We have a new Chancellor, Richard Carranza and he has claimed he will change the ideology at the DOE. Presently, he has done little to achieve it. School based Fair Student Funding (FSF) continues to discriminate against veteran teachers. Most of the Bloomberg era policymakers at Tweed are still in place, and the ATR situation continues unabated.
The ATR incentive program has been a joke. It has proven ineffective as few ATRs have achieved permanent positions unless, the ATR is a bilingual special education certification or an ATR is willing to go to the Bronx.
The ATR incentive program allows schools to hire an ATR for a vacancy and not pay the ATR's salary for the first year. The second year the school only pays half of the ATR's salary and the third year the school pays 75% of the ATR's salary. However, in the fourth year the school is responsible for the entire ATR salary and if it's a small school the ATR's full salary will mean a significant increase in the school's budget expenses.
Further complicating the problem is if the school hires an ATR for a vacancy provisionally and gets an effective rating. The school must select the ATR to permanently fill the position, unless the Principal convinces the DOE that there are exceptionally circumstances of why the ATR shouldn't be selected.
Finally, the DOE has offered ATRs $50,000 to either retire or resign since the DOE's FSF and their inadequate incentive program has not reduced the ATR pool as there are still 1,000 ATRs in the pool.
If the DOE wants to significantly reduce the ATR pool then they should go back to the incentive program they had for 2010 where the ATRs hired to fill a school vacancy where only charged to the school as a "newbie teacher". The school would then then be charged for the ATR's salary as if the ATR started at step 1-A, then 1-B, 2-A and so on.
37 comments:
Don't forget, FSF also cut principals budgets by 20%....
The ATRs I know in the Bronx were not offered teaching positions. Personally, in my 5 1/2 years as an ATR I was never offered a position as a CTE teacher, even as I met brand new Social Studies, English and Math teachers teaching Virtual Enterprise, Accounting, Entreprenship, and Marketing. Two weeks after I retired I applied for a teaching position in a very prestigious city and was immediately offered a full time position. There is blatant discrimination being used by the DOE and the UFT is completely complicit. If you are an ATR withhold your UFT dues until the UFT starts to acknowledge and fight for you.
I had nothing to do today, so I googled NYS School Report Cards of some schools.
Of interest, I researched the Comprehensive Information Report for Bryant HS, Queens NY, run by Namita Dwarka since '11-12. She inherited a school where 85% of students passed NYS regents the prior year......very good!
Fast forward six years under Namita Dwarka's leadership, and the same metric dropped to 48% in 2018....the woman is a spectacular failure.
Will the media ever pick up on this?
It may be a joke- but i have a feeling what they do to ATRs next year will not be funny.
Carranza does not give a shit. He is no different that other high level self serving administrators who only desire power and status. An empathetic person would never find their way into that position. He was selected for the position of chancellor because the powers that be know his services will be utilized to continue to support the DOE's status quo ideology.
When he first became chancellor. I wrote several lengthy letters and emails to him about the abuses that I endured as a teacher. I discussed what changes I felt he needed to make, and what his priorities should be. I encouraged him to make inquiries into the problems that I cited in my letters so this way he would be more informed of what is taking place across schools and by certain school leaders under his watch.
Guess how many times he wrote back to me??? Besides the US government perhaps, I have never witnessed such an asinine and morally bankrupt organization like the DOE, and that says a lot.
Want to reduce the ATR pool?
Offer ATRs with 20 yrs experience an additional 3 yrs of pensionable service credit......they will jump like fleas off a dying dog.
As a FORMER!! ATR I was ashamed to be lumped in with such incompetent teachers. Just because you received a teaching degree (mostly online) doesn't mean you can teach. I encourage ALL ATR's to take the incentive and rid the DOE of your stench!
Hemingway's definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results each time which is exactly what the doe does especially with the ATR pool. There are two very easy solutions to the ATR problem and one maybe not so practical solution. Number one, simply place ATRs like they did years ago. Years ago when you were excessed, you sat in the district office until an opening opened up. If you are an effective teacher, there should be no issue placing teachers. Option two is to simply do a hiring freeze until teachers in the ATR pool are absorbed. Anyone who runs a business will tell you it is poor business practice to keep hiring employees when you have a surplus of employees. One last option is to open up the ATR pool to teachers who want to be in the ATR pool. Some people, especially ones near retirement would love that option. Then someone in the ATR pool could take that teacher's position.
9:52 am
I am an ATR with a Special Ed certification in the Bronx and every year I am placed in a vacancy. The schools are horrible and I tell the Principal I will not accept a preferment position at the end of the year in the school.
Many of the middle and high schools in the Bronx have Math, Science, and Special Education vacancies. In my last school, a Music teacher had a Science program and a gym teacher hqad a Math program.
11:01 AM : I can’t believe the chancellor didn’t respond to any of the lengthy emails you sent him.
OUTRAGEOUS!! You clearly have a lot of wonderful ideas Definitely his loss. Please keep trying.
I was assigned to a school mid year as an ATR. I was offered a full position for the next year. I am completing my second year. So next year DOE only picks up 25% of my salary. Is that correct?
What happens to teachers who started out at the mini schools and are now 10 years in? It seems they will become more and more expensive! This does not make any sense at all! Forget about a transfer!
So all staff will become too expensive! The only group that can reach top salary and get all the overtime are sups? Although in my school we have an ATR principle and AP!
DOE really messed up and the money needs to be given back to the schools. Cut the fat at TWEED now!
