BY PATRYCJA ZBRZEZNY

In the weeks after the terror attacks of 9/11, searchers combing through the rubble found a glimmer of hope and resilience: A badly burned tree, with roots that had snapped, but that had nonetheless survived. The workers saved it and turned it over to the NYC Parks Department, where specialists began to nurse it back to health. Later, Bartlett Tree Experts took over, and ulti-mately gave this Callery pear, an orna-mental tree that can grow up to 30 feet tall, to the 9/11 Memorial and Museum.

Bartlett Tree Experts had also used

a variety of propagation techniques to raise nearly 500 seedlings from the tree, and once they became established, Bartlett sought a home in which the seedlings could grow to a size where they could be distributed. Officials decided that John Bowne High School, the only NYC high school with an agri-cultural education department, was the perfect place to tend to the trees.

I am fortunate to be an AP at John Bowne, and plant science is an integral part of our agricultural program’s cur-riculum. We teach our “Aggies” floricul-ture, horticulture, soil science, landscap-

Oct. 2021Volume 57, Number 2American Federationof School Administrators,AFL-CIO Local 1

NEWSCOUNCIL OF SCHOOL SUPERVISORS AND ADMINISTRATORS

LEGAL CSA Pushes City On Pay Parity For Union’s Early Childhood (ECE) Members 7

WELFARE FUND Important Notice About Your Prescription Drug Coverage And Medicare 6

HEARTFELT FAREWELL Immigrant Educator Pens Inspiring Letter Sharing Personal Experience 3

Amid COVID, Schools Open In NYC

BY CRAIG DIFOLCO AND CHUCK WILBANKS

At long last, kids are back in school, teachers are teaching, and school lead-ers are making sure things are running as smoothly as possible. As they do every year (except for the last one), CSA officers visited a smattering of schools around the city on Sept. 13, talking with administrators and greeting students. This year the excitement was palpable as everyone emerged from last year’s lock-down and enjoyed the much-needed personal contact and in-person instruc-tion.

Yet for all the unmistakable enthu-siasm felt across the city, worries and uncertainty weren’t far behind. The Delta variant has led to an increase in cases locally and throughout the country, a situation exacerbated by unresolved issues around the de Blasio administration’s vaccine mandate, the city’s capacity to handle an uptick in positive cases, and ever-shifting proto-cols for how to deal with cases reported in school buildings.

In late August, the city decided to mandate that all DOE employees must receive the first dose of vaccine by Sept. 27. Officials announced the policy with-out negotiating the impact and imple-mentation with any municipal labor union. Though supportive of the city’s efforts to encourage vaccinations, CSA fought to make sure the city established a fair process for exemptions and accom-modations for DOE-based members. Ultimately, an independent arbitrator ruled that the city must consider med-ical and religious exemptions for DOE-based CSA members and offer work out-side of school buildings to those at high risk of contracting serious illness from a

Across and Down: One Principal’s Puzzling Life

BY MARJORIE HACK

Randolph Ross was a principal for 34 years — five of them at Newtown High School in Elmhurst, Queens. It was a large school when he led it, with a student body of nearly 5,000 and a staff of 260 people in two buildings.

It was demanding and impressive work, and Ross did it well. But he is the first to tell you that when people would ask him about his career, they found his day job less fascinating than his side gig: Writing crossword puzzles.

In 2017, Mr. Ross retired after 20 more years of service in Plainview, L.I. — first as principal of Plainview High School and assistant superintendent of Plainview schools, then as principal of Great Neck South High School in the Lake Success village of Great Neck.

Continued on page 5 Continued on page 12

From The Ashes: A Tree, Its Progeny, Symbols Of Hope

CSA Endorses Eric Adams For MayorAfter receiving input from members, our political team, and the Advisory Board, CSA’s Executive Board voted overwhelmingly to endorse Eric Adams for Mayor in the general election. Borough President Adams has been an ally to our union for years and has provided tremendous support to school leaders throughout his long career as a public servant. We look forward to working with him to ensure schools have the necessary resources to provide a safe, high-quality education to all students.

Continued on page 3

CHUCK WILBANKS

n ABOVE, LEFT: CSA’s Mark Cannizzaro, Henry Rubio and Rosemarie Sinclair visited a cross section of schools around the city on opening day. Here, Mr. Cannizzaro shares a moment with PS 332 Principal Laura Peynado Castro. ABOVE, RIGHT: Mr. Rubio greets students at PS139 Rego Park with Principal Eleuterio Rolon.

Union Prepares For Challenges Arising From The Pandemic, Seeks To Protect CSA Members

CSA NEWS2 Oct. 2021

PRESIDENT’S PAGE

Council of School Supervisors & Administrators

American Federation of School Administrators, AFL-CIO, Local 1

40 Rector St., NY, NY 10006 Phone: (212) 823-2020

Fax: (212) 962-6130 www.csa-nyc.org

President Mark Cannizzaro

Executive Vice President Henry Rubio

First Vice President Rosemarie Sinclair

Treasurer Christopher Ogno

Secretary Steffani Fanizzi

Vice Presidents Sam Akel, Jose Garcia, Ramon Gonzalez

Lois Lee, Katiana Louissaint Nancy Russo, Retiree Chapter

Executive Director Operations Erminia Claudio

General Counsel David Grandwetter

Executive Director Field Services Sana Q. Nasser

Field Directors James Harrigan

Reginald Landeau, Jr. Dorothy Morris Frank Patterson Mercedes Qualls

Wanda Soto

Assistant Field Directors Beshir Abdellatif, Eleanor Andrew, Millie Boyce, Dominic Cipollone,

Brian De Vale, Peter Devlin, Nancy Esposito, Roberto Flores, Ellie Greenberg,

Ray Gregory, Joseph LaCascia, Kenneth Llinas, James McKeon, Monica McDonald,

Beverly Pascal-Miller, Steven Resnick, Sandra Solis, Yvonne Williams

Grievance Director Dale Kelly

Assistant Directors Carol Atkins, Robert Colon,

Jermaine Garden

Director of Communications Craig DiFolco

Director of Political Affairs Gabe Gallucci

Assistant Director, Political Affairs Herman Merritt

Assistant Director John Khani

Special Assistant to President Gary Goldstein

CSA Conference Chair Pierre Lehmuller

CSA Historian Manfred Korman

CSA Retiree Chapter Gayle Lockett, Chair

Mark Brodsky, Director

CSA NEWSEditor

Chuck Wilbanks

Design Consultant Michele Pacheco

Production Assistant Christine Altman

CSA News (004-532) is published monthly except July and August for $35 per year per member by CSA, 40 Rector St., NY, NY 10006. Periodical postage paid at Manhattan, NY, and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to CSA News, 40 Rector St., NY, NY 10006.

There was no principal’s tem-plate for how to lead through a pandemic. So you have spent the past 18 months working to

exhaustion and making the best of every situation. First, there was the transition to remote learning and virtual end-of-year ceremonies. Then there were super-human logistics to work out, including the programming of hybrid, in-person, and online learning models, and then managing to staff it all. Last year I con-gratulated you for accomplishing all that, and this year, there is a continu-ing lack of direction, confusion and constant changes that you have to deal with. But the truth is you went beyond complex logistics to transcend your social and emotional capacity and make the rarest of human connections.

In the words of principal Ramon Gonzalez of The Laboratory School of Finance and Technology, MS/HS 223, in the Bronx, “There was a lot of magic in it.”

“We helped each other see everybody’s strengths,” he said. “That was the beauty we took out of this.” Ramon established a nightly community town hall meeting over Zoom. Parents were surveyed for hot topics to focus on, including special education, parent supports and stipends, free peer tutoring, employment, housing, dis-tribution of food, free hotspots and access to technology, and mental health supports. The meetings doubled in attendance.

“The desire for social connection was fascinating and people began to bring their grandparents and neighbors to show them what unity was like,” he said. “Overtime,

they began to improve their background settings. Flowers appeared on counters, and other kinds of accessories.” It also amazed him to watch staff, students, and families start to develop their speaking and presentation skills.

Ramon held the same sort of regular meeting with the Middle School Principals’ Association (MSPA), where he was president. “In the past, people hesi-

tated to join because they didn’t want to pay dues. That stopped. I suddenly had many new associate members and 100 percent attendance. Members began to create their own mutual community societies with help from MSPA.”

Then there were the new principals. When I was principal of The Frank D. Paulo School, IS 75 in Staten Island, I had an outstanding teacher, Jessica Jackson, who I promoted to AP. When the pandemic hit, Jessica was the fledgling leader of the very large, Officer Rocco Laurie School, IS 72. With the pandemic, I heard from her regularly.

“For principals, there has been no time for reflection because you have to be in the moment all the time,” she said. “Everybody talks about the trauma to the school community, but nobody homes in on the principal, so to us, that expression ‘self-care’ is meaningless, even funny, because there’s no time for self-care. We just have to dig down deep inside ourselves and be the voice of reason.”

Especially for new principals, sur-viving and even thriving requires a miracle of fellowship. Jessica found kinship among far-flung colleagues. “I got through this because of a cohort of three other women,” she said. “We were school principals, who didn’t know each other at all, but just found each other, from diverse areas of the city, age groups and levels of exerience. But we all understood that we just had to persevere and come up with the best solutions for kids. Sometimes it felt like we were on the phone with each other day and night giving moral support and sharing ideas.”

Pandemic circumstances for the principals of 16 of the remaining large non-specialized high schools were

unique because most of the students are not from the community but from all over the city. Those schools have a combined enrollment of more than 53,000 – big chunk of the total DOE high school enrollment. Their principals formed a coalition from multiple boroughs, with contact via phone and Zoom. Mike Athy, principal of Bayside High School, said, “It was a matter of princi-pals relying on principals. It still is.”

The two toughest periods he can remember were March 2020 when some schools were not yet online and had to get up to speed with little guidance, and Summer 2020 when the first pandemic summer school was badly planned and totally chaotic. “A big issue for parents was always to figure out if their kids should go remote or hybrid,” he said. “And the programming challenge continued to boggle the mind. Fortunately, a couple of us are jokesters and having a sense of humor took all of us a long way.”

For the individual high schools, too, Google and Zoom meetings were essential in keeping morale up. “But at the same time,” Mike said, “not overdoing it was important because there were already so many demands on people’s time, including all the new technology. The kids were great. Technology was second nature to them, so they supported us with their knowledge.”

Meanwhile, school communities were enduring hos-pitalizations, deaths, hunger, and eviction. Principals embraced a humanitarian role. “We were open to con-tact way beyond school hours,” Mike said. “My guidance counselors were emailed at midnight. I got emails all times of the day and night. The kids weren’t shy with me.”

