Based in Regional Offices
CSA Retains Most Jobs Despite Shift

By MEREDITH KOLODNER

The Council of School Supervisors and Administrators has negotiated a deal with the Bloomberg administration to preserve about 600 out of 700 positions from the Department of Education's regional offices that are shutting down this summer.

ERNEST LOGAN: Protecting most jobs.

But not all of the workers are guaranteed jobs in the new set-up. They have been granted waivers, however, to move into the private sector and apply for jobs at the nonprofits groups that will take over some of the city's education responsibilities.

"We have been able to preserve approximately 600 Education Administrator (EA) positions that are currently based in the 10 regional offices and were in jeopardy of being lost," said CSA President Ernest Logan in a statement. "CSA fully anticipates that many of these 600 positions will be filled by current EAs, with some maintaining their current titles and positions."

Mayor Bloomberg's school reorganization plan will replace DOE's 10 regional offices with support organizations, some run by city employees and other by nonprofits.

Got 'Conflicts' Waiver

Schools Chancellor Joel Klein received a waiver May 1 from the city's Conflicts Of Interest Board that will allow former DOE employees to work in the private nonprofit support organizations within a year of working for DOE. City law bans former municipal workers from joining the staffs, within one year of their employment, of groups that do business with their former city employers.

CSA represents about 700 Education Administrators, and the 600 EA positions will be made available in the four new city-run support organizations led by former regional superintendents.

Some Must Interview

"Many EAs will retain current positions, and many others will be required to apply for the new positions," said Mr. Logan. "All current EAs who continue in the new reorganization will retain their seniority, tenure and salary."

The plan is in flux, because the staffing needs of the support organizations will not be clear until the end of the month when schools are matched with the groups.

A May 1 Conflicts of Interest Board ruling notes that according to Mr. Klein, only four of the nine nonprofits, referred to as PSOs, or Partnership Support Organizations, that have been granted city contracts indicated they would not employ former or current DOE employees.

The advisory ruling addressing Mr. Klein and quoting part of his letter reads, "By your letter to the Board, you approve of the former and current [DOE] employees' proposed positions with PSOs, and state that providing waivers to these individuals to appear before the DOE within a year of leaving DOE employment would not, in your opinion, conflict with the purposes and the interests of the City and 'would help ensure that PSOs be able to hire staff with the knowledge of the current reforms so that ... they can immediately begin to support the schools who have chosen to partner with them.'''

Some opponents of the school reorganization plan have criticized the city's use of nonprofits as a "privatizing" of the public school functions.

Principals Make Call

About 2,000 people are currently employed by the regional offices. Principals submitted their preferences May 15 for a support organization, choosing between the city-run option, nonprofit groups, or a minimal-support empowerment school system that links them to a network of other schools. They must budget the cost of their choice, which can range from $24,432 to $145,215, depending upon the size of the school and the services offered.

In granting the waiver, the Board cited a previous decision that noted under certain circumstances, "public/private partnerships are so significant to the welfare of the City that the City is well served to encourage former City employees to effectively remain in public service and to lend their expertise to these not-for-profits."

The extent of the use of nonprofits within the public school system will not be known until May 30 when Principals will be notified of the results of the support organization matching process.

"The CSA is aware that some of the positions in the new reorganization are being advertised as managerial and non-union," said Mr. Logan. "We are fundamentally against public labor shifting to the private sector, especially when there is no evidence of improved instruction or cost savings."

Shifting $230M

DOE officials have announced that $230 million used to fund the regional offices and other central administrative costs is being "redirected" by putting it into individual 2007-2008 school budgets. Each school will receive $85,000 plus $120 per student to spend on a city-managed or nonprofit support organization. Principals can spend any remaining costs on other school needs. DOE officials expect the average school to receive about $170,000.

Members of Communication Workers of America Local 1180 and District Council 37 will also be affected by the changes.

DC 37 officials said they were currently in discussions with the city over the fate of affected workers in Locals 372, 1251, 2627 and 1407.

Local 1180 has about 300 Principal Administrative Associates in the regional offices, and Computer Associates, but staff representative Bernadette Sullivan said she did not think there would be layoffs.

'Members Are Anxious'

"DOE has not made any kind of overture that this is a layoff situation," she said. "Our members are very anxious; I don't blame them. We have folks who have been there for many, many years."

In 2003, a school restructuring led to the dismissal of about 86 provisional workers, but all current DOE Local 1180 employees have full civil service protection.

DOE began discussing the changes with Local 1180 about six months ago, according to Ms. Sullivan, who said that there is no definite plan yet as to where Local 1180 members would be placed.

"This is still very much a work in progress," she said.