New Action – UFT

From the August 8, 2014 Chief-Leader:

The UFT contract has been ratified and hailed as bringing in a new era for Teachers. Yet many problems in schools have not been addressed. During the last decade under Bloomberg and Klein, Teachers’ rights have been diminished. Teachers can no longer grieve inaccurate observation reports. Hundreds of probationary Teachers in schools with abusive administrators were unjustly fired. Some of these probationers have other Principals willing to hire them but haven’t been given the chance because the Department of Education has declared them ineligible to work.

Large numbers of new Teachers have had their probations arbitrarily extended. Seniority transfers have been eliminated.

The new Chancellor and Mayor should look at these issues. They should also address the corruption in our schools that has gone on the last 10 years. Some of these Teachers were fired and the Principals hired their friends and friends of family members. This is a citywide problem.

These probationary Teachers deserve a strong fight from our union. We urge President Mulgrew and Chancellor Fariña to work together and do the right thing and restore these Teachers’ eligibility to work.

GREGORY DiSTEFANO New Action/UFT
MICHAEL SHULMAN Co-Chair New Action/UFT
JONATHAN HALABI Co-Chair New Action/UFT
PAUL MILSTEIN New Action/UFT

NEW ACTION / UFT

NEWS RELEASE                                            Contact: Greg Distefano

August 28, 2014                                           Phone: 718 757 4552

Unjust, unfair firing of probationary teachers – give them a second chance.

Press conference

Tuesday, September 2, 4:30 PM

in front of the Department of Education (Tweed), 52 Chambers Street.

Stephanie (Barchitta) Casertano  PS3 Staten Island and

Dana Parisi PS253 Brooklyn,

both discontinued, will speak briefly, will deliver their appeals to Carmen Fariña, and will be available for interview.

Others may join them.

Under the Bloomberg / Klein administration, many principals were hired based on management, not educational/pedagogical skill. While some grew to be fine principals, hundreds remained incompetent and became abusive. And as probationers can be fired without cause, hundreds of probationary teachers were unjustly discontinued and prohibited from working anywhere in the NYC Department of Education.

The teachers here today could work elsewhere in the system – other principals want them. They spent many years of college preparation, and were fired without being given proper support. But they are unfairly barred. They are asking the Chancellor to review their discontinuances. And we urge the Chancellor to review all the discontinuances of incompetent principals.

New Action is a caucus within the United Federation of Teachers.