Not Invited Back SY26-27
If you haven't been invited back for the 26-27 school year, congratulations! You're not alone--many schools are firing up to 90% of their staff (Norwood, Harlem West MS, Hamilton Heights MS, Springfield Garden MS to name a few) due to network guidance for rising SLs.
A "rising SL" is school staff (often an AP) who is being promoted to Senior Leader, the SA equivalent of principal. They typically have limited classroom experience (the SL of Ozone Park MS never taught!!) compared to the DOE and are being coached to run a school by their school managers, "SMs."
Don't be discouraged, as not being invited back may have nothing to do with your performance. In some cases, teachers who have taught at this company for 3+ years aren't being invited back simply because the rising SL needs to make an example of staff. To show the other more "comfortable" teachers that no one is safe, and that their arbitrary new expectations are now the school's standards. Several SLs employed the same tactics at the start of this school year and even fired returning GTLs, all tactics seemingly pulled from The 48 Laws of Power. The fact of the matter is, from what I've seen this year, teachers are being fired for personal reasons, not professional.
I'm making this post to offer support and validation for the confused new hires/first year teachers who may be upset, blind-sighted, or scared about this sudden termination. I promise, SA is not the be-all and end-all of education in NYC. If you care about teaching the future generations, don't give up on teaching because of your experience in these sub-par SA schools. The DOE is hiring, plus other charters are always in need of teachers--not watered-down and overextended networks like this one, but independent schools with a focus on quality over quantity.
Students: your teachers are not leaving because of you. I've taught here for 6 years and have seen it all, but not once have I seen a teacher quit because of the kids in their class. It is ALWAYS an adult problem; whether it's bureaucratic or simply personal, leadership makes or breaks a school--the best part of our days is being with students.
Don't take it personal, and don't feel bad that there is no adult stability in your school: that's not your job, it's SA's, and they're failing.