The DOE has encouraged many veteran teachers to leave teaching in the City schools and while some of the reasons are the rise of the "Leadership Academy Principal" (about 20% of all principals), the salary and health benefits, and the institutional knowledge that is a danger to the administration who want teachers to jump through hoops and not question their authority. It matters little what the City administration is in charge. Be it Dinkins, Gulliani, Bloomberg, and now De Blasio, its all about the pension!
You see, the majority of teachers in the system are Tier IV and when these teachers leave the school system they are replaced by a Tier VI "newbie". Not only does the City save on their salary, as much as $54,000 yearly but the big money is the potential savings on the pension. You see, the Tier IV teachers are already vested, or about to be so. While the Tier VI teachers have almost a decade to go just to be vested and a study done predicts that less than one out of three will make it to full retirement age and only 40% will last long enough to get vested and receive even a minimal pension. Moreover, while most Tier IV employees only pay 3% annually to their pension and that ends after ten years, the Tier VI "newbie" starts at 3.5% and must pay up to 6% annually until they resign or retire. Finally, while the Tier IV teacher can retire on a full pension as early as age 55, the Tier VI teacher must wait to age 63.
To further dilute the Tier VI pension, the adjustment factor used to determine the pension is 0.25 less than that for a Tier IV pension. The Tier IV teacher is awarded 2% annually, while the Tier VI teacher only gets 1.75%. Furthermore, the very cherished retiree health benefits is achieved after ten years by most Tier IV teachers while for Tier VI teachers it will take fifteen years. Finally, and most importantly, the Final Average Salary (FAS) is the highest consecutive five years for Tier VI teachers, compared to the FAS of three highest consecutive years for Tier IV teachers. Let's look at a summary of the differences.
Information.......Tier IV......................Tier VI
FAS....................3 years....................5 years
Percentage..........2.0%......................1.75%
Contribution......3.0%/0%.................3.5%/6%
Age....................55/62......................63
Health................10 years..................15 years
For a more detailed comparison see my blog posts Here or Here.
Now you understand why the City and the DOE wants to get rid of veteran teachers its all about the pension!
30 comments:
wish they would offer a 20 year retirement option with health benefits at 50 and 40% FAS salary.... bet you anyone who could leave - would leave - this would be one way the city could save money and save face ..... oh please if anyone in power is reading this semi - prayer -- Dear GOD, Please have the city offer a one time deal: a 20/50 early retirement plan with a 40% FAS and health benefits at 50.
True story Chaz. Imagine what it's going to look like for NYC when Tier IV is essentially gone. It's a HUGE VICTORY with the addition of Tier VI. No one, I mean NO ONE is getting a pension in teaching after the Tier IV wave. You want to roll with 1 out of 10, that's ok. Let's do that. 1 out of 10 will somehow work until 63 years old. Good luck. The pension executioners worked wonders on this new Tier. Terrible. Well, that's why you see the colleges plummeting with educational majors, 50% drop off.
Anyhow, MORM here. Another great week. Yes, I know it's only Wednesday but I'm showing a documentary Thurs/Fri. My week is over. Lights off, candy for my classes. Already told them they are allowed to bring food both days, no worries at all. This is what it's all about. Relationships and building the bonds between students and yourself, along with tribal administrators and yourself. A very easy task.
Taking a day next week. Prob go with the Tuesday, maybe Wednesday. Nice to break up next week and return for just one final full week before the 3 day fake week. That last day (Wednesday) should be a beauty. That's a free day.
Regents prep posters going up everywhere. I love to see these posters because that means another free week in January is approaching. Anyone here working in an elementary school? Too bad, horrible mistake. High school is a DDRREEAAMMM! Today's highlight was when one of my students asked me who the new school aide walking around was. It was a priceless moment because I had to explain to him that the persons title is ATR Assistant Principal making approx 130K. Then again, this person is really doing the job of a school aide. Actually the school aides are working harder. Either way it was priceless. Says it all about the NYC DOE where the kids are mistaking the ATR ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS for school aides. So funny. A perfect moment within the fake school day.