For Jessica Jackson, listening was its own reward. “Sometimes just calling a family at home made all the difference. I saw that it was helping me,

too.” And at MS/HS 223, Ramon Gonzalez and his staff shopped on the weekends and dropped off food. The home visits from many principals, and your teams, has been a hallmark of this once-unimaginable time.

Every principal I talk to is excited about being back in a school pulsing with young life. That is why you chose your career in the first place. With typical excitement, Mike Athy said, “The challenge is going to be helping kids be kids again. So much growing up was forced on them. They became caregivers, not just for their fami-lies, but for their neighbors. I think we’re going to see a movement towards a lot of celebratory events.” And in this celebratory moment of Principal’s Month, I celebrate you. We all do.

Mark Cannizzaro is president of the Council of School Supervisors and Administrators.

Celebrate! You’re Up For The Challenges Heading Your Way By Mark Cannizzaro

Principals Month: Getting Personal

• • •

As Our School Communities Faced Hospitalizations, Deaths, Hunger And Eviction, New York City Principals Embraced A Humanitarian Role

• • •

CSA NEWSOct. 2021 3

Haitian Society: A Call To Action

At Queens HS, Staff And Students Raise And Share 9/11 Survivor Treesing, botany, and much more. Bartlett provided our school with a hoop-house on our four-acre farm, located behind the school. The trees have been growing there since 2013.

Aggies tag each tree with an identification number, Agriculture Department emblem, and the Bartlett Tree Experts insignia. Students also make sure each tree has its own irrigation line to keep the soil moist, prune them to foster growth at optimum pace, and keep weeds and pests away.

The program helps all our students keep the memory of Sept. 11 alive through a physical connection to the event that goes beyond what they learn about in textbooks. Students and staff in our

school are extremely proud to be a part of the program. We are now working with Bartlett to graft new trees and start new seedlings to begin the next generation of Survivor Trees.

“We, at John Bowne High School, are honored to be a part of the solemn remem-brance of the tragic attacks on our country on 9/11,” says Dr. Laura Izzo-Iannelli, prin-cipal of John Bowne. “We are proud that we can care for, grow and share these trees with people from around the world. Through the Survivor Tree Seedling Program at John Bowne, not only do our stu-dents learn how to care for these special trees, but they learn about the events of 9/11. We will never forget the men and women who lost their lives

that day.”Philip Dickler, a

biology teacher here, notes that the pro-gram has given him the privilege of meet-ing many families, friends and colleagues of the fallen. “Seeing firsthand how these trees provide a symbol if life and hope to those who survived, continues to be very rewarding, beyond words,” he says. “Our current students were not born at the time of the initial attacks. I am grateful that this program helps ensure

that past, present and future generations “never forget.”

During the first week of school, we displayed a 14-poster exhibition on the first floor which chronologi-cally told the events that took place on 9/11, as well as the post recovery and remem-brance events afterwards. The exhibition was devel-oped for schools by the 9/11 Memorial & Museum and is called September 11, 2001: The Day That Changed the World. Students and staff will be able to walk through the hallway to view these posters to learn

about 9/11, as well as the Survivor Tree Seedling Project.

The seedling program has been extended by the 9/11 Memorial and Museum to include not only 9/11 memo-rials, but other memorials to recognize tragic events involv-ing multiple casualties. These sites have included Boston, in honor of the three people killed in the bombing at its marathon in 2013; Newtown, Conn., in memory of the 20 schoolchildren and six adults who were killed in 2012 at Sandy Hook Elementary School; Puerto Rico, where

Hurricane Maria left an esti-mated 2,975 people dead in its wake, and most recently five hospitals throughout New York City’s five boroughs in honor of the healthcare workers responding to the health crisis.

A commitment by Bartlett Tree Experts and the 9/11 Memorial and Museum to continue producing seedlings has assured for these trees to be available for years to come.

Patrycja Zbrzezny is Assistant Principal in charge of the agricul-ture program at John Bowne High School.

Continued from Page 1

n Each tree that leaves John Bowne wears one of these identification tags.

Dear Friends,

With gratitude and an opti-mistic heart, I will be retiring from PS89 at the end of this

month. During my 30-plus years as an educator, I often reflected on my parents’ immigration story and events from my childhood that paved my journey as a teacher and then an administrator. As my father would say, “Education is the golden key that opens doors to oppor-tunities.”

The famous proverb “our parents are our first teachers” rings true to me: but it is also true that my father was my first student. My father was denied an edu-cation as a child due to numerous losses and hardships while living in Sicily. Like most parents, mine were determined to make sure their children would have the opportunities they did not. Ultimately, it was my mother’s diploma from trade school that was our first golden key to America.

My parents gifted their home, their farm, and anything that they couldn’t physically carry or fit in one trunk to

their neighbors. We arrived on a Tuesday and my parents started their new jobs on Thursday. They knew their life in America would come with many chal-lenges, however, they didn’t expect the prejudice and abuse they faced due to being immigrants and not having com-mand of the English language. Despite this, my parents maintained their opti-mism and worked even harder to not only educate their children but them-selves as well.

I would often wait up for my father to come home from his 16-hour work-day so that we could play school. I did not know how to read and write myself, but whatever I learned in school that day, I would teach my father. For me, it was joyful play, for my father it was a necessity to better provide for his family. With every new word he learned, I saw the joy in his eyes. I have carried that joy and it has sustained me throughout my professional and personal life. My family was filled with such pride when my father earned his high school equiv-alency diploma and then passed his American Citizenship exam. My parents

experienced the American dream over and over again with each graduation and achievement of themselves, their chil-dren, and anyone in their community.

So, my friends, I shared with you my personal story as a young immigrant so that you can better understand the depths of the admiration and appre-ciation I have for you. I am in awe of the talent, dedication, and knowledge that you pour into your craft and most of all the love you give our students. Whatever role you play in the better-ment of the lives of others, you are the shiny keys that opens the door to the American dream. You bring our students and their families opportunities and end-less possibilities. Never lose sight of the contribution and impact you make daily and, always keep in your heart your per-sonal story that inspired your journey to this sacred calling in education.

I am humbled and inspired by you in more ways than you’ll ever know. I feel truly privileged that I had the opportu-nity to serve alongside you to help nur-ture the dreams of our students. I wish you continuous joyful learning, a myriad of new opportunities, and endless pos-sibilities.

Sincerely,Zina

‘Education Is The Golden Key’Alfonzina Alaimo Lloyd retired July 1 as an AP at PS 89 in Queens, ending her

33 year career as a public school educator in New York City. In June, just before her retirement, she sent this farewell letter to her colleagues in District 24.

n Dr. Laura Izzo Iannelli, left, principal of John Bowne, and Assistant Principal Patrycja Zbrzezny, among the seedlings of the the Callery pear tree pulled from the rubble on 9/11.

BY SERGE MARSHALL DAVIS

The Society of Haitian Supervisors & Administrators is happy to introduce its new Executive Board members, who will continue to empower all current and aspiring school leaders of Haitian descent within the New York City Department of Education. Dr. Magalie Alexis, vice president, Edele Williams, communications director, Yves Mompoint, secretary, and I will work to amplify the con-tributions of Haitian supervisors and admin-istrators, and advocate on the importance of historical and culturally relevant education to advance equity in a mosaic society.

The promise of 1804 requires our collec-tive pursuit to reclaim our excellence. Your call to action is becoming an active member of SHSA. Please join us as we kickoff our virtual general meeting for the 2021-2022 school year on Oct. 20. For more information, please contact us at shsa1804@gmail.com

Serge Marshall Davis is principal of PS 095 in the Bronx and president of the Society of Haitian Supervisors & Administrators.

CSA NEWS4 Oct. 2021

N A T I O N

Labor

Washington’s vaccine mandate has drawn the ire of some state workers who protested recently in Olympia, saying they should not be forced to get vaccinated. Among those protesting were ferry workers, teachers, health care workers and other state employees. Washington’s vaccine mandate is in effect as of Oct. 18. State workers who are not fully vaccinated by then risk losing their jobs. Protesters encouraged each other to not give in to the mandate, saying that the loss of workers could cripple the state. (King5.com)

WASHINGTON

Vaccine Protests

Student Admissions workers at Hamilton College are seeking unionization. If they succeed, it will be the first higher education union with an admissions focus. The United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1 filed a petition of recognition with the National Labor Relations Board. The group of 65 – comprised primarily of senior admissions fellows and tour guides – is calling for higher wages, a uniform disciplinary process and increased respect. (Inside Higher Ed)

NEW YORK

College Union

Barriers and opportunities for men of color in education was the topic of a Men’s Leadership Summit in Houston. The Houston Independent School District has worked for the past three years to develop new career pipeline pro-grams, leadership professional development and recruitment outreach to attract more men -- particularly men of color -- to enter the field of education. The Houston district is the largest in Texas, with 196,000 students at 276 schools. Ninety percent are students of color but only 26 per-cent of the district’s employees are male and, of those, only 19 percent identify as teachers of color. (ASCD)

— Compiled by Christine AltmAn

TEXAS

Recruitment Efforts

The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta recently released research showing that women with chil-dren under the age of 6 made up 10 percent of the workforce before the pandemic, however they accounted for 22 percent of the jobs lost during the crisis. The ability to find childcare will be a crucial factor for employment moving forward. A National Association for the Education of Young Children survey found that four out of five early childhood educators indicated they are understaffed. Reportedly more than one in three said they were considering leaving or shutting down their centers this year. (Reuters)

GEORGIA

Childcare Shortage

As we embark upon yet another incredibly challenging school year, I must start by singing the praises of every public school administrator in New York City

for helping to keep this system afloat while navigating uncharted and treacherous waters. Your resilience and fortitude helped provide unprecedented levels of support and stability to our students and their families, our broader school communities, and to a system that, if not for you all, would have imploded. I am confident that each of you are prepared to face the challenges that lie ahead and make the 2021-22 a school year to remember for every learning community under our charge.

The opening months of any school year is always the best time to start with a fresh can-vas, and to create a roadmap toward success for ourselves as well as the schools that we lead or support. We have all learned a lot about ourselves and our staff members over the last year and a half, and that will undoubtedly assist you in framing exactly what you need to ensure success as you plan and refine this school year. I want to focus in this column on how each of you can help ensure your own success by being proactive and taking the nec-essary steps in planning for the year ahead.

By now, each of you should have received your end-of -year rating form, either from your direct supervisor or via email from the Department of Education. You should use any feedback relative to your performance, whether through a Measures of Leadership Practice (MOLP) report, or through a summarizing eval-uative document, to create professional and personal goals for the new school year. A well-crafted set of goals, with built-in checkpoints, will help guide your work throughout the year. Just as every teacher meets with their principal and/or principal’s designee at the beginning of the school year for mandatory Initial Planning Conferences (IPC), I believe every administra-tor should engage their own rating officer in a similar conversation so that expectations are clear and miscommunication can be avoided. These discussions usually lead to strategic and purposeful planning, a key component for any successful endeavor. If you have not yet

had this one-on-one conversation with your supervisor, I encourage you to request such a meeting before you start developing your own goals for the school year. At that meeting, you should schedule some future conversations with your supervisor to ensure that you are on track to meet your goals. Those check-ins are often a good barometer for ultimate success.

