Warnings!!!
Completion of a
teaching credential program is just one small step in the process
of becoming certified. I completed all the academic requirements
at New York University in June 1995, but did not receive a New
York State "Certificate of Qualification" until long
after the fall 1996 term, and it was mid-1997 before I obtained
the New York City license required for a full time position.
New York City has expensive, time-consuming requirements for
teacher licensing that are IN ADDITION TO those required by New
York State. Such wasteful redundancy consumes material and human
resources of the NYC Board of Education that would better be
invested in the education of children.
During those years before you become "regularly
appointed" (substitute or "F status"), you might
not be advised of the need to submit forms claiming salary
"step" or "differential" credit. Although I
listed my two master's degrees and a Ph.D. on my application for
the "Occasional Per Diem Certificate" AND my
academic transcripts were reviewed in my presence by NYC Board of
Education staff, I was not given advice nor forms needed
to obtain what I later found out to be a "second
differential." This resulted in underpayment to me
in the amount of $3,569 over two years of part-time
employment. My repeated requests to the Salary Bureau have been
denied by an inflexible bureaucracy headed by Jack Geraghty. My
appeals to Robert J. Reich, Director of the Office of Appeals and
Reviews have been equally fruitless. Imagine how much damage
these Board of Education bureaucrats are doing to the morale of
teachers across the City. It is urgent that we act to abolish
this Board and place control of our school system in the hands of
what surely will be a more just and moral authority.
Once you get you salary status upgraded, it might take a long
time to begin receiving the new salary. For me it was one year.
That was an underpayment of $639.50 a month for 12 months.
The Payroll Department does not accept visitors. I was told by
phone that since my Second Differential was typed, it does not
appear on the computer system! And they could not accept my copy.
Only a visit to the head of the Bureau of Salary Differentials
(Room 814) resulted in a promise that a new copy would be sent to
the Payroll Office.
If it can go wrong, it will, over and over. All of my
contributions to the Board of Education TDA account utterly
disappeared. If I had not kept my check stubs, there would be no
record of them. Pension funds have not been transferred even
though I followed up my completed form with a personal visit to
the BERS office. In response to my inquiries, I have been asked
to submit photocopies of my check stubs twice to BERS and once to
to Ms. Weingarten's kind representative at the UFT. The
$2,660.70 deducted from my checks in 1997 for TDA was not
credited to my account until early 2000.
Opportunities!!!
There is a wealth of
professional development opportunities offered by your district
and union. If you are very selective, these can be enriching both
in terms of your expertise and your salary. First priority for
new teachers should be on-site mentoring in relation to actual
classroom dilemmas, but local workshops can be quite responsive
to immediate needs. Note that in NYC, a course in human relations
and two in special education must be completed during the first
two years after being "regularly appointed." Save all
documentation and present copies in person to the Board, twice.
Many workshops, conferences, and courses offered locally are not
as refined or advanced as those offered by national organizations
and on-campus, but are inexpensive, convenient and friendly,
often providing information closer to my "zone of proximal
development."
At your earliest convenience, submit forms to join the retirement
system and have the maximum deducted for your tax deferred
annuity (TDA). This is the "one sure thing" in the
world of investing. I recommend 100% in "Fixed Funds"
at this time, which in New York earns 8.25% (far from recent
returns in the market, but causes less stress).
Web site URL:
http://members.aol.com/shnyc/index2.html
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