Mentoring Program at a statewide School-Related Professionals Leadership Conference a few years ago. “I was a new local president looking for help getting acclimated,” said Smith, who leads the Rush-Henrietta Employees Association, Paraprofessionals Chapter in Rochester. Smith’s local was accepted in the 2024 cohort.

The NYSUT SRP Mentor Program is designed to help SRP leadership teams develop the skills, identify the resources, and create plans to build peer-to-peer mentor programs in their school districts.

“The program walks you through the steps of creating a mentoring pilot for your local,” said Smith.

The NYSUT program, a hybrid learning opportunity, consists of an online asynchronous portion to be completed in November and December, and in-person training Jan. 30–Feb. 1 in Albany.

ydney Jennison, a physical education teacher at Appleby Elementary School and member of the Marathon Teachers Association, had long wanted to teach her students to ride bikes — all she needed was bikes.

Ever resourceful, Jennison started scouring yard sales for kids’ bikes, but it was slow going. Then, suddenly, a check mysteriously showed up at the school.

“My principal came to me and was like, ‘Did you apply for a grant or something? A check just appeared in my office, and it says it’s for bikes and it has your name on it.’” Jennison was stunned by the donation and even more surprised to discover that the mysterious benefactor was Shirley Cahill, a retired physical education professor at her alma mater, SUNY Cortland.

Provided

Patricia Duggan (right) and members of the Mount Vernon FT retiree chapter team at the Making Strides Westchester walk.

his October, thousands of people are taking to the streets to fight against breast cancer, and NYSUT will be walking with them. Each year, NYSUT members walk in solidarity with breast cancer survivors and their loved ones during the American Cancer Society’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer events, which take place across the state.

Patricia Duggan, a retired member of the Mount Vernon Federation of Teachers, has been in remission from breast cancer for nine years. “It happened to me about three years before I retired,” Duggan said. “Thank God, they caught it. It was very small, but there was already one lymph node involved.”

Duggan has been a leader for the Mount Vernon FT retiree chapter team since 2016. “I worry about my daughters. That’s why I walk.” Duggan also walks in memory of her mother, Sheila Phelan, who passed away in 2004 following a battle with breast cancer.

chool districts have a responsibility to protect their employees from violence. That is the message local leaders have been trying to get across since NYSUT got the Workplace Violence Prevention Act expanded to include public schools in 2023. The law requires that all districts perform a risk assessment of their employees’ working conditions, collect data on all violent incidents, and develop effective mitigation measures to prevent future incidents.

“We have a duty to protect our members,” said Joseph Byrne. “People need to feel safe at work.”

Byrne is the president of the Medina Teachers Association and presented on workplace violence prevention at the pre-RA Local and Retiree Council Presidents Conference in May.

YSUT’s second annual Retiree Recognition Day will be celebrated Oct. 20; are you ready?

Several local unions kicked off the inaugural year with events honoring their retirees. We can’t wait to see what’s in store for this year.

We want to hear from you! Share your celebration photos and plans with us. For more information, visit nysut.cc/rrd2025.

5 Questions for Jessie Kalloo

I graduated from Thomas Edison CTE High School in 2009 and then started the Success Via Apprenticeship program. I started officially teaching IT security and networking here in 2015.

I sat in the same seats that the students are sitting in now, walked the same hallways. Being on the student side and then being able to come back and strengthen what you were a part of really means a lot to me.

As part of my training, I spent five years rotating between classroom placements and industry work, including serving as an IT analyst for Queens Hospital and as an IT director at a Manhattan computer services company.

The SVA program showed me that great teachers don’t just teach skills, they change lives. As a product of CTE, I have been privileged to mentor new apprentices while shaping classrooms filled with future innovators. My teachers and mentors’ inspiration lives on in my work as I continue to educate and uplift hundreds of young people every year.

atalie McKay, president of the Schoharie Teachers Association, has been appointed to fill an unexpired term on the state Teachers’ Retirement System Board of Trustees. The vacancy was created by the retirement of Juliet Benaquisto. McKay will run for a three-year term at the delegates’ annual meeting in November.

A sixth-grade ELA teacher, McKay has served for 10 years as a TRS delegate for the Schoharie district. “My experience as an educator has shown me firsthand the vital importance of a secure and well-managed retirement system,” McKay said. “I am fully committed to NYSUT’s retirement education program and am eager to work to ensure the continued strength and stability of TRS.”

YSUT Member Benefits provides an annual update each fall about the department’s operation, our endorsement process and an overview of the many endorsed benefits available to NYSUT members.

Member Benefits comprises three entities: the Member Benefits Trust (initially formed in 1983), the Member Benefits Corporation (2008) and the Catastrophe Major Medical Insurance Trust (2015). These were created to offer quality benefits and (in later years) increase the availability of programs to members.

Each entity is overseen by a board of appointed trustees or directors tasked with ensuring the health and vitality of all endorsed benefits. Member Benefits is led by NYSUT Secretary-Treasurer J. Philippe Abraham, chairperson of the Member Benefits Trust, and Peggy Jacobsen, director.

etirement is a big step, and we want to make sure members of the New York State and Local Retirement System are ready when the time comes. Below you’ll find tips on preparing for retirement. For in-depth information, visit our Preparing and Applying for Retirement webpage (bit.ly/prepare-and-apply-to-retire).

Understand your NYSLRS pension

Your NYSLRS pension will be based on your tier, service credit, final average earnings, age and retirement plan. Familiarize yourself with your membership milestones (bit.ly/ERS-membership-milestones) and find your retirement plan publication (bit.ly/plan-publication) for information about your retirement benefits and how your pension will be calculated.

Get credit for all your public service

Service credit is one of the major factors in calculating your pension benefit, so it’s important to make sure you get credit for all your public service (bit.ly/Service-Credit-Tiers-2-through-6). You should submit your request for additional service or to reinstate service as early in your career as possible.

Your benefit calculation includes factors such as your tier, age, years of service and final average salary. The state Teachers’ Retirement System has a fiduciary duty to make sure everything is accurate, which is why finalizing your benefit can take nine–12 months (sometimes longer for more complex cases).

Your initial monthly benefit payment is based on information on file and fully processed by NYSTRS at the time of retirement and typically represents 95 percent or more of your final benefit.