In the new ATR Agreement there is no mention of continuing the ATR incentive of the 2016-17 school year and the DOE is tight lipped about their plans to offer one. Just to jog your memory, the ATR incentive would give schools financial relief if they hired an ATR permanently and was placed on the seniority table of the school. The financial relief was that the school received the ATR for the first year free, half price the second year, and 25% the third year. However, few Principals took the DOE up on its offer. The last number the union gave the Executive Board of ATRs who took a permanent position due to the incentive was only 125 after the first semester and certainly the final number is less than 200. Since there were over 1,300 ATRs, this means that only between 9% to 15% received a permanent position. Not a success by any means.
Presently, the DOE has shown no indication of continuing the ATR incentive. at least until the results of the ATR buyout is tabulated. Then and only then will the DOE decide if they will offer an ATR incentive. If the buyout results in significant retirements and resignations, then I believe the DOE will not offer an incentive and if they do, only for ATRs who are on the excessed list due to closing schools or programs. However, as I strongly suspect that the ATR buyout offer will result in less than a 10% acceptance rate, then look for the DOE to either re-offer the ATR incentive in its present form and maybe sweeten the pot a bit to Principals by giving them more financial relief.
Of course nothing will significantly change while the 800 pound gorilla in the form of "fair student funding" stays in effect. Since it penalizes schools who hire veteran teachers and incentivizes principals financially who hire "newbies". Moreover, until the ideological Bloomberg era managers are swept from the DOE, the students will continue to suffer from large class sizes, high teacher turnover, and low teacher morale while the Central Bureaucracy remains bloated with useless programs and a "gotcha mentality" in the form of accountability and legal departments that's only goal is to eliminate teachers, especially veteran teachers.
Finally, I see little support from the DOE in placing ATRs in schools. I keep hearing how schools are either excessing or not replacing teachers who are leaving their schools. Principals are claiming that their already tight budgets are being squeezed further by the contract raises and DOE pressure to maximize class sizes to the contractual limits.Placing the ATRs in vacancies seems like a pipe dream and except for shortage areas like Math, Science, and Special Education, I believe that the ATR pool will remain essentially unchanged.
60 comments:
I remember when the incentive was 7 years free if schools hired ATRS!
Do you think principals have inside info on ATR incentives? Heard a few ATRS might get picked up for September!
Chaz, there was a mass excessing at the school I've been placed. The school's funding has been severely cut for next year and six staff members were excessed. This is happening all over the city. What's the deal? ATRs aren't paid for, the principals don't have to take us and the schools are excessing their own staffs. The whole thing reeks.
Field Supervisors are happy. Another year they have harassed ATRs in the target list. As almost perfect robots they are delivering their hard working Us established by a Quota between 25 to 30 percent. The cicle if life and nonsense repeats itself.
The DOE continues with its policy to target and remove old furniture, and replace it new furniture. The only thing they know how to do.
4:29 Bullshit, no ATR is being picked up. They excessed 10 newbie teachers today in my hellhole.
They want more ATRs.
waaa waaa waaaaaaaaaaaaa all we do is complain and cry and the band plays on. at my school there was a teacher in my license who had NO certification. and he was there for 2 years!!! what the hell is that. let me know when you whiners want to start a lawsuit.
With very few ATRS taking the deal and new teachers going into the ATR status, ATRS are going to rule! Madness all because principals have control of their budgets. This is pathetic!
Serious question: why isn't the school's budget increased by the same percentage as the teachers' raises? Not doing so makes most schools' unsustainable (unless they force out the old geezers like me).
The fact that Principals did not hire ATRs for free either this year or the last time disproves your thesis regarding fair student funding. Principals dont want ATRs at any price. They want newbies, period. It's about power, Chaz, not money. So drop the fsf argument. It is specious and easily disproved.
Amy has even said that principals don't use the open market so why apply via that?
What a waste of resources with those field supervisors. Most of them cannot teach.
Field supervisors talk, but do not wall the talk. They are here to satisfy their masters, and make sure the quota is satisfied. They want to finish up the ATRs.
Please respect others 7:20PM by not calling people that post on this blog names.
First of all - let me set the record straight. I will never allow myself to be hired for a discount or incentive or whatever the DOE wants to call it. When a principal wanted to hire me at 50% discount - I immediately asked her for 12k in per session for the year. 1200 a month which was 26.5 hours a month of per session. She agreed and I took the job.
