Tuesday, August 25, 2020

MULGREW'S LATEST EMAIL KIND OF REVIEWS EVERYTHING UP TO NOW

 Dear,

I’m writing to update you on two major issues that are coming to a head: potential city layoffs and our fight for a safe reopening of school buildings.

The coronavirus-triggered shutdown has hammered the New York City economy and left the city budget in tatters. Making matters worse, the U.S. Congress has failed to pass the stimulus funding that states and cities were counting on. Mayor Bill de Blasio has threatened to lay off 22,000 city workers, including 9,000 Department of Education employees, to close the city budget gap.

The UFT is doing everything in its power to protect your job. We told the mayor that he should not be laying off city workers — and slashing city services — during a moment of crisis. We are working with other unions in the Municipal Labor Committee on a plan to make sure the city has the funds needed to avert layoffs. We are urging Albany to give New York City permission to borrow up to $7 billion for operating expenses. We are also lobbying the state to allow New York City to offer a retirement incentive for senior workers.

With Sept. 10 fast approaching, the mayor continues to push for the reopening of school buildings without putting in the necessary work to ensure the health and safety of our school communities.

We will not put our members, our students and our families in harm's way. The UFT’s three-point safety plan includes the necessary safeguards:

Supplies: Each school must pass the union’s comprehensive safety review.

Procedures: Each school must have a COVID building response team responsible for implementing the procedures needed to keep the virus at bay and to isolate and deal with it quickly if there is a case.

Testing: Every child and adult should be tested for the virus before entering a school building. Once schools resume in-person learning, the city should follow a rigorous protocol of random, intermittent testing and tracing.

We have a responsibility to try to reopen school buildings because the infection rate in New York City is so low. But if the mayor attempts to open a school building that is unsafe, we are prepared to go to court or take a job action. Your chapter leader or district representative will be in contact with you to discuss next steps.

The UFT will continue to fight every day for your safety and your livelihood. Unions are made for these critical moments, but we need to stick together. When we have each other’s back, we can keep each other safe.


Sincerely,

Michael Mulgrew

UFT President

80 comments:

Anonymous said...

"I don't think there's a similarity at all,"
@BilldeBlasio
says of indoor dining vs kids eating lunch in classroom

Anonymous said...

There is no way to travel to and from buildings, have students do the same, then spend hours with them, and guarantee any type of safety.

Anonymous said...

“We have a responsibility to try to reopen school buildings because the infection rate in New York City is so low. But if the mayor attempts to open a school building that is unsafe, we are prepared to go to court or take a job action. Your chapter leader or district representative will be in contact with you to discuss next steps.”
Maybe because he said “TRY”, the schools that opened have already shut down. I give a bit of time before the city does also.

How many get sick in that time?

Anonymous said...

Just read the email. Wow. He NOW says teachers, students, and staff “should” instead of “must” be tested. He also says we must open schools because infection rate is low. Yeah ok , BUT the idea is to keep it low and keep people safe by staying remote! Also 22,000 layoffs and almost HALF, 9,000, from the UFT! He seems to have backed off. Could it be because he is now hearing from some rank and file who refuse to strike? It shouldn’t matter, make a stand and hold strong. This is getting more unreal by the day. - Hawk

Anonymous said...

Nearly two dozen Bronx principals say they’d love to have outdoor classrooms — if only they didn’t have to worry about their students getting shot or picking up used drug syringes off the ground.

The day after Mayor Bill de Blasio and schools Chancellor Richard Carranza crowed about turning city parks and streets near schools into classrooms amid the coronavirus, principals in the borough’s District 7 fired off a blistering letter.

“Our District has been in the grips of a wave of gun violence that is dangerously affecting and can further exacerbate the safety conditions for all members in our Learning Community,’’ the educators wrote.

“A few days ago, a woman was shot to death in front of one of our district schools,’’ the principals said — apparently referring to Patricia Vasquez, 25, who was killed early Saturday outside PS 1 and Alfred E. Smith HS in the Melrose section in District 7.

