Dear________,
Staffing and scheduling in many of our schools are becoming a nightmare. The city did not hire enough teachers to staff the new on-site and blended remote teacher roles it agreed to. Now many of you are being given assignments that your schools have no right to give you.
This staffing dilemma is not yours to solve. The DOE must abide by its agreement with the union. You need a program that will enable you to do your best work.
We’ve asked your chapter leader to file an operational issue report on behalf of the members of your chapter if your school is violating our agreement. Please contact your chapter leader and let them know your program issues. These reports will show City Hall and the DOE just how pervasive the problems are.
In August, we negotiated with the DOE a flexible system in which a team of educators would work with students who are dividing their time between in-school and remote instruction. On-site teachers will work together with a blended remote teacher who will provide instruction, curricular resources and assignments for blended learning students on the days they are remote. The team will share tasks such as assessments and family engagement.
The highlights of the agreement:
All efforts must be made to give teachers a program “exclusively of one type (in-person, fully remote or blended remote)
Teachers with full on-site programs are not also responsible for remote instruction
Teacher teams have the discretion "to determine how to share teaching responsibilities"
No schedules that create an "undue burden on any UFT member"
Creation of a Virtual Content Specialist position, who helps on-site and remote teachers by recording mini-lessons and curating assignments, rubrics and other instructional materials that align with curriculum
Limits on class sizes
Burdensome programs or violations of the agreement may be addressed through the UFT’s operational issues resolution process.
Read this FAQ on instructional issues »
The DOE agreed to a team approach that required more teachers, yet it has not made any real attempt to staff it. In violation of our agreement, principals are asking on-site teachers to livestream to remote students, combining multiple grades in one class in elementary schools, assigning too many students to teachers, and giving teachers both remote and in-person responsibilities.
The mayor wouldn’t listen to medical experts until we forced him to, and he won’t listen to educational experts unless we force him to. So once again we must take collective action.
Stay safe and healthy.
Sincerely,
Michael Mulgrew
UFT President
32 comments:
Everything coming out of Mulgrew sounds like: "wah, wah"
Another confirmed staff #COVID19 case at P.S. 361 in Brooklyn before students even arrive: that's now AT LEAST 24
@NYCSchools
. What would've happened if schools opened Thurs. 9/10, esp. since NYC contact testing & tracing hasn't followed immediately?
As a teacher and my school's programmer, I, for one, fully support the grievance against our program!
In order for us to create a program that adheres to the DOE/UFT agreement, which says in-person teachers should only teach in-person classes, every single in-person teacher would have multiple classes of 2-7 students.
In order to meet the requirements that teachers don't have four classes in a row or more than three preps, the school would need AT LEAST a dozen new teachers to teach in-person, fully remote, or blended students.
We have heard zero information from the superintendent about where these teachers might come from, how many we would actually get, and when they'd arrive.
Not only have we still not been provided with vital data that's been requested since June, the program we've been working on all summer was changed multiple times in August. Last week, it was changed twice when new directives came down from the DOE side. On Friday morning, we learned of another requested change which requires a new re-write AGAIN.Saturday evening, after we've worked on the latest changes during the day, Mr. Mulgrew made clear in his email that our latest rewrite would be in violation of the agreement.
Essentially, what the UFT/DOE agreement requires is not programmatically possible if the DOE does not provide thousands of teachers to its schools. They won't.
Our programming team, which includes only UFT members, including our excellent chapter leader, has been working extremely hard to help craft a program that works with the staff we actually have, in addition to about 8 phantom hires. But, that triggers the UFT's operational grievance.
The doe engineer's report determined the usable classrooms and socially distanced classroom capacity in July.
Based on our blended and remote numbers, at any given time during our seven period day, our program will require 8 classrooms for in-person instruction.
Plus, we need a teachers lunch/work station, a quarantine room, and multiple rooms for fully remote teachers to actually deliver instruction to their fully remote students.
The UFT safety inspection report for our school determined only EIGHT of the smallest capacity rooms in our building have proper, safe ventilation.
We don't have enough usable rooms for in-person instruction. Period.
Obviously, we all want to be safe and actually teach our students. This situation is terrible for NYC children. Unfortunately, it looks like the only adults around are the rank and file teachers.