For most administrators, except for principals and a few others, goals and objectives are captured on the OP-352 form, commonly

referred to as the “ABC form.” Since we know the instrument that is ultimately going to be used for our annual evaluation tool, it is crucial that you familiarize yourself with the document, paying particular attention to Part A, titled “Performance Planning,” since this is where your goals should be reflected. By October, every administrator whose evaluation is governed by this document should have developed and submitted their goals and objectives to their supervisor. The expectation is that you will write your own goals, which are then submitted to the rating officer for review. Since the rating officer will ultimately be evaluating an administrator based on these submitted goals, it is critically important that meaningful dialogue precede the finalization of any documented goals so that both parties agree. The likelihood of a ‘gotcha’ scenario will be greatly diminished!

Thomas Edison once said, “Good fortune is what happens when opportunity meets with planning.” In this current school year, we have a once-in-a lifetime opportunity to re-engage our learning communities coming off what has been a traumatic period for so many people. Let’s plan strategically and then work effectively and effi-ciently to meet all the challenges head on.

Because the development of this year’s goals usually builds upon the work of the past, it is important to notify CSA if you have not yet received your end-of-year rating document for the 2020-21 school year. Please contact your field director and/or the grievance team to report the missing documentation or if you have any questions about your goals and objectives.

Dale Kelly is Grievance Director at CSA.

Setting Goals And Making Them Happen

Memo From Union HQ Dale Kelly

By Now, Each Of You Should Have Received Your End-Of-Year Rating Form

BY EVY SCHULTZ

In September, 1996, I began my career as a first grade teacher at PS 45 in West Brighton, Staten Island. On the opening day of school, two of my students, Clare Masullo

and Kandice Bogatz, met and became friends. Twenty five years later, on July 31, 2021, Clare and Kandice got mar-ried.

Before the ceremony, Kandice’s mother reached out to me and invited me to surprise them at their wedding. She told me they always said I made a huge impact on their lives and they frequently speak highly of me. At the wedding, I started my speech outside in the hallway. As I was still speaking, I walked into the room and surprised them. Tears of joy came rolling down their faces. The newly-weds told me that through-out their lives, their year with me in first grade always

had a special meaning to them. In fact, they printed their first grade class pic-ture on their wedding invitation, and they displayed it at the wedding recep-tion as well.

Words cannot express how honored I was to speak at their wedding. It was a once in a lifetime experience for me as an educator and for my two former stu-dents. Just as they shared my first day of teaching, I was honored to share their first day as newlyweds with them.

Today, as an assistant principal, I reflect on this wonderful story and how it speaks volumes about diversity and how our educational experiences go way beyond the classroom. Hearing 25 years later from my two for-mer students about how I made an impact on their lives elevates me as an educator. It also shows how I inspired them to be their authentic selves.

Evy Schultz is an assistant principal at PS 32 in Great Kills, Staten Island.

They Met In Her First Grade Class

n Above, top: Newlyweds Clare Masullo (l) and Kandice Bogatz (r) with PS 32 Assistant Principal Evy Schultz (center). The couple met in 1996, in Schultz’s Staten Island classroom (above).

• • •

CSA NEWSOct. 2021 5

Crossword-Crafting Former Principal

n I recently had my daughter, Angelina Rose Burges, in April. I was beyond grateful to be able to bond with her with the time provided to me, without worry-ing about my finances. Having a baby during the pandemic was scary, with so many unknowns. My family and I were able to plan accordingly to best meet the needs of our soon-to-be bundle of joy. The family leave helped me to have a smooth, stress-free transition back to work as well. We are so very fortunate to have a union that supports families at one of the most memorable times in our lives. 

Annette Burges is an EA, working at CSE 4 in Queens.

Onesie Nation

Want To Make A Crossword?

Thanks For A Stress-Free Transition

During his career and after, he never stopped crafting crosswords. His last Sunday puzzle for the New York Times, titled “Toy Story,” ran in Dec. 2020.

Mr. Ross solved crossword puzzles as a kid with his father, a commercial artist and an avid reader. He says the family also routinely played word games

after dinner. Over time, he realized that he could go it alone. “I was pretty good at solving,” he says.

He also had a knack for math. He earned bache-lor’s and a master’s degree Mathematics from Queens College, and shortly after began working as a math teacher at Martin Van Buren High School in Queens Village for 10 years. He went on to serve as the math chair-

person at Seward Park High School on the Lower East Side, before being appointed principal at Newtown.

An affinity for math is a hallmark of many cross-word aficionados, Mr. Ross says. That, and music. He has that base covered too.

“I’ve done a couple of puzzles on the Beatles,” says Ross, adding that he has seen Paul McCartney perform every time he plays New York City. Ross also remembers that he was chairman of the math depart-ment at Seward Park and sitting in his office when he heard about the death of John Lennon in December 1980. “I was so upset.”

His relationship with the woman who would become his wife, the former Mary-Anne Fischer, was rooted in music. He persuaded her to go out with him by dangling a ticket to see Scottish folk-pop artist, Donovan, at the former Hempstead Arena in the ‘60s. “I figured I had six weeks to win her over because she accepted the date,” he says.

Puzzling definitely fits into his skill set.Ross’s first published puzzle, “Circular Reasoning,”

appeared in Newsday on a Sunday sometime in 1986 or 1987. Ross had fit the following phrase into a big circle in the puzzle grid: “Round and round she goes; where she stops, nobody knows.”

“That Sunday, I was wandering on Long Beach. What a kick I got from watching people doing my puzzle on the beach,” he says.

Ross was hooked. He started sending regularly to a number of publications, including Newsday and the Washington Post. Eventually, he decided to try and crack the New York Times, which Ross says is considered the “gold standard” of crossword puzzle publication.

At the time, 1989, Eugene Maleska was the puz-zle editor at the paper, but by then, Ross also knew Will Shortz, the current editor. Ross sent a possible Sunday puzzle to Maleska, who critiqued it and sent it back. Ross revised.

“That started me with the Times,” he says.Ross figures that since the mid- to late-1980s, he’s

had thousands of puzzles published. The New York Times alone has published 108 of his creations — 50 of them on Sundays. (Thursday and Sunday puzzles are the toughest to make, because they are themed, explained Ross.)

“I’m in the top five among puzzle constructors for the Times,” he says.

These days, he submits only to the Wall Street Journal and the Times.

Puzzle-making pays — anywhere from a few hun-dred dollars to a couple thousand dollars per puzzle, but very few people earn a living constructing cross-word puzzles, says Ross. “Most constructors do it as an avocation.”

Ross says there are a lot of younger puzzle-makers now, and many use computer software to help them fill in their grid. In the “old days,” puzzle-makers may have numbered just around 200 across the country. The age difference impacts the cluing and the subject matter, Ross, now 72, acknowledged.

Ross says that once he has settled on an idea and actually gets started, it takes him about six hours to put together a puzzle. A lot of that time is spent “refining, refining, refining,” he says.

He hopes to submit another puzzle to the NY Times in the fall that will play off the seasonal time changes that most states in the US observe. (Think “spring ahead” and “fall back.”) He is also working on a puzzle based on circles that could incorpo-rate phrases like “mess around,” “shop around,” and “play around.” There might also be another Christmas-related puzzle up his sleeve.

“They like those,” he says. But he notes that there are no guarantees of acceptance, even if you have 35 years of puzzle construction under your belt. And 47 years as an educator.

Continued from Page 1

Puzzle-making is not easy, especially for beginners. Here’s some help from Randolph Ross.

As a puzzle constructor, you have to have a knowledge stream that is a mile wide and an inch deep. “You gotta know a little

about a lot,” says Ross.Puzzle-making is an art and a craft. The cre-

ative, or artistic, part is coming up with a theme and clever clues. The craft, or skill, lies in block-ing the puzzle, using specifications provided by the publication. For instance, once you’ve picked a theme, the New York Times wants seven to nine answers to fit that theme. Come up with those first and place them in a grid.

After placing your themed words, you place the black squares strategically. There are rules on the number of black squares you can use.

There are about 140 words in an average puz-zle. A publication like the Times prefers the use of longer words; editors also look for a varied and interesting vocabulary.

Next, fill in the remaining squares. There are computer programs that will do this for you these days, but Ross says you can “get a lot of junk this way,” and these answers will usually need to be revised.

Cluing is key. Try to be clever in coming up with clues. Will Shortz, the current puzzles editor at the Times, has made word play very fashionable, says Ross. Creativity is essential. Editors at publica-tions like the New York Times will sometimes go in and change as much as 50 percent of a construc-tor’s clues, if they’re not inventive enough.

Randolph Ross

n If there is anything more adorable than a baby sporting a CSA onesie, it’s identical triplets wearing them. On June 3, Marissa Smith, an AP of special education at IS 27 in Staten Island gave birth to, from left to right, Shay, Olivia and Aubrey. She is thankful to CSA for securing a benefit allowing her the flexibility to take time as she needs it, and as any parent knows who has brought home even one baby at a time, she needs it!

CSA NEWS6 Oct. 2021

The Welfare FundPrescriptions, COBRA Coverage, And Waiving Benefits

Dr. Douglas V. Hathaway

Question: I retired as an EA June 30, 2021. I have been getting my prescriptions through Express Scripts. When I attended your

pre-retirement workshop, you said I should send the quarterly reports I receive from Express Scripts to the Welfare fund for reim-bursement. I just received my first report. Do I send this to a particular person?

ANSWER: Thanks for attending the pre-retirement workshop, and remember-

ing that the Fund reimburses prescription drug co-payments. Due to the volume of

claims and paperwork, we ask that you wait until you receive the last report for the year (covering October, November, and December). Please make copies of all quarters and send the copies to the CSA Retiree Welfare Fund, 40 Rector Street, 12th Floor, New York, NY 10006-1729. We will process them in the order they are received, and usually start reimbursements in mid- March, with all reimbursements made by the end of April.

Question: My daughter has just graduated from college but she will be going to graduate school and taking 9 credits. Since she is

not yet 23, can she still be covered by my GHI/Blue Cross plan or do I have to buy coverage under the COBRA law?

ANSWER: With passage of the Affordable Care Act in 2010, dependent children are covered on a parent’s health plan until the end of the month they become 26 years old. After that, if they are unmarried and living in New York, you

may purchase coverage through Age 29 by paying the full cost of the plan.

Question: Someone told me that I would be paid $1,000 if I gave up my City health coverage. Is this true?