7:47. Seems you are part of the problem! Who are you to judge ATRs? Wake up!
You never know when you will give off a so called STENCH!
One day you are in and the next day you are out!
When I visited the union The employees talk about the ATR’s are very incompetent.
And the employees also say they need the extra Union dues Because of the extra workers
means extra union dues.The union wants the situation to remain the same. Also there is more than 1000
ATR’S. The union and the Board of Education want to keep the numbers low so the public
won’t be upset of the extra waste of Taxpayers money.
The 4 ATRs in my school this year have told me that they want to stay ATRs. No lesson plans, no unit plans, no project plans, no grading, no bulletin boards, no overtime, no observations, no meetings, no "improvement plans" for themselves or their students, no parents to deal with, no accountability; even when placed long term in his/her subject area. They just have to show up, cover classes, and receive a paycheck.
Is it really like this all over? Is it an absurd thought to volunteer to join the ATR pool?
Like my mother used to say: The stench you are smelling is your upper lip!"
Bronx ATR
I believe the teacher was given a provisional placement but when asked if he or she would be considered for a vacancy, the teacher said no.
I do know of a few Special Education ATRs who received offers in the Far Rockaway schools and East New York schools.
Thanks, Chaz. I (hopefully) may have misinterpreted the post. Even though I’m retired, I still find the ATR bashing, crazy stereotypes and oversimplifications repulsive.
Does anyone seriously think that Carranza got his job for any other reason than his ethnicity? Don't expect brilliance here folks.
Anonymous 7:46- I've seen ATRs on both ends of the spectrum. Our current ATR is the epitome of the public's view on what these teachers do all day- nothing. He has the easiest possible gig most days, and he even manages to not do that well.
On the other hand, our previous ATR was a spitfire and did anything and everything that was asked of him. Some people still take pride in a job well done. This teacher begged to stay, and our principal tried but it was a no go.
8:18 - Right on baby!!!
Bronx ATR
I am a Special Education teacher and I was excessed from a closing school after 12 years. I ended up at a school in Southeast Queens and was offered a permanent position. In the campus I am in, two other ATRs with a Special Education certification also received permanent placements.
9:42,
Bronx schools are inundated with ATRs that are often temporarily placed for up to a year. I currently know about twenty five with a variety of licenses, mostly Voc Ed and Social Studies - none have received a permanent position and all have been ATRs for over 7 years. Unfortunately, ATRs do not have the right of refusal. If ATRs were given permanent positions at that campus, it must be as close to hell as you can get outside the Bronx. Perhaps the virus of the is spreading. Good luck.
@7:47...is that why you're a "former" ATR? I'm sure it was your personality and not your "online" degree that caused your job loss. Unfortunately, you haven't lost your stench nor your poor personality. @8:18 am:lol ignorant folks always are negative. The stench is @7:47.
Many ATRS reporting that when they leave this crazy system of not getting a response from a resume submitted, they are jumped at by outside school systems placing a premium on teachers who have classroom experience rather than the hunter college grad and their phone.
Sorry to say but I have lost a tremendous amount of respect for our colleagues here at the nycdoe schools. So many staff members are ill informed regarding the system, atrs and many other issues.
The reason I have lost respect is that many of these so called "colleagues" look the other way, do not say hello or good morning and those kinds of silly but important bonding issues a staff goes through matter and says something. However you will not see any of that rather quite the opposite and that is sad but I guess this is NYC right the city where people walk right by you and never acknowledge anyone.
True comment. In the past few years I have witnessed the new millennial teachers do not say hi in passing and dont hold doors. They kiss add and worry about making waves. They are useless tools. Poor teachers and paper pushers for the young admins.
U too am a veteran teacher. On my way to the guy for final retirement consultation right after school today
55/30 baby!
11:52am post
Correction:
Add -ass
Guy-uft queens
Here now. Got a great parking spot. Can't wait to hand in the papers
@8:37 I agree. It seems like rudeness is the norm. Off topic, so is walking and texting; failure to pivot when walking in the street and doing your job half assed.
@waitingforsomegrammartraining I seemed to have hit a nerve. That was easy. I didn't think you were cut out to be an effective teacher!
6:35: Who let you out? Lmbo
@waitingforsupport I have seen you in action, you do have a hard tome controlling your classes!
@8:38 am...You struggle with spelling--FACT. I am guessing that you probably also struggle in other areas of your life. However,I wish you luck. Are you a teacher? Please say no.
I am finishing up my third ATR year. My first two were great - I was in a school the whole year, supportive staff and admin. I hit the ground running, worked like a regular staff member, wrote lesson plans for classes I covered. Was asked back a second year when they had a leave. Principal loved me after parents called him to thank him for assigning a sub who kept their students on track until the teacher returned. Was requested to return for another year because of another leave and HR denied the principal. I was assigned elsewhere, to a school without an opening in my subject. I have spent the whole year in one place that never needed me for anything, reading in the teacher's lounge, keeping busy and staying out of everybody's way. Even the principal here made a few phone calls but could net get me placed somewhere were I might be more useful.
I feel compelled to take the incentive/severance even though that was never my long term goal to leave this early. I would love to hang around a couple more years but this complete act of spite by the ATR division has me nervous as to what they will do next year to push me to the door. It's hard to function when we are really not in control of our own fates.
Maybe they will start targeting you.
Are there any nyc teacher with more than 20 years at the same school, with impeccable instructional service and good manners, in the ATRs pool? What is the number of teachers in that group of educators, if any?
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