Suspended in a Rubber Room?

You haven't inadvertently found the wrong bit of t'intraweb!



The New York Teachers' Union have done a deal to limit the amount of time that teachers can be suspended when facing allegations of misconduct (http://www.uft.org/news/issues/press/city_and_uft_reach_agreement_on_rubber_rooms/).



Whilst I confess that the Grauniad headline on this (http://m.guardian.co.uk/?id=102202&story=http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/apr/16/new-york-teacher-rubber-rooms) caught my eye largely for its suggestion of some of the weirder aspects of 24 hour Brixton ("rubber rooms" sound like some aspect of nocturnal clubbing of which I am too old/boring to be aware!), the story itself is nevertheless very relevant to everyday life in the local authority for which I work - and also to many other public service employers.



If we want to eliminate real "waste" from our public services - rather than simply cutting jobs - then a similar clampdown on lengthy suspensions would be a minor step in the right direction. I shall be interested to learn whether the approach taken in New York bears fruit.



And to hear from any readers who have achieved similar things in this country...

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