Dear Principals,
Last week we sent you an initial estimate of how many students your school could serve at one time under social distancing constraints. These estimates were intended to provide you with a starting point for assessing your school’s capacity if social distancing is required for schools in Fall 2020.
The goal of this work is to look at all possible space in order to maximize the number of students served in person at the same time under social distancing guidelines.
Today, we are asking that you take the following steps to accomplish the following objectives per the letter sent on June 11, 2020:
Verify and update the information we shared by completing this survey.
Identify ways to maximize instructional space and, therefore, the number of students who can safely be served in your school.
We ask that you do the following:
1. Please perform a walkthrough of your building within the next 2 weeks. Please invite your chapter chair, and available members of your School Leadership Team or School Safety Committee, to join you on the walkthrough. If your chapter leader is not comfortable joining in-person, they are not obligated to do so; however, they should be able to appoint a designee to join. Principals, please follow up with chapter leader and SLT/School Safety Committee members and afterwards update them on the walkthrough findings.
During this walkthrough please consider:
How much of the public assembly space (gyms, cafeterias, auditoriums) could possibly be used for instructional purposes. [Note: if you are in a co-located building, we encourage you to discuss with your colleagues about best ways to maximize shared space. DOE will issue further guidance and expectations for co-located spaces in the weeks to come.]
How much administrative space could be converted to use for instructional space.
Other ways to maximize the number of students who can be served safely in the space.
2. If you have not already done so, please complete (or have your designee) complete this survey to share your and your SLT’s initial feedback on the capacity estimates, as well as your thoughts on how to use school space to maximize in person learning opportunities.
In response to feedback we have already received from many of you, we will be sending detail that underlies the estimates we sent you last week, so that you can see room-level data that underlies the estimate you received. We expect to send this data by early next week. We encourage you to submit specific space or facilities related inquiries at https://forms.gle/AhpEh1253fyMW2gp9 which we are answering via the FAQ on rolling basis at https://bit.ly/3cRm2hR.
Additionally, to access to your school building for a walkthrough, please submit a request for building access through this form that will be sent directly to your Borough Safety Director (BSD). Your BSD will ensure that a School Safety Agent is available during the time of your visit. Please do so by June 26, 2020.
We understand that all of us would like to have greater clarity with respect to programs for September; we ask for your continued patience and flexibility as we work together through this time of great uncertainty. We are grateful for your collaboration and leadership.
Sincerely,
Richard Carranza, Chancellor
Karin Goldmark, Deputy Chancellor of School Planning and Development
Lol. Just lol.
ReplyDeleteReally, we're going to use the auditorium as a classroom!
ReplyDeleteI knew it! As a P.E. teacher, I have been saying for months that the DOE is going to convert school gyms into classrooms. (Looks like music, dance, and technology rooms will also be converted to classrooms as well) This is going to be a massive clusterfuck. Mulgrew is mentioning that that high risk teachers who might get Covid can work from home. Well, what about all the cluster teachers that are going to loose their classrooms in September? They will have nowhere to teach. Thus, I prepose that ALL CLUSTER TEACHERS AND ANY TEACHER THAT LOOSES THEIR ROOM SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO TEACH FROM HOME. UFT should get on this asap.
ReplyDeleteI have viewed the space planning document for my school. Large rooms that normally have a class of 33 can now only hold 16. Essentially we have been told that 1/2 of our students can be in the building on a given day. The only way we could have a full traditional class together would be to close the partition in the gymnasium and create two LARGE classrooms. On top of that my school has 12 so-called "inner rooms" without any windows and the only air circulation is through the ventilation system of the building. Needless to say, that barely works so who the hell is going to agree to teach in that room and which parent would want their child in such a room? The over-paid and under-qualified chancellor and his minions are full of questions (and shit) but have few answers. They are placing the full responsibility of creating a plan from the ground up on the principal and "school community" without any real guidance or assistance other than sending an excel spreadsheet. Just like the way the rest of NYC is being run, this is a total disaster in the making.
