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Thousands of teachers, administrators, and school aides in the city’s 24 “turnaround” schools are getting official notification today that they aren’t assured a position next year.

The total number of workers at the schools who are being “excessed” — or having their positions eliminated — is 3,671, making this year’s citywide tally of displaced teachers larger than in any recent year. The Department of Education released the figures this afternoon but did not share data about excessing taking place at the city’s 1,600 other schools.

Schools learned that the excessing letters would be distributed today on Friday, and at some schools teachers received the notices while interviewing to retain their jobs. The workers who received the notification include 2,995 people represented by the United Federation of Teachers, mostly classroom teachers; 497 people represented by DC-37, the union that includes school aides and parent coordinators; and 179 members of the principals and administrators union.

Typically, schools excess teachers because of budget cuts, enrollment drops, and changes to program offerings that render the positions impossible to fund. But this year, every single person who works at the 24 schools undergoing a federally prescribed turnaround process is being excessed — and virtually every single person is being replaced, either by himself or by another person, during restaffing processes that are already underway.

The expansive game of musical chairs is intended to shake up the staffs of struggling schools and make them eligible for a pot of federal funds known as School Improvement Grants.

“We think it is an exciting opportunity and moment to infuse new talent into these new schools and produce gains for students,” said Marc Sternberg, the Department of Education deputy chancellor supervising the turnaround process.

Already, department officials say, more than 7,000 applicants have cast more than 26,000 applications for the 2,995 teaching positions at the schools, for an average of more than eight applications for each open position.

Some of the schools have had difficulty filling open positions in the past: More than half of them started this school year with at least three vacancies, according to the department. One principal, Linda Rosenbury at M.S. 22 in the Bronx, told department officials that she had received more than a thousand applicants for 50 positions, compared to fewer than 50 applications last year for seven vacancies.

Department recruiters have helped pull in applicants, but the number of applications has been “way more than we could ever take credit for,” Sternberg said. “It’s a unique opportunity [for teachers] to apply an entrepreneurial spirit to the challenge of creating a new school.”

About 2,600 of the applicants are currently working in the 24 schools, meaning that more than 85 percent of teachers are reapplying for their own job or other jobs in turnaround schools. The rest of the applicants are working at other schools in the city or are trying to break into the city school system, which has had stringent hiring restrictions in place since 2009. The city is bringing on 900 new Teaching Fellows this year, twice as many as it hired in 2011, to fill vacancies across the system.

Hiring committees consisting of a principal, department appointees, and teachers union appointees are in place at each turnaround school. The committees must interview any current teacher who wishes to stay on after his school is revamped and must, in accordance with a clause in the city’s contract with the teachers union, extend offers to at least half of qualified applicants from within the schools. But what constitutes qualification leaves room for discretion and has some teachers concerned that they will be shut out unfairly.

Some committees have begun offering positions to applicants. But the city and union are locked in arbitration over collective bargaining rules at the schools. If the arbitrator rules in the union’s favor, hiring decisions would be reversed.

The city’s letter to school workers who are being excessed included that information in a bold-faced “important note” in the second paragraph. And a UFT spokesman emphasized the up-in-the-air reality for the turnaround schools’ rehiring in a statement responding to the excessing letters.

“No final personnel decisions involving these schools can be made until the arbitrator rules on the UFT’s contention that these are ‘sham closings,’” said the spokesman. “We expect that decision before the end of the school year.”

Teachers who are not rehired at their school or any other enter the Absent Teacher Reserve, a pool of teachers without permanent positions who rotate through vacant positions on a weekly basis. They continue to draw their full salary in an arrangement that the city and union agreed upon in 2005 but now has Department of Education officials calling for a time limit on how long teachers can remain in the ATR pool.

School aides who are not rehired do not have the same protection; last year, hundreds of DC-37 members whose positions were eliminated were fired after several months in limbo.

The city’s letter to schools workers at turnaround schools is below.

Dear Colleague:

As a result of the closing of our school and in compliance with contractual mandates, you have been placed in excess from our school for next year. You are being given a temporary assignment until such time as you find a full-time position at a new school.

IMPORTANT NOTE:  Please be mindful that there is currently a grievance arbitration pending regarding school closures and all personnel decisions are subject to change based on the outcome in that matter.  We expect a decision from an arbitrator by the end of June.  I will keep you informed of any updates.

I want to sincerely thank you for your service to our students.  Your support of their education and growth is greatly appreciated.

This letter outlines guidance for finding a new position, as well as your next steps when the 2012-13 school year begins in September.

I. Finding a new regular assignment prior to September 4:         

Beginning now, please make every effort to use the available tools and resources to apply for and attempt to secure a new, regular assignment as soon as possible. A description of specific supports, including the Open Market system, and resources can be found below.  Keep in mind that by starting the job search process earlier you will have access to a broader range of opportunities.

Using the Open Market/Excessed Staff Selection Systems, a key tool in your job search:

• The Open Market (OM) system allows you to search for schools and vacancies and allows schools to consider you for possible selection. To access the system, go to https://www.nycenet.edu/offices/dhr/transferplane/. Use this website to search for schools and vacancies, enter your applicant statements and résumé, and submit applications to vacancies at schools of interest to you.
• The Open Market transfer period is open until August 7. Following August 7, the system converts to the Excessed Staff Selection System (ESSS) which is available through the same link exclusively to employees in excess.
• Vacancies continue to occur throughout the summer and even after the opening of school so you should continue to check OM or ESSS for updates.

You should also verify that your contact information is up to date in the registration section of the Open Market system.  This information, in conjunction with your DOE email, will be used to contact you for recruitment and interview opportunities as well as to advise you of assignments should you remain in excess when the school year begins. If you do not already have access to your NYC DOE email account or need assistance on its use, please contact the DOE Helpdesk at (718) 935-5100, or visit the following link: http://schools.nyc.gov/Offices/EnterpriseOperations/DIIT/default.htm

Using the Teacher Hiring Support Center services:

The NYC DOE has resources available to assist you in your search for a new assignment through the Teacher Hiring Support Center (THSC), managed by the Office of Teacher Recruitment and Quality.  Resources available to all excessed UFT-covered school-based staff include job search webinars, resume and cover letter templates, and sample interview questions. Access to these services and updates on recruitment events can be found on the Teacher Hiring Support Portal at http://thscnyc.org. For more information on these services, please email thsc@schools.nyc.gov or call HR Connect at (718) 935-4000.

II. If you are NOT selected for a new regular assignment before school opening:

If you are not selected for a regular assignment before school opening you will be in excess/ATR status until you find a new, regular position.

As long as you remain in excess/ATR status, your school assignment may change on a weekly basis within your seniority district. Your initial ATR assignment – where to report on September 4th – will be viewable on Open Market/ESSS in late August.  (Note that you will NOT be assigned to the same school where you worked this year and should not report to that location in September.)  You will receive more instructions, via your NYC DOE email, on how to access ATR assignment information in Open Market/ESSS later in the summer.

Finally, keep in mind that even if you are still in excess once school starts, you are still expected to be proactive in seeking a new, regular assignment outside of the ATR.

Once again, I value your professional commitment to our students, and I wish you the best of luck in your search for a new, regular assignment.

If you have any immediate questions regarding excessing or related issues, please contact HR Connect at (718) 935-4000.

Sincerely,
Principal

cc:           Network HR Director
Network Budget Officer