Mayor de Blasio touted early signs of success in getting rid of unwanted teachers, as the issue of eliminating under-performing teachers from the city's payroll comes under scrutiny by Gov. Andrew Cuomo and other critics. 

The mayor recently claimed 289 excess teachers left the New York City public school system between April, 2014 and February, 2015 — more than in the previous two years combined. He gave credit to the new labor contract he reached with the teachers union. Excess teachers were let go from their schools, often because of budget cuts, but collect a salary while looking for new jobs and working as substitute teachers.

The excess teachers have long been a point of controversy because they cost more than $100 million annually and, fairly or not, they're considered undesirable. Data obtained by WNYC revealed that almost half of the 1,131 excess teachers who were working for the city last April had received at least one unsatisfactory rating since 2005.

De Blasio told WNYC the contract's severance and retirement packages helped move people out. Only about 19 were terminated.

"Sometimes there’s no choice but to pursue termination process aggressively and energetically," he said, adding that he'd like to improve the notoriously lengthy process for removing a teacher. "We want it to be faster and clearer. But I actually am happier when someone leaves before that process has to be undertaken."

Of the 289 teachers who left between April and February, 97 took advantage of a one-time severance package through the new contract (between three and 10 weeks' pay depending on length of employment). Another 100 retired, enabling them to also receive severance if they timed it correctly.

The city said it counseled out 53 excess teachers who were heading toward termination proceedings and some others resigned. Of the 19 teachers terminated, 10 were fired because they missed at least two interviews for another position in the school system. The city said moving them out on these grounds represents a departure from the usual termination process, and was part of the new contract.

Some observers questioned whether the city could have fired more teachers, because severance and retirement packages cost money that would be better spent in classrooms.

"The data is positive as there are fewer teachers in the ATR pool," said David Weiner, president of the non-profit education group PENCIL, and a former deputy chancellor. "However, the question remains, how much severance money did the city pay to remove teachers who would have retired anyway?"

Joe Williams, director of the group Democrats for Education Reform, said he hoped de Blasio would fired more excess teachers but he's glad almost 300 are gone.

"Bloomberg was never going to get it done," he said. "But Mayor de Blasio’s got the credibility with the union where he could say, 'this is about good public schools, this is not about a fight between me and teachers.'"

United Federation of Teachers president Michael Mulgrew said the teacher reserve system was mismanaged by the Bloomberg administration and he expected it will take years to sort it out.