tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33431390.post8445046644869747940..comments2024-03-26T11:07:03.496-04:00Comments on Ed Notes Online: What's Richard Mills Smoking?ed notes onlinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15018047869059226777noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33431390.post-41309546839217716822007-05-29T23:17:00.000-04:002007-05-29T23:17:00.000-04:00The much touted Leadership Academy for Principals ...The much touted Leadership Academy for Principals is nothing more than a training ground for breaking veteran teachers. The entire curriculum is a course in how to get around the contract and harrass/intimidate and eventually psychologically, emotionally and financial destroy an experinced tenured teacher. A friend who quit the course showed me the sample counseling memos and formats for letters to file and a "timeline" of sorts laying out the steps to forcing an experienced teacher out of the system. These "Principals" come out resembling little more than terrorists, petty dictators in their own tiny kingdoms (the schools) who will sink to any level to achieve the BloomKelin objective. "Veteran Teachers" are being led out of school in handcuffs on trumped up charges. Rubber Rooms, excuse me, Teacher Reassignment Centers, are bursting at the seams. Mr. Mills is doing nothing more than following the company line. If he wants "experienced teachers" he doesn't need to look at retirees, he has a vast pool of ATR's available who have lost their permanent jobs due to the 2005 contract. When are people going to wake up? I guess when the mortgage payment becomes due right after you've been through a 3020 hearing (more like a Nazi Tribunal) leaving you either without a job, or a hefty fine that will put you back in the system where the harrassment starts all over again.<BR/><BR/>Ah, progress!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33431390.post-86831984891765117172007-05-29T22:47:00.000-04:002007-05-29T22:47:00.000-04:00Getting retired teachers back into the classrooms ...Getting retired teachers back into the classrooms is just one more step beyond the "F" status jobs that many retired teachers are already doing. It will save the DOE money because, even if the DOE does pay these retired teachers the going salary, there are no extra pension contributions for the DOE to make. Remember that it only says that these retirees will not be penalized for making over the previously set $30,000. It does NOT say that anything will be added to their pension based on the additional years of employment. So their employment will be cheaper than the employment of the ATRs and other presently employed teachers. If the DOE gets a contract next time that limits the amount of time that ATRs have to get placements in schools before being laid off, then hiring retirees can be much cheaper. Also it is one more threat that can be held above the heads of regular teachers: "We can replace you with a retiree if you don't watch your step."<BR/>I think that we all know that, anytime the DOE does something that looks as if it is good for students or teachers, we had better look much more closely. There is always an ulterior motive. There is always some way that teachers and students are in fact going to be harmed, not helped.<BR/><BR/>Carolyned notes onlinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15018047869059226777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33431390.post-37485854094195547292007-05-29T21:13:00.000-04:002007-05-29T21:13:00.000-04:00Do you recall when Sandy Feldman suggested that an...Do you recall when Sandy Feldman suggested that anyone who thought we'd do better than the 25 year max double zero contract must be "smoking something?"<BR/><BR/>Then there was the 22 year max double zero contract. Well, I hit max in February. So I'm glad we voted that down. Plus we got all those improvements. Too bad the UFT gave it all away in 05.NYC Educatorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12188066345722781723noreply@blogger.com