ANSWER: I would not say it that way, but yes. The city will pay $1,000 a year to active, in-service members who waive their health benefits. This offer is made primar-ily for those in-service city employees who already have equal or better coverage from another employer or through their spouse whose coverage is available to them. If you have such other coverage and you want to waive your city coverage, please visit the office of Labor Relations website concerning this option at https://www1.nyc.gov/site/olr/fsa/fsa-msc-buy-out-waiv-er-home.page.

Dr. Douglas V. Hathaway is CSA Welfare Fund Administrator. You can email him at dhathaway@csa-nyc.org.

• • •

Please read this notice carefully and keep it where you can find it. This notice has information about your current prescription drug coverage with the CSA Welfare Fund and about your options under Medicare’s prescription drug cover-age. This information can help you decide whether or not you want to join a Medicare drug plan. If you are considering joining, you should compare your current coverage, including which drugs are covered at what cost, with the coverage and costs of the plans offer-ing Medicare prescription drug coverage in your area. Information about where you can get help to make decisions about your pre-scription drug coverage is at the end of this notice.

There are two important things you need to know about your current coverage and Medicare’s prescription drug coverage:

1. Medicare prescrip-tion drug coverage became available in 2006 to everyone with Medicare. You can get this coverage if you join a Medicare Prescription Drug Plan or join a Medicare Advantage Plan (like an HMO or PPO) that offers prescription

drug coverage. All Medicare drug plans provide at least a stan-dard level of coverage set by Medicare. Some plans may also offer more coverage for a higher monthly pre-mium.

2. CSA Welfare Fund has determined that the prescription drug cov-erage offered by the CSA Welfare Fund is, on average for all plan participants, expected to pay out as much as standard Medicare prescription drug coverage pays and is therefore considered Creditable Coverage. Because your existing coverage is Creditable Coverage, you can keep this coverage and not pay a higher premium (a penalty) if you later decide to join a Medicare drug plan.

When Can You Join A Medicare Drug Plan?

You can join a Medicare drug plan when you first become eligible for Medicare and each year from Oct. 15 to Dec. 7. However, if you lose your current creditable prescription drug coverage, through no fault of your own, you will also be eligible for a two (2) month Special

Enrollment Period (SEP) to join a Medicare drug plan.

What Happens To Your Current Coverage If You Decide to Join A Medicare Drug Plan?

If you decide to join a Medicare drug plan, your current CSA Welfare Fund will not be affected. If you do decide to join a Medicare drug plan and drop your current CSA Welfare Fund, be aware that you and your dependents will be able to get this coverage back.

When Will You Pay A Higher Premium (Penalty) To Join A Medicare Drug Plan?

You should also know that if you drop or lose your current coverage with the CSA Welfare Fund and don’t join a Medicare drug plan within 63 continuous days after your current coverage ends, you may pay a higher premium (a penalty) to join a Medicare drug plan later.

If you go 63 continu-ous days or longer without creditable prescription drug coverage, your monthly pre-mium may go up by at least 1% of the Medicare base ben-eficiary premium per month for every month that you did not have that coverage. For example, if you go nineteen months without creditable coverage, your premium may

consistently be at least 19% higher than the Medicare base beneficiary premium. You may have to pay this higher premium (a penalty) as long as you have Medicare prescription drug coverage. In addition, you may have to wait until the following October to join.

For Information About This Notice Or Your Current Prescription Drug Coverage

Contact the person listed below for further infor-mation NOTE: You’ll get this notice each year. You will also get it before the next period you can join a Medicare drug plan, and if this coverage through the CSA Welfare Fund changes. You also may request a copy of this notice at any time.

For More Information About Your Options Under Medicare PrescriptionDrug Coverage

More detailed informa-tion about Medicare plans that offer prescription drug coverage is in the “Medicare & You” handbook. You’ll get a copy of the handbook in the mail every year from Medicare. You may also be contacted directly by Medicare drug plans.

For more information about Medicare prescription drug coverage: Visit www.medicare.gov

Call your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (see the inside back cover of your copy of the “Medicare & You” handbook for their telephone number) for personalized help

Call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227). TTY users should call 1-877-486-2048.

If you have limited income and resources, extra help paying for Medicare prescription drug coverage is available. For information about this extra help, visit Social Security on the web at www.socialsecurity.gov, or call them at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778).

Remember: Keep this Creditable Coverage notice. If you decide to join one of the Medicare drug plans, you may be required to provide a copy of this notice when you join to show whether or not you have maintained cred-itable coverage and, there-fore, whether or not you are required to pay a higher premium (a penalty).

For more inforamtion con-tact Douglas V. Hathaway, Ph.D., Fund Administrator, CSA Welfare Fund, 40 Rector Street, 12th Fl., New York NY 10065, (212) 962-6061.

Important Notice from CSA Welfare Fund AboutYour Prescription Drug Coverage and Medicare

Dependent children are covered under a parent’s health plan until the end of the month they become 26 years old.

• • •

The Fund Reimburses Script Co-Pays

CSA NEWSOct. 2021 7

BY JINNY CHUNG

In June, the Association of Assistant Principals celebrated, via Zoom, the winners of our 2021 scholarships. Gail Irizarry, AP IS383, and the Executive Vice President AAP, moderated the event.

The winners of our Martin Safran Community Service Scholarship. were divided into 3 categories: Volunteering and Humanitarian Service, Leadership and Civic Engagement, and Environmental Activism. Students, their proud parents and their nominating assistant principals attended, and students shared their experiences and the lessons they learned through service. Each of the 15 winners received a tro-phy, a certificate, and a $100 check from AAP.

Our three Stewart Weiner Scholarship winners were chosen for their academic achievement as well as their impact on their communities. Congratulations to these AAP members and their col-lege bound children, who received $1000 each as they continue their community service commitments.

Through these incentives, the AAP encourages all leaders to inspire and instill service mind-sets in their students. We hope to receive more scholarship essay submissions in 2022.

Martin Safran Scholarship Winners: Mackenzie Manning, Gr5, PS1, AP Nicole Sini; Martina Dunne, Gr5, PS1, AP Nicole Sini; Megan Chen, Gr1, PS196, AP Catherine Jared Koatz; Mohammad Lah, Gr8, CS111, AP Tiana Hamm; Milo Moncada, Gr1, PS30, AP Joseph Napolitano; Akilah Turner, Gr8, IS383, AP Mya James; Stacy Martinez, Gr5, PS1, AP Ana Benitez; Nico Bocchino, Gr5, PS215, AP Naomi Levine; Juan Torres, Gr8, IS228, AP Maria Santiago; Xavier Nieves, Gr5, CS111, AP Tiana Hamm; Alice Chen, Gr8, IS383, AP Mya James; William Calvo, Gr5, PS1, AP Ana Benitez; Luciana DeRosa, Gr5, PS1, AP Nicole Sini; Katelynn Romano, Gr5, PS1, AP Ana Benitez; Fiona Moncada, Gr2, PS30, AP Joseph Napolitano

Stuart Weiner Scholarship Recipients: Sophia Leonetti, Parent-AP Joseph Napolitano; Ava Napolitano, Parent-AP Rosa Perez Leonetti; Yanique Meade Williams, Parent-AP Colleen S. Williams

Jinny Chung, a retired AP, is the editor of the AAP’s newsletter.

Service and Scholarship: Celebrating Winners

BY CHUCK WILBANKS AND CRAIG DIFOLCO

CSA has ratcheted up its efforts to hold Mayor de Blasio to his repeated pledges of pay parity for our members who are CBO-based early childhood educators. On behalf of our CBO directors, CSA, through external legal counsel, sent a letter on Aug. 30 to the Commissioner of New York City Office of Labor Relations urging the city to fulfill its legal obligation and reconsider its rejection of the Day Care Council’s (DCCNY) salary proposal for CBO directors, which was built on a principal of working towards pay parity.

Our ECE members are currently work-ing without a contract, and the letter high-lights how the city’s salary counterproposal threatens to derail ongoing negotiations and contradicts the city’s professed desire to achieve racial and gender pay equity among its municipal workforce. The city publicly acknowledged that equal work in CBOs deserve equal pay when it approved a 2019 salary parity agreement between DCCNY and DC 37 to bring teachers in CBOs in line with their DOE counterparts. Yet, the city has offered no reasonable explanation for why CBO Directors should be excluded from the overarching goal of pay equality between the two systems.

Below is the letter from attorney Alan Klinger of the firm Stroock & Stroock & Lavan.

Dear Commissioner Campion:We write on behalf of our client,

the Council of School Supervisors and Administrators (“CSA”), which represents 171 Certified Directors of New York City’s Community Based Organizations (“CBO Directors”) for Pre-K and 3-K pro-grams, concerning ongoing collective bargaining for a successor agreement between CSA, the Day Care Council of New York (“DCCNY”) and the Office of Labor Relations (“OLR”) representing the Department of Education. Specifically, we address OLR’s most recent salary coun-terproposal, severely undercutting the DCCNY proposal, which not only threat-ens to derail the ongoing negotiations, but also seriously belies the City’s professed desire to achieve racial and gender pay equity among its municipal workforce. Earlier this Spring, DCCNY submitted its salary proposal for the CBO Directors for the 2021-2025 period. At the time of its proposal, the DCCNY recognized the stark disparity between the salary levels of district directors who lead DOE-operated early childhood programs (“District Directors”) and their functional counter-parts at DOE-funded, community based facilities (“CBO Directors”), who perform at least substantially similar work, requir-ing the same skill, effort, and responsi-bility, under similar working conditions. The salaries DCCNY proposed were built on a principle of working towards pay parity for CBO Directors. As DCCNY put it, “Now is the time to act to fairly fund salaries for the highly trained and credentialed professionals who manage New York City’s community based early childhood education programs.” NYC Early Education Centers (NYCEECs) – independent, community-based organiza-tions – have been critical to the success of

universal Pre-K and 3-K programs. As the City has publicly heralded, NYEECs have enabled the City to expand the Pre-K and now 3-K programs Citywide to provide free, full day, high-quality early childhood education to every district across the City. NYCEECs are meant to fit seamlessly and coexist within the larger network of early childhood education. Under the auspices of the DOE, NYCEECs are held by the DOE “to the same expectations as District Schools and Pre-K Centers.”

Moreover, teachers and directors at NYCEEC community-based organizations perform essentially identical work to their DOE district counterparts. Citywide Pre-K and 3-K policy directives and routine com-munications and bulletins from the DOE are distributed to and apply to all District and CBO Directors alike. Prospective NYCEEC employees of 3-K and Pre-K pro-grams apply through the DOE. Teachers at NYCEECs receive “the same profes-sional development and support from the Division of Early Childhood” as all dis-trict teachers. In fact, experience as a full-time lead teacher in an NYCEEC counts towards salary differentials if a teacher transitions to teaching at a district public school.

