We have details on Absent Teacher Reserve placement and the news is optimistic. Some feared that next school year that ATRs would be in the same school but still just covering classes. This information from the DOE's Hiring Update for the 2021-2022 school year (see below) does not support that negative outlook.
Most ATRs are going to be permanently staffed at the school they were placed in this year. There will be no cost to the school for what the DOE is calling Transfer Subsidy Placements. Here is a very important part for ATRs to study closely:
The excessed employee will assume their rightful seniority (if any) at the with all accompanying rights and responsibilities including a program/schedule appropriate for the license area/title of the employee.
It looks like that means these soon to be former ATRs should get a program preference sheet and C6 preference sheet just like everyone else even though the DOE omitted the word school from that sentence.
I blame the UFT for accepting the ATR pool in 2005 but the Union does get credit for never agreeing to a time limit for ATRs to find a permanent position or be fired. I look forward to hearing reaction to ATR placement from the Ed deformers from the Joel Klein era who created the ATR pool and expanded it by closing so many schools.
The bulk of the credit here goes to Chancellor Meisha Porter for recognizing the value of the ATRs and finally placing them in permanent positions. Mulgrew never made regular placement a UFT priority while agreeing to indignities such as weekly ATR rotations, weaker due process for ATRs and more. I would have liked to have seen the ATRs have a real say in their placement, however this DOE placement program is still a big step forward.
So does this mean a teacher who was excessed from a school last year MUST RETURN or do they have the OPTION to return?
ReplyDeleteJames, maybe that means for people who will be excessed as of June because they weren't at a school as an ATR this year.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDelete"Staff excessed in SY20-21 (first-year excesses) will be returned to the school that excessed them per their contractual right of return. If they are not retained in FY22 at the school where they were excessed, they will return to the school where they were assigned during SY20-21 via the Transfer Subsidy Placement."
This doesn't make sense. It sounds like that's talking about the same school.
As I read that, anyone excessed this year is going to be placed right back in the same school. If the school can't afford them, they won't have to pay.
ReplyDeleteSo you're considered excessed in the year you started as an ATR, not the year you were told and left your old school?
ReplyDeleteThis sounds nice and is a step in the right direction, but unless Fair Student Funding is eliminated (with its requisite individual school budgets), ATRs will be back on the road in a year; and a new crop of ATRs created from veterans who have become too expensive. The UFT loves it because new Tier 6 temps are hired and they receive dues from them AND the ATRs. Double the money fun for Mulgrew and Friends.
ReplyDeleteThe DOE will have to start over again in 2022 as most current ATRs are being permanently placed.
ReplyDeleteSo now do I outrank all the other English teachers in my school who have fewer years in the system than I do? Seniority in the system beats seniority in the building in everything except comp time positions.
ReplyDeleteIt says "rightful seniority... with all accompanying rights..." You are number one.
ReplyDeleteGrade fraud-from the uft...The DOE says a student must achieve mastery and/or achieve learning outcomes to receive a passing grade this school year; otherwise, they should receive an NX. This grading policy applies even to those students who did not show any engagement throughout this school year. Students graded NX may recover the credit depending upon their past level of engagement. NX grades may be converted to a numeric grade when a student demonstrates sufficient mastery of skills or if the student fails to demonstrate such mastery by a relevant deadline set by the DOE.
ReplyDeleteThe person not commenting is the teacher who likes to brag how he dies nothing as an ATR. Meisha says back to work. I like this.
ReplyDeleteI'm not an atr and I do nothing...because that's what the doe demands.
ReplyDeleteSo the ATRs are being forced placed and without any say what positions they would have?
ReplyDeletePeter, They could always force place excessed teachers. Only those coming from closing schools got choices.
DeleteThat is a lie. My school was closed, I had no choice.
DeleteBefore 2005, you had choice coming from a closed school. I can show you the old contract if you like.
DeleteMost honest ad for the UFT was written by 1:05. The UFT: Always on the side of the Chancellor.
