NYC City Council Speaker Mark-Viverito Defends ATRs

The city council Speaker responded to ATRs appeal, printed here on March 1.

March 3, 2014

Dear Mr. Klein, Mr. Barusek, Mr. Proano and Ms. Sacco,

Thank you for contacting me regarding the plight of Absent Teacher Reserve (ATR) teachers.

Despite misleading media reports implying that many or most teachers who are assigned to the ATR pool are there because of disciplinary issues or that they are "poor quality" teachers, I have heard reports that the vast majority of ATR teachers are, as you said, "good, dedicated, hard-working professionals." In fact, most ATR teachers were "excessed" from their former post when their position was eliminated due to enrollment decline, or to the phaseout or closure of their former school.

We also understand that the policies of the prior administration, particularly the emphasis on closing large numbers of schools, have contributed to the high number of teachers who find themselves in the ATR pool.

As you noted in your letter, our city's new Mayor and Chancellor have already indicated that they want to place the majority of ATR teachers back in classrooms, rather than serving as itinerant substitute teachers. I certainly support the goal of putting more experienced teachers where they are needed–in classrooms helping students.

While the City Council has no direct authority over the Department of Education (DOE) and its policies, especially under mayoral control, we look forward to working with the Mayor and the DOE to address the issue of ATR teacher assignments.

Thanks again for taking the time to contact my office. Please don't hesitate to get in touch with me again if I can be of any further help to you.

Sincerely,

Melissa Mark-Viverito

Speaker

NYC Council

cc: NYC Council Education Committee Staff

Displaced teachers (ATRs) make public appeal to city council speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito

Displaced New York City teachers write a public letter to the new speaker of the city council, Melissa Mark-Viverito, someone promoted as a pro-labor candidate. Displaced teachers and other DOE staff appeal to elected officials because union leaders are unresponsive to us and a month after the Daily News attacks are still silent on the smearing attacks on us.

February 13, 2014

Dear Ms. Mark-Viverito,

    Congratulations on you becoming Council Speaker.  Why we are writing you is to bring to light the unvarnished truth behind teachers in the A.T.R. pool.  Most of the A.T.R.s are as much victims of failed educational policies as the students that were under educated by those policies.  A.T.R.s came in 2 major classes.  The first, were senior teachers that were excessed from closed schools.  The second were those who, for no fault of their own, were caught up in the “reign of terror” that the past mayor and his chancellors waged against senior teachers in this city.  It is true that a very minuscule number of individuals rightly deserved to be disciplined and removed to the now infamous “rubber rooms”.  The rest of these teachers were no guiltier than you, when their principals falsely accused them of wrong doing and had them removed from their schools.  When these teachers finally left these rooms, they were automatically put into the A.T.R. pool.  On top of that, they were “black-flagged” as “discipline problems”. 

  The purpose of this pool, in the eyes of the mayor, was to demoralize us and accelerate our retirement and or resignation from the school system.  This is no more than an abuse of good, dedicated, hard working professionals.

  When A.T.R.s read, in the NY Daily News, that the mayor and the chancellor were talking about placing us back into classrooms, we were ecstatic.  As stories began to appear in that paper accusing us of everything from criminal behavior to “U” rated teachers that would prey on our children our mood changed drastically.  We were so upset by these unwarranted attacks that we thought that we would never be able to teach again.  And that Council Speaker is a fate worse than death for teachers.

  “U” ratings were just another form of harassment used by principals to remove senior teachers from their staffs and replace them with young and inexperienced individuals whom they knew they could “bully” into teaching “the program”.  These teachers that were rated “U”, in most cases did not deserve that rating at all. 

  We ask you as a powerful voice in the progressive movement to filter out all the rhetoric of the past and help the mayor and the chancellor in moving this great city forward.  Put us teachers back into the classrooms.  Give us the chance that was given to so many people before and help our kids to succeed. 

Thank you,

Howard Klein
Scott Barusek
Guido Proano
Elvira Sacco