The City acknowledges that equal work in community-based organizations commands equal pay. Indeed, just last month, as part of its announcement of the expansion of the 3-K program, the City emphasized that the enlargement of the program would align with the City’s “historic commitment” to achieve “pay parity between early childhood educators in community-based organizations and those working in school districts.”

As part of that commitment, the City previously approved a 2019 salary par-ity agreement between The Day Care Council of New York and DC 37 to bring teachers in community based organiza-tions in line with their counterparts in DOE district schools.

It is difficult to square the City’s “his-toric commitment” to achieving pay parity for teachers in these crucial early childhood programs for New York City’s children with its refusal to similarly com-mit to parity for CBO Directors. The City has offered no reasonable explanation for why CBO Directors should be excluded from the City’s overarching goal of pay equality between the two systems. And the disparity in salary is stark: Prior to the OLR proposal, as of September 30, 2020, the top CBO Director’s salary is $63,287; the average District Director’s is $138,135, a difference of approximately $74,848. Even accepting OLR’s counter-proposal, CBO Directors would make close to 50% of their District Director counterparts. The Mayor, Speaker and City Council have all highlighted the importance of pay equity for the City’s municipal workforce. In 2019, for exam-

ple, the City Council passed Local Law 18 for the express purpose of analyzing pay disparities based on race, ethnicity, gender and other protected classes among City employees. The recently issued resulting report, “Pay Equity In NYC,” underscored, among other things, that in New York for each dollar white men earn, Black women earned 53 cents. It concluded that in New York City “ineq-uity continues to exist in the form of occupational segregation.” One of the key findings of the Report was that “the City should identify jobs held primarily by women and/or non-white employees” and analyze “whether these positions are compensated equivalently to simi-lar jobs held primarily by men and/or white employees.” The position of CBO Director is one of those jobs. Of the 171 CBO Directors, 154 are women and a vast majority of CBO Directors are women of color. They should not be paid so dispro-portionately less than District Directors.

It remains only to be briefly said that beyond recent City initiatives and legis-lation there are, of course, a litany of fed-eral, state and city laws prohibiting pay discrimination. As a joint partner with effective control over these communi-ty-based Pre-K and 3-K programs, and the ability to express economic terms in contractual bargaining, the DOE and City would bear responsibility for any viola-tions of law. E.g., Brankov v. Hazzard, 143 A.D.3d 445 (1st Dep’t 2016).

We are hopeful that OLR will recon-sider its recent rejection of the DCCNY salary proposal for the CBO Directors and remain willing to discuss the issues outlined above. We would rather work together to help achieve pay equity between CBO and District Directors than institute legal proceedings to accomplish that just result, one that is consistent with what the Mayor and the City Council have identified as a societal priority.

Sincerely,Alan M. Klinger

CSA Pushes City On Pay Parity For ECE Members

Teachers’ Retirement

SystemSeptember 2021

Unit Values

Diversified Equity Fund: 137.028

Balanced Fund: 17.663

International Equity Fund: 13.403

Sustainable Equity Fund: 30.932

U.S Equity Index Fund: 15.930

International Equity Index Fund: 13.329

www.trsnyc.org

LEGAL

The Mayor, Speaker And City Council Have All Stressed The Importance Of Municipal Pay Equity

CSA NEWS8 Oct. 2021

ARTHUR AUERBACH, 91, died July 20. He lived in Roslyn, NY. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he graduated from Samuel J. Tilden High School and New York University. Mr. Auerbach began his career as a per-manent substitute high school teacher at Bushwick High School, then served on the faculty at Russell Sage Junior High School before being appointed to Martin Van Buren High School. After a brief period at Queens College, where he trained student teachers, he became an AP at Springfield Gardens High School in Queens. He then worked in the Office of Budget and Reports at the NYC Board of Education’s Division of High Schools in various capacities under six chan-cellors, eventually becoming Superintendent of Operations for New York City High Schools. When asked how he managed to survive political turmoil and multiple changes in administration at the Board, he responded that he treated everyone with courtesy and respect as if someday he would be working for them, which often was what happened. Mr. Auerbach was a strong supporter of the New York City Public School Athletic League and served on the Board of Directors of the Wingate Foundation. He lived in Bellmore, NY, for 53 years before moving to the Atria at Roslyn Harbor. Mr. Auerbach and his wife Natalie were married for 70 years before her death in December 2020. She taught American History and Economics at Jamaica High School for 27 years. He is survived by his children Reed and Lisa, his grand-children, Max and Tierney Auerbach, and nephews, great-nephews and great-niece. Donations in his memory may be made to Franklin & Marshall College for the Endowed Scholarship Fund in honor of Arthur and Natalie Auerbach, which prioritizes NYC high school students for financial aid.

JAMES CAMPBELL, 95, died Jan. 30. He lived in Charleston, SC. Mr. Campbell, was born in Charleston, and attended school there. In 1943, when he was 18, he was drafted into the Marine Corps, shortly after President Roosevelt opened the corps to young men of color. He was placed in one of two new black battalions, known as the Montford Point Marines, the first to be trained for combat. Based on Guam

during World War II, Mr. Campbell’s bat-talion was about to embark for an invasion of Japan when the war in the Pacific Theatre ended with the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. After the war, Mr. Campbell returned to the US and attended what was then known as Morgan State College

in Baltimore. His studies were interrupted by employment and two years of stateside ser-vice as an Army reservist during the Korean War. He graduated from Morgan State in 1953 with a bachelor’s degree in English, and a minor in theatre. He later took gradu-ate courses at City College of New York and earned a master’s degree in educational administration and supervision at Bank Street College of Education. Mr. Campbell began teaching elementary school in Baltimore, where he also helped organize the Arena Players, the only continuously running black theatre company in the U.S. It was there that he first became active in the civil rights movement. He was also enam-ored with the theater, and relocated to New York in 1957 with a stage career in mind. When that didn’t pan out, he began work as a substitute teacher in a junior high school in the Bronx. He was also an organizer for the UFT. Soon, he began working directly for what was then the Board of Education; he helped create a television show for the Human Relations Department, interview-ing a range of people on camera. “We were

exploring the battles over desegregation and trying to bring folks together,” he told CSA News in 2018. It was during this time that Mr. Campbell met Malcolm X. He would go on to work with Malcolm X to create the Organization of Afro-American Unity’s Liberation School. During the summers, Mr. Campbell would travel to Mississippi and Georgia to register voters for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. He came to work with activists Bayard Rustin and Jack O’Dell; he once chaperoned author James Baldwin, and interviewed singer Paul Robeson. Mr. Campbell moved on to serve as an interim assistant principal at IS 201 (The Dyker Heights School) in Brooklyn. In 1973, following a divorce, Mr. Campbell moved with one of his sons and his daugh-ter to a small village in Tanzania, Bihiwana. He taught English there for five years under contract with the Tanzanian government before moving to the country’s capital, Dar es Salaam, to work as a teacher at an inter-national school which allowed his children to enroll. He returned to NYC in 1982 where he became an assistant principal at PS 123 (the Mahalia Jackson Elementary School) in Harlem. He also served as district coor-dinator for social studies before retiring in 1991, and moved back to Charleston. In 2018, Mr. Campbell and the other surviving Montford Point Marines were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal for their ser-vice. Throughout his adult life, he worked with organizations focused on socialism, Pan-Africanism, freedom struggles and equity in education. “You turn the pages of American history and his name is not on any page, but he was present,” said Bobby Donaldson, director of the Center for Civil Rights History and Research at the University of South Carolina, in a piece published in the Charleston Post & Courier in 2020. Mr. Campbell is survived by three sons, Glenn, Gary and Paul T.R. Campbell, and several grandchildren. His daughter, DuBois Kenyatta Campbell, predeceased him.

GORDON DUNCAN, 63, died Nov. 3, 2020. He lived in Queens. Mr. Duncan grad-uated from Francis Lewis High School in Queens and earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from Wagner College in Staten Island, before taking a job as an underwriter at a life insurance company. In 1984, at the urging of a family friend who was a public school principal in New York City, Mr. Duncan began working as a typing teacher at the William H. Carr JHS in Whitestone, Queens. He went on to earn a master’s degree in history from City College and a master’s degree in education and administration from Queens College. Mr. Duncan taught math at MS 216 George J. Ryan, in Queens, and business at Thomas A. Edison Career & Technical Education High School in Queens, before taking an admin-istrative post at Martin Van Buren High School in Queens Village, before moving to Queens Technical High School in Long Island City to supervise adult education. He retired in 2014 as a supervisor of adult education for 15 different schools. “His motto was that he would try to get any-one an education who wanted it,” said his wife of 40 years, Diane Duncan. Mr. Duncan was a third-generation owner of a his-toric home in Orange County, NY, part of a property purchased by African-American real-estate pioneers in the early 20th cen-tury. The development, Greenwood Forest Farms, provided a break from city life for such luminaries as poet Langston Hughes; composer J. Rosamond Johnson and NYPD icon Samuel J. Battle. Mr. Duncan’s grand-father, an engineer, was instrumental in planning the roads and dividing the prop-erty that defined the start-up community. In retirement, Mr. Duncan founded the Queens Classic Car Club, and served as its president. He restored three Pontiacs — a 1969 Firebird, a 1970 Grand Prix, and a 1971 LeMans convertible. In 2006 he helped cre-ate the Addisleigh Park historic district,

a southeast Queens community where they lived, as have notables such as Jackie Robinson, James Brown, Count Basie and Ella Fitzgerald. In addition to his wife, Mr. Duncan is survived by their two sons, Jamal Duncan and Gordon Michael Duncan, as well as three grandchildren.

NICHOLAS THOMAS ESPOSITO JR., 95, died May 30. He lived in Hendersonville, NC. Mr. Esposito was born in Flushing, and had lived in Roslyn Harbor and New Hyde Park, NY. He earned a bachelor’s and mas-ter’s degree before working at Brooklyn Automotive High School as an assistant principal. He was a member of Crooked Creek Golf Club and was an avid motor-cyclist. Mr. Esposito is survived by his son, Nicolas M. Esposito; four grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren. He was pre-ceded in death by his wife, Edith Esposito and his daughter, Valerie Cunningham.

