ATR 2.0 PROCESS INFECTS SIX MORE SCHOOLS

Chalkbeat NY reports that six schools have been added to the list of "out of time" schools where teachers are going to be forced to reapply for their jobs. There is no minimum who will be rehired but last year most of the teachers at Automotive High School and Boys and Girls were not rehired by the "out of time" rehiring process.

These teachers were placed into a new Absent Teacher Reserve status where they are sent to a different school in the borough for a year but are not necessarily given programs to teach. Essentially, this is the same way ATR's were placed between 2005 when Randi Weingarten and Joel Klein ended preferred placement for teachers when schools are closed and 2011 when the UFT agreed to the weekly rotation of ATRs. We call it ATR 2.0 as it is a step above what we have for the rest of us when our schools close or programs are downsized but it is forcing teachers out of schools for what is way beyond their control.

The six schools are: Lehman HS, Banana Kelly HS, JHS 80, Fordham Leadership Academy for Business and Technology all in the Bronx as well as August Martin HS and John Adams HS in Queens. We stand in solidarity with the UFT members in these schools.

If you put MORE-NEW ACTION in control of the UFT, ending the blaming of teachers for low student test scores and poor graduation rates will be a major priority.