The UFT handed Joel Klein a loaded gun...

... and takes credit when he uses only three of the bullets.

ATR's - Absentee Teacher Reserves. People who have no regular position so they have to work as day-to-day subs.

That was the way I spent my first year and a half teaching. I had come out of a program that guaranteed us jobs but they over hired. Not a bad gig for a newbie in that I could try to correct the daily mess I was making without long-term consequences.

But for people who are experienced teachers? A career-ender.

And Joel Klein has stated he wishes he could fire them but he can't.

Why? Because there is a contract provision that he can't.

"Bravo" sing the Unity hacks. "Look at what a wonderful job we did. In the old days they would have no job {no, they would have bumped someone with less seniority}. Kudos to us. Now they have no paperwork. Or the responsibilities that regular teachers have. {pat yourselves on the back}. Look at it as a vacation." Guess Unity hacks have not tried being day-to-day subs for a while. Maybe they all should take a stab at it.

Think they could have gotten the 2005 contract passed if they didn't at least do that much? Even Joel Klein knew that much (and he wanted that contract passed so bad.) He has other ways to get these teachers out -- the other 3 bullets.

Blogger jd2718 has a nice piece on an ATR in his school. Here is an excerpt:

Maybe she is happy doing nothing and collecting? Too insulting to answer. But I’ll answer anyway. Absolutely not. This is a teacher. She wants to teach.

Many ATRs are from large high schools that are being phased out (even one Chapter Leader is ATR) where dozens have been left without work.

Many others are D79 teachers. District 79 “reorganized” this Spring, closing centers such as GED and schools for pregnant teens. Several hundred teachers were left without work(?), (and not by seniority?) That’s how that woman got to my school, where we don’t need an ATR. She wants to work, she can work.

The UFT protected her pay. That’s a start. Now we need to protect her dignity.

I would have been just a little bit stronger on the last statement. Like - the UFT helped Klein put the knife in her back, making barely a peep when District 79 was reorganized. (See Jeff Kaufman's post on the ICE blog "UFT To Members: Seniority is No Longer An Issue Because We Eviscerated It"). Asking the UFT to protect her dignity is like Caeser asking Brutus to make sure to wipe the blood off the knife when he's done.