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The Schenectady Federation of Teachers, Local 803, is a union of professionals representing more than 800 teachers, 300 paraprofessionals and numerous retired members of the Schenectady City School District. Our goal is to provide practical means for protecting and advancing the best interests of our members; to promote the welfare of the children of Schenectady and to raise the standards of the teaching profession in Schenectady.


The SFT is affiliated with NYSUT, AFT, NEA and the AFL-CIO. President of the Schenectady Federation of Teachers is Juliet Benaquisto serving from the 2006-2007 school year to present.

Our office is located at 740 Union Street, Schenectady, NY. We can be reached by calling 518.370.2808.


Hundreds attend Save our School Forum!

posted Feb 27, 2015, 6:46 AM by SFT Pipeline

Check out this clip of last night’s Education Rally to Save Our Schools. Notice all the RED SFT Shirts!

http://www.cbs6albany.com/news/features/top-story/stories/hundreds-attend-save-our-schools-rally-23524.shtml

Keep the momentum going and join us for the Rally in downtown Albany on Monday, March 2nd!

What YOU Should do to Save YOUR Job

posted Feb 25, 2015, 1:38 PM by SFT Pipeline   [ updated Feb 25, 2015, 1:39 PM ]

NEWS FROM THE CAPITAL!!!!

GOVERNOR CUOMO IS ADAMANT THAT ANY BUDGET DEAL

MUST INCLUDE A CHANGE TO 50% GROWTH SCORES FOR APPR

 

This change would be detrimental to every Schenectady Teacher!

ARE YOU READY TO TAKE ACTION NOW!?!?!?!?

 

This is the most critical moment in the history of public schools in New York.  If you are not participating you are saying you are ok with Cuomo’s deform agenda!

 

What you can do…

 

2/26 Rally at South Colonie High School

          Pre-Rally at Wolf’s 111 4:30-5:45

          111 Wolf Rd Colonie NY 12205

 

The Rally 7-9pm,

1 Raider Blvd Colonie NY 12206

          -arrive early, carpool

 

NEW RED SFT SHIRTS WILL BE AVAILABLE

AT BOTH LOCATIONS!!!

 

2/27 IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A SHIRT YET

          -Make sure you order one by noon 

          using this link

-Building Directors will be picking up shirts Friday after school at The SFT OFFICE so you will have them Monday

 

MAKE SURE YOU RESERVE YOUR SEAT ON THE BUS FOR THE CALL OUT CUOMO RALLY

-We have two busses leaving MPMS and two busses leaving SHS at 3:45 on Monday

-Returning by 7pm

-See your Building Director to reserve your seat

 

3/2 CALL OUT CUOMO RALLY

-Understand that we will need to go through a security check point at the capital so bring as little as possible.

 

-If you are not joining us on the bus get

details here…

https://www.facebook.com/events/882983441745092

 

WEAR YOUR RED SFT SHIRT

 

3/3 TAKE ACTION TUESDAY

          -Wear your red SFT Shirt

-Make sure you have texted the word NYSUT to 38470 so you can participate with NYSUT Members throughout the state.

Education Forum - Thursday, Feb 26 at 7 p.m.

posted Feb 23, 2015, 2:57 PM by SFT Pipeline

SFT Members please join us Thursday, Feb. 26, forum will begin at 7 p.m. It is entitled: “SAVE OUR SCHOOLS: Quality Opportunities for Public School Children.” The event promises to again bring students, parents, teachers, taxpayers and school leaders together to talk about what is at stake if state leaders do not reverse course and adequately fund schools.

The SFT will be meeting prior to the forum at Wolf's 111 at 4:30 p.m. We will be handing out new SFT Red Shirts to all members that attend the forum. Attached is the forum's agenda.

The forum will take place in the Mark Cornell Auditorium at Colonie Central High School, 1 Raider Blvd., Albany, NY.

| Attachments: Education-Forum-Feb26-CCHS.pdf

Check Out this Video - Repost on your Facebook and Twitter

posted Feb 22, 2015, 1:09 PM by SFT Pipeline   [ updated Feb 22, 2015, 1:10 PM ]

YouTube Video


Save the Date - March 2nd - NYSUT Event

posted Feb 15, 2015, 11:15 AM by SFT Pipeline

Details are in the works, but save the date March 2 to rally for what #AllKidsNeed at the state capital. 

Everyone who cares about public education -- pre-K through higher ed -- is welcome. Parents, students, friends and family will help us send a message to Gov. Cuomo. 

Details will be shared as they become available on the website at nysut.org/AllKidsNeed.

Blue Shield/Self-Funded Health Care Plan subscribers - Anthem data breach

posted Feb 15, 2015, 11:12 AM by SFT Pipeline

The following is an important memo to all Blue Shield/Self-Funded Health Care Plan subscribers.

 

As you may have heard, Anthem, Inc., the parent company of Empire Blue Cross and BlueShield, was recently the target of a sophisticated cyber-attack   While Anthem does not own Blue Shield of Northeastern New York and is a separate entity, the program does link healthcare providers with plans across all over the world through a single electronic network. 

 

Anthem has not provided the Schenectady City School District with any specific details including whether or not any of our employees are impacted.  Anthem has informed the school district that if any BlueShield of Northeastern New York members are impacted, the company will notify members directly.

