The Newest DOE Bureauspeak: TOTTTAGAN (Try-Out-The-3-Tokens-And-Get-A-Newbie)

In yesterday's post, NYCATR offered his brilliant, but pessimistic, analysis of the new rules for deployment of teachers in the Absent Teacher Reserve (ATR).  

Today, our intrepid contributor, Life in Limbo, weighs in on this new deal.  Brilliant young woman that she is, her analysis sounds a lot like NYCATR's.

There are more loopholes in this agreement than in those super-high top Converses the kids are wearing. And until the Fair Student Funding issue is dealt with, the incentive to hire cheap newbies is too strong, especially when the agreement makes it so darn easy to do so. Just interview the 3 token ATRs, who will come in all eager to please in the hopes of being able to be in a place long enough to get a bathroom key, say you don't like any of them, and hire your friend's nephew.

And what about those of us in areas like Literacy? How many vacancies/leave replacements will there be since the cuts have forced principals to eliminate remedial reading programs whether they want to or not?

I guess I'll be leaving the kids at home in the morning, alone, and hoping my GPS doesn't screw up as I locate one new school after another. 

In addition, I doubt the provisional option will be used much--once you agree to keep the ATR teacher after two weeks, he/she is on YOUR payroll at full price. Much easier to use the TOTTTAGAN method: "try-out-the-3-tokens-and-get-a-newbie."

I just want to vomit at this point.