Report Details Infighting at Bronx Science

By Jenny Medina

Update, May 4 | We added a live link to the letter that David Brodsky, head of labor relations for the education department, wrote in which he rejected the conclusions of the fact-finding report. See last paragraph of post.

There’s been trouble brewing for some time at Bronx High School of Science, one of the crown jewels of the city’s public schools: for more than two years, all but two members of the 22-teacher math department have made complaints centered around Rosemarie Jahoda, the assistant principal who oversees them.

Now, an arbitrator has issued an official “fact-finding” report, and the infighting it describes is not pretty. Ms. Jahoda called one veteran teacher a “disgusting person,” the report found, and that same teacher apparently referred to Ms. Jahoda as a “dictator.” Ms. Jahoda raised her voice several times at teachers in front of their students and called one “irresponsible.”

Ms. Jahoda was accused of harassing and intimidating new math teachers, who did not have tenure and could be removed at any time – none of them are at the school any more. The assistant principal was so harsh that she “reduced 7 teachers to tears on 12 separate occasions,” according to the report (which does note, however, that one of those teachers was inclined to cry rather easily).

Ms. Jahoda said that the problems began after she gave an untenured teacher and Peter Lamphere, who is chapter leader of the teachers’ union, an unsatisfactory rating for their teaching – a relatively rare occurrence in the city schools. But the arbitrator found that both Ms. Jahoda and Valerie Reidy, the school’s principal, “failed to appreciate the seriousness of the complaints.”

The arbitrator concluded that Ms. Jahoda and Mr. Lamphere should be transferred to another school. To that, officials at the education department essentially said: thanks for the suggestion, but no thanks.

In a letter to the arbitrator and the teachers’ union [pdf], David Brodsky, who heads labor relations for the city’s Department of Education, said that he did not believe that the fact-finding report “portrays an accurate, fair and complete picture of the relevant events,” and rejected nearly all of the recommendations, including the transfers.

Comments are no longer being accepted.

Zach Lynn April 28, 2010 · 9:04 pm

What an odd and inflammatory post! The way the special complaint process works, the case first goes to a factfinder, and then to the Chancellor’s Rep for review. Your article acknowledges that David Brodsky, the Chancellor’s Rep, found the factfinder’s analysis and recommendations to be essentially without merit and grossly inappropriate. Indeed, Brodsky rejected three of the four recommendations outright, and specifically noted that it would be inappropriate for Jahoda to leave Bronx Science.

Nonetheless, you have posted the Factfinder’s discredited report, without also posting the final disposition–the report written by David Brodsky. This is akin to posting the decision of a Circuit Court for public analysis, AFTER the Supreme Court has already issued a ruling countermanding the ruling of said Circuit Court.

As a Bronx Science teacher and the school Data Specialist, I support Ms. Jahoda and have always found her to be highly competent. Like the best athletes of our generation, her hard work and dedication make those around her better, and students are the ones who ultimately benefit. I’d be happy to give Ms. Medina more background on this matter so that could write a more factually correct story, and have provided her my email for that purpose.

Reader April 28, 2010 · 10:12 pm

went there and played soccer, rather hear more about the lead in the soil I played on at Harris Field and how to stop the toxic artificial turf that has more lead!

jeffp26 April 29, 2010 · 9:43 am

Bronx Science is a joke.

Stuyvesant is the CROWN JEWEL of public education in the US!!!

Joan Alexander April 29, 2010 · 10:13 am

Data for thedata specialist:
1.Twenty out of 22 math teachers of the Bronx High School Of Science, many of whom dedicated their lives for over THREEdecades to the children of the #2 school in the city NEVER filed a complaint against any other Math AP.
2, There was only ONE person in the whole school to testify at the arbitration meeting on behalf of MS Jahoda, other than the principal and the assistant principal.This teacher is up for tenure ,not a member of the math department and allowed to call the asistant principal of Mathematics on several occasions by the title “MOMMY”!!

Doyle April 29, 2010 · 10:22 am

So are they both headed to the rubber room, or whatever new euphemism will be devised for it?