“Most of the parks next to the schools which we use for recess belongs to the Parks Department has to be cleaned daily as syringes and other drug paraphernalia are constantly found there each morning among broken beer bottles, urine etc.,’’ the letter said.

Anonymous said...

“Our District 7 has been in the grips of a wave of gun violence that is dangerously affecting and can further exacerbate the safety conditions in our Learning Community,’’ the educators wrote. A few days ago, a woman was shot to death in front of one of our district schools.’’

WorriedATR said...

I pray each and every moment for 25/50. Hope springs eternal.

WorriedATR said...

25/50 would be so great. It would dump a lot of their payroll. Win win

JP said...

I will say this again, I find it extremely disturbing that Mulgrew agrees to the worst contract in uft histpry in 2014, has given us an average of 1.3% raises over the last 11 years, took the retro delay of 11 years with no interest, school discipline out the window, has let the school system go to shit and never says a thing about it...

Now, all of a sudden, "WE DON'T GIVE THEM A DIME OF OUR MONEY AND WE ARE GOING TO STRIKE."

And, by the way, nobody ever responded to that long letter I sent.

Anonymous said...

Dr on tv just said opening schools will likely cause a rolling hotspot in NYC.

Anonymous said...

I’ve been informed that DOE has asked borough field offices to determine if schools are ready to reopen and are aligned with safety protocols via walkthrough survey. However, borough offices were instructed NOT to complete survey in writing if they deemed buildings unsafe to reopen.

Additionally, borough staff expressed concern that they’re not qualified to determine alignment with COVID safety protocols. Folks feel rushed to get things done while also feeling very concerned about making uninformed decisions that carry serious consequences.

I’ll continue to share more information as soon as I receive it.

Anonymous said...

Everyone but us....

Several Minnesota schools make last-minute pivot to distance learning

Anonymous said...

FYI principals were told NOT to share specific information with parents. So parents are asking questions about ventilation, cleaning, etc and principals are evading them and giving them generic answers only. And parents ARE NOT ALLOWED in school buildings anymore to see inside.
Quote Tweet

Alex Zimmerman
"The education department declined multiple requests to explain how it verifies whether classroom levels of airflow and filtration are safe before reopening — whether systems have been upgraded or not."
https://ny.chalkbeat.org/2020/8/25/21396573/how-safe-is-the-air-inside-nyc-classrooms

Anonymous said...

THE DOE HAS SPOKEN.

UFT members hearing that a window that's opened 4 inches qualifies a space as ventilated.

YES, 12 people sitting in the same room for five hours, eating lunch in there, where a window is cracked 4 inches will DEF. stop an airborne virus during a global pandemic,
@NYCSchools
.

Anonymous said...

He basically said that he will not oppose the opening of the schools. Members should appoint a healthcare proxy and make sure they have their wills completed.

Anonymous said...

re the 3 point safety plan: Tellingly, each school MUST pass the safety review. Each school MUST have a covid building response team. But , every child and adult SHOULD be tested before entering a building.
My interpretation is that the testing regime is no longer a MUST.
Last week it was MUST,MUST,MUST. Now it is MUST,MUST, SHOULD.

Anonymous said...

Borrowing money to pay for operational expenses is how the city got itself into financial trouble in the 1970s. It led to the layoff of 14,000 teachers.

Anonymous said...

No big deal...

NEW: Texas A&M University is reporting an outbreak of 400+ COVID-19 cases after students returned to campus.

Anonymous said...

Even Mulgrew knows DeBlasio has to go. He’s openly stealing over and over again.
https://nypost.com/2020/08/25/scott-stringer-seeks-oversight-after-de-blasio-1-5b-covid-19-deals/?utm_campaign=iphone_nyp&utm_source=pasteboard_app

Anonymous said...

So, what happened to the 700,000 students getting tested?

waitingforsupport said...

@6:18
Thats because NYC and NYCDOE staff have done an AMAZING job remote teaching during the middle of the outbreak. We were troopers. Few students failed. We will now show the country and world how COURAGEOUS NYC teachers are in the face of this virus. It's like teachers are part of some experiment. This experiment will look great on DiBlahsio's resume when he runs for president. Maybe he promised Muldew a job in his cabinet. Something is fishy.

