The Local & Retiree Council Presidents Conference kicked off this year’s Representative Assembly in Albany with a packed schedule of seminars on today’s most in-demand topics in education, including phone-free schools, civic readiness, AI and APPR.
During the opening lunch and plenary session at the Empire State Plaza Convention Center, NYSUT President Melinda Person and Guilderland High School student Anika Bhupati led a fast-paced and engaging Q&A with Catherine Price about the impact of devices and technology on our society. Price is the author of How to Break Up with Your Phone and The Power of Fun, and co-author, with Jonathan Haidt, of The Amazing Generation: Your Guide to Fun and Freedom in a Screen-Filled World.
“One of the things I've heard from students since we passed the Phone-Free Schools legislation is, ‘Well, I was against this before, but now I see your point,’” said Person. “One of the things that I take away from the books that you've written is that it's not just about protecting them from technology, it's actually giving them access to the stuff they're missing.”
During another session, “Strengthening Civic Education: Why New York? Why Now?” members learned about the importance of a comprehensive civics education and the need to prepare students to be active participants in our democracy.
In a discussion moderated by Nan Eileen Mead, co-executive director of DemocracyReady NY, panelists Mandel Holland, a teacher at Greenburgh central schools; Charles Johnson, political action chair, NAACP NYS Conference; Karissa O’Reilly, library media specialist at Carmel High School; and Cleana Brummell, an Albany High School senior and school board student representative, talked about their successful efforts to empower students with the knowledge and skills to decipher fact from fiction, think critically, and contribute meaningfully to their communities.
This year, NYSUT, in partnership with DemocracyReady NY, is calling for an increased state investment — a total of $22.5 million — to support civic learning and media literacy instruction beginning in the earliest grades and targeted toward underserved districts.
“I'm so grateful to NYSUT for making that connection between media literacy and civics education because I feel like in the library world, we're often shouting about how important those information literacy skills are, but we're not often heard,” said O’Reilly. Library media specialists, who are highly skilled at information seeking, sorting and sifting, are critical to building these core competencies in students, she said.
NYSUT also launched the Classroom to Community Civic Readiness grant program in February. The $50,000 grant program is designed to enhance K-12 civics learning experiences, including field trips, projects, and special events.
Offering hands-on learning experiences and real-world examples is vital to getting students involved and ensuring their continued civic engagement. “Civic education should begin in the classroom, but continue in the community,” said Johnson.
At the “AI in Collective Bargaining” seminar, Jonathan Rubin, deputy executive director and director of field and affiliate services, Kyle Arone of the American Federation of Teachers, and NYSUT regional staff directors Jeremy Ginsburg and Heidi Miller presented on a new and growing issue for bargaining across the state: artificial intelligence.
“The AI issues are new, but the overall issues aren’t – due process in evaluations, transparency in observations, and job security,” said Rubin.
To assist with this, NYSUT has provided locals with template or model language for bargaining, but presenters emphasized this language is a starting point, not a requirement. Presenters also told attendees that bargaining won’t always get it right the first time, but that it is essential to keep AI as a subject of bargaining and to stay on it to continue to make sure work is protected with new technologies.
In a session focused on APPR and Standards-based Teacher Evaluation and Professional Support, leaders discussed successes and challenges they faced when submitting their plans, meeting with the State Education Department, and implementing their locally bargained evaluations.
After NYSUT helped get the APPR system fixed in June of 2024, Williamsville Teachers Association President Michelle Licht said they got to work right away and implemented their plan at the beginning of the 2025-26 school year.
Licht alerted the union leaders that SED was “really adamant about our Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Education and Social-Emotional Learning. We had to re-do all of our rubrics so there was a separate line for each.”
She also provided tips to help make the transition go as smoothly as possible. “We made a website that includes all of our information so that everyone has a spot to go to when they have questions and we put an FAQ on it that we’re constantly updating.” Licht added that they created electronic score sheets using Google Sheets so that “the assistant superintendent can see when people are being evaluated and can hold the principals accountable for doing their jobs.”
In Erie County, Larry Grisanti, East Aurora Faculty Association past president, drew interest with his district’s accepted STEPS Plan that allows for a five-year evaluation cycle for tenured teachers. “Our agreement is, so far, a success,” he said. “There are bumps in the road and at the end of this year we’ll get back together and try to smooth out the process. A piece of advice for those of you who are starting to negotiate: don’t start from the portal and work your way out, because that will be impossible. Make your plan, come up with your agreements, and then, if necessary, shoehorn that into the portal.”
On Long Island, Brentwood TA President Kevin Coyne said his district submitted its plan in May 2025 and received approval this year in February. He said one obstacle they ran into with SED focused on the weighting, but “for the most part it has been smooth sailing. I’m very pleased with the support we’ve received from NYSUT especially when I felt like SED kept trying to move the goal post on us.”
All districts will need to submit a STEPS plan to SED by June 30, 2032.
NYSUT’s Higher Ed Policy Council met and discussed the state budget and other issues of concern for higher ed members, including the role of AI in higher education, intellectual property protections for faculty, and job security. Attendees also reviewed and discussed the AFT’s new national campaign for higher education, and applying its pillars — students’ right to learn; affordability and accessibility; strengthening communities; and respecting and empowering faculty, staff, and student workers — to their local campus and context. The meeting also marked the retirement of Roberta Elins after 12 years as HEPC Chair.