Rana clamitans April 29, 2010 · 2:39 pm

Zach Lynn’s “explanation” of the Special Complaint process – especially his comparison of the arbitrator with a Circuit Court and the Chancellor’s rep with the Supreme Court – is so fundamentally inaccurate that it shows Mr. Lynn’s gross bias in favor of his “Mommy”.

To recap, 20 of 22 math teachers filed a Special Complaint against Ms. Jahoda, alleging intimidation and harassment, and against the Bronx Science Principal. After 2 years, an INDEPENDENT arbitrator agreed that the teachers had indeed been harassed and intimidated, with many forced to leave the school, and made several recommendations. The arbitrator’s findings then went to the Chancellor’s representative, Mr. Brodsky, who represents one of the parties (i.e. the Bronx Science Administration). Not surprisingly, Mr. Brodsky rejected the arbitrator’s findings and recommendations. Contrary to Mr. Lynn’s assertion, the arbitrator’s findings were never discredited, only rejected out of hand by those circling the wagons to protect their own.

Thus, Mr. Lynn’s Court analogy is inappropriate, unless the Supreme Court is in collusion with one of the parties in a lawsuit. A more apt analogy would be the recent presidential election in Afghanistan, where one candidate alleged fraud, a finding supported by INDEPENDENT observers. Of course, this finding was rejected by Mr. Karzai, the beneficiary of the fraud, just as Mr. Brodsky, acting on behalf of the beneficiaries of the harassment and intimidation, rejected the arbitrator’s finding.

Ms. Medina got it exactly right, by reporting on what the INDEPENDENT observer found, not on the Chancellor’s “decision”.

Cato April 29, 2010 · 3:40 pm

As members of the human race, most of us react to someone else’s organizational dispute by reaching for a third party summary. We have our own lives, we have limited time, and we want to get to the heart of the matter. But as someone who has borne witness to the Bx. Science math uproar these past few years, and who has seen enough infantile and incendiary behavior to last several lifetimes, I openly say this to all other interested parties: forget the newspaper accounts, their omissions and commissions. Skip the whacko blog splatterings of people who choose to live a two-dimensional life. Just read through the words of the so-called fact-finder, and THEN read the meticulous, calm response of Mr. Brodsky, representing the Chancellor’s office, and read both without prejudice, if you can. What is revealed is that this dispute, perpetuated by a continuing daisy-chain of unsupportable grievances, is NOT the tale of one person’s tyranny over the good-hearted many. It is the story of a “majority” made up of veterans very set in their ways, combined with some rookies too afraid to ever think for themselves, brought together by fear, by lying, by lying under oath, and by refusing to testify under oath, hoping to create a momentum against the ONE — the chairperson, and by extension, the principal. As Mr. Brodsky eloquently points out, even the math department at the great Bronx Science may require some reasonable outside mediation to recalibrate everyone’s sense of mission and responsibility.
But as he proves beyond any reasonable doubt, the reams of testimony are infested with willful deception, constant context-dropping, and a pack mentality that, frankly, cries out for clinical help. It also tells the tale of what happens when individuals allow themselves to be formed into such a pack by representatives happily willing to send them over the cliff and under the bus for the sake of a “higher cause”. But please, please — don’t take my word for it any more than you should believe them, or the newspaper accounts.
Just take a few minutes, read the fact-finder, then read the Brodsky rebuttal, then think for yourself. That is all that the truth has ever required. If you can do that, dear reader, then we are saved. If you will not do it, then malice marches on.

Anthony N April 29, 2010 · 4:03 pm

Despite the PR from the Mayor’s office as to the great improvements made in NYC schools, this article shines a light on how profoundly dysfunctional the system stll is – even at the “premier” schools.

alexander April 29, 2010 · 4:07 pm

where’s the brodsky response so that we can see it for ourselves?

Rana clamitans April 29, 2010 · 4:10 pm

Zach Lynn’s “explanation” of the Special Complaint process – especially his comparison of the arbitrator with a Circuit Court and the Chancellor’s rep with the Supreme Court – is so fundamentally inaccurate that it shows Mr. Lynn’s gross bias in favor of his “Mommy”.