Below is important information about the cyber-attack, the information that may have been compromised, next steps and potential scam campaigns.

 

How will I know if my information was accessed?

An investigation to determine what members are impacted is underway.  The company will notify all members were have been impacted in the coming weeks.  Credit monitoring and identity protection services will be provided free of charge. 

 

What information was compromised?

The cyber attackers gained unauthorized access to Anthem’s information technology (IT) system and obtained personal  information including:

·        Names

·        Birthdays

·        Identification and/or Social Security numbers

·        Address

·        Email addresses

·        Employment information

·        Income data. 

Anthem’s investigation indicates that there is no evidence that credit card, medical or provider information as well as diagnosis or treatment information was targeted or compromised.  The company is working closely with federal law enforcement investigators and is constantly monitoring to be sure member data and information is secure.

 

Scam email campaign

Be aware of scam email campaigns designed to capture personal information (known as “phishing”).  These are designed to appear as if they are from Anthem and the emails include a “click here” link for credit monitoring.  These emails are NOT from Anthem.

·        Do not click on any links in email.

·        Do not reply to the email or reach out to the senders in any way.

·        Do not open any attachments that arrive in the email.

Contact Information

If you have questions or need additional information, please call 877-263-7995.  The company has also dedicated a website where members can access information including frequent questions and answers: www.AnthemFacts.com.

Join us February 26th at South Colonie HS

posted Feb 10, 2015, 10:13 AM by SFT Pipeline   [ updated Feb 12, 2015, 1:15 PM ]




Attached are the updated PPT and PDF files including the Rally information.

| Attachments: SFT Response to Cuomo rally info.pdf SFT Response to Cuomo rally info.ppt

SFT Response to Cuomo

posted Feb 5, 2015, 5:59 AM by SFT Pipeline   [ updated Feb 6, 2015, 9:12 AM ]

On February 4th, SFT met to discuss their response to Governor Cuomo's recent remarks regarding teacher evaluations. Attached is the presentation that will be shared with all members in building level meetings.

| Attachments: SFT Response to Cuomo.pdf SFT Response to Cuomo.ppt

Let Your Voice Be Heard - What Do Our Schools, Students and Communities Need for Public Education in NYS

posted Jan 21, 2015, 6:08 PM by SFT Pipeline   [ updated Jan 21, 2015, 6:10 PM ]

Today, Governor Cuomo presented his budget during his State of the State address. It is no secret that we are under attack by the governor. For us to win the public must hear the voices of teachers. And when I say the voices of teachers, I am contrasting that with the voice of the union. Governor Cuomo and the public need to hear from typical members - everyday classroom teachers, SRPs, retirees, and educators in higher education. In short, they need to hear from you.

That is why I am asking that all of us get out on social media between now and April 1st, the budget deadline, to call out Cuomo and tell him what our schools, students, and communities really need for public education in New York.

Get Ready!

  • Sign up for the NYSUT MAC. You can sign up online for email updates at:https://mac.nysut.org or you can download the NYSUT MAC App for your iPhone or for your Android phone.
  • Get text blasts. You can get our NYSUT Member Action Center text alerts sent right to your phone by texting the word NYSUT to the number 38470.
  • Like us on Facebook at the NYSUT Action Center.www.facebook.com/NYSUTActionCenter
  • Join Twitter. Looking for messages to retweet? Follow @NYSUT on Twittertwitter.com/NYSUT
  • Help create a social media army by helping other members sign up on social media.

Take Action!

  • Join the debate. As you are getting out of school on Wednesday, Facebook and Twitter will be lighting up with comments about Cuomo's teacher-bashing proposals. Join that conversation on Wednesday!
  • #InviteCuomo . Governor Cuomo has rarely stepped foot in a New York State public school so we want to invite him to attend the NYSUT-sponsored Community Forums on Public Education. Let's invite him into the community to hear from teachers, parents, students, administrators and community members about what we need for public education. Tweet out an invite directly at him and be sure to include the hashtag: #InviteCuomo if you want your tweet to be seen and heard.
  • #AllKidsNeed - Highlight the inequities and lack of resources hurting New York State public schools by using the hashtag #AllKidsNeed. Tell the governor and the public what your students need - more science labs, music and art classes, school libraries, smaller class sizes and more. Many of your colleagues around the state have already begun tweeting using this hashtag. Retweet their tweets and write your own!

Important ground rules for personal social media:

  • Don't post photos of your students.
  • Don't communicate with currently enrolled students.
  • Engage before and after the school day and during your lunch hour — not during your work day.
  • Review your district's guidance for using personal social media.

I know that together we can succeed when we all stand together as ONE union.

In Solidarity,

Andy Pallotta

Education Celebration - Thursday, January 29th

posted Jan 7, 2015, 8:04 AM by SFT Pipeline


The Schenectady City School District Educational Foundation, Inc. 

Invites you to attend the 

9th Annual EDUCATION CELEBRATION 

Thursday, January 29, 2015 

6:00 – 8:30 PM 

The GE Theater Proctors 

Complete information available in the attached PDF

| Attachments: Education Celebration Invite.pdf

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