Re: 83 - 3020-a hearings don’t always go the school district’s way. That’s why New York City has teacher “rubber rooms” where teachers that can not to be in the classroom push paperwork from pile A to pile B, read the newspaper, etc. I think I remember reading that one guy got his PhD while in a rubber room!
AND... NYSUT will aggressively defend teachers in 3020-a hearings. If I were the school district, I’d ask any teachers if they were close to retiring and offer them an incentive to retire. That way you can hire a new teacher that is not maxed out on salary step and don’t have to hire a long-term substitute while the teacher is home.