To recap, 20 of 22 teachers filed a Special Complaint against Ms. Jahoda, alleging intimidation and harassment, and against the Bronx Science Principal. After 2 years, an INDEPENDENT arbitrator agreed that the teachers had indeed been harassed and intimidated, with many forced to leave the school, and made several recommendations. The arbitrator’s findings then went to the Chancellor’s representative, Mr. Brodsky, who represents one of the parties (i.e. the Bronx Science Administration). Not surprisingly, Mr. Brodsky rejected the arbitrator’s findings and recommendations. Contrary to Mr. Lynn’s assertion, the arbitrator’s findings were never discredited, only rejected out of hand by those circling the wagons to protect their own.

Thus, Mr. Lynn’s Court analogy is inappropriate, unless the Supreme Court is in collusion with one of the parties in a lawsuit. A more apt analogy would be the recent presidential election in Afghanistan, where one candidate alleged fraud, a finding supported by INDEPENDENT observers. Of course, this finding was rejected by Mr. Karzai, the beneficiary of the fraud, just as Mr. Brodsky, acting on behalf of the beneficiaries of the harassment and intimidation, rejected the arbitrator’s finding.

Ms. Medina got it exactly right, by reporting on what the INDEPENDENT observer found, not on the Chancellor’s “decision”.

Rana clamitans April 29, 2010 · 4:17 pm

FYI: Cato is Justin Fox, a teacher at Bronx Science who has consistently and maliciously acted as a shill for Jahoda for the past 2 years and was rewarded with tenure at the school for doing so.

Max Weinreich April 29, 2010 · 5:15 pm

Ultimately, this is a conflict between an old concept-oriented enrichment-based system of teaching and a new methodical, drills-based approach. The school has recently experienced a large influx of students. The only way to deal with the increased number of people in the school is to streamline and hold all teachers to a new standard. It is simply necessary to transition into a new sort of teaching environment. Tensions are running high, and such terms as “dictator” are clearly meant as hyperbole. Ultimately, I would trust the Dept. of Education official who agrees that Ms. Jahoda ought to stay. Food for thought.

Fezzywig April 29, 2010 · 7:13 pm

It is both sad and disheartening that one toxic presence in a school of excellence can wield so much destructive power. The kids are, as always, the ones who are losing here, as teachers with tremendous expertise and content knowledge flee (hopefully finding better salaries in functional educational environments) only to be replaced by greener, more impressionable new teacher-automatons.

BTW- How could this have taken two years?!?

Miranda F. April 29, 2010 · 7:52 pm

As a student at Bronx Science, I can personally account to what is being said. I was privelged to have an incredible math teacher last year, to whom I entirely credit my grade of 86 on the Math B regents (which was the second hardest regents, second to physics, until it was removed because it was so difficult). However, despite the excellent grade of all of his students and just his general demeanor as an excellent teacher, Ms. Jahoda almost brought him to tears. In front of our class. Naturally we all bonded together for him, against her. But that also demonstrates how innapropriate she is inregards to her treatment of the teachers, especially in front of students.
In addition, I went to her this year with issues about my math teacher. He is new because all the math teachers left last year, as was accurately reported in the article, and thus does not know the course material as well. I took a more difficult course than I normally would have because I was under the impression that I would have the same teacher as last year who was a rather decent teacher. However, she left so I have a new teacher who is also relatively new to teaching in general. The new math teachers this year have caused a huge uproar against the math department by the students because so many have had their GPAs lowered due to bad math grades. This had never been a problem until all the teachers left because of Ms. Jahoda and thus the school had to quickly hire a substantial amount of new teachers. Since my teacher is not very good, I went to Ms. Jahoda for advice on what to do. I was infomed that I should not be concerned that I had a C in the course because I was a B math student based on my Math B regents (even though I had never recieved a grade lower than a 90 in math save for one term where I recieved an 88). I was also yelled at for using “bullying tactics” and for “ganging up on her” simply because a fellow classmate came with me to discuss the class’s situation. Needless to say, nothing positive resulted from that meeting. In fact, my teacher is still teaching us and will teach the course again next year, despite the fact that the average grades on our tests are in the 60s, which is failing.
It is even worse to hear that many of my friends did not get into certain colleges, early decision or regular, because of their questionable math grades for the first term. In general, the whole situation disgusts me and should not happen at any school, let alone a school which prides itself in being a top tier High School.

