In New York City, when the Department of Education decides to close a school, all the teachers have to scramble to find a job. Some do, some don’t. If they can’t find a job, they join the Absent Teacher Reserve and they are known as ATR.
The ATRs are assigned to different schools, often every week. They are paid, but they have no position. Sometimes they substitute. This teacher was told to help out around the office.
Being an ATR doesn’t mean that you got a bad evaluation. They just had the bad luck to be in the wrong school at the wrong time.
This is the way teachers are treated in New York City.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Yes, the abuse of teachers by NYC DOE, Mayor B, the Chancellor is notorious.
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And they are proud of it.
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New York teachers no longer have seniority rights?
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Randi Weingerten, when she was president of the UFT, conned the rank and file into voting in a contract where teachers in schools that close lose their seniority rights. It is almost impossible for older ATRs to find permanent positions regardless of how well they teach. They cost too much. The DOE does everything they can to make them miserable. They bounce them from school to school every week. They are not even allowed to temporarily fill vacancies in subjects in which they are certified. The DOE would rather send a different uncertified sub into the classroom every day. This usually happens in high poverty schools where they know parents will not complain. Bloomberg has no problem short-changing students if it means he can get rid of a few experienced teachers
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Same in Providence RI. Now these displaced teachers have to interview at schools to get a position. If they don’t get one, they are floating around the system. Then by the second year if they don’t get a position, the contract is up. I asked our Union President what was going to be done for those teachers. He shrugged his shoulders.
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So sad. We have several ATR’s in our school. They look so lost, so defeated. They come and go and are never allowed to put down roots anymore. I can’t believe this has been allowed to happen.
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I agree it is a terrible system, but at times the atrs are own worse enemy. In new york city, when there is a vacancy in an established school, principals are to reach out to the ATRs first. I did several times and heard excuses such as “you are too far away from my house” or “I don’t want to teach inclusion classes” or “I still receive my salary one way or the other. The teacher who complained about the distance lived near the Verrazano Bridge not far from crown heights where my school was . After spending my time leaving voice messages and emails inviting them to an interview, very few of teachers would respond one way or the other.
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That’s NOT the case in my school system. I am guessing you are an admin. Perhaps they are making up the reason and don’t want to work for you personally. I have no idea since I don’t know you or how you treat your teachers. There are two sides to the story I guess. If you are calling many displaced teachers and hardly any want to work for you, it really seems as if they are making anything up to avoid you.
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again, I don’t know you… so please don’t take it personally… just throwing it out there…
many people believe they are great at what they do… and they are… however, not everyone shares the same opinion. Admin may see it one way, teachers may see it another… who knows…
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Put the lame administrators and union hacks into an ATR pool. Let them work in the offices filing papers.
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On the other hand, there are ATRs who travel the long distances for these interviews just to be told they won’t be hired. The principal fulfilled the “interview requirement”. I also don’t know you, but I would suggest you communicate to the ATRs how sincere you are. ATRs are afraid of making the trip just to be treated like trash.
I know an ATR who is looking for a job and the principals he worked for really like him. However, there are no openings. Meanwhile they are also losing good teachers to budget cuts.
Klein caused this scandal when he sent out a memo to principals stating they should not hire any excessed teacher. An excessed teacher from my old school had a job lined up, but the principal was forced to rescind it.
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Funny, but the ATRs that come to my school are desperate for jobs. Many are great teachers. They tell me that they can’t even get interviews even though they send out many resumes. Also, I know for a fact that principals sometimes use the ATRs for one year and the DOE pays their salary. After that, they get rid of the ATR and hire a new teacher when the salary comes out of the school’s budget.
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In Providence, RI, no one is reaching out to displaced teachers. If they are veterans, per contract, they get an interview, but it means nothing. I don’t know if most of them will ever get a classroom again. No seniority–nothing. The union let it happen, they didn’t even take it to court. In Rhode Island we have a Teacher Tenure Act, called The Michealson Act. It’s cut and dry, but the union hasn’t done a damn thing to make the city stick to it. Another town has, and they are waiting for their day in court.
When are all these illegally displaced teachers all over the country going to fight a class action suit under the AFT or NEA? Arent these teachers due damages after being cast out, humiliated, through no fault of their own, just in the wrong place at the wrong time?
I’m close to retirement and I can’t wait to get out, I’m so sad for my colleagues treated this way, and I would never recommend teaching to anyone. It’s disgraceful!
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I’m in Providence too. It’s a disgrace
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Same for me….I will never ever recommend anyone go into the teaching field. It will be a dead end while being used for a few years and then you will be discarded like yesterday’s trash. It is a lose lose. They are ruining our country.
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Based on what I’ve read about the closing of NYC schools, teachers may not even know when pick-up day is. Am I right? Teachers are not trash and should not be treated as they are in NYC, Rhode Island or anywhere else!
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Thank you Kathy1 🙂
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IT’S CERTAINLY NT AN INCENTIVE FOR WORKING IN THE MOST NEEDY SCHOOLS/
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