Chaz, there's so much you can write about. Let me make a suggestion. I'm sure you have tons of material but honestly, to do an article on the "College Ready" rates would be Amazing. For you go to most high school "Snapshots" you will see College Ready percentage rates at 12%, 19%, maybe a 35%, sometimes a 42%. It's so pathetic. Does this mean that a school can have a 75, 80, or 85% grad rate BUT simultaneously have a 17% College Ready rate? What the ________ does this mean? Why does the DOE bother to publicly publish this. It's so embarrassing. Why would they publish it. I'm crying over here!!!!!
Tier 6 has and will have more success in turning teaching into a temporary job, than anything any reformer group has done or could do. No one but the desparate will go into teaching. If the city wants kids to learn it needs to pay highly qualified people fairly. No one is going to get a undergraduate and master's degree to be paid and treated like a fast food worker. Where's the UFT on all this? Shouldn't they be screaming - considering its a death knell to the teaching profession in NYC?
MORM is awesome and his posts are electric. The man has is right. The days here in nyc are fake and the kids are atrocious to say the least. The sad part is that the administrators keep pounding educators trying to get blood from a stone. This insanity will continue until the end of time which may be soon with the lawsuit pending friedrich vs california. If this case allows the US to become a right to work country, then people who once trashed the UFT will be sorry. For now, continue the MORM protocol and keep the bull shit going while collecting as much as we can until the end.
chaz what is your opinion of the friedrich case?? Will this be the end of the UFt
IF the case of friedrich goes with a decision of right to work state there are so many questions to be answered such as does this apply to police and fire as well as other unions?? Or is this just a right to work for educators?? So sad to be part of a dying breed brought upon us by idiot stupid politicians and billiionaires who have agendas that they really should put their heads up[ their asses...people like the koch brothers are scum of the earth and a sin that these lower than life species were allowed to earn all that money here on earth. Who should care right now about a teacher evaluation system when the courts are looking to destroy the profession all together. More scum people like camplbell brown shit head taking to the courts to destroy tenure as well. People who live their life trying to demean or destroy lives of others will be dealt with when their time comes after death. ANother words burn in hell.
Charter school bozo ring leader jeremiah kiddredge of families first wants the a city audit on the renewal programs the DOE has instituted for so called failing schools. Funny thing occurred to me this morning, the charter people refuse any audits of any kind, do not want to sign contracts with city for over sight even though they take millions from city budget and on and on but now they want the city to audit the NYCDOE renewal program. The thought I had this morning is similar to our fight against islamic terrorists who play dirty and we as a humble nation abide by all the rules when it comes to dealing with the enemy such as throwing down leaflets letting them know we are going to bomb them so be on the look out.
2 questions: I am tier 4. Can I "retire" after 20 years of service? If I "retire" after 20 years of service does my pension kick in immediatly or do I have to wait till I am 55? (I am in the 25/55 program) My second question is in regard to vesting. If I am already vested, do I have to wait till I am 55 to collect my medical insurance or can I "retire" after 20 years of service if I am not yet 55?
You know Chaz, I was wrongfully discontinued back in June, and even assuming that I got the discontinuance and the bogus ratings reversed I would have to be placed in the dreaded Tier 6 as a rehire.
I am currently in a Charter School where there is no retirement system, but at least nothing is being deducted from my paycheck every week either.
It is so unfortunate that I got discontinued last year when so much was at stake.The wrost part was the discontinuance was in full view and that we all knew since the beginning of the year that it would be a matter of "when" not "if"
Where is the UFT in this? They're a "company union." They've been colluding with the employer for years. We are overdue for a change. www.Mikemulgrew.com
Anon 10:48
I belie3ve it is an attempt to eliminate unions and while it would serve Unity right for their arrogance, the elimination of dues checkoff will hurt us all.
Anon 11:37
Sorry to say that you cannot receive a pension or health benefits until you reach the age of 55.
I agree. I'm only in the DOE for 2 years but I'm not tenured and I have 7 years in the retirement system. After a year in the ATR now I am suddenly ineffective after being brought back to my old school. They want to dump any Tier 4 teacher they can from the system.