Just another Bx Sci teacher April 29, 2010 · 9:19 pm

Bronx Science is not a happy school. Teachers are demoralized throughout the building. There is no carrot, only stick. The few good supervisors who still believe that encouragement and support are useful management tools are publicly dressed down by the principal. And this all filters down: Roe Jahoda is not the only AP who has screamed at staff in front of other staff. It’s hard for senior staff to find new jobs now, but they’re looking – plenty that are not under attack, but just don’t like the environment. When a physics teacher walks down the street from “Science” to teach at the humanities-based HS for American Studies, as happened last spring, that’s indicative. We’ll see how many flee this year.

The Principal is consumed with maintaining the “A” report card, not unreasonable in and of itself. But because the DOE’s evaluation system is such a blunt instrument, this has meant demanding teachers produce tiny improvements in quantifiers such as Regents scores at the expense of enhancing higher-order thinking skills, the kind that prepares you for college, but are not “measurable” by DOE standards.

Case in point: the bulk of the student body had their class time reduced by 40 minutes a day – a 10% reduction – this year so that teachers could be assigned to after-school tutoring. But the students that are in most in need of that tutoring are hardly inclined to stick around school on a regular basis when their friends are outside.

Students like the shorter school-day – what 15 year old wouldn’t? But they are upset by draconian rule enforcement that is “fair” only in its “one size fits all” assessment of discipline; hardly the way to encourage adolescents to become responsible young adults. The Principal is graduating flocks of unhappy alumni who will distance themselves from the school, not embrace it.

All of this is anecdotal, of course. But that’s what life is: an attempt to generalize out of experience. Zach Lynn, who spends all his free time in the principal’s office, has his own perspective. But you can see in the comments here how what we’ve “learned” during Principal Reidy’s tenure is how to be vituperative. No one can say that’s a good thing.

Science Senior April 29, 2010 · 10:12 pm

I think what is making this issue an especially emotional one is the fact that many teachers were personally hurt by Ms. Jahoda’s doings. Some would argue that personal emotions ought to be disregarded and ignored as irrelevant, but when a supervisor is being unnecessarily rude and demeaning to the teachers of her department (in front of students, no less), something is wrong. That is a fact.

Mr. Lynn, I think you’re completely misinformed and ought to stick to your data. You are in the social studies department. Don’t put on a facade and try to get others to believe you have first hand experience under Jahoda. I don’t renounce her competence as a teacher, because I’ve never had her, but the evidence is there, and it is black and white. I simply don’t understand how we can ignore the complaints of TWENTY teachers.

My sophomore year, I had Ms. Smith, and she was amazing. A fantastic teacher, organized, VERY smart, kind, and wholeheartedly devoted to her job. There was literally nothing I disliked about her, and I know that others in my class felt the same. Her “U” is a complete mystery to me. Shouldn’t a rating be based on a teacher’s ability to teach? If so, she was certainly no “U”. Other teachers who have recently left include Ms. Alexander (who posted above) and Ms. Philip (who is discussed in the report). Both are, and I speak from fact and experience, truly wonderful teachers and people. The school was a better place with them.

Max, I think you’re oversimplifying the issue. This isn’t just a battle between old and new. Ms. Klausner and Ms. Alexander are veterans, and they’re gone, that’s true. But Ms. Smith and Ms. Phillip, and Ms. Abbot and the other numerous teachers who have left in the last two years were, for the most part, fresh out of school. I’m sure they would have been willing to implement new teaching methods and employ new strategies. But they were chased out by Ms. Jahoda, certainly not because of their incompetence in the classroom, but because of something else. As a student, I don’t know what it is exactly that she’s doing (besides being rude and unprofessional); I can’t see through the smokescreen the administration has set up, but it is undeniable and factual that she is doing something wrong that is chasing away the best teachers we have. Under Jahoda, the math department has noticeably dropped in quality and only a few excellent teachers remain. I don’t understand how, as a student (Max) and as a teacher (Mr. Lynn), you can sit there and endorse her staying. Regardless if you don’t believe in the complete legitemacy of the fact finder, are you telling me that you don’t believe the twenty teachers who complained? You really think that everything is peachy and that she’s doing a good job? Come on, you’re smarter than that.

