If You Want To Know How Little Respect Tweed Has For Teachers, Just Read The DOE's Proposed Teachers' Contract That They Leaked To the Press.

In my previous post I took a tongue-in-cheek look at Chancellor Joel Klein's letter he sent to us. Little did I realize how close to the truth my editing was. The Gotham Schools blog printed the September 10,2009 DOE's contract demands and it is not only terrible but disrespectful of teachers. Let's look at these ridiculous demands by Tweed as they practice "education on the cheap" at the expense of the teachers.

Salaries

• No guaranteed salary increase without "givebacks". This is more draconian then the inadequate salary increase of 2% for the first $70,000 that Mayor Bloomberg proposed.

• Higher increases for beginning and middle level teachers (0-8 years in the system).

• Seniority steps will be changed to a Principal approved definitions of Apprentice, Practicing, Mentor, & Master teacher. In other words, the Principal will determine your salary.

2. Contract Modifications

• Reduce the 20 consecutive day time period to 5 days for a teacher's voluntary resignation if a teacher does not return to work after not giving notice for being absent.

• Add an extra classroom period for K-8 teachers.

• Increase unpaid coverages in the secondary schools from one to six per semester.

• Allow Principals to have grade conferences that go past the now existing 3:45pm limit.

• Eliminate retention rights for per session activities.

• Eliminate all sabbaticals except for health.

• reduce sck leave from 10 to 5 days annually.
  

• Termination pay will be reduced to one paid day for every three days in the CAR.

• No longer will teachers be paid if they take a day off if their CAR falls to zero.

• Eliminate seniority as a basis for excessing and layoffs.

• ATR is limited to four months to obtain a position or face removal from the payroll.

• No more 20 year exemption for teachers who can be excessed.

3. Discipline & Grievances

• All teachers accused of incompetence or misconduct will be removed from the payroll.

• Incompetence charges will be changed to make it easier to fire the teacher.
  

• All 3020-a hearings will be held by City appointed OATH judges.

• Teachers not reassigned will be given a one day 3020-a hearing.

• Eliminate the State mandated three year time limit to file charges against high school teachers when the DOE believes the charges may have been criminal in nature.

• All grievances will be done during non-working hours.

There are more outrageous demands dealing with Chapter Leaders, union activity, related provider services, and tenure issues but I am sure you all get the message that Tweed is out to destroy the teaching profession by hiring temporary, non-vested teachers, many of them from the alternate certification program like Teach For America and the Teaching Fellows who will never last the ten years to get a pension or the fifteen years to get retiree health benefits.

What the DOE really wants in their "education on the cheap" policy are disposable teachers who leave the system in an increasingly hostile classroom environment as Tweed's "children last" program continues.