MILTON FINK, 97, of Lenox, MA, died June 16. Born in Brooklyn, he moved to Queens with his family when he was 12 and graduated from the former Franklin K. Lane High School in Woodhaven. Following ser-vice in the US Army, he earned a bachelor of science degree from the Juilliard School in 1948. He later earned a master’s degree in music education from Teachers College at Columbia University. Mr. Fink worked as a teacher and high-school music super-visor for over 40 years, starting at Forest Hills High School, then Francis Lewis High School in Fresh Meadows, Queens, where he was a music teacher and a supervisor, then the former Sarah J. Hale High School in the Boerum Hill section of Brooklyn. He retired in 1985 from Newtown High School in Elmhurst, Queens. During WWII, Mr. Fink joined the New York National Guard and served as a musician with it until 1943, when he was drafted into the Army. Trained as a combat engineer in Texas, he also per-formed as a bugler. At Fort Dix, he formed a band with soldiers who had played with Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey and other orchestras. Eventually, the band was absorbed by a regular army band and trans-ferred to the Lake Placid Club in New York where wounded veterans were sent to recu-perate. After his discharge in 1945, he began studying string bass with a member of the New York Philharmonic at Juilliard, while he earned his college degree. He played club dates and was a member of chamber groups throughout his life. In retirement, he volunteered at Tanglewood in Lenox, and taught music theory to young musicians at the Berkshire Music School. Even into his 90s, he taught weekly music classes to other res-idents at Kimball Farms Life Care in Lenox, where he lived. Mr. Fink’s wife, Helen, died about six weeks after her husband. Surviving are the couple’s three children, Judy, David, and Jesse; and three grandchildren.

SANDY KLEINER, 74, died April 20. He lived in Montvale, NJ. Mr. Kleiner was born in Manhattan, graduated from Flushing High School in Queens. He earned a bach-elor’s degree from City College and a master’s degree in administration from Adelphi University. Mr. Kleiner began his career as an industrial arts teacher — first at Francis Lewis High School in the Fresh Meadows neighborhood of Queens, then at the former Beach Channel High School in Rockaway Park, Queens. He then moved to DOE headquarters in Brooklyn where he served as an education administrator, plan-ning and remodeling city high schools. He retired from that position in 2011. “He liked working with his hands, and he loved teach-ing,” said his wife, Michele Kleiner, a former nurse. The couple, who met as teenagers in the Rockaways one summer, were married in 1970. The family moved to New Jersey in 1982. Mr. Kleiner was active in Temple Emanuel of Pascack Valley in Woodcliff Lake, NJ, where he headed up the Hebrew school. In addition to his wife of over 50 years, Michele, Mr. Kleiner is survived by the couple’s three children, David Kleiner, Elena Kleiner, and Jill Kleiner, and a granddaugh-ter, Ava Kleiner; a brother, Harvey Kleiner, and a sister, Eleanore Roizman.

THOMAS R. STEINFELD, 90, died June 15. He lived in Great Neck. Mr. Steinfeld was born in Manhattan. When he was in middle school, his family moved to New Brunswick, NJ, where he graduated from New Brunswick High School. He attended a program at Rutgers University designed to lead to a bachelor’s and a law degree, but he was drafted into the US Army before completing the law portion of the program. Mr. Steinfeld fought and was injured in the Korean War and then hospitalized in Japan. When he returned to the States, he no lon-ger wanted to pursue a career in law, said his wife, Elaine Steinfeld. “He wanted to do something more meaningful,” she said. He satisfied the requirements for teaching in NYC public schools at a temple. Later, he would earn a master’s degree in history and education at New York University. He spent his career in the Bronx. He began in 1955, teaching social studies at JHS 120, where he met his wife, also a teacher of social studies. Mr. Steinfeld moved to JHS 123 in 1957. After teaching history briefly at DeWitt Clinton High School, he transferred to JHS 127 where he taught history before being appointed an assistant principal. Mr. Steinfeld also worked as an assistant prin-cipal and then principal of IS 181 (Pablo Casals) in Co-op City. He retired as princi-pal there in 1990. “He was witty and an all-around nice guy, and he enjoyed his career enormously,” said his wife. In addition to his wife of 65 years, Mr. Steinfeld is survived by their three children, Don, Bruce and Joy, and seven grandchildren.

LEO SUMMERGRAD, 98, died July 28. He lived in Bronxville. Mr. Summergrad grew up with his brother in the Bronx, the sons of immigrants from Russia who met on the ship that brought them to America. They worked in the Garment District. The only language spoken in their home was Yiddish. According to an interview con-ducted by the Yiddish Book Center’s Wexler Oral History Project, he was 10 years old before the family installed a radio in their home; until then, the primary source of entertainment was singing Yiddish songs. He attended public school, but, at the age of 8, he also enrolled in a local shul, and ulti-mately married one of his classmates from there, Mildred, in 1942, shortly before ship-ping out to the Pacific where he served as an Army medic. He saw action in the battles of Leyte Gulf and Okinawa. Mr. Summergrad earned a degree in chemistry at City College and later a master’s degree there as well. Mr. Summergrad spent 40 years working in the South Bronx as a teacher and administrator in the city’s public schools. “I loved those 40 years,” he once said. He worked first as a science teacher, before becoming an assis-tant principal, then principal, at the former PS 40 on Ritter Place. He was named princi-pal of JHS 136, newly constructed on Ritter Place, before becoming superintendent in School District 12. Before he retired in 1989, Mr. Summergrad took over as principal of JHS 167. His family said he was beloved by his students, and he remained in close contact with many of them, even in retire-ment. Throughout his life, Mr. Summergrad collected Yiddish songs. He said that as a teen, he copied about 80 of them into a notebook at the New York Public Library on 42nd Street. Later, he collected record-ings of Yiddish songs, which he organized in detailed, computerized data bases. By his account, he amassed some 700 tapes, CDs and LPs, with nearly 2,300 different songs. His family believes it is one of the world’s great private collections of Yiddish songs. He also contributed to the scholarly liter-ature on Yiddish culture. “I’m turned on by Yiddish songs,” he said with a shrug and a smile during his interview with the oral his-tory project. He is survived by Millie, his wife of 78 years, his son Paul, and his grandchil-dren Sophie and Michael. He is predeceased by his son, Eric, who died at age 53.

Send obituary notices to the CSA News Editor Chuck Wilbanks at chuck@csa-nyc.org.

In Memoriam

James Campbell

CSA NEWSOct. 2021 9

Explore, Vacation On Land Or By Sea

GARY GOLDSTEIN

Travel Desk

The world has reopened for travel and we at CSA are proud to offer the following programs for your perusal. On a personal note, I want to thank all of you for your patience, particularly those whose travel plans were interrupted. We were able to rebook or refund hundreds of trips for our members. It was a big load that was made much easier by your sophistication and understanding. As always, your input and sugges-tions are most gratefully appreciated. Bon Voyage!

N A T I O N

Education

With Baltimore schools back in session and the weather producing very warm temperatures, students attending schools that were with-out air conditioning were dismissed early or their schools were closed on high heat days. Twenty-one of the city’s schools fell into this cate-gory, though some have AC units under repair. The students and staff who were impacted by the heat and closures utilized virtual learning plans. (Baltimore Sun)

MARYLAND

School Closures

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Mental HealthWith a 31 percent increase in mental health-related emergency room visits in children aged 12-17 since the pandemic began, funding of $85 million has been pledged by the Biden administration to support student mental health. The Pediatric Mental Health Care Access Program, that trains primary care providers in treating children with mental health issues or how to refer them, will receive $10.7 million. The remainder will be distributed via grants from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to programs that raise awareness and train school staff to identify at-risk students. (K-12 Dive)

Across the country, districts are recognizing the need to address student mental health. In Illinois, students will be permitted to take up to five excused mental health days beginning in January. Students who avail themselves of this do not have to present a doctor’s note and will be able to make up any missed work. If a student requests a second men-tal health day, a school counselor will reach out to the family and may make referrals for profes-sional help. Other states imple-menting similar initiatives are Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Maine, Nevada, Oregon and Virginia. (NPR)

ILLINOIS

Brain Breaks

Research from the Columbia Law School Center for Public Research and Leadership shows that home-school connections can positively impact student learning. Arguably, one positive outcome of the pan-demic was an increased emphasis by schools to do just that. As par-ents weigh their options for school-ing their children, stakeholders say it is even more imperative for schools to be proactive in efforts to attract and retain families. Some outreach efforts that have been identified as important to con-tinue and enhance are: sharing of COVID-19 safety information; aca-demic expectations for students; social-emotional supports; and promoting accomplishments and connections. (K-12 Dive)

— Compiled by Christine AltmAn

NEW YORK

Parent OutreachCSA Winter Sailaway Jan. 8-18, 2022

Board the Emerald Princess. Sail from Ft. Lauderdale to Panama Canal, Cristobol, Limon, Grand Cayman.

RATES: Begin at $1,709pp.

Tropical Costa RicaMarch 19-27, 2022

Land tour includes comprehensive sightseeing.RATES: RT air from NY and 14 MEALS $2198 pp dbl.

Budapest, Croatia, Bulgaria, RomaniaMay 15-26, 2022

Sail Romania Viking Cruises Ullur.RATES: Begin at $2,574pp – air promo available at this time.

CSA President’s WeekFeb. 19-26, 2022

Board the Oceania Riviera. Sail from Miami to Costa Maya, Harvest Caye, Roatan and Cozumel.

RATES: Begin at $2,249pp dbl including onboard credit, taxes, gratuities and cocktail reception. Air credit if not used - $500pp.

Cruise To MexicoApril 2-9, 2022

Board the Majestic Princess. Sail from Long Beach, CA to Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan, and Puerto Vallarta. Call for rates.

Island Of The MedOct. 21-29, 2022

Azamara Onward. Sail to Elba, Sardinia, Corsica, Menorca, Mallorca, Valencia and Barcelona (overnight). Call for rates.

South Africa SpotlightJan. 6-18, 2023

Board the Oceania Nautica. Sail round trip Cape Town visit-ing Namibia as well.

Black Sea BrillianceApril 22-May 4, 2023

Board the Crystal Symphony. Sail from Athens to Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, Santorini, Croatia and Venice. Pre and post trips available.

RATES: Begin at $5,039pp. Air not included.

For more information, email ggoldstein@csa-nyc.org.

BY DR. LIZA CARABALLO-SUAREZ

Have you ever wondered why it is that men seem to be more outspoken and dar-ing than women, whether at work, sports, politics, or with their everyday living sit-uations? Have you ever felt that a lack of confidence got in the way of your own ability to take risks, achieve, or believe in yourselves? Katty Kay & Claire Shipman, authors of The Confidence Code and The Confidence Code for Girls, conducted research which showed that, instinctively, boys have more confidence because they are more natural risk-takers. In boys, con-fidence is about what they achieve, and with girls, it is about who they are. The

authors explain that confidence is really about action. It is about doing, failing and learning from that so you are ready to take the next step.

