The Queens Job Fair, Sparsely Attended And Few Schools With Vacancies Participated.

I went to yesterday's job fair in Queens with very low expectations and was not disappointed.  A smattering of teachers actually showed up, mostly ATRs over 50 years of age and the few schools that were there were not interested in hiring them, while the schools who did show up were looking for Special Education, Math, and English teachers.  The schools were mostly middle schools and the majority were in the worst neighborhoods or had bad reputations.  As a High School teacher I did notice very few high schools were represented.  Of course there was the terrible Math and Science Magnet school at Campus Magnet run by the infamous Jose Cruz and, the equally horrible Flushing high school, a renewal school with 5 principals in 6 years.  I gave both schools a wide berth.

I did drop off a resume to a relatively high achieving middle school for an 8th grade replacement position for the second semester since I must keep my options open in case the DOE tries to place me in the many horrid schools that need a teacher in my shortage area subject.  Better to be appreciated in taking a leave replacement than abused by a "gotcha" administration who force places you in their school.

The games schools play were very evident at this job fair when I checked the Open Market Transfer System, I noticed few positions I saw at the job fair were listed, while schools with vacancies on the Open Market Transfer System were not represented at the job fair.  Incompetence, laziness, or are these schools hiding their vacant positions with the appropriate licensed teachers?  Probably all the above applies.

It was an experience going to this job fair but an experience that was a bad experience as few schools and teachers participated and it looked hastily arraigned and unorganized.

The DOE Secretly Holds A Job Fair That Excludes ATRs.

Yes, the same old DOE has once again, secretly held a job fair for the remaining vacancies in the school system and excluded the ATRs.  According to UFT President Michael Mulgrew this is supposed to be the new DOE attitude of cooperation and understanding that he bragged about. It seems to me that little has changed when it comes to the DOE.

The DOE job fair was held on Tuesday, August 26th at the Armory in Washington Heights and according to my sources the UFT was there as well which brings up the question why didn't the UFT object to this exclusionary DOE job fair?  The answer is obvious, the UFT aided and abetted the DOE in excluding ATRs so that the DOE can continue to claim that the ATRs are not looking for jobs.

Unfortunately, the UFT is more the problem then the solution when it comes to adequately representing its members.  Its the only municipal union that allows the City to bestow "second class citizenship" on some of its members and looks the other way when the DOE tries to punish the members a second time when they failed to terminate them in a 3020-a process. Is it any wonder that the ATRs don't trust the union leadership?

While I still believe in the protections union membership gives me, I realize that this disconnected UFT leadership  is not doing their job.  I need to rely on myself to uphold my rights and asking the union leadership to do their job is simply a pipe dream. To me its the same old "gotcha mentality" in the DOE and a union that looks the other way when its most vulnerable of members are targeted.

Principals Continue To Advertise For Teachers Outside The DOE Approved Process.

Even before the Open Market Transfer System had closed on August 7th, principals were trying to hire teachers outside the DOE approved process, be it, the open market, ATR pool, or new teacher finder programs.  A couple of years ago, I uncovered a school who advertised on Craigslist and it was reported to the union leadership who chose not to make an issue of it.  Now I have seen two separate Craigslist advertisements.  One being from a well regarded school, Bayside high school.  The school's Craigslist advertisement is found below.
_________________________________________________________

Bayside High School Teaching Positions (Bayside High School - Bayside, NY)

compensation: Per most recent UFT contract

Bayside High School anticipates that the following positions will be available for September 2014:

-Commercial Art (Digital Art)
-Computer Programming (Computer Technology)
-Media Communications (Music Production/Recording Arts Technology)
-Technology Education (Environmental Engineering)
-Natural Resources & Ecology (Environmental Engineering)
-Drafting/CAD (Environmental Engineering)
-Business and Marketing (Non-Profit Management)
-Sports Medicine/Personal Training
-Chemistry
-Physics
-Chinese Language
-Japanese Language
-SWD Biology
-SWD Mathematics
-SWD ELA
-SWD Social Studies
___________________________________________________