ReplyDeleteHow do we still not even have a calendar or a Moa?
ReplyDeleteThis is such basic stuff.
My AP sent out a message reminding us about a PD that starts at 2 pm.
I will stay on until 220 then log off.
Sadly, as a union, people will just go along.
This isn’t good.
Mulgrew is walking a steep slope
He is in so far over his head but he will not lose anything, the rank and file and kids will.
ReplyDeleteIt is quite comical that they are missing a very big point. You can do alll this planning and walk throughs to figure out where to put the kids, but if they are not increasing teachers it doesn't even matter. And of course they are cutting budget and excessing teachers. So even if my building can social distance its students and put them in more classrooms, how can you do that with less teachers?
ReplyDeleteThis is just more rearranging of the furniture on the Titanic while the band plays on. OK, we need several plans, blends and hybrids, a safe plan to go back to buildings, a plan to walk out if they are not safe blah blah, speculation, contingency, get ready for the iceberg. But we need to deal with who is not going back and for how long, and who is to be added to the 1.5 million new claims for unemployment that just got added to that dismal figure today. People not furniture. PPP,that stands for pure political posturing. That's what we're getting as we are busy adding meaningless comments and figuring out how we are are going to arrange the furniture on the Titanic. How can we avoid Cuomo's iceberg? The man is lying about the money. He wants to whine about SALT. Yeah, that's in the Hero's Act. He wants to blow the number up so big, as if it ain't big enough, and then head fake us into thinking that the only option is the establishment democrats and their business as usual. Please. We know better. The real hole in the budget is huge. Between 8 and 9, billion. and this is bad, worse then ever, and over 3-4 years it is going to be very difficult to fill, but it can be done without the Heroes Act. And without cuts, slashes, freezes and furloughs. For now though we will continue to hear that the Republicans are heartless pigs and we need to vote, elections count, and will continue with the furniture moves.
ReplyDeleteyou have bloated central admin staff that needs to get cut ASAP.
ReplyDeleteyou have schools that have 4-10 Admins... who do practially nothing all day, especially since observations were cut down to 2. Get rid of them.
You have a glut of Tier IV teachers making over 100,000 per year who are absolutely foaming at the mouth just to get out of this insanity.
You have a bunch of Tier VI suckers who actually think they are going to survive until 63, LOL Oh well, they have been warned...
Anyway, give Tier IV teachers an early retirement...
20 year retirement option....regardless of age.... 40% FAS
I know I am dreaming folks... but sometimes dreams really do come true.
This is not a one sided deal... there is a real incentive for the city and state to approve of this early retirement option.. it will save money in short and long run.
Wait $40,000 annual pension is good?
DeleteI still don't think a lot of people would take the buyout. I have over 22 years but I have a mortgage and the pension would not be near what I need to make my mortgage. This may be possible for women who have wealthy husbands but not breadwinners.
ReplyDeleteAnother excellent Shelley post and I agree with 11:16. If you're in your 40's, you have kids and a mortgage and can't get by on 40% FAS. Taking equal distributions from the TDA won't cut it either. And, plenty of people would go teach in a private school, do tutoring, etc. but those jobs and cash sources are going to be dried up. I'm not saying it shouldn't be offered but don't see many people jumping at a 50/20 (or just 20) incentive.
ReplyDeleteYou don't see the hopelessness out there. No state or city taxes or social security or Med tax on retirement. Plenty will jump at 20 and out just to be done with this shit.
ReplyDeletePlenty of second income households too.
ReplyDeleteThousands would jump at a 20 and out incentive and leave NYC. You can survive quite well on a NYC teacher pension down south, even if it is reduced.
ReplyDeleteI agree with being able to survive down south on a pension, but not everyone is able to move that easily.
ReplyDeleteAnother successful uft program. feel confident yet? 1 week left to opt out.
ReplyDeleteSo if one has 19 years they get no option? Not fair.
