February
Treasurer Report 2/22
SHEA VOICE
2025-2026
Spring 2026
March-April
Volume XVII No. 3
Mark Ricupito,
Editor
Message from the President:
As we enter budget season, I want to encourage every member to stay informed and engaged as the Board of Education begins presenting its draft budget proposals over the coming weeks. The decisions made during this process will have a direct impact on our students, our classrooms, and our profession.
Rest assure that SHEA will continue to advocate for a budget that reflects the needs of our growing student population. We believe our students deserve access to the programs that make Sweet Home special, and we will strongly support maintaining the staffing necessary to meet increasing enrollment and student needs. We will also advocate for preserving the educational opportunities our students rely on, including music, art, technology, and the wide variety of electives offered at the secondary level.
While SHEA will continue to represent your interests, there is no substitute for members being informed and engaged. One of the most meaningful ways members can support this effort is by attending Board of Education meetings. A strong showing from educators demonstrates that our staff is invested in the future of our schools and committed to providing the best possible educational experience for our students. Your presence helps reinforce the importance of protecting the programs and staffing that benefit our entire school community.
In the coming weeks, SHEA's Executive Council and Representative Council will also begin discussing the upcoming Board of Education election. We will carefully consider whether endorsing a candidate for the open five-year Board seat is in the best interest of our members, our students, and the Sweet Home community. As always, if an endorsement is made, it will be based on thoughtful discussion and a commitment to strong public education.
Thank you for everything you do each day for our students. Together, we will continue advocating for the resources, staffing, and educational opportunities that make Sweet Home a district our community can be proud of.
In solidarity,
Paul Szymendera
Tips:
This is link is for most maintenance requests for the custodial staff
This link is for help desk issues with your laptop, iPad, Classroom Phones, apps, emails.
AFT/Share My Lesson Professional Development Webinar Videos. These are just some of the hundreds of videos that you can access through their website.
To download your paystubs and check on your absences.
Fixing Tier 6: Our Turn to Leave the Profession Better Than We Found It
One of NYSUT's top legislative priorities this year has been fixing Tier 6. Throughout the winter, educators from every region of New York traveled to Albany, attended local rallies, contacted legislators, and spoke out about the need for retirement reform. As this newsletter goes to print, legislation has not yet been finalized, but one thing is certain—the voices of educators have been heard.
For some members, especially those in Tier 4, it may be easy to think this isn't our fight. The reality is just the opposite.
The retirement system many veteran educators benefit from today didn't become what it is overnight. Over the years, educators before us fought to improve retirement benefits, reduce contribution requirements, and make retirement attainable after a full career of service. Those improvements happened because earlier generations of teachers stood together—not just for themselves, but for those who would follow.
Today, it's our turn.
When Tier 6 was established in 2012, it created two very different retirement systems for educators doing the exact same work. While Tier 4 members generally stop contributing to the retirement system after ten years and may retire at age 55 with full benefits, Tier 6 members contribute throughout their entire careers, face a higher retirement age, and receive larger penalties if they retire before age 63. In short, they pay more, work longer, and receive less.
Those differences don't just affect today's Tier 6 members. They affect every school district in New York.
Recruiting and retaining quality educators has become increasingly difficult. Young teachers compare careers, salaries, and retirement benefits before choosing a profession. When New York offers a significantly less attractive retirement system than previous generations received, we make it harder to convince talented individuals that education is a career worth pursuing.
Fixing Tier 6 isn't about creating special treatment. It's about restoring fairness and strengthening the teaching profession for the future.
Perhaps the most encouraging part of this movement has been who has shown up.
Across the state, Tier 4 members, retirees, and even those already collecting pensions have stood shoulder to shoulder with Tier 6 educators. They understand something fundamental about unions: the strongest generations are those willing to improve the profession for the next generation. As one retired member at the statewide rally explained, "It's not fair when two members who do the same work end up with such different pension benefits."
Every significant improvement our profession has earned—whether it's fair salaries, due process rights, health insurance, or retirement security—has happened because educators stood together.
Someday, today's Tier 6 members will become the veteran educators in our buildings. When that day comes, I hope they'll remember that the members who came before them didn't say, "I already have mine."
Instead, they stood together and made the profession stronger.
That's what unions do. That's what solidarity looks like.
Don't hesitate.
Ask us a Question!
Click on the blue link above the Q & A
Your most recent questions answered:
Q: What is the maximum number of credits I can get for Professional Development? Can I go beyond the maximum?
A: The maximum PD credits/Graduate credits over Master's Degree you can get is 60 for the $80/credit for the remainder of your career. 1 credit = 15 hours of PD.
Yes you can go beyond the maximum. Once the maximum hours have been reached (Bachelor’s + 90) (Master’s + 60), credit hours earned after January 1, 1996 will receive a one time payment of $140.00 per credit hour. Approval must be granted by the Office of Instruction and the Superintendent of Schools before the course is taken.
Q: Can I get time off for Cancer Screening?
A: Yes, you can get up to a 4 hour leave for cancer screening. Click on this Cancer Screening Form link for more information.
Q: How long are unannounced APPR observations?
A: They should only be 10 minutes in length.
Q: What is the link to the SHEA Retirement Calculator?
A: The SHEA Retirement Calculator link:
SHOW YOUR UNION COLORS!
WEAR YOUR SHEA GEAR EVERY TUESDAY!!
Congratulations SHEA Representatives 2026-2028
SHEA Elections for Association Officers and Building Representatives are conducted in even years. New two year terms will be July 1, 2026 - June 30, 2028.
For the latest NUST Updates visit: https://www.nysut.org/
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