If interested, please complete ALL of the steps below:
1. Email cover letter AND resume to hiring@baysidehigh.org
2. Compose email subject line to include position of interest and name, according to the following sample: CHEMISTRY: SMITH, JOHN
3. Submit all requested information at: https://docs.google.com/a/baysidehigh.org/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dHhhNDViSUI4bjBXUkxzZFI4aDYyY1E6MQ

• Principals only. Recruiters, please don't contact this job poster.
• do NOT contact us with unsolicited services or offers

post id: 4608899530

posted: a day ago

updated: a day ago

email to friend

___________________________________________________

That's right, the school is advertising for 16 vacancies outside the approved DOE hiring process. If you noticed, there is no requirement to have a valid teaching license or be certified.   Is this Craigslist advertisement the exception?  Unfortunately, its not.  If you look at the picture next to this paragraph you will

see another school advertising for an 8th grade Science teacher on Craigslist.  The question is what is the DOE doing about this?  Better yet, will the union do the right thing and demand that the DOE follow their own rules and regulations and punish these schools for circumventing the hiring procedures.  I won't hold my breath waiting for the DOE and the UFT to take action. 

Former Tweed Lawyer, Daniel Weisberg Fails To Tell The Whole Story.

It seems the education media offensive continues against the ATRs as the New York Post published an opinion piece from non educator and ex flunky of Joel Klein and former Tweed lawyer Daniel Weisberg.  Mr. Weisberg is now Executive Vice President and General Counsel for The New Teacher Project (TNTP) which places "newbie teachers" in high poverty schools.   In his article, Mr. Weisberg made no bones about that ATR teachers are "bad teachers" as the heading to his column states.  Mr Weisberg explains how proud he is to have negotiated the ATR pool into existence by his "mutual consent"  agreement that allows principals to decide who to hire.

Mr. Weisberg falsely claims that many of the teachers in the ATR pool are not looking for a position.  In fact he claims 60% don't want a position because they haven't bothered to apply on the Open Market Transfer System. Of course he failed to mention the Open Market Transfer System is a joke and iis only good for lower paid untenured teachers who want to escape high poverty schools as highly experienced teachers never even get an interview!  I wonder why that seemed to have slipped his mind?  While Mr Weisberg doesn't say the ATRs are undesirable,  however, if you read between the lines he does insinuate it by saying principals rather not hire them.  His solution is a six month to one year ATR time limit and then be terminated if they fail to land a position. Just like all other education reformer proposals which ignores the real cause of the ATRs not being able to obtain a classroom position. Of course, Mr. Weisberg conveniently left out why there is an ATR pool and why principals are not hiring them.  Why would he print the truth since it would show what a hypocrite he is?  Here is what Mr. Weisberg decided to leave out in his article.

First, there is no mention of the "fair student funding formula" that discourages principals from hiring the "best teachers" just the "cheapest".  Combine that with a 14% reduction in school budgets and no Principal will be willing to hire a senior teacher no matter how "qualified" that teacher is.

Second, he works for an organization that supplies the "cheapest teachers" to the DOE and the "fair student funding formula" is a godsend to his organization.  It matters little that most of the "newbie teacher" will be long gone before they ever become a "quality teacher" as defined by the NCLB.  For Mr. Weisberg its not about what's best for the students, its what's best for his organization.

Finally, he knows quite well, since he negotiated the contract with the union, that the union can't reasonably put a time limit on the ATRs since it may violate Civil Service Law and start a "slippery slope" and a reduction of Municipal employee rights throughout the City.  The result would be a Municipal union lawsuit that would put a halt to any such action.

Mr. Weisberg is just like all the other non-educator pseudo-reformers who ignores the truth just to publish his flawed point of view and despite his claims it's not what's best for the students of the New York City Schools but what's best for his organization..

The City Pulls All Stops To Get "Select" Newbie Teachers Hired While Trying To Kick ATRs To The Curb.

The DOE has shown once again how they will go to great lengths to get "newbie teachers" hired while making it difficult for schools to hire better qualified ATRs.  In today's Gotham Schools there is an article that showed how the DOE welcomed these "newbie teachers" with cookies, drinks, presents, and put them on the top of the list for vacancies. The DOE even brought in a musician to serenade these "select newbie teachers".   Many of these teachers may have graduated high in their class but can they teach?  Obviously, many, maybe a majority of these "select teachers" will be long gone from the New York City schools in five years and the City will be forced to find and train replacements at the expense of the students.

