UFT Executive Board Notes 5/4/26
Budget Battles, Testing Failures, and Community Victories
Meeting brought to order - Sill
Open Mic: No attendees opted to speak when prompted.
President’s Report: NA
Budget Negotiations Reach Critical Juncture
Reports shared by board leadership indicate the union is navigating a complex convergence of budget discussions that will shape the future of New York’s education system.
Everything is coming together right now in regard to three interconnected initiatives: the state budget negotiations, the Paraprofessional Respect Check initiative, and critical fixes to Tier Six pensions that are being incorporated into state budget talks. Mulgrew is actively engaged in these negotiations, underscoring the high stakes involved.
The timing is crucial. These discussions represent a rare moment when multiple union priorities align with budget cycles, creating both opportunity and urgency for UFT leadership to secure wins for members.
State Testing System Collapses: Union Files Formal Complaint
Underscoring ongoing technological failures in New York State’s education infrastructure, it’s standardized testing system crashed last week, forcing a postponement of assessments statewide.
Mary Vaccaro, Vice President of Education, reported that the system failure stemmed from a catastrophic capacity miscalculation. When 130,000 students attempted to log in simultaneously, the system—designed to handle only 13,000 students logging in per second—buckled under the load.
“The state’s story is that they’ve now corrected this and can handle 100,000 students per second,” Vaccaro explained. Her tone suggested skepticism about whether the fix would hold.
The union has filed a formal complaint with the State Education Department and raised multiple concerns about the testing debacle:
Test logging failures: Some students completed their assessments only to find their results never registered in the system
Excessive wait times: Students sat idle for three hours waiting for tests to begin, reflecting poor crisis management by school administrators
Unauthorized access: Some students were kicked out of tests they weren’t supposed to take, creating confusion and frustration
Testing resumed this week, but the union remains vigilant. Vaccaro called on members to report specific issues from their schools so the union can continue escalating concerns to state officials.
“We’re going to hear more and more of this terrible drama,” Vaccaro warned. “If you have specific issues that happened in your school, let me know so that we can continue to raise them with the state.” Mary can be emailed at mvaccaro@uft.org.
Community Wins: East New York Academy Receives $10,000 Book Grant
Charles DiBenedetto, Executive Board member, announced a significant victory for ENY Family Academy in East New York’s District 19.
The school held its first book event with support from First Book, a national nonprofit that provides books and educational resources to underserved communities. The organization awarded the school $10,000 to provide books and reading opportunities to students and families, along with free hygiene supplies.
The event was so successful that First Book committed an additional $500 grant to support a book giveaway at the school’s end-of-year carnival.
“We’re really happy for First Book and want to thank them for their help,” DiBenedetto said.
May Day Solidarity and Member Engagement
May Day Worker Solidarity Rally on May 1st: members of the Member Action Committee participated in the rally and gathered afterward at Shanker Hall for an after-party.
Vinny Corletta, Middle School Executive Board member highlighted the continued engagement of union members in labor activism.
Health Fair Brings Mental Health Resources to Bronx Students
Michael Friedman, At-Large Executive Board member, reported on a successful health fair held at Bronx Community College. Working with the union’s Member Assistance Program, Friedman coordinated with Shelly Bigelow and Rachel Blau to distribute mental health resources to students.
“She came over there with 300 items—pamphlets and all sorts of paraphernalia for the students,” Friedman said. “It really was a great showing.”
The initiative demonstrates the union’s commitment to addressing the whole student and supporting mental health awareness on campuses.
TRS Teacher Trustee Election Underway
Christina McGrath, Executive Board member, announced that three candidates have been confirmed for the upcoming teacher trustee election. The union received candidate information from the Department of Education just as the meeting was beginning. THis election is being conducted by the Department of Education in our schools.
“We are currently reviewing that, and we want to let everybody know as soon as we get that done, we will be reaching out to everybody here and all of our members with all of the information regarding how the election will be run,” McGrath said.
The union plans to distribute comprehensive election information to all members within one to two days, with registration closing the following week.
Packed Calendar Ahead: Events, Celebrations, and Advocacy
The union’s calendar is bursting with activity over the coming weeks, reflecting the breadth of UFT’s work across education, advocacy, and community building.
May highlights include:
May 6: Meet and Greet with Tom Brown in Staten Island
May 7: Middle School Awards
May 10: Family Daycare Providers Awards
May 14: Nurse Recognition Day (6-9 PM)
May 15: Academic High School Awards
May 16: Spring Conference at Hilton Midtown
May 17: AIDS Walk New York in Central Park
May 19: Brooklyn New Member Meet the President
May 22: Asian American Heritage Committee Banquet at House of Joy
The union is also celebrating multiple heritage months, including Jewish Heritage Month and Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month.
UFT Family Day
Deshauna Barker, Executive Board Member-At-Large, made an impassioned plea for board members to promote UFT Family Day and commit to bringing members.
“I like to see people happy and taking the hard life easy,” Barker said, explaining her motivation for pushing the event. “So please support UFT Family Day.”
With approximately 1,400 seats still available, the union is working to fill the event. This year’s ticket price increased to $5 per person—a donation that supports the UFT Disaster Fund, which assists members facing hardship from fires, floods, and other tragedies.
“The UFT is not making money off of it,” Barker emphasized. “This is a donation that we’re making to help members in need.”
Board members were asked to commit to signing up at least two members each for the event.
NYSUT Representative Assembly Conference Demonstrates Union Power
Rashad Brown, At-Large Executive Board member, reported on the union’s strong showing at the recent NYSUT RA conference, where UFT delegates successfully advanced all resolutions and recommendations.
“It shows the power of this union,” Brown said. “Our 250,000 members make up that 700,000 at NYSUT.”
The successful conference demonstrated the union’s influence within the broader AFT structure and the effectiveness of coordinated member advocacy.
Special Election Victory
In legislative news, the union’s endorsed candidate, Carl Wilson, won a special election for city council. The victory came after in-service and military members made calls on behalf of the candidate.
Looking Ahead: 5K, Banquet, and More
The union’s summer calendar is equally packed. The UFT 5K returns to Coney Island on Saturday, June 13, starting at 9 AM at Cyclone Stadium. What began as a serious runners’ event has evolved into a family-friendly gathering, with awards for first stroller, first retiree, first student, and first family to cross the finish line.
“It’s a nice event. It’s a family event,” said Rich Mantel, Middle School VP. “People come with their kids.”
The Asian American Heritage Committee Banquet on May 22 will honor Virginia Aang from PS42 and Leroy Barr, with a lion dance performance and remarks from previous honoree Alan Lubin about diversity in schools.
Assistant Secretary Vacancy Announced
The board announced a vacancy for the position of Assistant Secretary. Nominations will be taken at the next Executive Board meeting on May 18, 2026.
The next Executive Board meeting is scheduled for May 18, 2026.
The UFT Executive Board meets regularly to coordinate union strategy, hear reports from district representatives, and plan member engagement and advocacy initiatives. Meetings are open to all UFT members.