It's another year and while Chancellor Richard Carranza has made some administrative changes at the DOE, he has made no real changes when it comes to the ATR pool. The DOE has tried to encourage principals to hire ATRs but since most ATRs are older and in the higher salary range, averaging over $98,000 annually, schools do not want to take on the hefty salaries associated with the ATRs.
Sure, the DOE has tried to set up an ATR hiring program like paying for the ATR's salary the first year, one half their salary the second year, and one quarter their salary the third year. However, principals are not stupid and realizes that by the fourth year the school would be responsible for the full salary of the hired ATR.
Moreover, the DOE told principals that if they hired sn ATR to permanently fill a vacancy and they achieve an effective rating, they must hire the ATR,. However, there is a loophole wide enough to drive a truck through if a savvy Principal knows how to manipulate the system and many do. The loophole would allow the school to refuse to permanently hire the ATR and hire a cheaper alternative.
The DOE got so desperate in trying to reduce the ATR pool that every other year they offer ATRs $50,000 to resign or retire but only 170 ATRs took the offer and those ATRs who take the DOE incentive are probably resigning or retiring anyway. With more schools closing or downsizing and teachers who win their 3020-a hearings the ATRs are replaced by others.
One small change is that the DOE will no longer use the $2,000 fine or 30 day suspension limit to automatically put the educator in the ATR pool. .Teachers, unless they are considered a threat to students, will be sent back to their school, regardless of their or the Principal's wishes. This change is expected to help reduce the ATR pool. In addition, there will no longer be field supervisors who evaluate ATRs but the school principals will evaluate the ATRs
The result is that the ATR pool has remained relatively stable of around 1,200 over the last few years, despite the above DOE programs and the incentives.
Until the school-based fair student funding is changed and the DOE penalizes principals who refuse to hire ATRs, nothing will change and that includes the ATR pool,
What about the ineffective staff at Tweed who mange ATR assignments and the top dog who was put out of Bklyn Tech to be head of ATR supervision? What a waste!!!
ReplyDeletePlace ATRs before new hires in a way that is fair, give money back to the schools, and ABOLISH the ATR Dept at DOE now!
UFT says nothing because ATRs are getting paid and UFT gets newbies at the same time! More Union dues- win/win for UFT!
Chaz...
ReplyDeleteWhat will become of those dirtbag ATR Supervisors?
Woo, Woooooo, Woooooooo the crybaby train is about to leave the station. all ATR's aboard for another fun filled year, all expenses paid for by mayor dumblasio and the nyshitty doe!! here
ReplyDeleteis something to get your blood boiling. a teacher I know just got hired back for the 3rd time after leaving the doe for better pastures upstate. while all of you get kicked in the ass that POS system you work for is hiring people from outside the pool and system for not 1 not 2 but a 3rd time. as a FORMER ATR that buyout looks better every year!
What a fascinating math indeed. So I will receive $ 135,000 in the Fixed Income Fund and $ 141,000 in the TDA's equity fund, respectively.
ReplyDeleteThe only question that worries me is which fund Mr. Randi Wiengarten would use himself. Oh yes, and how could I work as a teacher for 30 years to save such an amount of money.
Current contract says ATRs hired will not be added to average salary calculation of a school until the end of contract. ATRs are an average teacher cost until at least 2023-2024. Most are older and could retire by then.
ReplyDeleteUnfair Student Funding sucks but getting rid of it would not significantly reduce the ATR pool. Cost of teachers salaries is not the main problem. Veteran teachers do not generally answer "How high?" when principals say "Jump!" That is the problem.
Also, don't forget every teacher's salary is averaged in the school budget, so it is cheaper to higher a newbie at base salary than to not count an ATR's salary because it would make the average lower. Also does anybody know if ATR's are eligible for hardship travel transfers? I'm assigned to a school in LIC and I live out on L.I.
ReplyDeleteThere's a new hiring incentive that I was permanently hired under. If a principal has a vacancy that matches that of the license of an ATR in the district they can hire them permanently and central will pay the ATRs salary as long as the ATR remains at that school. Several ATRs I know were hired like that.
ReplyDeleteFrancesco Can you please elaborate on the incentives
ReplyDeleteIf an ATRs license matches a vacancy in the school and the principal agrees to take them they will have them for free forever as long as the Teacher stays there.
ReplyDeleteFrancesco thanks for the great information which should get more ATRs hired. I have a suggestion for the doe: why not give atrs a choice from say three schools to choose from for an assignment.
ReplyDeleteWhy have the do or die assignments where at least a choice of a few schools would make the life of an atr somewhat livable and somewhat stress less.....if the doe cared about its employees especially they would implement a system of assignments as such.
10:25 yes to travel hardship transfers...sad how the doe refuses to give any freedom to atrs in determining where they work...its really a sad state of affairs..why the hate? nt and a friendly environment. I mean how much longer can total dys
ReplyDelete