The Confidence Code gave me a differ-ent perspective on confidence and taught me how to be a culture critic and to notice bias in the world. As a woman, it’s important to know you can get involved and do something about that bias. I want my daughter to be able to learn who she is much earlier and be willing to think about what she likes and what she wants to do – and not focus on doing what everybody else thinks she should be doing. I want her to know that it’s OK to stick up for what she likes. I want this for

all my wonderful girl students! Now, we can all can learn how to do

this together! I invite you to join Donna McGuire, CSA District 6 Chair, who has partnered with the NAESP Center for Women in Leadership, as she facilitates virtual discussions about this book with other school leaders around the country. The discussions will focus on how you can become more confident and how we can help our girls become risk-takers.

Contact dmcguire@schools.NYC.Gov, for more information.

Dr. Liza Caraballo-Suarez, principal of PS 120 in Brooklyn, is vice President of the Board of Directors of NAESP.

Book Study: District 6 Chair Partners With NAESP Center For Women In Leadership

ELEANOR GOLDSTEIN

n Retirees sailing into Haifa Harbor in Israel.

CSA NEWS Oct. 202110

CHAIR’S MESSAGEGayle Lockett

C h a p t e r

We are off to a good beginning this year. Some regional units had Dr. Douglas Hathaway discuss

the new Medicare Plus Plan at their meetings. Over 2,000 retirees attended a presentation by Alliance (Empire Blue Cross and Emblem Health) on Aug. 30. If you are Medicare eligible, please read the information that was sent to you and review the chart for compar-isons between the new Medicare

Plus and the current Senior Plan. The Alliance presentation was recorded and is online at www.csawf.org. Contact Dr. Hathaway or Alliance at (835) 325-1190 with questions. All Medicare eli-gible retirees are automatically enrolled in The New Medicare Advantage Plan as of Jan. 1, 2022. You will be receiving on opt-out form or can get it online if you wish to stay with the old plan. You can choose to opt out between Sept. 15 through Oct. 31. After Jan. 1, 2022, retirees may change their health plan at the end of every year.

CSA President Mark Cannizzaro addressed our RC Executive Board meeting on Sept. 21. He praised us on our commitment to CSA and support for union activities. In addition, Director of Operations Erminia Claudio applauded members for our support for the CSA Scholarship Fund. First Vice President Rosemarie Sinclair, CSA’s go-to person for safety, special educa-tion and ECE, also brought greetings.

Join us Oct. 11 for the CSA Scholarship Golf Outing. At the September RC Executive Board meeting, we voted to be one of the event’s sponsors. We are asking regional units

and retirees to continue to donate to this worthy program. One high school college-bound graduate from each of the boroughs receives a generous award. The student must demon-strate leadership potential and perseverance.

We are looking forward to the CSA Conference and Retiree Chapter Annual Meeting that will be held at the NY Hilton on Oct. 30. We are honoring NYS Senator Shelley Mayer, the chair of the Education Committee; Karina Constantino, a recent retiree who was the Superintendent of District 20; and our own Donald Juliano, former principal from Staten Island. When the Retiree Chapter was formed in 2005, he was elected treasurer. The RC is still planning to serve a sumptuous breakfast for our retirees. After our RC Annual Meeting, Dr. Douglas Hathaway will present a workshop on The New Medicare Advantage Plus Plan and answer any remaining questions.

In the November elections in NYC, we will be voting for a new mayor, for most of the city council seats, the city comp-troller and borough presidents. After candidates asked for CSA’s endorsement, CSA screened many candidates. Quite a few of screened for the June primary were elected and are on the November ballot. Those who are elected will have an impact on education, our benefits, our pensions and our in-service members’ working conditions. Please help get out the vote! If you are a new retiree, you must reapply to be part of PAC, (Political Action Committee). Contact the Retiree Chapter for a PAC form.

In Unity,Gayle Lockett

RETIREEOff To A Great Start Some News You Can Use

• • •

BY MARK BRODSKY

TRS: Beneficiary Program Closed The TDAB program allowed beneficiaries of

deceased members to maintain an account in TRS’ Tax-Deferred Annuity Program. Authorization for TDA beneficiary accounts was added by the leg-islature in 2003, prior to the existence of “inher-ited IRAs” which enable non-spouse beneficiaries to defer distribution of their death benefit over a period of years, rather than receiving the death benefit in a lump sum which would frequently cause significant federal tax consequences. The federal tax code was later amended, however, to authorize inherited IRAs, which are now widely available in the marketplace and provide non-spouse beneficiaries the ability to roll over TDA death benefits in a tax efficient manner. Because privately managed inherited IRAs are widely avail-able, at competitive rates and with a broader array of investment and withdrawal options than the TRS programs, it is appropriate for TRS to discon-tinue offering TDA beneficiary accounts for newly eligible beneficiaries. Requiring death benefit ben-eficiaries to remove their funds from TRS would reduce TDA program costs which are borne by TDA plan participants. TRS would continue to manage existing TDA beneficiary accounts until the account is withdrawn or otherwise closed. Chapter 357 of the Laws of 2021 was enacted on August 3, closing TRS’ TDA Beneficiary (TDAB) program to new participants. Beneficiaries of

members who die after June 30, 2021, can-not establish a beneficiary account in TRS’ TDA Program. Existing TDAB accounts are not affected by this legislation.

CSA Conference 2021Registration is open for the 53rd CSA

Leadership Conference which will be held in-person on Oct. 30, 2021 at the NY Hilton Midtown. Go to the CSA website to register.

Scholarship Fund Golf OutingCSA will host our annual CSA Scholarship

Fund Golf Outing on Monday, Oct. 11th at the Dyker Beach Park Golf Course (1030 86th Street & 7th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY). To down-load a registration form, go to www.csa-nyc.org. For additional information or to donate items for our raffle, please email Erminia Claudio at erminia@csa-nyc.org.

One Day UniversityEvery university has a few professors who

are wildly popular, with fascinating talks that inform and inspire. The CSA Retiree Chapter has arranged with One Day University for our mem-bers to receive a discounted monthly member-ship fee of $5.95 (with the special code CSA2). You will have unlimited online access to their Video Library of nearly 200 lectures on a wide variety of subjects. New lectures are constantly being added. https://www.onedayu.com.

DIRECTOR’S UPDATE

Elise AbeggAlfonzina Alaimo- LloydIris Aldea-PollackVeronica AssentMaurice BallabonIris Battino BernsteinMitchel BerkEdward BlaineDonna BlauMichele BrascoMarita BrombergNancy CalabreseRhonda CalcagnoClaudette ChristieKathleen Clarke- GloverElaine CohenJudith CohenCarmen Colon-Montes de OcaEddie B. CorbettKatherine CorsoMichael CosmaiRobin CroudoJohn Samuel DeckerMary DeMarco KeatingRalph Di BugnaraAlex DigregorioCarin EllisMaria FernandezIvette Figueroa

Helen FinkCarol ForestaSoeurette FougereStephanie FremerTraci FreyMichael GalileiVincenza GallassioAndrea GallisJose GarciaCarol GarrickMaria Genao-DuranRoslyn Gillins- ClarksonReva Gluck-SchneiderTheodore GononCheryl GouldKathleen GradyLissa Grant StewartMargaret GreeleyEric GuilbaudMichele HoganJane IndelicatoCecile JamirKenroy JohnsonDolores Joseph-PaulineJoanne Joyner-WellsMarvin KantorMichele KleinerMike KozlowskiGiovanna La PietraMargarita LaboyLe Marie Laureano

Beth LevyAndrea LewisDonna LoPiccoloTheresa LuongoMarcia LylesEnid Maldonado- SalgadoMargaret MarasciaCynthia MarcianoElvira MarescaRosemarie Mc GarrVarleton McDonaldJanet MillerLiza MojicaStephanie MoskosElaine NathansonCarla Pantophlet- LabanDesmond ParkBarbara PelikowDiane PicucciWladimir PierreGregory PirragliaAlex PsyllosErnest PysherPierre RaymondCatherine ReillyElma ReingoldRosa Riccio PietanzaBelinda RobertsMadeline RodriguezBarbara Roman

Adele RombleyFlorentino Rosa- AcevedoBurt RosenbergMarie-Antoinette RousseauMala RuziPatricia SadowskiJohn SaskoLaura ScanlonLeslie SchechtGrace SearsPatricia SerotaEmily SheppardBeth ShimkinJeffrey SlivkoMaria Magdalena SloneMartha SmithTheresa SullivanTavia TruschEvelyn VadiLoydie VertusKim WanlissSheryl WatkinsStanley WeberElizabeth WhiteEsther WilsonAlicja WinnickiPeggy Wyns-MadisonDominic Zagami

Welcome New Members

CSA NEWSOct. 2021

RC Regional Units

We mailed our Summer 2021 news-letter in mid August to members. If you didn’tt receive it, please contact me. There’s important information about our meetings in October, when our guest speaker will be Steve Kramer, Esq., and in November, when Dr. Douglas Hathaway will address us. Both meet-ings will be virtual. Access information will be sent to all current members two days before each event. Looking for-ward to seeing you on Zoom.

— Janice imundi

LOWER HUDSON VALLEY

LONG ISLANDHopefully you have had a restful and

healthy summer. Due to the increase in viral spread, we have scheduled a Zoom unit meeting for Friday, Dec. 10. Our guest speaker will be CSA Welfare Fund Administrator, Dr. Douglas Hathaway. I’ll send an email with details in the next few weeks. Looking forward to seeing you. As always, you can email me with your questions or concerns at sthier8@gmail.com. In the meantime, be well and get your booster vaccination once it’s available.

—Stef thier

SOUTHWESTI hope you enjoyed your summer

and were not impacted by Hurricane Ida. Many have been calling me about the Medicare Advantage Plan and the process for opting out. I want to thank Dr. Hathaway and Norman Sherman for arranging the Medicare Advantage presentation on Aug. 31 and the opt-ing-out workshop on Sept. 13, 2021. Many of your questions were addressed at that time. Our Medicare workshop is scheduled for Oct. 13. Originally, we were to have an in person meeting at the Civic Center but due to the high number of breakthrough cases of Covid in the area, it will now be on Zoom. As the time approaches, I will send you the link. Please stay safe. Hopefully we will see each other in person soon.

— LoiS turetzky

SOUTHEAST FLORIDA

The December meeting will be all-in-clusive, conducted on Zoom with the Arizona Unit and CSA Retirees in the West. The meeting will be on Friday, Dec. 10, at 10 am Pacific Standard Time. We will send an invitation and a link shortly before the meeting date.

— caroL rainey

PACIFIC COAST

Our unit’s annual fall general mem-bership meeting via Zoom will be Tuesday, Oct. 19 at 1 pm. This compre-hensive presentation will address the crucial topic, How Not to Become a Victim of Scams and Financial Exploitations. We will also continue to provide digital offer-ings, via zoom, free of charge. Our cur-rent-events group meets the second and fourth Thursday of each month from 10:30 am – 12 pm and provides members the opportunity for friendly discussions regarding local and world news. To help stay healthy and limber, join our Chair Yoga classes which will be Wednesdays from 10-11 am.We encourage all mem-bers to visit our website on a regular basis at csaliretirees.com, for updates and newsletters. If you would like to become a member of our unit, download an application or, if you are already a mem-ber and need to update your email and contact information, email csalongislan-dretiree@gmail.com.

