Union wins APPR reprieve

Gov. Kathy Hochul Friday signed a bill suspending, for an additional year, the Annual Professional Performance Review process. Advanced through grassroots advocacy from NYSUT members and lobbying by union legislative staff, the bill recently passed both the state Senate and the Assembly.

“As we come to the end of another school year that has been anything but normal, we welcome the governor’s decision to suspend the APPR process for another year,” said NYSUT President Andy Pallotta. “We will continue working with the legislature and the governor to address the APPR

Change Your Profile Picture    We are asking all Nassau COBA members both active and retired to please change their Social Media profile pictures to the Vote No graphic that we have provided. Encourage your friends and family and our many allies in the community to do so as well. Click here to download the image.

A Constitutional Convention is bad for all New Yorkers A Message from President Brian Sullivan This year, voters across New York State will be asked to vote on whether or not we should hold a constitutional convention. Every 20 years, voters are given the ability to vote for or against holding a convention.  As you will see in the video below, holding a constitutional convention is not only a waste of money, but would put many of the protections that our state holds dear in danger.  Environmental regulations, a free public education for all, pensions, collective bargaining rights, and even the

As part of NYSUT's effort to help ensure our public schools are a safe haven for students and employees, the union is calling attention to a new tool in the war against bullying. 

With another school year underway, educators might want to consider asking their students to take The Upstander Pledge - a pledge in which they commit to taking a personal stand to intervene or report bullying and other acts of cruelty whenever and wherever they are witnessed.

The Upstander Pledge is part of the Day #1 Campaign, a project of The Tyler Clementi Foundation which works

About this resource

As you know, New York requires public school teachers and teaching assistants to be certified by the State Education Department. 

In 2004, the State Education Department (SED) implemented new certification requirements for teachers and teaching assistants. This brochure describes the certification process and general certification requirements for both groups of educators. 

Teachers

Prior to Feb. 2, 2004, individuals would receive a provisional certificate as their first credential upon satisfactory completion of all teacher preparation requirements. The provisional

Everybody's on the radar in my world," said John Kelly, community educator of the Saratoga office of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. 

Saying prevention and education can stop one more "missing person" poster from going up, Kelly has hosted 200 free school programs about essential safety precautions in 11 counties since the office opened in July 2011. NCMEC also has offices in Rochester, Utica and Buffalo.

In New York state, 22,000 children are reported missing each year, including those abducted by family members or strangers, and those who run away from home. Many become