Nobody is going to make feel like I am worth less than any other regular or normal teacher. When ATR supervisors visit me - I sit with them and ask them to tell me their story. How did you become an ATR supervisor? How do you feel, Mr. Atr supervisor? I let them know and see we're in the same boat. As a matter of fact - 9 out of 10 times we go out for lunch or coffee. There were times we both cried and hugged each other. They are not making me feel worthless or less than a regular teacher.
Once I was called an ATR by an AP. Just once. I told him do that again and see what happens. He apologized.
Has anyone see Kelly? The cute brunette I spent two weeks with as an ATR in Fashion? I feel they separated us on purpose. Kelly, if you are out there - IT IS ME!!!
Shady Coh.
In my last post - I said no principal is going to get me at 50 percent discount. If they want me they pay for me full price. I am nobody's bitch. If they do get me at a discount and IF and only IF I agree then they better take some of that money they saved and pay me per session. Either way I am getting full salary and then some!
I just got off the phone with a principal I know from my second stint in the rubber room. A really cool guy. He was an AP when the system sent him to the rubber room a few years ago.
He tells me that even though there is no incentive for principals to hire ATRs there are some plans for next year. 1. Forced placement but number 2. is an ATR auction.
Carmen is suggesting they round us all up and auction us off to the highest bidders but of course by borough unless the ATR agrees to go to a different borough. One of the sticking points would be election year and Mayoral control issue coming up.
They are spending too much money with field supervisors, and trying to get rid of teachers.
Shad C, You're not an ATR. The discount doesn't come out of our salaries it's what the school is charged for you - so no request of per session could be asked for. Seriously though by writing these these stories you may give people the wrong impression about us by feeding into stereotypes.
540- We get the drift. Each blog post has three of these posts like the one you just left. Ok- Cat is out of the bag---we know Sherlock!
Many ATRs are getting frivolous observation reports from field supervisors that havr not taught for years
Auction????? WTF.... let's flood the UFT. We are not modern day slaves.
Farina could shove the auction up her you know what. Total disrespect!
Anyone have Diane Ludvigsen? What a tool!!!!
@ 9:10 anonymous - Are you slow? Shad or Shady is not saying he is taking a 50 percent salary cut. The union would not allow ATRs to take pay cuts or would they? LOL
Shad is saying if the school or principal save 50 percent then he wants some of the savings in per session. YOU GIVE ATRs a bad name. Common sense. Please take incentive ASAP.
On the other hand, SHAD PLEASE??? Auction? I doubt the UFT would agree to auction us off. What I heard someone from the UFT and DOE suggested was a draft like the NFL or NBA draft. Where principals can draft us live on national TV? Of course renewal schools have the first picks and Bronx Science being last.
Has anyone else heard of a draft?
LOL, an auction. Some of you nerds have no sense of humor. Would you believe him if he/she said all ATRs would be matched to schools by lottery? That would be a much more believable scenario and one that may be used.
You guys are being too dramatic! If the schools hire ATRS this is a plus! There is no auction. Principals do whatever it takes to save money!
There will be no auction on ATRs. The few that will be placed are in shortage areas and only from the excessed list, not the discipline list. Moreover, principals will only take ATRs if they are provisional, not permanent so they can dump them at year end. Finally, the DOE has no stick associated with the carrot of any ATR incentive. That'a why these incentives are failures.
Its a combination of our high salaries, the seniority system and the school budget. Chaz is correct when it comes to fair student funding that hurts recruitment of veteran teachers.
Excessing rules must change period! Anyone can become an ATR! The current situation hurts the entire UFT!
12:46,
You're the slow one, and a poor reader to boot, that is what he's saying - look at his post from 12:05. Duhhhh...
I gotta agree 4:47. He is saying that otherwise he wouldn't ask for and supposedly get a principal to agree to give him $1200 in per session.
Humorous regardless. What's going on with all this excessing? Teachers crying their eyes out all day over the prospect of becoming ATRs. Ridiculous.
We are the toys that nobody wants to play with anymore! What is the answer to abolish this entire ATR debacle? How do they get away with doing this to us????
I do not feel bad for many teachers, guidance counselors, social workers, etc that are not in the ATR status because they can be pretty obnoxious at times. Many think they are above and exhibit signs of inappropriate behavior towards an ATR staff. Anyway, staff at my site do not see what is going on in their own school. They are being set up for failure by a new administration to fail. As ATRS that have come from "failing" closing schools, we recognize the signs. Staff should be ripping this administration apart, reporting and documenting. Can't wait for the end of this school year. Good riddens.
