Fariña pledged to announce in the next two weeks a big reduction in the number of teachers getting paid despite not having steady classroom jobs. Earlier this month 114 of the roughly 1,100 teachers — known as the Absent Teacher Reserve — accepted $16,000 buyouts. Fariña said the numbers would dwindle further as principals are taught best practices for writing up teachers and beginning the arduous termination process.... Daily NewsMORE and Ed Notes never wanted to be right about our predictions that the new contract clearly put a target on the backs of ATRS but we were pretty sure we were. That this was an underhanded way for the UFT and the DOE to solve their ATR problem. For, as the creation of ATRs in the first place by the UFT 2005 contract agreement, has put it and the DOE in an embarrassing situation. Elimination is the solution but in a way the UFT will try to claim "it wasn't our fault." Once they're gone, well, you know, out of mind, etc.
I read the sad stories of dread on ATR listserves and FB pages and I feel a pit in my stomach - the same pit I would feel at times during my career - when you hoped to walk into a stable situation and then find your room had been moved, your class changed, your colleague didn't return -- I don't think there was one year when something didn't happen.
Now take those feelings and multiply them by a hundred to get an idea of how an ATR going into a strange school feels today.
Most teachers are not ATRs and are seemingly oblivious to their plight.
Remember: There would be no ATRS if the union had not agreed to it. You can't blame the DOE for doing what it does best - treating teachers like slimeballs. It is their nature. Always has been their nature, though not as vicious until Bloomberg took over.
Other bloggers have been addressing the issue:
Newly minted ATR James Eterno at ICE: DID FARINA REALLY JUST DECLARE WAR ON ATRs?
The potential dangers of the contract for ATRs were well documented here and elsewhere. There should be no surprises that it is open season on ATRs.
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