ATRS = The New Rubber Roomers

The new reality is an old one.

Hundreds of tenured employees will be re-assigned, now on a weekly basis, as part of the Absent Teacher Reserve (ATR) group. This group includes:

(a)  those individuals who were found guilty of misconduct and/or incompetency at 3020-a but were not terminated;

(b) those who were exonerated at 3020-a but whose UFT reps and Children's First Network (CFN) leaders didn't (couldn't or wouldn't) find a job to fit their professional licenses;

(c) those who paid thousands of dollars to buy back their jobs, who sold the NYC Board of Education their rights to a hearing and to the right to sue the BOE for putting  him/her in this pool in the first place;

(d) those excessed from the schools that were "failing" and then closed or held hostage by the charter school industry;

(e) anyone else whom the BOE wanted to terminate but could not find a rational reason to re-assign somewhere.

ATR status means that you are a person without a chapter, a person without a title that is recognized under Union rules.

The good news is that you ATRs are pioneers, just like the people who spent 2-7 years in a Rubber Room, and maybe somebody someday will write your story for a series called "Lost in New York City."

This notice came out October 5, 2011:

Dear Teacher,

 

You have been identified as a current member of the Absence Teacher Reserve (ATR).  As has been communicated, teachers in the ATR may now be assigned to a different school within their district each week.  This email is to update you on the next steps for notification of these weekly ATR assignments.

 

Notification of your weekly ATR assignment

 

Information on your weekly assignment will be made available through the following mechanisms:

 

1.  Email:  On Thursdays after 2:00 p.m. you will receive an email to your DOE email account with your assignment for the following week. If you do not know or have an Outlook email, you may contact the DOE helpdesk at 718-935-5100 to obtain one.

2.  Excess Staff Selection System (ESSS):  You may view your weekly assignment for the following week by logging into ESSS after 2:00 p.m. on Thursdays. You can access ESSS athttps://www.nycenet.edu/offices/dhr/transferplane/

3.  HR Connect: If you cannot access your email or ESSS, you may contact HR Connect at 718-935-4000 after 3:00 p.m. on Thursdays for information on your assignment for the following week.

 

Please note that it is your responsibility to verify your assignment location each week and you are required to report to the weekly assignment listed in notifications above. Any conflicting information from other parties does not override your assignment.  Keep in mind that for each day you do not report to your assigned location you will be marked absent. As always, please notify your assigned school’s payroll secretary of any absences - in advance where possible - and submit all associated paperwork to the assigned school site.  

 

The above notifications will go into effect starting this Thursday, October 6 when you will receive notification regarding your new assignment beginning Tuesday, October 11 (Monday, October 10 is a holiday).  

 

Should you have any questions regarding your assignment, please contact HR Connect at 718-935-4000. 

 

 

Sincerely,

 

 

Teacher Hiring Support Unit

NYC Department of Education

www.thscnyc.org