Information

Communicating with members is a priority of the DFT. We also want you to receive accurate and up to date information.

1. Weekly Notes (via your personal email): at the beginning of every work week we send updates on information pertinent to our members
2. Union Hotlines (via your personal email): messages of an "urgent" or immediate attention, many times these will reflect our "Calls to Action" where we ask for members to write, call, or email on a particular topic. We post our Calls to Action on the DFT website under the Take Action menu.
3. Wellness Wednesdays (via your personal email and website): these columns focus on tips for health, well-being, safety. All of our Wellness Wednesdays are posted on the DFT website: https://dft231.mi.aft.org/sites/wellness-wednesday. There is also a document of all topics from October 2023 until June 2025. This document will be updated frequently and is on the website, pinned to the top: Wellness Wednesday Topics.
4. The Detroit Teacher (via your personal email and website): this monthly publication highlights what members are doing in our work/school locations, community outreach by members, legislative updates and other items of interest to our members. The most recent editions are posted on the DFT website: https://dft231.mi.aft.org/publications-and-reports. If you have anything of interest to submit, please reach out to our Communications Specialist at [VBonacci@dft231.com?link_id=3&can_id=51d3c46c71ada49d8caccfb1ae5d6e3c&source=email-welcome-new-members-74&email_referrer=email_2853599&email_subject=communications-used-by-dft&&]VBonacci@dft231.com.
5. DFT website: https://dft231.mi.aft.org/. We encourage you to take some time to peruse through the website as it can answer so many questions.

• The home page is used for information we share with the public.
• Join the Union is used for signing up for DFT and DFP, along with membership dues information.
• About Us has a staff directory (contact us), who we are, names of leaders, and links to AFT.org, AFT Michigan, AFL-CIO, AFL-CIO Michigan, and Metro Detroit AFL-CIO
• News features news and legislative articles, publications and reports, and videos.
• Actions & Events list our "take actions" and a calendar of events.
• Membership lists information about membership meeting dates, member benefits, key DFT and DFP documents, letters of agreement, the retirees chapter and professional development offered by the union.
• Resources are used for information about programs, information about voluntary deductions, Wellness Wednesday.

5. Facebook: To get the only accurate information from the DFT, subscribe to our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/DFT231.

6. X (Twitter): https://x.com/DFT231

7. DFT Bulletin Board: Each work/school location is to have a dedicated space for a Union bulletin board. Please be sure to lknow where this is located. Information about School Union Committees and contacts can be found be at your work location site.

8. AFT Michigan: The state federation sends out weekly communications via your personal email. Their website is https://aftmichigan.org/. To sign up for communications: https://aftmichigan.org/signup/. AFT Michigan is also on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aftmichigan/; on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aftmichigan; on X (Twitter) https://x.com/aftmichigan.

9. AFT National: To receive emails from AFT National, go to https://www.aft.org/join, find this sentence under the heading Do you work in: "If there an AFT local in your worksite that you are eligible to join, please go to this form and select YES."  

Be sure to say yes, fill out the form and click the box (near the bottom of the page) that allows you to opt in to receiving emails: https://www.aft.org/join-aft. You can connect to the various social media in which AFT participates by scrolling down to the bottom of the home page on their website (AFT - American Federation of Teachers - A Union of Professionals) and enter your personal email and zip code.

All DPSCD employees are eligible for the confidential support, at no cost. Reach out to a counselor at Ulliance. More information can be found on the attached flyers.

• Employee Assistance Program through Ulliance Page 1
• Employee Assistance Program through Ulliance Page 2

COMPLETING YOUR RETIREMENT FORMS

DFT unit members planning on retiring at the end of the 2024-2025 school year should complete all of the forms related to retirement by May 1, 2025.  These forms include:

1.  A Separation from Service Survey (SFSS) found on the District's Hub.  Please remember that in order to be paid for sick days upon retirement from DPSCD, eligible employees must submit a SFSS to the District's Human Resource office (HR) no later than May 1, 2025 and retire effective July 1, 2025 (or August 1, 2025 if working during the month of July).

