I guess its apparent that the DOE's ATR incentive didn't achieve the results that they had hoped and have now put into motion plan B by offering schools an incentive to hire ATRs by getting them for half price the first year and 75% of their salary for the second year. Good luck on this incentive being any more successful than previous ones, which was met with general disinterest by Principals. The DOE also released statistics about the ATR pool and they are as follows:
- The average ATR salary is $94,000, which is over $10,000 more than the average teacher salary and %40,000 more than a base salary for a "newbie".
- 25% of the educators in the ATR pool have been there for over 5 years.
- The average experience in the ATR pool is 18 years.
- 38% in the ATR pool came from closing schools.
- 32% in the ATR pool had disciplinary or legal issues.
- 30% in the ATR pool were excessed due to course reductions.
- 74% in the ATR pool received an "effective" or satisfactory rating last year.
- 12% in the ATR pool received an "ineffective" or unsatisfactory rating.
- 27% in the ATR pool have an elementary school common branch license.
- 11%in the ATR pool are licensed in Social Studies.
- 9% in the ATR pool are licensed in Math.
- 8% in the ATR pool are licensed in English.
Interestingly, there is no mention of the 800 pound gorilla in the room in the article and that is "Fair Student Funding". Moreover, the article fails to once again talk to an ATR and get their view. Instead they keep going back to education deformer groups for comment. Finally, the article fails to question why the DOE still uses the June number of 822 ATRs rather than the much higher number that the start of the school year brings.