Monday, December 18, 2017

More ATRs On The Way As The City Is Planning To Close 14 Additional Schools.
























The City announced today that 14 schools will close at the end of the school year and that means 4,500 students and 400 educators will be seeking a new school.  Of thee 14 schools over half are in the Bronx (8) with Brooklyn (2), Manhattan (2), and Queens (2) providing the rest.  Of the 14 schools closing 9 are Renewal Schools.  In addition 4 other schools will merge with another school, with 2 of the 4 located in the Bronx and 2 in Brooklyn.  Some of these educators will also be dumped into the ATR pool.

Add the 400+ educators that will no longer have a position with previously announced staff shakeups at DeWitt Clinton and Flushing High Schools, and there could be an influx of up to 500 more educators to the ATR pool. Since the ATR incentives have been a failure, I suspect that the DOE's program to reduce the ATR pool us simply a pipe dream.

The list of schools that are closing or being merged with other schools are as follows:

The nine Renewal schools the city plans to close are:
  • P.S. 50 Vito Marcantonio (District 4)
  • Coalition School for Social Change (District 4)
  • High School for Health Careers and Sciences (District 6)
  • New Explorers High School (District 7)
  • Urban Science Academy (District 9)
  • P.S. 92 Bronx School (District 12)
  • Brooklyn Collegiate: A College Board School (District 23)
  • P.S./M.S. 42 R. Vernam (District 27)
  • M.S. 53 Brian Piccolo (District 27)
The five other schools the city plans to close are:
  • KAPPA IV (District 5)
  • Academy for Social Action (District 5)
  • Felisa Rincon de Gautier Institute (District 8)
  • Urban Assembly School for Wildlife Conservation (District 12)
  • Eubie Blake School (District 16)
The schools the city plans to merge are:
  • Holcombe L. Rucker School of Community (District 8), becoming part of Longwood Preparatory Academy, another Renewal school
  • Entrada Academy (District 12) into Accion Academy
  • Middle School of Marketing and Legal Studies (District 18) into East Flatbush Community and Research School
  • Middle school grades of Gregory Jocko Jackson School (District 23) into Brownsville Collaborative Middle School
Maybe, the influx of new ATRs will finally convince the DOE to come up with a better ATR buyout and to eliminate school based fair student funding.

33 comments:

Anonymous said...

Farina needs to go for next school year. How bout the fact that Farina admitted that the DOE has not been providing special ed services to approx 50 percent of students with IEPs!!!! All this while we have social workers and guidance counselors sitting around like wounded ducks in the ATR pool doing squat.... We cannot afford to have another 4 more years with a chancellor who is done, kaput cya later gator. We really need a new chancellor as this is getting so ugly no one person will be able to sort out the confusion of:
renewal school closed or not
is it a renewal or is it failing
closed or merged
closed for good
atrs can save the schools
new building or same building
closed or not
what about the students who are freshman
on an on the mess continues as the DOE has created a shit house filled with crap and the reformers are the pigs wanting to roll around in the crap and laugh with money swirling around and mud in their eyes. It really is this insane

Anonymous said...

I think that the class action lawsuit will convince the DOE that it will cost A LOT more money after they lose.

Anonymous said...

Our renewal was promoted to something called a rise school. Looking at the details it seems to be renewal part two.

Unknown said...

Some of the new ATRs are actually old ATRs. They forced ATRs into Wildlife in the Bronx. An ATR who was in rotation at my school, was "hired" there, out of the rotation. Forced placed. She didn't want to go because she knew it was a project doomed to fail. 4 years in the ATR pool, 2 weeks of being hired and her destiny has been determined for her already. Back into the ATR pool she goes. The DOE and UFT are terrible.

Anonymous said...

I attended one of these schools many years ago, it was just as bad then as it is now. Renaming it won't change the kids that go there! It's unbelievable that they're still trying to make it seem as if that does anything. You're not going to attract any good teachers to work at these places. I also interviewed at one of the schools on this list when I was fresh out of college, thank God I didn't end up there.

Also, the closing of the Wildlife Conservation school is an obvious attempt to get people to forget about the stabbing, once the name is changed it will be like it never happened, and the issues will still not have been resolved. It's also interesting how it seems that in the majority of these Renewal and closing schools, the principal gets to stay on, it reminds me of when companies file bankruptcy but the CEO gets a huge performance bonus, the consequences don't apply to those on top.

Anonymous said...

It is time for Fariña to leave, and Mulgrew to resign. It is time for the most experienced teachers to go back to work.

Anonymous said...

Close to 2,000 ATRs in the fall should mean a real buyout package.

Anonymous said...

It's time to stop the BS (lies, grade inflation, blaming the educator, society feeding crap into the minds of the young, etc.). Stop closing schools. NYC closes schools like it's a fashion statement. Heard transfer schools will eventually be eliminated. Is this true?

Anonymous said...

Are they going to hire new students and parents?

A lot of this starts at home.

Anonymous said...