The DOE expects the work to just magically be done. The UFT wants to see this blow up so we go fully remote.
And here we are... writing emails and comments about it on a Sunday morning with no viable program a week before the grand reopening.
11:28 If the UFT wanted to see this blow up, why didn't they just allow the schools to open on 9/10?
They aren't bringing those teachers on as full-time with benefits. They are bringing on young blood as long-term substitutes. No Z Pay, no benefits. Even though the freeze has opened for math and other content areas, they are on boarding these employees as subs with full course loads and responsibilities.
They are bringing on subs who have licenses in the content area. These young folk are desperate to get their foot in the door. However, little do they know that they are being dragged along until they are no longer necessary. I know one person I worked with at the REC has been long-term subbing for 4 years; the principal keeps telling her that when there is an opening she will be the one picked for it. They never do. They want cheap labor and this is how they get it.
Long-term substitutes don't just do the lessons the teacher left. They aren't left with any lessons. Often, they are doing what an actual teacher would do - plan lessons, grade assignments, sit in on PDs and meetings, conduct outreach; everything. Technically, they are supposed to get z-pay after covering the same position for 30 days, however schools usually are slick about it and don't offer it and most subs are too afraid to ask in fear of being discarded.
It is sleazy, but that is what most schools are doing currently to fill vacancies they have. If school's go remote, there is no guarantee that long-term substitute will keep the program they are assigned. They could easily redistribute students to other teachers classes if they aren't at full capacity yet.
There are still many teachers floundering in the ATR pool. So if your principal says he or she did every effort to prevent you're having two different styles of teaching, he or she is full of it.
1:13- That's an excellent question. I don't know the exact political machinations behind it. I can only assume. Maybe something else is in play that isn't clear. Maybe it's ineptitude. Maybe it's spite.
But, I can assure you that when all of this was brought to the borough rep, we were told directly to stop trying to make it work and to let it fail.
I'm a teacher. It's not in my nature to let the education of our students blow up and fail. I'm disappointed in all of the leadership from all sides.
Reno, The UFT could stop the practice of allowing day-to-day subs to fill vacancies in less than a day if it chose to do its job.
1:50 Yeah, let it fail so Mulgrew can continue to delay schools from opening. So we can give up days in the future. Is this their plan to extend the school year through July?
Can anyone tell me where I can find in writing that if you are a full remote elementary teacheer you should not be coverng more than 1 class and grade?
Several of us are being scheduled to cover 2 classes and grades while full remote.
I believe this is not allowed. James, do you know?
Can anyone tell me where I can find in writing that if you are a full remote elementary teacheer you should not be coverng more than 1 class and grade?
Several of us are being scheduled to cover 2 classes and grades while full remote.
I believe this is not allowed. James, do you know?
From the UFT's FAQ:
Can an elementary school teacher be assigned to teach multiple grades?
No changes to the DOE-UFT contract were made on this issue. As always, classroom elementary school teachers are assigned to a group of students on a grade (with the exception of classes that are ordinarily composed of students from multiple grades), while cluster teachers can be assigned to teach multiple groups of students on one or more grades.
On remote:
I am a teacher with a medical accommodation. To what type of program can I be assigned?
Teachers with accommodations will be assigned programs of fully remote or blended remote students. All efforts shall be made to assign all teachers to a program that is exclusively of one type.
The key words here are make every effort which is very open for interpretation. How do we know the principal made every effort? Does that mean they can assign you a mix after they made "every effort?"
They have to show they made every effort. It is just like where administratively possible. You need to look at the school program to see that every effort was made.
Hi.
Question:
If layoffs occur does that mean that excessing will also occur?
What if all of a school's math teachers are let go???
Where do new ones come from?
https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/coronavirus-2651-new-cases-on-saturday-death-toll-1103-642074
Israeli gov’t approves: Three-week lockdown beginning Friday
During the lockdown, the school system will remain closed, except for special education and programs for at-risk youth. People will not be able to venture more than 500 meters from home. Restaurants, shopping centers and businesses that offer leisure and recreational activities will be shut down.
Excessing wouldn't make sense. The reason they want to layoff is to save money. Excessing just means you aren't in the school anymore but you're still on payroll. I think they may have to shift teachers around to other schools though especially a school like Maspeth that has a young staff.