ReplyDelete1:05, 1:10: Yes, the first day I was an ATR 3 years ago I was handing out programs in the auditorium. At my second school I would sit in the lounge all day read, internet surf and go to lunch on days no teacher was out and in my present school I remember I was checking thermometer batteries. This was the system the doe created. I was happy in my old school teaching full time. I also never had an objection to getting a full teaching program but schools didn't want to oblige.
ReplyDeleteI’ve been an ATR for a while and never objected to doing work.
ReplyDeleteWhat I objected to was being spoken down to by admins who get they were better than me.
Those are the ones who atrs would do little work for.
After seeing James' leadership skills on this blog, I now realize why he got 1% in 2010, against a guy he says is so awful.
ReplyDeleteWhat are your leadership skills? 7:34pm, oh that’s right you have none. You’ve helped not one teacher in your career. James has helped many. You are happy being a follower like the little bitch you are.
DeleteLol. So I've accomplished nothing, just like James.
DeleteMy best friends commenting again. For the record, it was a little more than 1%. I have certainly been vindicated by events since 2010.
ReplyDeleteYou've been vindicated? How? Mulgrew won every election by landslide. You didn't stop a single contract. You run your mouth on here with all the other complainers while doing nothing. Can you tell me 1 or 2 positive things that have been done? You say you've been vindicated which seems to indicate you think the union sucks...Yet you are pro union, a bad union.
ReplyDelete840. this level of projection is stunning. zero self awareness.
Delete@james- if i remember correctly- you were given 3 options and had to choose 1 - you didnt have total freedom of choice
ReplyDeleteYes, 9:20, you had a wish list and were given one of those schools. Telling staff a school would close made people sad and angry but it did not produce the anxiety of the ATR threat.
ReplyDeleteThe many UFTers I have had the honor of helping and supporting just might disagree with you 8:40. If I am just complaining, why do I get calls, texts and/or emails just about every day asking for help.
ReplyDeleteOn a macro level, I am very proud to have sponsored or cosponsored motions that led to Passport Funds, decoupling corporal punishment and verbal abuse into separate regulations, getting the No Rating/NA rating into the contract and Board policy as teachers in the past were automatically rated unsatisfactory when they had any kind of action against them pending. I also introduced a DA motion to get the UFT to join with parents in a State Education Commissioner's Complaint to empower SLTs as not just advisory but policymaking. We won that. After many years of screaming, I wrote the resolution in 2007 that finally got the UFT to reverse its support for closing schools and now the UFT opposes school closings. Remember the lawsuit to keep schools open. Jamaica was a key part of that case. We won and at least delayed our demise. I think I had a role in that case. The DOE even in Bloomberg's last year stopped closing schools en masse.
Jamaica also was the original school that pushed for a standard workday with the same time schedule each day in 2002. I also cosponsored a resolution where I ended up as the co-chair on a UFT Committee.
That is a pretty strong record for a dissident who spent ten years on the UFT Executive Board without ever having a Unity endorsement. Thank you high school teachers.
Ask anyone if I was an effective Chapter Leader,Executive Board member and Delegate but especially Chapter Leader. Did I mention I helped lead the fight against abusive principals?
This blog is in part based on my chapter newsletters. Information and opinion all in one. I do more than sit back and complain. I stepped forward and have done and continue to do my part.
Lmaoo, great response to 8:40pm, 7:34pm, 11:38pm. Hopefully they’ll stfu now that they have been put in their place. - Hawk
DeleteYou have never gotten to the heart of the major problems. That's why people, 99% of them, complain here.
DeleteJames has a lot of common sense and even though I don’t agree with all takes, he has more common sense than today’s UFT leadership.
ReplyDeleteThe same day schedule should have been implemented. It would make the lives of all teachers easier.
Hawk partnered with 10:19 gives us language for another honest UFT ad. UFT: Where teachers know their place and STFU like the good little bitches they are. Hawk and 10:19 should be in charge of a UFT membership drive. Who’s not ready to jump at the chance to be part of THEIR team. First 100 members insulted for free!
ReplyDeleteIt is inaccurate to say that an excessed teacher had a choice of placement. I was excessesd in 1991 and I called the placement office. There was a vacancy in two schools in the district, and I got to choose between those two. Had there been only one vacancy in district, there would have been no choice. So, they tried to accommodate you, but ultimately it was a forced placement.
