While not convinced pending changes to the NYC school system will prove to be as efficient as they could be, at least it's change in the right direction. New media at the local, state and national level now plays a vital role in highlighting these types of issues. This one hit the blogosphere some time ago. It's ridiculous that school systems and other branches of government waste money as they too often do on alleged solutions and systems that make no sense when exposed.
About 550 teachers and 630 school employees report to reassignment centers after being accused of serious violations ranging from incompetence to sexual misconduct. At a cost of $30 million, they sit in centers in each borough while waiting for their cases to wind through the system.
In order to speed up the process and work through the back log of educators currently in the rubber rooms, the number of arbitrators who hear cases would expand from 23 to 39. And they could hear seven incompetence cases a month instead of five.Instead of the months it now takes for a teacher to be charged, the agreement limits that time to 60 days. After that time period, a teacher could return to a school. Once the hearings began, the case could not drag on past 60 days.
So okay; you've got 39 arbitrators now hearing 7 cases a month rather than 5. You've got 550 teacher cases and 630 other cases to hear. If they can achieve that rate, they'll clear the backlog in four or five month's time.
Of course I'm always suspicious of anything "new and improved" where a union is involved. That "must be charged within 60 days" or the teacher will return to school sounds like a get out of jail card. The local school principal says "Mr. Smith is a dud" or "Ms. Smith has been molesting the boys" and sends Smith off to the rubber room. Once they're there, if the District hacks can't get the case together in 60 days, Smith goes back to the classroom and--the union will argue--the case has to be closed. I'd rather leave Smith in the rubber room slammer a little while longer while the case is being prepared.
We have a similar situation out here in Los Angeles with our own LA Unified School District rubber room.
Posted by: Comanche Voter | Thursday, April 15, 2010 at 02:11 PM
A close look reveals that if the Dept. of Education doesn't file against the teachers promptly enough, these teachers go back to the classroom! That's gonna be real helpful.
This doesn't get rid of any teachers so much as spread them out so the problem isn't so obvious. You know out of sight out of mind?. Bloomberg and Weingarten are both liberal tools.
The article says they will be put in non-teaching admin positions. Just where you want to put someone who may have a grudge/bad attitude toward the administration; in administration where they can cause even more havoc.
At least they can suspend the really bad ones but who decides who goes and how long will THAT judgment take? Also if they're suspended with pay then they just stay home, now that's how you discipline folks, give them an incentive to screw up. Wheee vacation time on the taxpayer's dime. Way to go New York, that's showing them. Way to go Bloomberg you whiny party changing nitwit. Watch this Social Fascist switch to Independent for his next run cause he's about used up the Republican label. (He only switched cause it worked for Rudy).
Posted by: jakee308 | Thursday, April 15, 2010 at 06:17 PM