Look there is no way they will have an auction of ATRs. That would be a public relations nightmare for the mayor and NY City. And there is no way they would do a lottery.
What they should do is have a nationally televised draft. Banana Kelly with the first pick of the 1st round selects Ex-Graphics English teacher Harold L. With the second pick of the first
Can a PERB complaint be filed on agreements done by the UFT that were never voted for? How can a rating officer that never met an ATR sign the rating sheet? Where does it say in the contract what a field supervisor is allowed to do?
In the lawsuit we must include "preference sheets". All teachers are supposed to receive a preference sheet. Every June I never receive one. Even though I have taken on provisional assignments I rarely have received one.
By the way my students passing the Regents was the highest in the school I am currently at. Principal even hugged me in front of the staff but I taught my way. No Danielson nonsense. Old school. Kids learned but I was also exempt from the BS rating. This principal is currently trying to ask me to stay and I actually like her and the school but it is time for me to hit the road. I think of myself as Neil McCauley: A guy told me one time, "Don't let yourself get attached to anything you are not willing to walk out on in 30 seconds flat if you feel the heat around the corner."
shad c if you are a teacher you skipped the classes on writing a simple sentence!. your writing skills do keep me laughing so please don't stop!!
chaz i emailed you but never got a response... whats with that!!
Anon 7:49
Email me again
From where than do they hire?
@7:45 a.m. Thank you. I try. There is only ways to survive in this system. 1. Making people laugh and:
2. Order of protections. Once I meet my ATR supervisor - I immediately file an order of protection. I wait for them to come around to observe and BOOOM!!! I have someone serve them with an order of protection. 1. They now can't observe me or be anywhere near me. 2. I get a day off from school to go in front of a judge and explain my fear of this unknown person trying to observe me. Who observes someone they do not know? Most of the the time they are not even in my subject area? ONLY A STALKER crazy MANIAC comes to observe someone they do not know. Sometimes it takes 2 or 3 trips to the courthouse to settle this order of protection. More days off for me. Also, I never schedule court dates on days off. NEVER!!!
Usually we settle in court and that ATR supervisor does not come around me ever again. Usually takes a year for them to send someone else out to observe me again and guess what happens? ANOTHER BOOOOM!!!
Kelly? Has anyone seen Kelly? cute brunette ATR in Manhattan? we spent two weeks together at Fashion but they moved her out as a way to punish us. I ain't takin no incentive.
I remember the movie "Heat"! Robert DeNiro used that line! Walk out and never look back! That is what I say! We know our skill level and what we are worth!
There is a clear violation of the statutes of the UFT for agreeing secretly with the DOE concerning ATRs. ATRs need to have a say, and vote on any agreement. The rules cannot be changed, per example when the DOE introduce the figure of the field supervisor. All these agreements should be challenged as illegal. Many Field supervisors are getting out of hand, and causing major disruptions in schools.
This was beautiful. Hope you find Kelly.
All those frivolous and unfounded observations on ATRs should stop. ATRs do not have their regular classes as teachers do. For the most part an ATR is like a regular substitutes. Guess what regular substitutes do not get observed at all.'
Regular substitutes don't receive 100k salary pklus benefits either
That's right! There is a true disadvantage.
Either way, ATR system is set up to put the odds against you. Only an ATR status person knows how true that is.
Yah, and nobody wanted for their positions to be taken away from them. Nobody applied to be an ATR.
Any agreement should be voted for.
There is a kelly @ the school where I am now. She's very niice. I will tell her to read this blog.
@ waitingforsupport . Is she an ATR? in Manhattan? Someone told me Kelly responded to me on another post but I can't find it.
There's an ATR @ my school named Kelly...I told her to reaf this blog. My job is done!!!!lol
http://topclassactions.com/start-a-class-action/
this is a website that allows you to file classaction lawsuits
a lawsuit for ATRS & veteran teachers who can not get hired!!!
Here you go file your lawsuit --- discrimination against
@waitingforsupport . Seriously? Please let her know to reach out to me.
725 how about you FILE the suit? Everyone asking everyone else to do their dirty work. Cowards!
You must know a lot about class actions 7:25PM. File the suit brilliant one.
Stop the pettiness and let people express themselves. "Permanent" staff is no better. They are MISERABLE.
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