How can they go about shifting teachers around?
Are there any rules about this?
Take care of yourselves my good people.
@6:30 PM - Oh now, Let's talk about excessing. If excessed, will become staff with an ATR status There is not moving around of staff thanks to the union.
From the UFT's FAQ:
Can an elementary school teacher be assigned to teach multiple grades?
No changes to the DOE-UFT contract were made on this issue. As always, classroom elementary school teachers are assigned to a group of students on a grade (with the exception of classes that are ordinarily composed of students from multiple grades), while cluster teachers can be assigned to teach multiple groups of students on one or more grades.
On remote:
I am a teacher with a medical accommodation. To what type of program can I be assigned?
Teachers with accommodations will be assigned programs of fully remote or blended remote students. All efforts shall be made to assign all teachers to a program that is exclusively of one type.
So to confirm full remote teachers are to teach 1 class and 1 grade only? James? want to make sure before I speak to principal.
All I can tell you is what is in the document. Contract still applies. You are still a classroom teacher, correct?
But if there are layoffs and it's by reverse Seniority, how will they replace teachers in schools that lost a lot of staff?
People in other schools with more seniority bump them. See section 2588 NYS ed law.
The school im in has three sub teachers covering full time positions.The principal says their is a hiring freeze and when it is lifted she will hire two of them. But its all bull as they will be stringed along all year. This happened last year with one sub she had. I have seen this an atr. We have alot of good atrs in the system that are frustrated when they see this. So thats ok with me being an atr for 8 years. I come in and mind my business and become a yes man. Let the subs stress out. My only motivation is to make it through the day without any harassment from my admin.We must stand as one. These principals think their going to play with our safety report their asses. They dont care about us, never has never will. They must provide a healthy school. If they cant lead report them.
Firstly, why did the UFT push for, "a team approach that required more teachers?" I for one am GLAD they have not (yet) "made any real attempt to staff it." What could this "attempt" even begin to look like?
Secondly, the UFT never wanted this to work and you can see that hidden in Mulgrew's cited "violations" that ignore testing and tracing, accommodations or overall safety, aka the real concerns. All four "violations" as I see them, are not even legitimate (touched on above) and outlined here:
[Instructional Guidance aka Blended Learning and Fully Remote aka Teaching and Learning DOE-UFT Agreement]
1. principals are asking on-site teachers to livestream to remote students
"asking" teachers to livestream is forbidden? I thought this was what "synchronous learning" is? "...Daily synchronous instruction may include but is not limited to the use of Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Zoom, other DOE approved and school-determined online video conferencing platforms"
2. combining multiple grades in one class in elementary schools
As mentioned above, this is allowed, see the Contract.
3. assigning too many students to teachers, and
Is this the double contractual limit that the UFT agreed to?
4. giving teachers both remote and in-person responsibilities.
Per "Remote, Blended Learning On-Site and Teaching On-Site Teachers...co-planning...coordinate instruction...for blended learning students when they are both in-person and remote...other duties related to both in-person and remote learning."
Does anyone here seriously believe UFT Legal does not vet or understand Mulgrew's own agreement, or that Mulgrew would say things are "violations," when they are clearly NOT? The intent to drum up phony complaints that have already been addressed is clear here, and a bed of Mulgrew's own making.
Anonymous @11:28,
As the school programmer you must be going crazy!
I don't understand why more is not being said about the logistics of any type of hybrid model.
They all require either more staff or dismissing the teacher contract.
James, you said, "People in other schools with more seniority bump them. See section 2588 NYS ed law."
I still don't really understand.
Say a school loses all of its math teachers to layoffs, where do they get new ones?
Can DOE reassign teachers to other schools in this case?
Are there any rules for this?
The answer is yes they bump others. It is in the law. We posted a link earlier in the summer with some analysis.
Question: Can bumping cross boroughs or bumping in the same borough only?
Read the excessing rules WIting. Section 2588 covers the law. Article 17 of the contract covers excessing. Contract says placed within district to the fullest extent possible. However, there have never been layoffs after principals were given veto power over hiring in 2005.
Pay attention folks..."fullest extent POSSIBLE".
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