NYSUT United January/February edition
The BTA is featured twice in the January/February edition of NYSUT United, a magazine that gets delivered via mail from NYSUT to your home on a bi-monthly basis. A picture of our members recognizing SRPS is in the SRP Day article (see above), as well as a separate article about the NYSUT visit to our legislative event in late October, which features a quote from our President, Mairead Schuelein (on the left). You can find the digital version here
Certified Staff Benefits Additions
As mentioned at the January Rep Council meeting, the Benefits Trust Trustees met in January and have decided to add additional benefits for all Certified Staff. It is anticipated that the new benefits will start March 1st, 2026. A brief presentation of the new benefits will be presented at the conclusion of the February 25th Rep Council meeting. Please consider joining that Zoom to hear about the new benefits and ask questions. More print information will be forthcoming. Additional benefits will include:
- Increase in coverage of orthodontics for kids
- Yearly vision exam with glasses or contact coverage
- Addition of the Stacey Braun financial counseling
- Monetary reimbursement by the Trust for up to $400 of specific items/services that relate to health and wellness as determined by the Trustees
BTA Website Update
The BTA website has undergone a major transfiguration. Special thank you to Karen Canino for all the work she did. We believe the new website is easier to navigate, with this BTA bulletin posted as the landing page each month. Use the tabs on top to find your Reps, contracts, benefits and learn more about unions. The link to our website is here
LAP Mid year Drawing
The BTA has been tracking attendance at all of our events/meetings this year as part of one of our LAP campaigns. Congratulations to the following winners of the mid year drawing:
Jane Shields
Kevin Doherty
Patrice Cookes
Derrick Green
Mike Piccolo
Mike Novick
Pierre Fils
Tarik Curry
Tiffany Kitrell
Michele Hamilton
Tyree Morris
Armeata Williams-Diaz
Congratulations David Biviano!
Congratulations to BTA member David Biviano for being featured in LoHud last month in an article highlighting our barbering program. You can find the article here
Know Your Contract campaign
As one of our LAP initiatives, we are running a Know Your Contract campaign. Congratulations to the following winners this month – ask them how they won their prize!
Karen Canino, RLC/Irvington
Darlene Brice, CTE
Demetria Thomas, St. Matt’s
Sabrina Ereditario, Irvington
Jane Shields, Irvington/St. Matt’s
Tiziana DeMasi, RLC
Cristina Piccolo, RLC
Know Your Rights
Thank you to all of you who completed the Know Your Rights survey that was sent throughout August and September. Each month I will highlight a different question that was on the survey, how our members responded and the State Education law that explains the answer to the survey.
Question #4: Under New York State Education Law and Commissioner’s Regulations, a probationary teacher has the right to a hearing or appeal before dismissal. 61.5% of members answered it was true. The correct answer is false.
As per NYS Ed Law 3031, the Board of Education does not need to provide a probationary teacher with a hearing or appeal before dismissal. They must provide them with at least 30 days notice prior to the board meeting at which the recommendation for termination will be presented, with
Fix Tier 6 Rally on March 8th, 2026
Did you know that 49.9% of NYSUT members are now Tier 5 or Tier 6? Less than 500 tickets are left so get yours now. Come support thousands of other union members in the rally to Fix Tier 6!
New Member Benefit from NYSUT
NYSUT Member Benefits now has a new hearing care program provided by TruHearing® that can save NYSUT members thousands on out-of-pocket costs. TruHearing offers hearing devices as low as $499 with a network of over 8,850 providers nationwide. Schedule an appointment with an approved TruHearing provider today by calling toll-free 833-723-5727.
Summer Teacher Ambassador Program
The Summer Teacher Ambassador Program is a paid summer intensive training program that prepares teachers, certified work-based learning (WBL) coordinators, school counselors and school librarians to develop, implement, and deliver career-readiness strategies for students in grades six through twelve across New York State. The New York State Department of Labor (DOL) is seeking candidates for Project Coordinators who will take part in a four-week Career Development Ambassador Program over the summer from July 6, 2026 through July 31, 2026, while working with Employment Services Staff from the DOL. The purpose of the program is to assist students in exploring potential career pathways.
Selected candidates will:
Do a deep dive into their regional labor markets and learn about what resources and employment opportunities exist.
Engage with local business leaders to gain an understanding of business and community needs whole learning about hiring trends, upskilling, job retention and industry forecasting.
Engage in lesson planning to document learning and take back new critical knowledge to their school district. Training will conclude with debriefing sessions and a lesson demonstration.
Positions are available in the White Plains, Yonkers and Nyack offices. If you are interested, please apply here
Welcome New Members!
Jaime Larmon, CTE
Elizabeth Naughton, Transfiguration
Aisha Williams, Transfiguration
Damon Gaynair, RLC
Shaliiq Frederick, RLC
Jennifer Sanjurjo, itinerant TVI
Save the Date
NYSUT Tarrytown Office is holding free virtual and online seminars for Spring 2026 in conjunction with the ELT. These are free CTLE hours for NYSUT members. You must first register through ELT here. Then use this link to register for the seminars.
Reminders
Next Rep Council meeting: The next Rep Council meeting will be held on Wednesday, February 25th at 4pm via Zoom. Zoom link to follow.
BTA text list: If you wish to receive texts from the BTA, please fill out this form. The BTA does not give out your cell phone number to outside parties. We use it to send reminders about meetings and upcoming events.
If you receive an email from your supervisor saying you can bring a union rep to a scheduled meeting, reach out to one of the Reps or Exec Board members listed at the bottom of this bulletin ASAP.
Executive Board and Reps
Mairead Schuelein, President
Jason Poniatowski, Executive Vice President
Stacey DiPaola, Treasurer
Derrick Green, 1st Vice President of Aides
Keith Mattos, 2nd Vice President of ALC
Mike Piccolo, Grievance Chair
Rosalie Consani, Corresponding Secretary
Liz Lopez, Recording Secretary
Julie Crosier, Teacher Rep
Theresa Saive, Teacher Rep
Pierre Fils, CTE Rep
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram
BOCES Teachers Association 