The Latest News On The "N" Rating

UFT members who were re-assigned any part of the 2010-2011 school year have received end-of-year rating sheets with "N" at the bottom, despite the fact that the rest of the ratings may be all "S".
I have received calls from many teachers who were given this type of rating, and I and others have tried to figure it out.

The UFT contract states as follows (Article 21F):

"F. Rating “Not Applicable”
A rating of “Not Applicable (NA)” is to be used only in situations where a pedagogical employee is reassigned out of his/her regular assignment for disciplinary reasons. The “NA” rating will apply only for the period of reassignment, cannot be used in any proceeding as evidence of wrongdoing and will not otherwise affect any other rights afforded in the Agreement where ratings are an issue."

A former rubber roomer from Brooklyn (who was completely exonerated by the 3020-a arbitrator) called me several times over the past week with information about how she spoke with her principal about her rating sheet, which listed all "S"s and at the very bottom was an "N". Her principal told her that she would have received an "S" but the DOE would not let an "S" appear at the bottom. Sorry. Another former rubber roomer told me that his principal told him that he really should have received an "S", so he has called HR - the NYC DOE Human Resources office where supposedly the "N" forms were generated (and then sent to the CFNs, and on to the school), but no one returns his calls. The DOE personnel are probably already on the cruise to the Bahamas paid for by the "found" budget surplus money that was missing for the duration of the layoffs discussion.

Another UFT member called the UFT in Brooklyn and told them that she would grieve the "N" and the Rep. told her to wait until September. Yet another teacher/UFT member was told she should grieve immediately, or go to see her principal and ask for the second rating sheet for the time she worked in the school after she left her re-assignment room. In Queens, a teacher with all "S"s and an "N" at the bottom of her year-end rating sheet was told  "You can't grieve it, you only have the right to Appeal it. Speak to your Special Rep. who gets back at the end of July." This is simply wrong information. My head is spinning.

For all who are not aware of the seriousness of this matter, when a teacher gets an "N", he/she is 'red-flagged' as having been re-assigned during the school year. The letter "N" or letters "N/A" are for re-assigned teachers only, not for tenured personnel working in a school. Chaz told me tonight, "The N is like a scarlet letter".

Queens UFT Rep. Rose Walker-Yates told me this afternoon that the UFT has received many calls about this issue, and that all principals were supposed to give formerly re-assigned members TWO rating sheets, one for the time spent re-assigned, and the other for the time as a teacher back in a school. She did not know if anyone had received two rating sheets, but Queens UFT rep. Sandra Dunn-Yules sent an internal memo about th "N" rating to the UFT leadership on June 24, 2011.

Sandra Dunn-Yules

June 24, 2011???

The thunder of UFT Special Representatives' feet as they all run to help UFT members is deafening.

My point is this: if you received one rating sheet with an "N" and you are in a school teaching, even as an ATR, OBJECT IN WRITING. If you speak with a UFT Rep. and this person tells you to Appeal or grieve, do it, and write down the person's name and telephone number. You may need this information down the road.

BTW, if you are a teacher who received two rating sheets in the past week, please email me at betsy.combier@gmail.com.