ATRs, the unrepresented -- no elected representatives in the UFT

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Thomas Paine, First Principles of Government


Saturday, September 1, 2018

DOE excess system starting out new year with glitches

New York City's Department of Education is starting out the new 2018-2019 with problems already.

Standard ATR assignment procedure has the ATRs getting their assignments by Thursday afternoon, evening if the system is running late. Not this year. Just a few hard their assignments by Thursday evening. And many ATRs did not get their assignment by 5 pm Friday. Many were finally sent out over the next hour and a half.
Why the delay? The DOE has been handling this assignment task for a few years now.
Maybe the problem is due to a big influx of new ATRs. Mayor Bill De Blasio shut many schools last year. And in the case of Renewal Schools without great clout the teachers were turned out of their jobs, being told to get new position assignments at other schools or wait and see what rotation would bring. (As always, Fair Student Funding means that new hires will get preference in filling the vacancies at new schools or those Renewal Schools which turned out their veterans.) The big mystery is how many new ATRs or excessed staff are there, scores? Hundreds?

Another thing: is part of the DOE algorithm for assigning teachers to work as far as possible from where they live? Teachers had years back applied to work not too deep into a borough next to their own borough. For example, a teacher living in the Bronx might seek a teaching job in Harlem. But we're seeing in the rotation era teachers being assigned to the furthest end of the borough, creating commutes in excess of one and a half hours, so, in the case of the above Bronx residing teacher, he'd be assigned to the far south end of Manhattan.
Surely, these are hardship commutes.

AND, there are some excessed employees in good standing, as of Labor Day, still with no assignment!

19 comments:

  1. 2 thousand minimum. The Uft and doe will never release the true numbers.

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    Replies
    1. They do not want the public to find out that is age discrimination.

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  2. The field supervisors and the ATR pool are weapons to harass teachers into quitting. The UFT is to be blamed.

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  3. 1) we're supposed to get our assignments by Wednesdsy night.
    2) mistake: just a few had,

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  4. As of today, does anyone know when the hiring freeze for new Provisional Certified Guidance Counselors will be lifted. Also is it true if you have your Bilingual Extension as a Provisional Guidance Counselor, the hiring freeze would not affect you? Someone please answer. Thank You!!

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  5. 1) we're supposed to get our assignments by Wednesdsy night.
    2) mistake: just a few had,

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  6. I’d also love to know when they are lifting the freeze for school social workers and school psychologists. Thanks!

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  7. The harassment and discrimination against teachers in their 50s continue alive in NYC thanks to Mulgrew.

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  8. I was supposed to be hired this school year as a provisional certified guidance counselor and an ATR had to be hired instead of me.

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    Replies
    1. I know your pain, I was supposed to be hired as well and now have to wait for the hiring freeze to be lifted so I can immediately start my guidance counseling job.

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    2. You are too expensive to be hired. They want newbies.

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  9. They should stop obswrvations on ATRs that have no familuarity with students.

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  10. Veteran teachers and ATRs are being harassed through 3020A hearings to retire or resign. Most of the time these charges are only an excuse to push older teachers out. Most of the time these charges do violate tenure rights by not being voted in Executive Session of the PEP (Article 2A of Education Law 3020A). Only the PEP can determine probable cause. The UFT, and NYSUT will look the other way, and will blame each other. They are openly pushing experienced teachers out the system with the compliance of the UFT, and by violating our due process. This has all been planned for a long time by relaxing the rules, and making it easier for supervisors to abuse the system. Remember the UFT negotiated in a secret deal to have ATRs observed without having any assigned classes in 2014. Now even a roving ATR Field Supervisor can recommend termination since 2016. This is not a fair game anymore. They can start targeting anyone with no consequences if they are acting in bad faith. They will target anyone outspoken first, and they will go after you until they finish the job. The observation process is being manipulated in a way that a good lesson can turn into a bad one because the UFT will not challenge unfairness, further more they are not following on legitimate grievances. It is shameful to see so many teachers in their 50s, and 60s in the rubber room. All this is happening while they hire less qualified, and inexperienced teachers because of Fair Student Funding agreed by the UFT in 2007. It is just a matter of time before they will start targeting you. It is open season, and these supervisors have a blank check to go after ATRs. Once they start targeting you they will continue, and it does not matter if you had 20 t years or more of satisfactory service. Even the arbitrator will be pressured to rule for your termination because the DOE will not hired him back.

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  11. I also didn't receive my placement until late in the day on August 31st. I was sent to a school that has no vacancy, no program for me to follow, and I was referred to as "the ATR." I had cafeteria duty for all three lunch periods for two days in a row and have gotten random coverages for people who had meetings and/or were leaving early that day. I was also denied a bathroom key by the person I was told supplied keys to staff, and she was ruder than rude.

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    Replies
    1. The ATR Pool is a way to harass older teachers to retire or resign since the average age is 53.

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    2. That happens because we have a useless UFT.

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  12. Veteran teachers and ATRs are being harassed through 3020A hearings to retire or resign. Most of the time these charges are only an excuse to push older teachers out. Most of the time these charges do violate tenure rights by not being voted in Executive Session of the PEP (Article 2A of Education Law 3020A).

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  13. I received an email at 6:30 pm on Friday evening, directing me to report to a different school on Monday, after being assigned to a school for the previous three weeks. I thought I was being placed to cover a content teacher on a medical leave, but I have been given coverages and used to cover preps for teachers for the last three days. Thank you, UFT. They think they can treat ATRs like we’re nobodies, because that’s what we are.

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    Replies
    1. You became too expensive so they want to harass you to leave.

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