Posted:
Friday, June 27, 2025
A message from President Perry Fuchs
Good afternoon Sisters and Brothers of the Plainedge Federation of Teachers,
As we bid farewell to the 24-25 school year in Plainedge, I wanted to take a moment to extend my heartfelt congratulations on another successful year and warm wishes to each of you for a summer vacation filled with lots of friends and family! The end of the school year marks not only the beginning of a well-deserved opportunity to recharge and rejuvenate during the summer recess, but also an opportunity to reflect on all our accomplishments from the year. In addition to maintaining and protecting the rights guaranteed in our contract, it’s certainly been a very busy year in the PFT office.
As always, we begin each year by meeting our newly hired colleagues at New Teacher Institute. While there, we explain all the benefits that the PFT has won over the years through our collective bargaining efforts and ask all our new potential members to join our union. Like every year that has come before, we were ecstatic about having 100% of our newly hired teachers and teaching assistants join the PFT and contribute to VOTE-COPE as well.
As usual, we gathered once again at Jones Beach Field 5 to make a difference in the fight against Breast Cancer. Our Making Strides Walk was expertly organized by MS Psychologist Lynn Mudryk, and we were able to raise thousands of dollars in the battle against the devastating disease. During the holiday season, our union gave away countless light up toys to the community during the Tree Lighting Festival held annually at the Brain Moore Center. As the warmer weather of spring approached, we welcomed one of our favorite events of the year, our Wizards Basketball fundraiser. The crowd was dazzled as the Plainedge Pride, featuring over 20 PFT members, battled the Wizards on an evening filled with tricks, hoops, and ally oops! In addition to entertaining children of all ages, we raised over $10,000 dollars that goes to support both the PFT and Plainedge PTA college scholarship funds. The event was such a success, mainly due to the hardworking efforts of our PFT Fundraising Coordinator, HS chemistry teacher and building representative, Erin Lehane. A huge thank you for her herculean effort in organizing all the PFT’s fundraising efforts throughout the year, including the Wizards and Adventureland in the late spring.
Only a few short weeks after our Wizards event, we once again rolled out the red carpet for over 180 children we recognized in our union’s signature, We Make a Difference Award Ceremony. This year’s theme was inspired by lessons learned from characters of DreamWorks movies. The smiling faces on all those honored and the reactions from family members in attendance proved that our union continues to be a highly valued organization within the Plainedge community. The amazing accomplishment of such an event would not be possible without Erin Lehane and Elyssa Ditizio, who dedicated an unbelievable amount of time throughout the school year to make this evening a monumental success for the PFT.
In addition to the incredible number of philanthropic events we hosted and participated in this year, as most of our teaching assistant members are aware, we were able to collectively bargain the best contract our teaching assistant members have had in almost 20 years. The 5-year deal added an additional seven steps to their salary schedule, an extra sick day, increased pay for covering classes, and a 2% increase in salary for every year of the contract. Even better was that our TA members gave only a very minimal concession surrounding the time frame for bereavement leave, which aligns them with the language in the teacher’s contract. As a result of this new collective bargaining agreement, our hard-working teaching assistants will finally see their pay come in line with all the other union-represented teaching assistants around Nassau County. The amazing deal was made possible thanks to the hard-working members of the negotiating team, which consisted of Secondary VP Brian Buckley, Treasurer Joe Como, and TA Rep Kiki Anderson. A sincere thank you goes out to them for their tremendous efforts.
While things remain relatively status quo for our union from year to year, we’ve seen sweeping changes over the last few years in Plainedge regarding our BOE. This year alone, three new trustees were elected. While our union leadership is always willing to work with anyone who puts students and teachers first, please know, as always, the PFT will be closely watching the actions taken by this new BOE over the coming years and will act vigorously to protect both our contractual and legal rights.
It’s certainly been a very busy year for us all around Plainedge, as we embark on this summer recess, I encourage each of you to take this time to rest, relax, and prioritize self-care. Whether you plan to travel, spend time with loved ones, pursue personal interests, or simply enjoy moments of tranquility, remember that this break is essential for replenishing your energy, creativity, and overall love of education. On behalf of the entire PFT leadership team, I wish all our PFT members a very safe, healthy, and enjoyable summer vacation. Enjoy the rest; you’ve earned it! In solidarity.
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