The SFSS should be emailed to HR by May 1, 2025.  (Follow the instructions on the Hub.)  The "effective date of separation" on the SFSS should be listed as June 14, 2025 (or July 31, 2025 if working during the month of July).  After the SFSS is submitted to HR, a confirmation email will be sent to the employee.  Employees should print a copy of that email for their records.

Eligible employees meeting the May 1, 2025 deadline will be paid $45 for each unused sick day in their sick bank for days 1 to 100 and $65 for each unused sick day in their sick bank for days 101 to 200 for a maximum payout of $11,000.  Payout for sick days upon retirement does not include a payout from the catastrophe bank.  (To calculate the number of sick days in one's sick bank, divide the number of sick bank hours by eight [8].)

2.  The pension application forms found on an employee's miAccount with the Michigan Office of Retirement Services (michigan.gov/orsschools).  (Click on the menu item "Ready to Retire", then the box that says, "Apply for Retirement", and then follow the instructions.  Use the same date for "the last day worked" as was used on the SFSS (June 14, 2025 or July 31, 2025).

3.  The application forms for Social Security (if eligible) and Medicare (if eligible) found on Social Security's website (ssa.gov).  (This website is separate and unrelated to the Michigan Office of Retirement Services' website and an employee's miAccount.)

Questions about retirement can be directed to the DFT's retirement counselor, Patrick Falcusan, at 313.875.6783 at any time during the year.

There is much concern about the recent statement from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announcing it would end a policy restricting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents from arresting undocumented immigrants at sensitive locations such as hospitals and schools.  

We want to share some resources with our members that AFT National is providing as we deal with this uncertainty. We have also posted these resources in our January 2025 The Detroit Teacher. 

RESOURCES: https://www.aft.org/our-community/immigration

• Rights for Immigrant Students/English
• Rights for Immigrant Students/Spanish
• Deportation Defense Toolkit/English
• Deportation Defense Toolkit/Spanish
• Educators' Guide/English
• Know Your Rights Information for Students and Families/English
• Know Your Rights Information for Students and Families/Spanish
• 15 Things to Do to Protect Students/English
• Family Immigration Raid Emergency Plan/English
• Family Immigration Raid Emergency Plan/Spanish
• Share My Lesson Immigration Lesson Plans
• Colorín Colorado Serving and Supporting Immigrant Students

Do you know a member who is an outstanding STEM teacher. If so, check out this information on the Presidential Awards in Math and Science Teaching website. Applications are due by February 6, 2025.

Do you need quick tips for working with ELL students? Please check out these two documents from Colorin on the Go:

1. overview of Colorin on the Go
2. what ColorinColorado offers

Schools To Tools, a State of Michigan grant funded program, aims to provide educators with the tools and incentives to offer students the option of considering career opportunities available in union construction trades apprenticeship programs. Designed for middle and high school students, Schools to Tools has a Mobile Experience that brings the field trip to you. They also offer FREE SCECH training for educators that include a meal, a training center tour and material to share with your students and some fun swag.

Learn more at https://schoolstotools.org/resources/ and https://schoolstotools.org/scech/.

Please refer to the Educator Services provided by the State of Michigan for MOECS and certification: Click here to be directed to the site.

This is a guide to introduce basic language and concepts inherent in discussions of the LGBTQ+ experience in the workplace:

This is a 20th and 21st Century document outlining LGBTQ+ history: 

The DFT and the district have agreed on a Donation of Sick Days Policy which allows members to donate unused sick days to catastrophically ill members. Read through the policy and if you think you would qualify for this benefit, reach out to the DFT Office before you submit paperwork to the district. There are these forms which need to be completed: Application to Use Donated Sick Days, Sick Leave Physician Statement, and the Donation of Sick Days Authorization Form.