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I am a teacher in one of the schools that was not chosen to implement the transformation model. We have a very good school with excellent stats for all but the four year graduation rate. We have more than a 30% ELL student body and a large number of special ed students. It is a known fact that students who come from other countries need five years to acquire a new language. It is unfair and punitive that our school is being targeted for this and is in danger of being closed. The City gave us a well-developed rating which is the highest a school can receive. The teachers here have been under the microscope and have risen to the occasion to implement small learning communities which will start in the fall. The students who go to this school receive wonderful educations and should not suffer the injustice of having their school turned upside down. The Federal government is not looking out for the welfare of the students and it is a shame.

Wow, next year’s atr pool will be in the thousands. Just in time for Kleinberg to negotiate a new contract with our sellout union to get rid of all atr’s, thus thousands of careers are ruined simply because teachers were in the wrong school at the wrong time.

By the way, anyone know what happens when a public high school closes and a charter school moves in? Do they hire a completely new staff or are some teachers retained in the charter school?

I am in one of those 23 schools and am currently excessed. I am in the middle of work with students that I planned to continue next year. The targeting of our schools is disruptive and harmful to our students. I have poured my heart into their education. I don’t want to desert them. Our school also has high standards, yet we do serve a large population of English Language Learners and High Needs students. No one from the DOE or state gave us any support this year after the state released the list. This whole educational reform movement that equates four year graduation rates and test scores with success forces schools to inflate pass rates and weed out high needs and at-risk students. We take those students, especially after the closing of other large schools in our area. Please let your voices be heard. Save our schools. Don’t turn your back on our students. Give us support to succeed.

Let’s hope so… another thing is look at these side deals the union has negotiated- the student test scores and the rubber room situation. Our members didn’t even have a vote on that… who’s to say that the same won’t happen soon for atr’s? Funny thing is, my school is on this closure list and not even the union rep is aware of it or what’s going on. Our members are poorly informed when it comes to a situation which could destroy many careers… and I’m in a large high school with a staff of over 300 and over 4,000 students. After next year all chaos is going to break loose with so many students having to find new schools and thousands of teachers without jobs.

Invictus,

Regarding, there being no money for the city to offer. I do agree with you! However, I would like to think the membership is not that shortsighted and foolish, to give up their careers, for a few extra dollars in their paychecks. (I realize I could be very wrong about this) Regarding “old timers” who will vote for any increase knowing they will be retired before the consequences are felt, That may have been true in 2002, and 2005. but most of those people are gone. The reality is there just are not that many senior teachers anymore. More than half of the membership has less than 10 years of service.

With the increase in the charter school cap, more and more elementary school teachers will be feeling the ATR horror. The city has to find places for those new charter schools, and its highly unlikely there will be many new buildings constructed in the next few years. Since most charter schools operate for the primary grades, I can only imagine the “space wars” in the elementary schools will increase with more co-locations, and many public elementary schools forced to downsize thus putting more elementary school teachers in the ATR pool.

Michael F.

Any side deal allowing ATRs to be terminated after a certain time period because they “haven’t found a position” would very likely be a violation of state law. Where is the due process? What have these teachers done wrong? If they have seniority, and there is a need for layoffs, the LIFO layoff law is still in effect. Less senior teachers who are not ATRs would still have to be laid off first.

I’d imagine UFT leadership has to realize that they as well as the city would probably be facing class action lawsuits by the effected members. The city for violating state labor laws. The UFT for a breech of service by not protecting these members rights which are encapsulated in state law.

My Chapter leader is a “Unity mouthpiece” and even he said that if the union ever gave in on the seniority layoffs, or the ATRs “it would cease to be a union….his words, not mine.

and “members’ rights”..heat getting to the brain!

Or just Google “NY1 23 schools”.

I just find it ironic.
Newsweek ranked John Dewey No. 1558 last week as one of the top high schools in the country. That’s the top 6 percent in the nation according to the report. Either Newsweek is off or the accountability that the mayor wants and the closing of the schools just doesn’t make sense.

A bit confused..anyone know if the decision is out yet on the appeal of the original 19 schools (of which 8 are on this list?)

Yes ther is fear. Fear is felt by all that are in the jaws of the rabid squirrel. Yes quite oximoronish but it is all rediculous. Ask any of those finger pointing. People that are making these desicions how many of those schools did they walk into asked what they needed

“Their ultimate plan is to whittle down the number of public schools to some minimal number, so as to either keep it as a rump system for the “lesser” (to use Alan Simpson’s indiscrete but revealing term regarding Social Security) students or small enough to drown in the bathtub.”

Your posts Michael are always of interest, but I disagree with your analysis above. I see a national strategy unfolding here where Weingarten will hold the line on high performing urban, suburban and rural school and let the charters take over the rest, including in time what you describe as the “lesser students”. Then a linkage will develop between private for profit schools, reform schools such as those run by Camelot Schools LLC, Abraxas Education, the Geo Group and prisons. This was already started as far I can tell under Paul Vallas when he ran the Philly system.

The goal is to obvious lower the number of public schools in existance. Bloomy is slating all these schools to make room for the charter schools. They are writing public schools and letting them know as we speak unutilized space will be used. See this is all about dismantling the public schools. Like a large corporation trying to take over the small companies and downsizing. Once the whole system is chartered, he will be happy. No union!!! See he know he cant just get rid of the public schools so he has to show they are not doing anything. The sad part is now the students teachers and principals are displaced. The students will now go to other public schools and be overcrowded . Then that school will be slated for closure. Like a domino effect! Sad but true. The only reason why they meet with the public is because they have to do everything by the book . But the panel is made of Bloomy yes people. They already know which way they are voting. How is that fair! SOOOOOOOO sad! Why do u think Bloomy fought so hard for an extended term. Oh and another thing. If Charter schools are taking public and private funding. They take away from public schools. I believe if they are getting public funding especially they should have to take special need children. Not just targeting the level 3 and 4 students. You cant honestly compare public and charter until there is an equal balance. The public schools take all and only recieve public funding. So in my book it is not an equal balance! If u have all the level 3 and 4 of course u will be doing well. Lets see what happens when all students are eventually in charter. U will have all the same students and nothing will change. So if they get rid of the public schools keep in mind all students will be in charter yes, but I bet u those test scores will not be as high! When children are acting up they discharge them and send them to the public schools. Must be NIce! Oh and did I say receive public funding !