A great post by Chaz got me thinking about how we could solve the ATR problem--assuming, that is, that Joel Klein actually wants to solve it, which is debatable. He certainly sent a tepid email to principals implying that they should try to hire from the ATR pool, but as far as taking any action against recalcitrant principals, we've seen nada. Considering that Klein has a free hand to exert his authority under mayoral control, he sure hasn't been using all that muscle.
To solve the ATR problem, Klein could simply issue the following mandate to principals:
- You have two weeks to fill your vacancies from the ATR pool.
- After two weeks, if we find a position in your school for which a qualified ATR exists, we will place that ATR ourselves.
- In addition, your budget will be cut by an amount equal to that ATR's salary. That money will be distributed equally to the rest of your staff to be used as additional Teacher's Choice money.
This would force principals to fill their vacancies with ATRs, and the best part is they'd have to scour the system for qualified senior ATRs or face the prospect of a hefty fine.
And if that didn't work, we could threaten to fill any other vacancies said principals may have with cacti.
