new teacher q & a
What does it mean to be appointed? How does my appointment affect excessing?
Feb 1, 2007 5:26 PM
A: You should be appointed when a New York City school hires you to fill a vacancy. Your appointment should match your state certificate/license by subject and level.
Sometimes teachers hold more than one certificate or decide to obtain a second certificate; e.g., they get special education or ESL certification after teaching under a common branches certificate. You can only be appointed under one certificate at a time and your appointment determines your tenure track. Therefore, if you opt to change your teaching position from one certificate to another, you will be on probation again for two years under the new appointment. However, your salary stays the same and you keep your prior certificate, which you can revert to if you find a new vacancy to fill.
Your appointment date determines your place on your school’s excessing list. Excessing occurs when a school has more teachers in a particular certification/license area than it needs. The excessing list is by seniority within each certificate/license area. The person with the least seniority within a specific certificate/
license area that is being reduced would be the first one excessed in that subject.
Be sure to check with your payroll secretary that your appointment is correctly entered in the computer since errors sometimes occur. Also, check the excessing list in your school to be sure your information is correct. Finally, if you have any further questions, check with your chapter leader or call your UFT borough office.