—karLa LandeSman marrero

11

We will have a zoom meeting on Monday, Nov. 8, at 11:30 am. Steve Kramer, Esq. will present information on CSA’s Legal Plan. The zoom access code will be sent to you a few days before the meeting. In the meantime, be safe.

— GeorGia harriSon

GEORGIA

BY LUCIE ELIO

We offer the following virtual classes/lectures to members, free. To register, email Retireeclasses@csa-nyc.org. List the event, including class/lecture title,

your name, email and phone. Note: there are lim-ited spaces, members are chosen on first come, first serve basis. Payment: Make checks payable to CSA Retiree Chapter. Send to: CSA RC - ECC, 40 Rector Street, 12th Floor, New York, NY 10006-1729.

October10/4 Beginner & Intermediate Mah Jongg: Beverly Hershkowitz – 10:00 10/5 Intermediate Bridge: Michael Ebenstein – 10:30 | Isamu Noguchi – Mary Dono 1:30  10/6 Beginner Bridge: Michael Ebenstein – 10:30 10/7 Beginner & Intermediate Crochet: Sharan Wilson – 10:30 | Intermediate Acrylic Painting – Nancy Baldwin – 1:30 10/12 Intermediate Bridge: Michael Ebenstein – 10:30 10/13 Beginner Bridge: Michael Ebenstein – 10:30 10/14 Beginner & Intermediate Crochet: Sharan Wilson – 10:30 | Intermediate Acrylic Painting – Nancy Baldwin – 1:30 10/18 Beginner & Intermediate Mah Jongg: Beverly Hershkowitz – 10:00 | Cy Coleman, composer - Karen Valen 1:00 10/19 Intermediate Bridge: Michael Ebenstein – 10:30 | All in the Family – Sal St. George 1:00 10/20 Beginner Bridge: Michael Ebenstein – 10:30 10/21 Beginner & Intermediate Crochet: Sharan Wilson – 10:30 | Intermediate Acrylic Painting – Nancy Baldwin – 1:30 10/25 Beginner & Intermediate Mah Jongg: Beverly Hershkowitz – 10:00 | How Walt Disney Co. Conquered the

Entertainment Universe: Brian Rose – 1:00 10/26 Intermediate Bridge: Michael Ebenstein – 10:30 | Haunted New York – A & S Zuckerman 1:00 10/27 Books & Bagels: Beth Peller 10:30 | Beginner Bridge – Michael Ebenstein – 10:30 10/28 Beginner & Intermediate Crochet: Sharan Wilson – 10:30 | Intermediate Acrylic Painting – Nancy Baldwin – 1:30 

Barring a surge in Covid-19 cases and CDC restrictions, our next Mid-Atlantic Unit general membership meeting will be an ‘in person’ event. The Mid-Atlantic Unit Executive Board has sched-uled a ‘grand luncheon’ to take place in Colonial Williamsburg, Va., on Friday, December 10. In addition, unit mem-bers and their families are also welcome to spend the December 10-12 weekend in Colonial Williamsburg enjoying hol-iday season music, tours, traditional interpretations and other Yuletide fes-tivities. Sunday night will conclude with The Grand Illumination fireworks displays over the Governor’s Palace and Capitol building. There will also be hol-iday programming in the Jamestown Settlement and the American Revolution Museum in Yorktown. For hotel reser-vations and other information, contact Unit Leader Rajinder Kaur at rkcsa11@gmail or call her at (516) 343-9328.

—debra brown

MID-ATLANTIC

MANHATTANWe plan to hold a general member-

ship meeting on Friday, Oct. 1, at 1 pm, via Zoom. Links will go out a few days before the meeting. Our guest speaker will be Dr. Doug Hathaway, who will go over details on the new Alliance Medicare Advantage Plan as well as what to do if you want to keep your current plan. Please submit your questions to me at shw29@verizon.net so Doug can answer them at this meeting. If you have not sent in your $15 membership dues for 2020-2021, please mail a check made out to “Manhattan Unit-CSARC “in that amount and mail it to: Stanley H. Wilson, 400 East 56th Street 8M, New York NY 10022

— StanLey wiLSon

Warm Sarasota greetings to everyone! I trust you are well, enjoying retirement on the Suncoast. I plan to have a zoom meeting in the near future, especially with all the information regarding our new Medicare Advantage plan. So watch for my emails with the date and time. In the meantime, save the date for our long-awaited annual luncheon on Friday, Jan. 14. I look forward to welcoming you back. Additionally, I have added a March lun-cheon, so mark your calendar for Friday, March 11. If you know of new retirees who found paradise here on the west coast of Florida, please have them get in touch with me at cindysal6687@gmail.com or (646) 387-2652. If you have a new email or home address, please keep me updated. Stay safe and keep having fun!

— cindy SaLamone

SUNCOAST FLORIDA

Classes On Deck Via Zoom

LIGHTSCAPE (In-Person Trip)CSA Leader: Ana MaldonadoLocation: Brooklyn Botanical GardenDay/Date: Wednesday, 12/8Time: 5:00 pmFee: Member $35, non-member $40 Limited: 10 participantsThis winter, explore Brooklyn Botanic Garden with the CSA Retiree Chapter, like never before at the

after-dark, illuminated spectacular Lightscape. Join us to celebrate the beauty of nature in winter on this enchanting trail animated by dazzling light, color, and sound. Across a one-mile trail winding through BBG’s 52-acre landscape, visitors will be dazzled and delighted by international showstop-pers like the Winter Cathedral tunnel, Fire Garden, and Field of Light, as well as new site-specific light works created by Brooklyn artists.

Announcement: CSARC Elections

October: Nominations and the election of CSARC Officers and Executive Board shall be held within one month of the last acceptable date for ballots for election of the CSA officers, enumerated in Article IV A of the CSA by-laws dated 12/14/16. RC Officers are: Chairperson, First Vice Chairperson, Second Vice Chairperson, Treasurer and Secretary. The Executive Board shall consist of the officers, twenty elected members and six alternates. The present Executive Board will approve the selec-tion of the election committee appointed by the Chairperson. Further information will be in the Nov. CSA NEWS and in an email update.

November: Nominations and the election of CSARC offi-cers and Executive Board shall be held within one month of the last acceptable date for ballots for election of the CSA officers as enumerated in Article IV A of the CSA BY-LAWS. RC officers are: Chairperson, First Vice Chairperson, Second Vice Chairperson, Treasurer and Secretary. The Executive Board shall consist of the officers, twenty elected members and six alternates. The pres-ent Executive Board will approve the selection of the election committee appointed by the Chairperson.

On or about Dec. 15, the election committee shall nomi-nate candidates for each officer and executive board seat. Any other member seeking an officer or executive board seat may be nominated or self nominated upon submission of a petition signed by at least twenty five (25) RC members in good stand-ing.The petition must be received no later than Dec. 31. Petition forms are available from the Retiree office.

Each candidate who has met all the eligibility requirements shall be entitled to have the CSARC send a statement of one hundred fifty (150) words or less concerning his/her election to the general membership through a mailing at the CSARC expense.

A person is eligible to vote in the RC election if he/she has been a member in good standing for sixty (60) days or more prior to the mailing date of ballots for that election.

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1 Periodicals

US POSTAGE PAID ATBrooklyn, NY 11201and Additional Mailing Office

Council of School Supervisors & Administrators, NYCNew York State Federation of School AdministratorsLocal 1 AFSA, AFL-CIO40 Rector St., NY, NY 10006

Printed on FSC certified paper

Borough Briefs / In The Schools

COVID-19 infection. The city agreed to grant permanent medical exemptions for employees who can’t receive any of the three authorized vaccines due to a documented allergic reaction as well as temporary medical exemptions in lim-ited circumstances. The city also con-sidered religious exemptions that were documented in writing by a religious official, and members could appeal if their application for either exemption or accommodation was denied.

The arbitrator held that DOE-based CSA members who declined to take at least one dose would be automatically put on unpaid leave with an option to take severance. If a DOE-based CSA member opts to take an unpaid leave, their position will be held for them and they will maintain medical coverage until Sept. 5, 2022. If at any time they become vaccinated, they may return to work. Those who decide to instead take the severance option will receive 1:1 compensation for up to 100 CAR days and their medical coverage will also continue until Sept. 5, 2022. In either instance, if a CSA member is scheduled to receive the remainder of a lump

sum payment, half of which was dis-tributed in February, 2021 pursuant to the 2014 contract, they will still receive the remaining half in November, 2021.

As this newspaper was going to print, it was not clear what type of staffing shortage the city’s vaccination mandate would cause. A substantial staff shortage will not only impact the health and safety of a school com-munity, but may also lead to repro-gramming and schedule disruptions, limit teacher evaluations, and make it challenging to ensure that special-ized classes are properly staffed. As soon as the vaccination policy was announced, CSA communicated to city and the DOE, and testified in front of the City Council, that the city must prepare for the challenges that lie ahead.

It’s also hard to pre-dict how disruptive positive cases will be to school communities this year. The mayor’s team and the chancel-lor assured CSA that the Situation Room

would be sufficiently staffed to han-dle the tracking and tracing of cases as schools reopen, but after the first week of school had concluded, principals were already reporting that they were spending long hours on evenings and weekends filling out electronic forms and taking calls from Situation Room personnel, suggesting a repeat of last year’s problems, which forced CSA to file a grievance with the Office of Labor Relations seeking to address the man-dated work that members were being directed to perform on the evenings, weekends, and holidays. In prepara-tion for an uptick in cases as schools reopen, CSA immediately began to put pressure on the DOE to reduce related

burdens on school leaders. Though schools opened their build-

ings successfully and did everything in their power to keep their communities safe, classroom closures increased steadily the first week, and on Sept. 20, the city suddenly altered its protocols around testing and quarantining. They expanded testing from 10 percent biweekly to 10 percent weekly, though they are still only testing unvaccinated students who have submitted consent forms. Meanwhile, if a positive case is discovered within a classroom, unvaccinated students will no longer have to quarantine provided they were masked and following social distancing guidelines of three feet when in close contact with the positive student.

NYC Schools Are Back In Session, But With Uncertainty Hovering OverheadContinued from Page 1

CHUCK WILBANKS

n ABOVE: At Manhattan’s PS 142, under the leadership of Daphne Gutman, teachers and students decked the halls with hopeful messages about returning to school. LEFT: CSA First Vice President Rosemarie Sinclair with ECE Director Tracyann Essien at the Friends of Crown Heights Liberty Avenue Center.CHUCK WILBANKS