ReplyDeleteJames, you have done a lot for the UFT, however I think there are other ways and stratagies you can use besides criticizing and questioning everything our union does. When you post it on this page, the gullable or the people who have had bad experiences will obviously eat it up, and they become ANTI-UNION. Unfortunatly this is the consequence of your actions.
ReplyDeleteI really don’t think anyone on here is anti union. I think they are anti Unity. How about you and Mulgrew get Unity’s act together and working for the members and not the politicians!
DeleteWhy is every single thread posted by james a negative one? Why are all the comments negative? That shows a positive profession? Lol.
ReplyDeleteThose are a few loud commenters who are anti-union. The vast majority who come by here from what I hear don't ever comment or rarely comment. Most like the information we provide or why would they keep coming back?
ReplyDeleteOur page view numbers are good and didn't go down at all when we ended the opt out debate so the turning people against the union argument does not hold up.
As for other ways and strategies to use, please be specific. I am listening.
By the way, I do appreciat positive feedback too. It helps me to stay hopeful.
11:07, This was a mostly positive posting.
ReplyDeleteI was provisionally hired til June. Now the DOE informed the principal I will be placed permanently and the school has to pay for my 22+ salary. This was not in the principal's plans.
ReplyDeleteNobody on here is anti union. We are just aware the UFT is in bed with the DOE. It's not that they don't do anything, it's that they do a small fraction of what they could/should.
ReplyDeleteStill waiting to hear those other ways we can contribute?
ReplyDeleteCan't have it both ways. Don't tell me that it will be better and make it better en masse and follow that by saying we can't change unity and there is no way for someone else to win an election. So you tell me, how will there be change and when will I see it?
DeleteYes @10:57 am...we all are interested in reading about YOUR "Ways and strategies" to get Mulgrew voted out.
ReplyDeleteOk, do just say it can't be done
DeleteCan someone take terminal leave before resigning or only before retiring?
ReplyDeleteWhat can stop u from calling out as absent and then resigning? Unless it is a long absence I guess.
ReplyDeleteI posted about terminal leave. I will be resigning at 42 years old. Can I take terminal leave or it must be termination pay? Obviously, at 42, I will be nowhere near actual retirement age.
Delete10:57 and 11:07 -
ReplyDeleteI think your complaints are directed incorrectly. If the caucus that controls the UFT (Unity, Mulgrew's caucus) allowed actual discussion and debate, shared information freely, and didn't engage in backroom deals, then suggestions about what the union might do differently might be handled differently.
It is Unity that leaves members with no choice, other than criticize, or shut up.
Jonathan
Unity censors just like James censors on this blog.
ReplyDeleteJonathan 4:36 you crack me up! You work at he number one school High School of American Studies. Cherry picked students from all over NYC coming to a little house structure in a freakin parking lot of Lehman College which was once the pump house for the reservoir. A prime example of how you can manipulate the numbers. A prime example of how if you're a teacher there, you actually think you're a good teacher. I was assigned to your crap school (environment rated F) with nothing for the kids. This is the number one school. This is how pathetic the DOE is. I laugh when I compare American Studies to my hometown high school where my kids go. We have a field, a real lunchroom, separate baseball areas for different ages, and the teachers are happy to work with any child that attends, not like your school. Let me inform you of something, the teachers I've encountered in my placements throughout the Bronx actually are better teachers than what I saw at your school. What does this mean? It means that without your student population, you and the rest of the "lucky teachers" that think they're the best, are actually ordinary. A dime a dozen. Thank your students Jon because they are what keeps your school where it is, not the teachers or your administration. Hey maybe the New York Mets can cherry pick any player they want and take as many as they need? That's a great idea huh? I really can't stand fake schools that are "screened" where the teachers think they are actually doing good. Those kids don't even need teachers.
ReplyDelete6:23 When did Jonathan ever say teachers at HSAS think they are the best? Like never. Cheap shot comment but if it makes you feel better to hurl pointless insults, I hope you are happy and will move on.