Does anyone else find it interesting that schools like Telecommunications, New Utrecht, and FDR have (and never will) be slated for closure? Mind you, those three are NOT screened high schools. Figure it out people. If you want to work in a school where you know you never have to worry about the school closing, choose wisely. It is all about the demographics of student population. The kids are the ones responsible for all the school closings.

Anonymous said...

Ridiculous...

Highly Effective King Clovis said...

I worked at Academy for Social Action two years ago. First year principal and it was deplorable. I know teachers still there, though they told me last year it was a lot better (because they replaced the principal).

DOE needs to rethink its admin training and properly vett who it puts in charge of these schools.

Anonymous said...

The only ones we need to blame for the chaos is Fariña who is doing an ineffective job or does not know which direction should we take.

DOEvet said...

We can argue about how some ATRs are good teachers and some are not, but the reason why schools close is that, historically, they have had disproportionate numbers of low skilled students and/or students with behavior problems. No school with decent students is going to wind up closed.

If it was about good kids and bad teachers, Danielson can be used to solve that.

The hard to teach kids should be divided up equitably, not warehoused in a few places. I have worked in some tough places, and I work in a good place now. I would never want to work in a Renewal scenario under Danielson. It is career trouble.

Teachers who work with the most struggling learners should get a waiver from Danielson or a modified eval system, esp if other schools are party to the warehousing of kids in those schools.

Anyone who disagrees should give it a try for a year or so. Or even a week.

Anonymous said...

What does a GREAT BUYOUT look like?

Anonymous said...

602

3-5 years of service credit with the repeat offer of 25/55.

55/25 said...

Well said DOEvet

waitingforsupport said...

At least 2 years service credit or
$100,000

Anonymous said...

Farina is working for Bill Gates.

Anonymous said...

Do not forget mayor DeBlasio, he is ultimately the one responsible. Yet, he now positons himself to be presidential candidate and self appointed leader of the progressive wing of the democratic party. He takes himself seriously but no one else does especially the NYC policemen's union, the PBA. Just read in the papers that the PBA has sent rank and file members to shadow DeBlasio as he is on the road bringing his false narrative of how his policies are helping working families.
Homeless New Yorkers, NYC public schools, phony crime data both public schools and city statistics. Farina is a load from way back, but DB is the one that needs to be exposed as the enabler of all that is wrong in the city and its school system.

retired teacher said...

Who names these schools?

Highly Effective King Clovis said...

Agree with DOE Vet.

Schools with struggling kids, you can't have maxed out classes. Even 20 kids who have academic and behavioral problems would be tough, but at least plans could be implemented by supportive admins who have a clear vision.

Renewal schools are just another example of government throwing money at the problem and hoping it gets fixed without taking the time to actually address the issues.

DeBlasio and Farina have failed the city's kids and teachers. The UFT is complicit also as they have said nothing the entire time.

Anonymous said...

Parents have failed the city's kids!!!

Anonymous said...

The idea in vogue is that any teacher with more than ten years experience is old and out-of-touch.
3-5 years only seems to be the 'perfect' teacher.
Many of us still need 5-10 years to go before retirement.
Can they give us a buyout too?
I need 6 more years to get to 55 years old.
Give me a buyout! 6 years time credit and I will go!

Anonymous said...

Ditto...I’ll take pension credit..I need 7 years..willing to swap retro money for the ability to retire early with unreduced pension and medical.

Anonymous said...

They are sending Field Supervisors to harass and rate teachers in their 50s U.

Anonymous said...

2:24 keep dreaming. They'd prefer we all drop dead - at home preparing lessons, of course.

Anonymous said...

Breaking News!!!
Farina is retiring !!!

Anonymous said...

Perhaps some more can join the class action. It is wiser to band together than go it alone. If you win, you can ask for damages. During the process it will be very unlikely that you will be targeted if you're in s group.

Anonymous said...

Yet but the rest of the mafia is in charge.

Anonymous said...

They target whoever they want because we have a useless Union.

Anonymous said...

This union cant be any more useless. It feels like they aren't even there, but its much worse than that....they actually inflict harm to their members by lying and working with the DOE and investigators to frame teachers. It's beyond ridiculous. There must be something very juicy in it for them to be allowing this bullshit!

Anonymous said...

I can confirm what you're saying. When I went several times to step 2 I was given incorrect information each time. On one occasion, the rep highlighted the wrong section of the contract and kept trying to get me to focus on it instead of the part that would help my case. Another time I was told not to talk. Each time they tell you the DOE officer is reeeeally scary and to be careful. And that he's so scary even the rep is scared too. I saw right through that crap and I let them have it. Trust me, when I say they do not like me at all. But I don't care. My job is to make sure my rights are not violated and I can't depend on the UFT but i can depend on myself. I went to a panel meeting to present a case for Step 3 and one woman rolled her eyeballs at me then laughed. It became a screaming match because I spotted every single stupid distraction /dismissive tactic they tried on me. Of course I threatened them with legal action. And I will make good on it. They only go through the motions , but they are working hand-in-hand with their friend the DOE to help them lose your job/become an ATR/be treated like crap.
If you think the UFT has not stepped up to the plate for you and can prove it, file a PERB complaint against them.