Anonymous said...

Based on this letter, it seems the strike is off the table.

Anonymous said...

Parents can't fill out survey. U think they are going to get tested. City can't even handle that much testing. Mulgrew knows this. So why ask? Why not demand instructional lunch off the table... Then Dc37 might join strike, but nah!!!! Why??? Ask yourself before u vote for strike???
Instead...
Wear 2 masks, face shield, Hazmat suit. Wait a couple of days and the schools will close themselves. Are you really going to trust Mulgrew? Seriously u could be without a job and without health care during a pandemic/ Great depression. Diblasio is not backing down, cause he is crazy. Cuomo probably not going to save u when infection rate below 2%.the plan sucks and it will be a complete failure. Just getting people in the building could take hours and you think parents will do that every day... They will pick remote. HS kids won't show up once they see how horrible the environment will be. Cases will go up. Wear PPE. Dr/nurses did and according to cuomo their infection rate was lower than general population. Take sick days if you are scared. Take family leave, Whatever. schools will close. Don't be fooled by Mulgrew's militancy... Don't make me laugh. If we strike cant be day 1. Why does he want this cause he wants to save his boys:cuomo and dobaz.. Mulgrew does not care about you. Never did, never will.

Anonymous said...

Calm down everyone. In two weeks we go back to the classroom. With Deblasio, Carranza,
and Mulgrew aka The three stooges leading the way what could possibly go wrong.

Anonymous said...

The DOE is transitioning from high stakes testing to high stakes experimentation.
And you are the experimental subjects.
How about that! I bet you are enthusiastic!

Did you complete your will as suggested by Mulgrew?
Did you buy additional life insurance for your loved ones?
Are you prepared to sacrifice your lives to Make America Great Again?

Anonymous said...

Yup, classrooms in the great outdoors known as the "urban jungle".
Plenty of open space to go pee. like on the fire hydrant or at the bus stop over there.

Does anyone need to get some good weed before next class?

The are selling it at the corner.

This was another brilliant idea from Mayor De Blasio.
It is another feather in your cap, sir Bill!

Anonymous said...

Doesn't school start in less than two weeks?
And did the DOE release the 2020-2021 school calendar?...
... not that is will matter much when they are not ready to re-open safely.

Anonymous said...

I think De Blasio is about to reinforce his reputation as the national laughingstock of an inept, unqualified politician.

Anonymous said...

How the fuck is this not an immediate lawsuit and intervention from the governor?

As I mentioned earlier, attached is part of what was sent to borough field staff tasked with conducting school readiness walkthrough surveys. They were instructed in bold sentences not to submit a final survey declaring a school unsafe to open without speaking with a superior.

As I also mentioned, staff is also expressing concern that they’re not qualified to conduct health related safety protocol inspections.

I’ve been informed that DOE has asked borough field offices to determine if schools are ready to reopen & are aligned with safety protocols via walkthrough survey. However, borough offices were instructed NOT to complete survey in writing if they deemed buildings unsafe to reopen

Additionally, borough staff expressed concern that they’re not qualified to determine alignment with COVID safety protocols. Folks feel rushed to get things done while also feeling very concerned about making uninformed decisions that carry serious consequences.

Anonymous said...

Question? Many teachers are teaching remote (PE, music, art) and do not have a medical excuse. Can they still make us come into the building?
Any one with knowledge to this answer please respond thanks.

James Eterno said...

No accommodation, you can work in a building.

Anonymous said...

Does anybody know where a 53 year old can get a good life insurance policy.

Anonymous said...

Memo to school inspection teams. Looks like a willful attempt to suppress information.

WE ARE LAMBS BEING LEAD TO THE SLAUGHTER. START MAKING NOISE!!!!

