See the latest expose from Erin Einhorn of the Daily News – the number of teachers in the “rubber room” have doubled in the past four years to 700 – and are now costing the system at least $65 million a year. (photo credit: Daily News.)Read the profiles of three teachers in this position, and see for yourself whether they should have been consigned to this limbo.
Many spend years without being charged with any specific misconduct. Indeed, the “average accused educator waits four months as investigators interview witnesses and decide whether to bring formal charges, then nine months for a hearing and six more for a decision.”
And: “Only 20 arbitrators have been jointly approved by the city and union to hear these cases, and they work just five days a month during the school year and two during summer vacation.
Between the 700 teachers sitting idly in the rubber room, and the 800 teachers in ATR, the Joel Klein and his cadre of management geniuses are spending at least $150 million to keep 1500 full-time educators idle. What a waste of money and manpower – particularly when so many schools continue to have class sizes of 30 or more.
Don't forget to add the 100's of teachers pulled out of the classroom but not sent to the "rubber rooms" while they wait for their 3020-a charges. These teachers do clerical or administrative work in schools for months until they are served with their 3020-a charges.
ReplyDeleteGood for you to realize that many of the teachers sent to the "rubber rooms" don't belong there.
How does the DOE have the audacity to complain about the money being wasted to pay reassigned staff after they gave the directive to principals to oust mainly tenured, senior, higher paid staff from the system. What is upsetting is the distortion of facts by the DOE and than manipulating the public to believe innocent people should be fired and hence do their dirty work.
ReplyDeleteThe rubber room concept is a joke and everyone knows it. Teachers who are about to be thrown out, remain in this room. Believe it or not, some of them have political pull and that allows them to stay there and pull down high salaries.
ReplyDeleteWhere are the rubber rooms for the constantly disruptive student?
Please feel free to comment on my emails. I have written about the rubber room, class size and the lack of discipline in the public schools.
ReplyDeleteWe need to have less parental involvement. We need to have Chancellor Klein, Randi Weingarten and other so called educational experts return to classroom teaching when they leave their current positions. We need rubber rooms for constantly disruptive pupils. We need the return of the 600 school concept for these recalcitrants as well.
The rubber room concept is a joke and everyone knows it. Teachers who are about to be thrown out, remain in this room. Believe it or not, some of them have political pull and that allows them to stay there and pull down high salaries.
ReplyDeleteWhere are the rubber rooms for the constantly disruptive student?
Yes there are people who belong in the rubber room for things like violence, arrests..etc. There are a lot of teachers that don't belong in the rubber room but in the classroom. I have maintained that the principals are using their influence to discriminate against older teachers who are drawing a higher salary that can retire on a reduced income. The truth is that many can't and need to be in the classroom.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, it is the DOE and the UFT that are at fault. First, the DOE does not empower the teachers at all. They are afraid that a student will make an allegation against a teacher in which most are false. Second, the UFT is not doing enough to protect the teachers. I know they are negotiating contracts to pay teachers a higher salary...The cost is much more by losing good quality educators.
The biggest loser in my opinion are the students.
The UFT gave up too much in the 2005 contract. As a result, the DOE becomes more brazen by the hour.
ReplyDeleteYou don't give up the ability to grieve a letter. You don't give up seniority. That's why you have many teachers now performing jobs as substitutes-how demeaning. You don't give up the idea of not having cafeteria or hallway duty. Do doctors patrol halls of hospitals? Do lawyers patrol the corridors of the courts? Ridiculous.
How do you like those recalcitrants who got their teachers quite ill with that cake? They should be imprisoned and denied the right to ever attend any school. What would have happened if the teachers had died from this? Probably nothing.
Speaking of the rubber room, is it air-conditioned? Zolly