On the other hand, there are over a thousand ATRs floating around the NYC Public Schools and few are offered positions , except as long term replacements in hard to staff areas like science and special education.  The ATRs who do get jobs are usually the untenured or ATRs that have less than five years experience and are relatively inexpensive.  As for the highly experienced and relatively more expensive ATRs?  They have a less of a chance of getting a vacancy then a snowstorm in April, thanks to the "fair student funding fiasco".  This is especially true in the Bloomberg small schools where most of the teachers are recent hires and the average teacher salary is $55,000.  Therefore, for a Principal to hire a teacher making $85,000,  He or she would need to come up with the $30,000 difference. Is it any wonder that Principals would be reluctant to hire a teacher who is going to put a dent into his or her budget?  While some of the best schools have an average salary of $80,000 or more, many schools run by "Leadership Academy principals" experience massive teacher turnover and cannot afford or want an ATR "quality teacher", even if it's what's best for the students. Just last year, the ATR job fair was a joke with few schools represented and even fewer administrators with the authority to offer positions.  In one case, a school sent a Secretary to take names of ATRs to screen them for a possible interview.  What a joke and a disgrace!

It's too bad that the DOE is so shortsighted that recruitment is more important than retention to them. When I keep reading that the DOE puts "children first", I must laugh because the real truth is that the students of the school is put last when it comes to hiring qualified teachers.

Did The DOE Secretly Host A Job Fair At The Brooklyn Museum And Failed To Invite The ATRs? Worse, Did The Union Know It And Let The Job Fair Happen?

Last week, I was contacted by a fellow ATR who asked me about a teachers' "job fair" being planned on Tuesday, June 7th at the Brooklyn Museum. This "job fair" seems to be by invitation only and few, if any ATRs were invited. A teacher who wangled an invitation by going to 65 Court Street personally told me that various schools were represented and many newly minted "Teaching Fellows" and "Teach For America" candidates were being interviewed for all sort of positions, not just "special education" despite the hiring freeze.. The ATR that got the invitation only ran into two other ATRs at the "job fair" and the school administrators (mainly principals) were questioning the lack of interest by the ATRs in their school for their vacancies. The ATR did tell some of the principals that almost all the ATRs were not invited to the "job fair" and was almost universally greeted with disbelief to what the ATR said. It appears many of the administrators were unaware that the DOE did not invite the ATRs to the "job fair". What was most upsetting to me was the ATR claimed the UFT had their own welcome desk set up to great the teachers.

After talking to the ATR in detail and in depth, I have come to the disturbing conclusion that the DOE did not want the ATRs at the "job fair" and that is the reason why there were so few ATRs there. Why would the DOE do this to their own principals? Here are some reasons why.

1. It convinces the unsuspecting principals that the ATRs are not interested in teaching classes and filling vacancies at their schools.
2. Helps Tweed to continue to demonize the ATRs as teachers who don't want to and/or can't teach.
3. Maybe sneaking in "newbie teachers" in some vacancies despite the hiring freeze by claiming there are no ATRs available to fill the vacancy.

While, nothing surprises me on the depths the DOE will go to get around the hiring freeze and disrespect the ATRs, the most worrisome issue was the apparent complicity the UFT had in this top secret "job fair". The ATR teacher who attended told me that there was a UFT table welcoming the potential "newbie teachers" and the smattering of ATRs who managed to find themselves at the "job fair".

My questions to the union are the following:

• Why didn't the UFT alert all the ATRs of this "job fair"?
  
• Is the union unwittingly aiding and abetting Tweed in further demonizing the ATRs?
  
• Are they making sure the DOE is listing all the vacancies in the "Open Market Transfer System"? If not, then why?

I believe our union needs to inform the ATRs and all other transfer teachers why they appear complicit in keeping the June 7th "job fair" secret. We are owed an explanation to this disturbing and dangerous development and the union's role in it.