DeleteTo 5:37 I recommend a consult about resigning vs retiring.if you have enough years, maybe retiring is better.you can collect at the age allowed 55 or 62)depending on if you opted in...)you should have a consult because there are penalties if u don't have enough years in.also there are time requirements to get lifetime medical and pension.ie vesting.consult urged to figure out your best option.good luck!imo, I don't see why u can't choose but I'm not knowledgeable enough.i have been to workshops.a consult and workshops will give the best answers.
ReplyDeleteBased on this, at 42 years old, you would be INELIGIBLE for terminal leave because you would not be able to retire.
ReplyDelete"Upon application in accordance with the rules enumerated below, absence from duty Retirement Leave of Absence (Terminal Leave)
with full pay may be granted to a member of the teaching, supervising, or attendance staff under regular appointment, who is a
member of the Teachers Retirement System and who will be eligible for service retirement upon completion of the leave."
Thank you 7:01 for doing the research.
DeleteI'm definitely quitting. 1 more year. I will be 42 in the summer of 2022 with 20 years completed. I know I cant retire but thought I could take terminal leave since I'm truly resigning, I guess not, according to the literature.
ReplyDeleteDepends on how many years he or she has. You can retire with penalties if you don't have 30 years.you can leave at 20 years and they tell u how many years to be vested and how many to get medical.consult to get true answer.
ReplyDeleteOft topic but when are 65 court, try, uft opening?they push for all in person no word on when they open.hmmm.
ReplyDeleteJames, in regards to my post about American Studies (Jon) I can tell you from direct experience. I was literally there. You were not. My point was more about teachers who work in specialized schools with cherry picked students and how they THINK they are special or talented. Again, I was there. I witnessed the arrogance and the delusion of the teachers who actually think they were elite or on another level because of working at American Studies. In my rotations over the years, I can name a minimum of 10 schools that have a dominant teacher force over American Studies. It's just pathetic. James, you were not at the school and I am not attacking Jon. I am simply disgusted by teachers who are ordinary, nothing special, but happen to work in a school like that and somehow think they're talented, when in fact they are regular, at best.
ReplyDeleteI was there too and I think Jon is a great teacher, but you are right about some of the arrogant teachers that are at that school. Especially the SS department! 😂😂😂
DeleteMy wife taught at HSAS for a year. Good chapter leader; principal is a decent guy who supports his staff, the students and parents. Exceptional kids, for sure. My wife tells me it was a wonderful place to work at and she knew how fortunate she was to be there. I visited on several occasions. It was a healthy environment that I witnessed.
DeleteIt all looks good on paper but there are things they left opened. First if your an atr now that was not hired provisional then you most likely will stay at your school at no cost to the principal. It doesnt mean the principal will put you in a fixed position and probably will not. They will use you to however they want which will will probably be ok by most atrs even the ones in shitty schools. The atrs that had a provisional position will be forced placed in the school they are currently in which will not go too good for the principal who doesnt want a high salary. But all this means nothing until the atrs find out where they are. It all comes down to money. If we are forced place we will still get harassed by principals who dont want to pay. Its a step in the right direction but if they want to end all of this they need to end fair student funding. Let the doe pay all salarys and take the pressure of principles. Principles are educators too, not business managers.
ReplyDeleteIf American studies high school is sooo good why doesnt the doe move the school to a complex with a field and auditorium, gymnasium, etc. Lehman college is nice but the grounds were build for the college not american studies hs. I want to say that the principal at american studies is a nice gentlemen and I believe he is a good reason for the schools success.
ReplyDeleteYes I agree. I was only there for a couple of months and he comes off as a genuine and good person. Leadership starts at the top.
DeletePrincipal at HSAS is Alessandro Weiss. I would work for him in a second.
ReplyDelete8:55: I'm glad someone else realizes this besides me. I was at Bard HS a few years ago. The teachers there had their heads so high in the clouds, they could smell the rain before it fell. It is so much easier to look like you're a good teacher when you have the top achieving students and look like a crumby teacher when you have the lowest achieving students. This is why there should be no specialized or elite schools. If you want to keep the elite schools, don't pick on the teachers that choose to work in the low achieving schools.
