Over the years, many ATRs were rated "effective" or "highly effective" by school principals who appreciated the ATRs ability to lead the students to a passing grade. These principals also knew that at the end of the school year, these ATRs would be excessed and they can hire an inexpensive "newbie" for the next school year. This was known as being provisionally hired, which reduced the ATR pool from over 1,300 to 822 by the end of April. Of course, those provisionally appointed teachers were dumped back into the ATR pool at the end of the school year. You can read some of my posts Here and Here.
Now, ex-Principal Randy Asher has decided that any school that has a vacancy after October 15th, must fill the vacancy with an ATR and if the ATR receives an "effective" or higher rating, the school must award the ATR with a permanent placement. Sounds great right? Wrong!
First, what Principal wants to hire a 20 year veteran with their high salaries, institutional memory, and their seniority? Not many and certainly not the Leadership Academy Principals. Therefore, principals will make sure that the ATR will receive a "developing" or "ineffective" rating under Danielson.
Second, since schools can hire outside the system in January, what stops a principal from hiring a teacher for the vacancy for the second semester and jettisoning the ATR back into the pool? I saw that happen this year at Queens Vocational High School.
Finally, since there is no "mutual consent" on the ATR's part, what if the ATR does not wan the permanent placement due to the school,'s reputation, distance, or lack of parking? How fair is that the ATR is forced placed at a school they do not want to be at for the rest of their career, since the Open Market Transfer System is useless for veteran teachers who wish to transfer out of these terrible schools.
By the way, with a reduced school budgets for the next school year, there will be more excessed teachers into the ATR pool and knowing the devious way the DOE operates, these new ATRs will be the first ones to be "forced placed" with the ATRs who won their discipline cases and others who received an "Unsatisfactory" rating being the last. I suspect that remains unchanged from the last three years.
That leaves me to our union President Michael Mulgrew who almost bragged about how the contract is being enforced and that's why the DOE changed its policy. With friends like Mulgrew, ATRs don't need enemies.You can read Mulgrew's statement on the ICEUFT blog Here.
I was not happy when I saw the e-mail. I was rated Effective by my provisional assignment this school year. Even though there was a vacancy I was excessed back into the ATR pool. I was fine with that, but next year I know with my six figure salary that my rating will pre-determined before my observations. This is not good news for ATRs
ReplyDeleteYou hit it on the nail. This is not an agreement to celebrate. The New York Post and Daily News have this information. Of course, the New York Post makes ATRs sound like demons and need to be fired. The Daily News was not as severe. The principals will want the ATRs with less years.
ReplyDeleteUnless your school's mosl test data comes back as effective... Then you're good right?
ReplyDeletePrincipals will hire their own teachers by Ocotboer 15. No forced placement for them!
ReplyDeleteRead somewhere that Preet Baharra is secretly investigating the DOE? Let's get the show on the road before Sept. please?
ReplyDeleteSaw the Mayor on NY1. He kept talking about teachers who are ATR’s because of school closures- he kept saying that it wasn’t their fault. I think they are going to put in people they think are good teachers to be able to say, “Look, we made this work when others couldn’t.”
ReplyDeleteThere are a lot of contradictions with the city and DOE. ATRS have been treated as failures and now the mayor is stating it's not the ATRS' fault. Of course it is not the ATRs' fault, yet when you go into these schools you are treated with a certain negative undertone. There is a lot of sarcasm and micro-aggressions against ATRS. Heck, you're even asked to do things you are not supposed to contractually be doing. The ridiculous thing to be done is that principals many times try to give secretaries and school aides the responsibility to TRY to tell us what to do. (I do NOT allow this.) Bloomberg came in office and damaged a lot of the good because he tried to treat education as a business. Instead of really focusing on genuinely addressing students' issues and academic abilities, he created a disaster within the NYC public school system. Let's get rid of the business people within the DOE and put in people that are educators and really want to be here. Bloomberg created a false bubble and Farina continues the bubble.
Delete"Now, ex-Principal Randy Asher has decided that any school that has a vacancy after October 15th, must fill the vacancy with an ATR and if the ATR receives an "effective" or higher rating, the school must award the ATR with a permanent placement. Sounds great right? "
ReplyDeletePrincipals with ethics will rate the ATR honestly and the ones without ethics will not rate honestly.
Maybe there will be allowances to the school budget so this new plan can work! Without financial incentives principals will continue to be budget driven! The incentives also have to be much better than last year!
ReplyDeleteChaz...
ReplyDeleteWhat about ATRs that survived their 3020As? Rotation I suppose.
According to the emails and Mr. Asher's webinar, it is the DOE's discretion to not place certain ATRS in vacancies and provisional assignments (e.g. 3020a survivors).
DeleteRotation for 3020A survivors? Damn, there really is a silver lining to every cloud.
ReplyDeleteThere will be no rotations for any ATR whether 3020a survivor or currently awaiting 3020a. All ATRs will be placed in one school for the year. Has anyone heard otherwise?
ReplyDelete