Dougie Jones said...

https://ny.chalkbeat.org/2020/8/25/21400153/nyc-school-buildings-safety-inspections-reopening

This is pretty shocking, though not surprising. The people doing the inspections are often unqualified and encouraged to give the classrooms a pass. Does not look good. My school has rooms with no wndows. If those rooms get a pass then the whole thing's gotta be rigged, which I guess it is.

Anonymous said...

I am a public school parent and teacher. I am reading that people inspecting buildings are being instructed not to report any issues they find in writing. Is this not fraud? Is this not misleading parents? I have 3 kids in schools in Brooklyn. I did not fill out any survey but I am not sending them in. This is too many times I've been given false information by people. The mayor lies and doesn't have answers everyday when he talks. Covid is very serious an I fall in the high risk category. Count my family out until there is a vaccine.

Anonymous said...

All these findings should be sent to the news. This is sheer insanity what is going on here.

Anonymous said...

The vaccine will sterilize you.

Bronx ATR said...

The schools won’t open on 9/10 - there will be a delay of two to three weeks. Same as ‘93. Carranza will have been forced to resign as the scapegoat. deB, Mulgrew and CSA honcho will make peace to mitigate the massive layoffs and potential outrage from everyone - public, teachers and admins. Mulgrew NEVER intended to strike. This is all a show to prove strength to the rank and file, stir loyalty and quell dissension.

Anonymous said...


Lol so if Deblasio and Carranza insist buildings are ready, why come up with this outdoor plan. Clearly, they have no clue what they are doing!

Anonymous said...

The education department said 200 engineers would be dedicated to inspecting buildings. Of those, 160 are consultants and the rest will come from the school construction authority. Officials vowed the job would wrap up in one week. They are expected to do thorough room-by-room inspections in the same amount of time that droves of educators have been charged with doing “spot checks” of the same buildings, raising some concerns about how the job can get done on such a short timeline.

“Having done these walk-throughs in the past when they were 10 pages, we were told not to check everything, just to spot check. Even then, it was difficult to get them done on time,” said an instructional lead from a borough office assigned to do walk-throughs. “Now you’re adding, at the last hour, people who don’t know the buildings to do 100% more thoroughness than we ever did. It feels like yet another last-minute Hail Mary pass.”

This educator remained wary of the process and felt uncomfortable having to assess building facilities.

“I don’t know what I am doing,” the educator said.

This employee’s job is to coach educators to teach children, the staffer said, not to understand the intricacies of HVAC systems. The education department is still requiring these experts in teaching and learning to make judgments on ventilation and many other building-preparedness measures.

“Is there proper ventilation in the nurse’s office? How would I know what proper ventilation would be? What’s the standard for that?” asked an instructional lead from another borough office. “It’s inappropriate and insufficient and inadequate to rely on instructional people to suddenly know about building systems.”

The walk-throughs are also supposed to determine if a school has installed sufficient social distancing signage and floor decals, among other factors. But the staffer was unsure what to look for. This employee also was concerned about receiving no guidance on whether to wear a mask and gloves on the school visits or if schools would take the temperature of the individuals conducting walk-throughs or ask them about their recent travel history.

The union representing the educators charged with the walk-throughs had reservations even in light of the additional layer of engineer inspections.

“While education administrators have traditionally conducted building walkthroughs, the task is particularly concerning this year for obvious reasons,” said Mark Cannizzaro, president of the Council of School Supervisors and Administrators. “While these evaluations are absolutely necessary, the DOE is asking instructional specialists to make safety assessments regarding COVID-19 preparedness that are well beyond their expertise.”

Education department officials pledged that buildings would be ready in terms of health and safety, with multiple walk-throughs of each building by administrators, central staff, facilities staff, and professional engineers.

“No room will go unchecked, and no detail will go overlooked in the pursuit of safety for our young people and staff,” said education department spokesperson Nathaniel Styer.

James Eterno said...

Please give us the source of the last comment.

Anonymous said...

That's the chalkbeat article.
https://ny.chalkbeat.org/2020/8/25/21400153/nyc-school-buildings-safety-inspections-reopening

Anonymous said...

James, look at chalkbeat, the article for the 10:53 is there.