ReplyDeleteAlessandro Weiss. Why in the world would he not be a great guy? He was hand picked and given a golden egg. Since he's such a great principal and has the number one school in the country, let him share his knowledge and experience. Place him in any high school in district 8 or 9. Within weeks, he won't be such a "nice guy" who you'd work for in a "heartbeat". The teachers at ASHS basically are average. They should thank the kids every day for showing up to that old pumphouse in the parking lot. What a disgrace for a "school location". I hope the DOE keeps them there. School needs to be renamed to American Parking Lot Pump House Reservoir High School. APLPHRHS.
ReplyDeleteGood name! 😂😂😂
DeleteGood name! 😂😂😂
DeleteWeiss worked in a big Bronx school. I am confident he was a decent guy then too. Time to move on from the HSAS attacks please. ATR placent is the tipic.
ReplyDelete9:19 is so right. I graded with American studies teachers and they thought they were so much better. Maspeth too. And they weren’t s of aware enough to realize it’s just their STUDENTS that are better not them. In fact I would argue that teachers who teach in the “come one come all” schools are better teachers. Why? Because they can and have experience teaching all levels of students. Ike the othencommenter said let that principal be the principal at Grover Cleveland, flushing , John Adams etc and see him do well there. THAT is an achievement. You take the top ten percent from the city and they do well on the regents exams? Wow amazing
ReplyDeleteWhat do you think will happen to excessed teachers in the future? Are they going back to the original bumping according to seniority. Are ATRs a thing of the past???
ReplyDeleteThis is what, at a DA, we would call a point of personal privilege.
ReplyDeleteA few days ago (June 6, 6:23) – a reader saw my name, and decided that would be a good time to attack me and my school and my colleagues. Had nothing to do with what I’d written, or what was being discussed.
He’s cowardly. He’s hiding behind anonymity to hurl insults.
He takes 30 lines to say that my school is ugly, and that the teachers in my school are not the best in the Bronx, but that we look good because the kids come in via a test.
All of the senior teachers in my school worked at regular schools, mostly regular Bronx high schools. Clinton. Truman. JFK. Taft. Columbus. Smith, Walton. Almost all of the not-as-senior teachers came from other schools in the City, including Bronx mini-high schools (inside Columbus, Taft, Clinton, Lehman, etc). We know what a regular school looks like. We know how much harder the work is there.
If you put a piece of meat in front of one of our classes, that class would learn – as long as the meat assigned homework. I know that. Most of the staff at my school knows that.
Our staff is like any New York City high school staff – with pretty much the full range of teachers. I’m kind of shocked to read that someone is comparing the quality of faculties.
Cowardly, and with an inferiority complex?
One way our staff IS different is that the principal avoids hiring brand new teachers. Today no one at my school has less than 5 years in the system. We only have a few with less than 10 years teaching. In fact, we have more who joined our faculty via the Absent Teacher Reserve.
The coward also takes a shot at my school for cherry picking kids (that’s not exactly how the specialized high school test works, but it amounts to something similar, point taken). There are nine schools in the City that use that test. There is something wrong with that system. In my school, we try to bring more Bronx kids in through the Discovery program. We are taking the maximum number that way that the City will currently allow. But if there is something wrong with the SHSAT system, say it. Go after all the schools. Stuyvesant, Bronx Science AND American Studies.
What kind of person attacks only the smallest? Put down your hands. We all know. A coward. I would have accepted “bully” too.
He also attacks – our building? Really. He thinks it was a pumphouse for the reservoir. Actually, the building up the block that looks like a pumphouse? That was the pumphouse.
He claims “Environment – rated F” which is completely false. I don’t place stock in the DoE’s rating systems, but the environment ratings have always fallen between the highest possible, and very high.
He asks to “compare American Studies to my hometown high school where my kids go“ (because our athletic facilities our inferior?) OK, let’s do it. What high school?
I don’t know that the commenter is pedagogically inferior. But coward, or keyboard warrior, or whatever you call him, he is morally inferior.
See how I did that? I judged you – for how you behaved. And I put my name at the end.
Jonathan Halabi
UFT Chapter Leader,
HS of American Studies at Lehman College.