College Ready Rate? Look Thomas Jefferson HS in Brooklyn. 3%. OMG. Why even open the doors in the morning? 4 schools with 4 principals and 10 plus APs? WOW.
20yrs in the doe here last 3 as an atr. Sitting here in my rotation looking out the window at a beautiful sunny day doing nothing again. Covering 2 classes today and let the weekend begin. Only 13 more days until Christmas vacation. love being an atr. I stopped caring a few years back and have fully embraced the MORM philosophy. After years of trying to get things done I have given up. Looking out for myself now. Good luck to all the tier 6 teachers. Looking forward to spending my the holidays with my family and rotating to my next school assignment. Will it be far rock or maybe Long Island city. Regardless I will smile and do what I'm told. You can't fix a fake system just g with the flow and try not to get flushed down the toilet.
anon 10:48 with regard to the friedrichs case vs california teachers union please note that if the court rules in favor of friedrich then we here in nyc will have a choice whether or not to pay union dues. If we opt out of paying for dues our uft will lose its power and consequently we all lose our power - so the answer is this.....and all readers should take note....if the verdict goes against us do not listen to the right wing sickos trying to destroy us...all we have to do is to continue to pay our dues to the uft and continue to receive our benefits the uft affords us....is the uft perfect?..no..but remember all the benefits we do get from being unionized....contract negotiations, health benefits, hours worked and on and on...no working class person would want working conditions to retreat to conditions before unions were formed....the woman friedrich, a teacher in california is concerned that she is forced to pay union dues....really?... i mean the $1000 she pays yearly is really too much for this woman to pay given all the benefits the union affords her?? this woman friedrich is really just a porn in the game to destroy public unions...so to all you out there that want to withdraw your union dues think carefully people don't be a victim of the un-informed and allow your life to be dictated by privatization which will make the 1 percents even richer and lower our standard of work conditions and pay....hope this answers any confusion regarding this sad case.
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@10:30. Wow is right! Great post up. 3% College Ready % with 4 principals making 150K+ each and 10 AP's at 130Kish. WOW!!!!! Chaz, where's the college ready article. The elephant in the room for the DOE. Are you kidding? Spending 2 million in that bldg just on administration at 3% college ready rate? WTF???????
Awesome piece there my friend. Sounds beautiful! Spend the holidays with your family and enjoy! Imagine being miserable for no reason? Can't fix a broken system indeed. Mine as well make your 6 fugure salary and smile. Covering 2 classes, LOVE IT. Congrats!!! I'm out with my family tonight. I tried to avoid my tribal principal today but he actually cornered me to say hello. I had to speak for a few, kept it light. Smiled a lot, told him he was great at being a principal. Never seen a leader like you, etc. Was hysterical. He thought I was serious. Screw him and the other tribal administrators on the island. I'm not getting voted off. No way. I'm a survivor AND this is Survivor DOE Edition. Laughing all the way. Master your relationships. It's not hard. Very smooth sailing from here. Could never understand why teachers are so miserable. Failing kids, calling home, filing papers to the deans, etc. Screw it all. Failed nobody except no shows. It means nothing. Fake ass system with fake ass results with fake ass administrators from other countries who have difficulty writing in English. GTFOH! You know what that stands for right?
thanks 6:27 your posts should be read by all teachers. Fake system deserves fake effort. Look out for yourself and enjoy what really matters in your life
MORM is the only way to survive.
Many teachers at my school have been converted to this way of thinking. It is so bad at my school that even the untenured teachers are no longer caring enough to sweat it. They realize that with the Danielson's disaster you are just never good enough. Admins circle whatever boxes of the 'domains' rubric that they feel like, and what they circle is directly related to HOW MUCH THEY LIKE YOU. That is the whole truth. I just had a debrief with my AP (nearly an entire painful hour,) in which this koolaid drinking believer went over every goddam band in detail, and she gave me all 2s and 3s. Hooray! I smile at her all the time, complimented her new hair color the other day, and keep a low profile. She loves me!
So many of us, untenured and tenured, knowingly smile to each other when the utterly clueless admins are mentioned. We can even laugh again as we encourage each other with the simple, magical word, "MORM." It makes it all better.