ReplyDelete20 years deal =
ReplyDelete3 year FAS w/ 30 above = approx- 46000
25/55 - 3 FAS w/30 above = approx - 64000
I am a bread winner. I have other skills. I know how to hustle and I can easily make an extra 18000 a year to supplement a 25/55 salary
I can actually make a lot more that 18000.
I would love that deal. This deal is for people who can't take one more minute of this and have the desire and hustle to get a restart.
46000 with health benefits is a just the cushion I would need to actually enjoy life again.
We have no idea if there will be a twenty and out incentive. It has never been done before so don't put the house for sale sign up now.
ReplyDeleteUFT? I am really getting upset how it seems every other district in NY ended early to make up for missing spring break. A week of work is a lot of money for me and I don’t understand why it feels like we in the DOE aren’t getting what we deserve. My students are so done and teachers need a break. They really couldn’t have let us end a few days early, and called it even for what we worked during spring break? Who is fighting for us? Where is our union? I can also picture them trying to call us back early in August too since there’s no plan.
ReplyDeleteHow about a cash buyout for those with less than 20 years? 1 year salary? Seems fair to get them off the books forever, save the salary, the medical, the pension...
ReplyDelete143, if not at retirement age they would also forfeit the last retro, sounds like a great deal for the city. Guess what, not happening.
ReplyDeleteMarch 17-19, sent into infected buildings, and made to travel to and from those infected buildings, knowing they were infected.
ReplyDeleteChose dues over safety
No plan for September, just words...Mulrew will "say something"
1.3% raises over 11 years
Retro held back with no interest for 11 years
WE are the only group who had TDA reduced from 8.25% to 7%
no discipline code
fake grades
fake grad rates
fake suspension rates
higher medical co-pays
absentee chapter leaders
abusive admin
abusive students
cell phones in buildings
open market fraud
no travel hardship transfers
getting blamed for students not caring, not being present, being in poverty
screwed observation system
2014 contract extended twice with 0 raise
Backing criminals
Backing failures while rewarding them after doing nothing
7-12 report card comments
Excessive paperwork violation, no official grievance filed
Only seeing 1 side of cop issues/ignoring facts
Just be careful. If you need your spouse's money, he/she won't make the same money down south or even in PA. Yes, lower cost of living, but do the math. Hopefully you know someone else who's done it. Also be sure to check GHI to make sure you will have doctors, AND then call the doctors, because many doctors on the GHI list don't actually take the insurance (GHI doesn't update its lists). Be prepared to have to come back to NY to do a big surgery, though the BCBS hospital coverage is pretty good for emergency room. (I say pretty good as you will still need to go out of pocket for the ER doctor, radiology techs, etc.).
ReplyDeleteNot arguing with you or want to discourage you from taking a deal if its offered, just don't sell yourself short. I'm glad I moved out of the City but there are some drawbacks and things you want to be aware of.
The town hall has begun, are you asking about all the issues?
ReplyDeleteSpring break
Open market
Disaster in March
September?
Mulgre said we wont be unsafe "again"
ReplyDeleteHe just said loss of retro on table, layoffs, etc.
ReplyDeleteAlso, those who are clamoring to head down south with their juicy pensions should realize that you will be paying state taxes on that pension which you would save if you stayed in New York I think it’s fair to say that a lot of states will be increasing your income taxes to make up for budget shortfalls
ReplyDeleteFlorida has no state income tax.
ReplyDelete@8:19, being a PE teacher with the limited class sizes can be a nice stress relief
ReplyDeletefinishing 18th year a 20/25/30 buyout should be on the table even with getting a reduced pension. You can make 125,000 easy as a final salary where tier 1 teachers maybe got 6 figures with the lower salaries, besides that they made out like bandits.
End of day, whatever option they decide will be heavily debated and criticized.
Random thought, how come Obama never made juneteenth a federal holiday in his 8 years, did he even know what it was lol.