limit on absent teacher reserve
***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*** 4/16/2014 Contact:
Joshua Goodman, 212-561-8730x226, [email protected]
EDUCATORS 4 EXCELLENCE – NEW YORK CALLS FOR TWO “HIRING CYCLE” LIMIT ON ABSENT TEACHER RESERVE ~ Proposed Change is One of a Series of Teacher-Developed Recommendations for New Union Contract Under Negotiation April 15, 2014 (New York) — Educators 4 Excellence-New York members today called on the de Blasio administration and the United Federation of Teachers to impose a limit on how long teachers may remain in the Absent Teacher Reserve, a pool of educators who have lost their permanent positions but remain on the payroll, serving, in most cases as substitutes. The E4E–NY Policy Team believes that such teachers should have two DOE–defined April–August hiring cycles to find a permanent placement. The call is part of a series of contract recommendations a Policy Team of E4E teachers will be releasing over the next several weeks as the City and union negotiate a new contract before the end of the school year. The Absent Teacher Reserve was created as a result of the last teachers’ contract, when the city and union agreed to stop the practice of force-placing educators in schools if they had been “excessed,” the term for losing one’s position. Instead, the City moved to a system of mutual consent hiring where both a teacher and a principal have to agree on the hiring match. Teachers who don’t find a permanent position before the new school year are placed in the ATR pool while receiving full salary and benefits. While the majority of excessed educators are hired by schools , there have consistently been approximately 1,200 teachers in the ATR, costing the
city $100 million per year. The question of how to balance their right to find a job with the enormous cost to the city is one of the issues the two sides are trying to resolve during their contract talks. “Mutual consent hiring was one of the most important advances in the teaching profession in a long time and it has to be protected,” said E4E – New York Executive Director Jonathan Schleifer. “At the same time it means there will always be a pool of teachers trying to find the right school fit. Giving them two hiring cycles provides a reasonable cushion, while ensuring the city can eventually return that $100 million annually to the classroom.” The E4E policy team was comprised of 15 current New York City teachers, who are also UFT members. Over the past three months, they have researched different elements of the teachers’ contract with the goal of offering recommendations that will better support educators and elevate the teaching profession in New York City. On the issue of ATRs, the team makes the following proposals: Ø Teachers should have two full hiring seasons to find a new placement, beginning from the time they are notified that they will be excessed. Ø If, after two hiring seasons, ATR teachers are unable to find a permanent position, they should then be placed on unpaid leave. Ø During the two hiring seasons, teachers in the ATR should continue to receive full compensation and benefits. Ø The city should subsidize the higher salaries of more experienced teachers to ensure schools aren’t disincentivized from hiring more senior educators from the ATR pool. “The ATR pool was meant to be a safety net for teachers, and we believe that should be maintained,” said Kadyn Velez a Policy Team member and middle school special education teacher in Brooklyn “The time period we propose will give teachers significant opportunities to hone their skills, participate in hiring fairs, apply for a variety of positions, and conduct interviews, and is particularly reasonable when compared to comparable districts that offer even shorter periods for teachers to stay on the payroll.” In addition to the ATR issue, the Policy Team will offer ideas around pay structure, tenure, career ladders, and contractual language, among others. The teachers plan
to share their proposals with both the City and their union in the coming weeks, with the hopes of having their ideas incorporated into a final deal. Read the Team’s full ATR recommendations here. ### For far too long, education policy has been created without a critical voice at the table – the voice of classroom teachers. Educators 4 Excellence (E4E), a teacher-led organization, is changing this dynamic by placing the voices of teachers at the forefront of the conversations that shape our classrooms and careers. E4E has a quickly growing national network of educators united by our Declaration of Teachers’ Principles and beliefs. E4E members can learn about education policy and research, network with like-minded peers and policymakers and take action by advocating for teacher-created policies that lift student achievement and the teaching profession. For more information, please visit www.educators4excellence.org.
Joshua Goodman, 212-561-8730x226, [email protected]
EDUCATORS 4 EXCELLENCE – NEW YORK CALLS FOR TWO “HIRING CYCLE” LIMIT ON ABSENT TEACHER RESERVE ~ Proposed Change is One of a Series of Teacher-Developed Recommendations for New Union Contract Under Negotiation April 15, 2014 (New York) — Educators 4 Excellence-New York members today called on the de Blasio administration and the United Federation of Teachers to impose a limit on how long teachers may remain in the Absent Teacher Reserve, a pool of educators who have lost their permanent positions but remain on the payroll, serving, in most cases as substitutes. The E4E–NY Policy Team believes that such teachers should have two DOE–defined April–August hiring cycles to find a permanent placement. The call is part of a series of contract recommendations a Policy Team of E4E teachers will be releasing over the next several weeks as the City and union negotiate a new contract before the end of the school year. The Absent Teacher Reserve was created as a result of the last teachers’ contract, when the city and union agreed to stop the practice of force-placing educators in schools if they had been “excessed,” the term for losing one’s position. Instead, the City moved to a system of mutual consent hiring where both a teacher and a principal have to agree on the hiring match. Teachers who don’t find a permanent position before the new school year are placed in the ATR pool while receiving full salary and benefits. While the majority of excessed educators are hired by schools , there have consistently been approximately 1,200 teachers in the ATR, costing the
city $100 million per year. The question of how to balance their right to find a job with the enormous cost to the city is one of the issues the two sides are trying to resolve during their contract talks. “Mutual consent hiring was one of the most important advances in the teaching profession in a long time and it has to be protected,” said E4E – New York Executive Director Jonathan Schleifer. “At the same time it means there will always be a pool of teachers trying to find the right school fit. Giving them two hiring cycles provides a reasonable cushion, while ensuring the city can eventually return that $100 million annually to the classroom.” The E4E policy team was comprised of 15 current New York City teachers, who are also UFT members. Over the past three months, they have researched different elements of the teachers’ contract with the goal of offering recommendations that will better support educators and elevate the teaching profession in New York City. On the issue of ATRs, the team makes the following proposals: Ø Teachers should have two full hiring seasons to find a new placement, beginning from the time they are notified that they will be excessed. Ø If, after two hiring seasons, ATR teachers are unable to find a permanent position, they should then be placed on unpaid leave. Ø During the two hiring seasons, teachers in the ATR should continue to receive full compensation and benefits. Ø The city should subsidize the higher salaries of more experienced teachers to ensure schools aren’t disincentivized from hiring more senior educators from the ATR pool. “The ATR pool was meant to be a safety net for teachers, and we believe that should be maintained,” said Kadyn Velez a Policy Team member and middle school special education teacher in Brooklyn “The time period we propose will give teachers significant opportunities to hone their skills, participate in hiring fairs, apply for a variety of positions, and conduct interviews, and is particularly reasonable when compared to comparable districts that offer even shorter periods for teachers to stay on the payroll.” In addition to the ATR issue, the Policy Team will offer ideas around pay structure, tenure, career ladders, and contractual language, among others. The teachers plan
to share their proposals with both the City and their union in the coming weeks, with the hopes of having their ideas incorporated into a final deal. Read the Team’s full ATR recommendations here. ### For far too long, education policy has been created without a critical voice at the table – the voice of classroom teachers. Educators 4 Excellence (E4E), a teacher-led organization, is changing this dynamic by placing the voices of teachers at the forefront of the conversations that shape our classrooms and careers. E4E has a quickly growing national network of educators united by our Declaration of Teachers’ Principles and beliefs. E4E members can learn about education policy and research, network with like-minded peers and policymakers and take action by advocating for teacher-created policies that lift student achievement and the teaching profession. For more information, please visit www.educators4excellence.org.
