Thursday, November 29, 2007

UFT and NYCDOE Announce Agreement on Class size

EdNotesOnline News (EDNON) is reporting that the UFT and the Department of Education have come to an historic agreement on class size "that will be equitable for all, while at the same time putting some well-deserved money into the pockets of teachers," said a UFT spokesperson. "After trying the class size reduction petition gimmick (twice), lots of public relations and all other methods other than trying to negotiate lower class sizes in the contract, something we are philosophically opposed to doing, we have decided to at least use the current spirit of collaboration with Joel Klein and Mayor Bloomberg to make some money.

While not reducing class size across the board, there will be some reductions in certain areas.

Teachers will be allowed to voluntarily accept up to 10 extra children above the UFT contract in each of their classes as long as the number does not climb above 60. For each of those extra children, the teacher will be paid a dollar bonus a day as long as they show up at school.

An average class under the new agreement.

"This will give teachers an incentive to get the kids to come school," said a spokesperson for Tweed. "Those dollars can add up."

Rumors that an alternative plan has been floated to use the gross weight of all the children in the class to calculate bonuses have not been confirmed.

What of teachers who choose not to participate in the program?

"They are losers," said the DOE spokesperson. "They are scum. Clearly people who are not competent to teach. We feel the ability to teach a class of 60 effortlessly is a sign of minimum competency for any of our teachers and the message will go out hard and fast: be ready for a visit from our new multi-million dollar attorneys."

The UFT will hold a candlelight vigil to celebrate the new agreement.

6 comments:

Under Assault said...

60 is not so different from the 50 that HS music teachers get to teach under this contract and seemingly from time immemorial. Gym teachers, too, but they don't have the "Chancellor" breathing down their necks for the past 5 years to do the workshop model and emphasize literacy and math like any other subject.

Last time I brought it up at the D.A., Weingarten instructed one of her staff to look into "non-contractual relief" to help us out.

She must have forgotten....

Anonymous said...

Is this agreement of class reduccion for real? or is this a joke form RW. I can not picture working with the Worshop model with 50 or 60 kids in my class.

NYC Educator said...

Cute, Norm. But it probably wouldn't surprise me if it were true.

I've also taught music, and those classes of 50, by the way. Often, it was no fun at all.

proofoflife said...

You mean your school doesn't have one push-up turn and talk? Damn you are behind the times!No extra dollar for you! I will send out the goon squad!

Under Assault said...

Sorry, I was wrong. 50 kids per music classroom in middle schools as well as high school!
Here's the wording in the contract RW/Unity are so darn proud of:

Art.VII.M.2.f. The size of physical education classes in the junior and senior high schools shall be determined on the basis of a maximum of 50 pupils for each teacher, except as specified in 3 below.

Art.VII.M.2.g. The size of required music classes in the high schools shall be determined on the basis of a maximum of 50 pupils for each teacher, except as specified in 3 below.

This is not a joke. We were told we HAD to follow it. The principal was a little less lenient on this than the superintendent. Principal got fired.

Anonymous said...

The fact that someone thought this concept of 60 in a class and pay by the extra student taught shows you how much faith people have in Randi to sell us down the river.