Ever wish you could be paid to do nothing? That's right, the Teacher Reserve Pool saga continues. It's too bad, too, since we were pleased to learn last week of the reasonable reforms concerning New York City's notorious excessed teachers. But alas, what to do with excessed principals? Why, send them to supervise the excessed teachers, of course. A half-dozen ineffective or troubled principals are now serving as room monitors in the notorious "rubber rooms"--and raking in a hefty collective $715,000 to do so. Sound nonsensical? Try this on for size: "We think this is a productive use for these folks because we have to pay them anyway," explained district spokeswoman Ann Forte. So what do all these teachers and principals do all day? Knit, read books, take naps, stare out the window--you know, all in a day's work on the city's payroll. As one teacher commented, "I wish I had that job." New York, let these ineffective administrators do their sock-darning on their own time--and their own dime.
"Principals' 715G," by Yoav Gonen, New York Post, December 8, 2008