Anonymous said...

They inflate graduation rates so they will inflate the number of schools that have proper ventilation. It will be close to 100 percent when it really should be 50 percent.

Anonymous said...

James for years you have rightly fought the union on the undemocratic way they make decisions. But you are ok with Mulgrew making a statement about striking without taking a vote of the delegate assembly or polling the members? The strike is not as much the issue to me as the way it was introduced.

Anonymous said...

I agree that we need healthy staff and healthy children to have a school and that is priority number one. I would like more information about the logistics of this hybrid model.

I still don't understand how it is supposed to work. Have I missed any of DeBlasio's, Carranza's and Mulgrew's information sessions regarding the logistics of the hybrid model?

I am concerned that I will have to teach a full load in person, then be expected to lesson plan and teach the students who are remote.

If I have a class of 32 students and 18 students show up, in person, for school, I am concerned that I will be will told to teach all 18.

Millions of dollars are being wasted to "prepare" the buildings yet there are threats of layoffs?

We will be teaching less than half the students in each class, therefore we need twice the teachers, yet there are threats of layoffs?

Supervisors and Central office people making millions, with no positive impact on the schools, but no threats of layoffs.

School begins in two weeks, and I have no information from my school.

None of this makes sense. New York is in deep, deep, trouble. (for years to come).

Anonymous said...

Source for 10:53: https://ny.chalkbeat.org/2020/8/25/21400153/nyc-school-buildings-safety-inspections-reopening

Anonymous said...

https://ny.chalkbeat.org/2020/8/25/21400153/nyc-school-buildings-safety-inspections-reopening

waitingforsupport said...

@10.18 pm. You've hit the nail on the head. This is where integrity and courage come into play. Document all infractions IN WRITING. Send it to staff and news outlets. Give it to someone you know and let them send it out if you're afraid. Save yourselves because it looks like its every person for themself.

waitingforsupport said...

1124
You're absolutely correct.

Anonymous said...

All this for kids to go to school six/seven days a month ..... think about that.

Anonymous said...

11:49 - Pretty sure James is just happy with the fact that Mulgrew is finally standing up for something, not the fact it wasn’t passed by the rank and file.

Anonymous said...

James, I appreciate this blog! Thank you to everyone who comments. I agree the way the strike was introduced was completely out of control. I believe in striking but not on this issue at this time. If uft wants to strike before school opens I will vote no but I will not cross the pickett line. I agree that we should let the mayor fail. Today's indicator:less than 1%. Strike on COVID, Now? I think not.

Anonymous said...

Crucial point here - there is no expectation that schools will reopen with 0 infections. No public health expert who supports reopening believes that is possible.
The question is - what do you do when a kid or adult gets sick?

Anonymous said...

What happened to mulgrew saying we can't open without fed funding?

Anonymous said...

They’re placing toilet paper onto the end of a yard stick and sticking it into vents to determine adequate air flow. School communities are asking how does that determine adequate air flow.

Anonymous said...

Getting reports of the official “inter-agency” ventilation checks for school classrooms. What equipment is NYC using to conduct these inspections? With a budget of over $80 billion, NYC is using a yard stick & toilet paper to determine adequate air flow to keep kids & staff safe.
Mark Treyger
@MarkTreyger718
School communities are asking: how much of the toilet paper has to move around to determine adequate air flow? Let that sink in

Anonymous said...

They ask mayor at press conference about surge in violence...

Answer...covid

That is the safety you should feel in 2 weeks

Anonymous said...

It seems, according to this man's testimony,
@NYCSchools
is not asking how much air is flowing in a classroom but just whether air is coming into the classroom in the first place- YES or NO. The flow of air on toilet paper, on a yardstick with a binder clip, is this test. Yup.

Anonymous said...

1 cent -> 13 to 16 billion per year.

There is already a NYSE share tax. Raising it by one cent (or half a cent) will end the deficit. Seriously.

