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Some Urgent issues for today – Funding

Published October 2, 2014 New York , New York CIty Department of Education , NYC Closed
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(from an updated version of the New Action leaflet distributed at the September 2014 Chapter Leaders’ Meeting).
For a printable version click: Fall 2014 Leaflet Front and back

Which costs more: hiring a brand new teacher, or placing a teacher whose salary is already being paid? Clearly, it is cheaper for the City to place the teacher whose salary is already being paid.

Fair Student Funding (FSF), though, perversely “charges” the principal pretend money, and leads most to avoid placing the teacher who is already on payroll!

Fair Student Funding leads to discrimination against experienced teachers, and costs the City more money!

Excessed teachers in the ATR pool will not be part of this calculation – but principals have become used to avoiding them and will continue to discriminate.

This can be easily fixed: School budgets should be charged the Citywide average teacher salary for each teacher, not school average.

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Some Urgent issues for today – Teacher Evaluation

Published October 1, 2014 New Action , New York , New York CIty Department of Education , NYC , UFT , UFT Executive Board , United Federation of Teachers Closed
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(from an updated version of the New Action leaflet distributed at the September 2014 Chapter Leaders’ Meeting).
For a printable version click: Fall 2014 Leaflet Front and back

New Action has opposed the Teacher Evaluation System since its inception.

Rating teachers based on the Danielson model look like the “checklist” we used to decry. Tying evaluation to student test scores is inherently arbitrary and unfair.

Yet this is the system in place. What should we do?

The union worked with Fariña to creating additional observation options. The new contract reduced the number of items we are rated on. These are positive changes.

But we need more. State law linking ratings to student test scores should be amended. “Developing” ratings have consequences – including getting passed over for transfers. We need the right to appeal D’s. And we need a process for questioning the principal’s judgment BEFORE the final rating.

Press Conference Held to Highlight Unjust Discontinuances

Published October 1, 2014 Uncategorized Closed

New Action /UFT held a press conference on Sept. 2 , the first day of school , to highlight the unjust firing in recent years of probationary teachers in schools with abusive administrators. Teachers spoke of their situations and letters were left at the security desk to be delivered to Chancellor Farina . More than 25 UFT members were present consisting of both active and retired members. Chancellor Farina has yet to respond to these letters. A resolution was brought by New Action UFT at the UFT Executive Board on Sept. 22 calling for the UFT to meet with Chancellor Farina and restore these teachers eligibility to work. Any Probationary teacher who was fired unjustly should contact Gregory  Di Stefano at 718 757 4552 to participate in further actions.

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Content of signed articles and comments represents the opinions of their authors. The views expressed in signed articles are not necessarily the views of New Action/UFT.
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