I have not had my guts twisted in knots for months now, because I have achieved MORM enlightenment! We cannot fix what was broken by design. Collect the money, invest it for the day when you are canned for literally nothing, and in the meantime, pass everybody. Smile. Never send anyone to the dean. Do your paperwork (all ten tons of it), and go home and enjoy.
Thank you to the anonymous collator of the MORM philosophy for giving a name to the mysterious path that is the only way to survive in the modern DOE.
Thanks Chaz for the information about taking ut your QPP. I was very confused how that worked.
What is MORM? I like this philosophy.
@3:20. I LOVE YOUR POST!!!! First off, thanks to Chaz for letting the MORM mentality kinda dominate at times, but honestly, GREAT POST!!! You complimented her hair color?? Really????? Awesome move man. That was GENIUS!!!!! That will buy you at least 1 Highly Effective and where there were going to be Developings, NOW those just became Effectives in your next observation. Congratulations!!! Excellent move. That wasn't hard right? Kinda funny when you were saying it but worked huh? Man you can be a member of MORM for sure. I'd like to plan a meeting in the spring and toast to the teachers that "GET IT"!!!!!!
You don't get anything, pension money or medical until you are 55. I'm also paying in to 25-55..... it I won't be 50 until Jan.
Morm = Masters of Relationship Movement. This is the acronym invented by an anonymous poster some months ago and it sums up a philosophy that he eloquently espouses. Some of his posts can be found in the comments sections of the last dozen or so articles on this (Chaz's) board.
Basically, don't try to fight the system that is designed on lunacy. Why 'hold kids accountable' when all that does is get a target on your back? Pass everyone. Even a 65 is passing. Don't sweat observations. Just smile. It's not like you're losing your job right there. If you're tenured it would take them two years to get rid of you. That's a lot of time to prepare.
In the meantime, master your relationships with others: smile, don't get involved in the teacher circles where everyone complains. Hand in your unit plans whatever and smile some more. Go home. Enjoy life.
The founder of the movement can explain it better though.
Great post!!!
So Anonymous 3:46 likes the MORM philosopy?
MORM is the "survival in the DOE" philosophy of a fool who comments on this blog, where he shares (quite publicly) his activities in the course of his employment which certainly would lead to termination.
His corrosive, and condescending comments about the DOE, his fellow teachers and administrators is nauseating.
MORM is playing Russian Roulette with his happiness, while attempting to induce others to follow in his degenerate footsteps.
Wouldn't it be possible MORM, for the OSI to easily obtain your IP address, if it feels your postings on this blog indicate the possibility of improper conduct in the course of your employment?
7:38
You probably never had an administrator after you. It's happened to me-and it was my own fault! Not because I did anything wrong, but because he was a weak administrator who was trying to make a name for himself bullying teachers. He was one of those academy graduates who kept talking about "our children", but wasn't able to get the students to quiet down in the hallway. So why was it my fault? Because I was an unhappy person and although I was pleasant to the students, I was a pain for all of the administrators-no smiling, no hello, just a grump. So when this admin was giving me a hard time , no other admin was interested in helping me out. And you know what? I don't blame them. I left the DOE, got an attitude adjustment and eventually got another job. I learned my lesson. I'm pleasant to everyone and do my best at my work.
There's nothing wrong with getting along at work. It helps the day go faster and helps everyone's mental health.
The union's failure to protect their senior teachers is disgraceful and for the UFT to allow Tweed to practice ageism in the teacher removal process is aiding and abetting the DOE practice of age discrimination.
I am Anon 3:46. Haven't seen MORM's degeneracy yet. Look, we're all about survival. I've seen so many people's careers gutter-balled. Better to have a zen approach. OSI isn't going to investigate a dude who is coaxing teachers into doing exactly what they want us to do. Hell, that might track MORM down to give him a Supe job.
I miss hearing from MORM, but after 7:38, I can't blame him. Anyway, I get out of the building everyday. Even if it's just to sit on the steps for a few minutes. The fresh air and the view really clears my head. I like singing in class (reading lyrics counts as a mini reading lesson) and so far my students are receptive and joining in. I'm learning that a job is a job, it's up to me to find the good and be happy about it.
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