Mayor deBlasio has destroyed NYC: allowed rampant crime, chased out the higher income tax-payers, added pre-k (which can just as well be removed this year - seriously, are they having pre-k done in a hybrid model), and essentially spent money like its water (all the "programs" they've initiated) - hell how much did the Murals cost at a time when there's "no money"?!?

And now there's a deficit? Go figure.

Millions were not spent from March to August in schools (supplies, trips, substitutes, per-session...) due to remote-only. Maybe this money will be spent on the supplies that will magically appear in schools within the next 14 days. Or maybe the Mayor's silk undies.

The point is, there's one easy way out of this deficit - one cent. One and done.

Is NY purposely bankrupting itself to get out of our pensions?!? Certainly seems like their plan going back several years - and Cuomo practically "begging" the President to allow NY to do so (stated in a few public addresses).

Anonymous said...

We're going to believe the school construction authority and "consultants"?
They built a new 5-story wing on my school. Within a year the sides were falling off, the gym was destroyed due to leaks, classrooms have leaks "something" from their ceilings; and the new HVAC system didn't work - we were told that it was cheaper to pay a fine than to fix it... I could go on here. Over a decade later nothing has been fixed.

Yeah. The buildings aren't safe to begin with - lead in the water, asbestos, ...

Yet, within 14 days everything will be right as rain.
Debacle in the fall? It's been a never-ending fiasco.

We should strike against EVERYTHING wrong with the system and how it hurts our staff and students. Sure the top priority is safety from COVID; but we could expose the DOE for all the unsafe conditions and unfair policies that threaten our lives and our students' lives. ENOUGH.

Anonymous said...

Csa and doe are talking about a phased start to school or a prep/ Pd period before the start of the school year. Won’t be going in on the 10th

Anonymous said...

9,000 new cases within 2 weeks. This is what will happen in NYC. I ask again, please have the year start remotely.

Florida confirmed 9K new COVID-19 cases among children within 15 days as schools reopen

https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/513661-florida-confirmed-9000-new-covid-19-cases-among-children-within-15-days?fbclid=IwAR38n2Kyt8cCrpDx01A4iqJDQUc2GaCuIEfoqtlXrHQct4Q__gIsej9_Jv0

Anonymous said...

I'm confused.

Supply fans bring in outside air. My building does not have supply fans. The DOE says, who cares, just open the widows. Is it that simple? If so, why are 185,000 dead in this country? Can't everyone just open windows?

Anonymous said...

A heads up about Bronx high school buildings - most use radiators and window air conditioners (if extremely lucky) solely. For example, from my travels around the Bronx - Grace Dodge campus HS has NO ventilation system, Kids were regularly passing out from the heat in the middle of the winter. The window clips for most of the windows have been removed, so you can’t even open the windows. (The building is cursed.) Lehman HS campus has had many problems with its ventilation system, many of their classrooms have no windows at all, Schulerville high school , Kate (on the executive board’s high school, confirm with her) - legioneer’s disease was found in its system as well as Kennedy’s (?). Evander Childs has no ventilation system, same with Taft, Roosevelt, Morris and most older high schools in the Bronx. They have very large windows in most of the classrooms and don’t have air conditions either. The windows are set to open only 3 inches and locked from the top. Most of the transom windows over the front classroom doors, in all high schools, have been painted shut - because the custodial staff was too lazy to paint carefully (they’ve even painted over the glass as well) also cutting off air supply from and to the hallways. As a former ATR I’m happy to inform the rank-and-file of the abysmal conditions of the filthy, unventilated, hot school/warehouses I was rotated into. There is no way, even with an extremely low contagion rate, that teachers should be sent into these buildings. They are very unhealthy, even in the best of times.

Anonymous said...

If all teachers are in school all day everyday teaching in person (except those who are medically excused) WHO IS TEACHING THE 70% of students who will be home on any given day. Cant get an answer am I missing something????

Anonymous said...

UFT set out conditions to #ReopenSafely, including testing every teacher and every student within 10 days before school starts, and ensuring contact tracing is in place to notify every member of a school community within 24 hours of a case.

Mayor said no

UFT backed down

Anonymous said...

I have worked in my current school for the past 6 years. Five other schools share the building.
My school occupies the basement and ground floors. Classrooms have no windows and ventilation
has been terrible for much longer than the time I have been there.
The entire time I've been there, teachers and admin complained almost daily.
Someone would come around and take a look. Things would get a little bit better for a day or two and
then we were back to square one.
There is no way ventilation problems that plagued this building for such a long time could be fixed in a month or two.

waitingforsupport said...

@1:10pm...should have done that a long time ago. It's not too late. Tell it to the news outlets. Put it online. Call community organizations. Save yourselves.

Anonymous said...

https://www.pix11.com/news/back-to-school/video-nyc-uses-toilet-paper-to-check-air-ventilation-at-reopening-schools

Great, now they're using our half-ply semi-transparent toilet paper to conduct ventilation "inspections". What will I use to wipe my bum when I go back?!?

This is asinine!

deBlasio "Spared no expense" on safety... just like Mr. John Hammond.

-T

waitingforsupport said...

Martin Luther king hs campus in Manhattan has many classrooms without windows. Poor circulation and hot as he!! all year long. Let the mayor tell it, all is well. We will be up and running before September 10th. I didn't think it was possible but he is now respecting educators less than he respects students. It's shocking.

Anonymous said...

5 schools in one building. Yes of course the city has no money when it spends it on nonsense like creating all these small schools each with a principal. It's because of all this wasting of money plus the ATR that they will have to layoff teachers.

Anonymous said...

They will have to layoff teachers because of all the things they did the last ten plus years such as hiring new teachers enstead of using the thousand plus atrs they had sitting idle.

Anonymous said...

At an ATR meeting once I attended hosted by Amy Arundell she said the city would rather pay and waste money on the ATR instead of placing its teachers.

Anonymous said...

Agree with Waiting for Support 1:10 PM. It's not too late. Contact the media.

As for MLK, there is poor ventilation. There's also a mice and cockroach problem there.

Anonymous said...

The ATR status creation is a disgrace to unions. This kind of nonsense does not exist in the police and fire department, corrections, etc. Through no fault of their own, those in the ATR status are deliberately kept from engaging and developing their skills. Administrations throughout schools are in cahoots with the DOE. So staff, when you see a person in the ATR pool sitting around do not get upset with them. Your administration is following the DOE's directives. If you do not have the guts to approach your administration about it, do not dare mistreat or think less of your colleague. No matter how nice you think your principal is, don't fall for it.

Anonymous said...

I have been in the system for 18 years and have spent 8 of those years as an atr. I think overall people understand why we are in this position. I take alot of pride in my work and do the best I can. But i dont and never will trust any of these principles. THey use the young teachers as much as they can and hold tenure over them. They harass the veterans to the point of quiting. If we cant be united now then we will probably never have this opportunity again. No one wants to strike understood. But now because of safety and our members who have passed on we must be together. We all count or no one counts at all. These assholes dont have any systems in place. Lets get through this together and then get rid of mulgrew. We are not telling the mayor we dont want to teach. We can start school online. We are telling the mayor we dont want to be used for any experiment.

waitingforsupport said...

A principal told me to my face that he was directed to NOT treat ATRS well. However He was very nice to me. During teacher appreciation week he gave me the same gifts that he gave to all staff. Of course a year or 2 later he was replaced by another principal. The mayor and City care about "the machine" and not "the people". You have to teach people how to treat you. Let me play devil's advocate: What will you do If Mulgruesome fails you September 10th? Are you planning to risk contracting Covid by going into a possibly dangerous situation or are you currently preparing a plan of action using the DOE's own CDC-backed guidelines? My parents always taught me to never accept poor treatment. Stand up for yourself.

Anonymous said...

We teachers abandoned our ATR brothers and sisters. Now we too are being abandoned. Chickens came home to roost and we the self centered did it to ourselves.

waitingforsupport said...

@7:38 am
That's what I say. Years of little cognitive empathy has lead to the self centered not receiving compassionate empathy. Full circle.