I love my school. I work closely with the administration and see a lot of what goes on. And, for the most part, things are good. I love Science so much I’m maybe even a little sad to leave it this year. And because I love it so much, it pains me to graduate knowing that our math department is suffering under Jahoda. It’s not fair to the teachers, yes, but most of all, it’s not fair to the students. There is tension in the math hallway on the first floor, and that is undeniable. To do nothing is to allow the students to remain in a hostile environment that is not conducive to learning. Period.

Bronx Science Student April 30, 2010 · 12:05 am

The fact of the matter is that Bronx Science will not be able to recover unless Valerie Reidy is removed as principal. She promotes a culture of intimidation at Bronx Science of both students and faculty. Students are portrayed not as people to be taught, but as people to be controlled.

When 20 of 22 teachers in a department say that the head of the department is abusive and detrimental to the education of the students, there is a problem, and the problem is not with the teachers. It is with, in this case, Ms. Jahoda, who has instituted silly policies and has clearly hurt, not facilitated learning. Furthermore, mathematically speaking, she is not as skilled as many of the other teachers in the department. If she were an effective administrator this would be okay, but she clearly isn’t.

Ms. Jahoda used to teach at Stuyvesant, and a little research shows that she had problems there. In the Stuyvesant Spectator, it was reported that she mocked a student who was observing the Day of Silence.

A tangential point is that the Stuyvesant Spectator is clearly not censored. That cannot be said of the Science Survey, Bronx Science’s paper, which is heavily censored by Ms. Reidy. Many a critical story has been censored. Even seemingly modest criticisms have been censored.

Mr. Lynn is well known as essentially Ms. Reidy’s lackey. He responded here and has also written in to the Riverdale Press in defense of Ms. Jahoda.

This is not surprising since they are both aligned with Ms. Reidy. To be fair to Mr. Lynn, he without a doubt knows a lot. He can be an effective teacher, but that is undermined by his playing favorites. In addition, he is generally known as kind of a jerk.

The issue with the Math Department is only the latest high profile problem there since Ms. Reidy became principal. There is a long history of unrest at Bronx Science since Ms. Reidy assumed the top position.

C. Yu April 30, 2010 · 12:18 am

Miranda, acceptance to college is not simply based on math grades. I’m sure that there were other factors to the reasons why some of your friends were not admitted to colleges early and regular decision. It is an extremely competitive process, and to blame rejection on merely a low first term math grade just seems silly. While some of the math teachers at Bronx Science aren’t terrible, some of the “veterans” of the math department don’t belong there, and haven’t for a long time. Additionally, many of the new teachers who students complain about leaving may have been nice to students, but unfortunately that’s not the only component that goes into being a math teacher.

Bronx Science Senior April 30, 2010 · 12:25 am

I am a senior at Bronx Science. Of the 5 math teachers that I have had in past years, 4 have left. As mentioned, the replacements are not familiar with the coursework of many classes. I have friends in standard precalculus classes learning about game theory, logistic iterations, and mergesort. Regular precalculus students should not have to grasp advanced topics that overcomplicate the course material.

In addition to past years’ odd grading systems, some math teachers are now required to type up their tests instead of writing them. This makes test-writing very time-consuming for teachers, with not much of an end gain.

The math department’s administration is not the only problem. The general school’s administration is a bit whacky as well. Recently, Reidy discouraged all departments from allowing extra credit.

Additionally, both students and teachers alike hate Mr. Lynn. His own class policies are ridiculous. He refuses to accept assignments in by e-mail because he does not believe that they may be the legitimate work of the student. It is no surprise that he would sympathize with the administration, and act in such a disgustingly sycophantic manner.

Jessica April 30, 2010 · 12:29 am

Ms. Jahoda was my math teacher freshman year at Stuyvesant and I remember her as being very sweet, very nice, and jokey, and above all one of the best math teachers I’d had. I can’t picture her doing what she’s been accused of doing, she always treated her students well.

cagy April 30, 2010 · 10:23 am

To jeffp26 who said Bx Science is a joke, just remember, Bx Science to this day can still claim that it has more Nobel Laureates as graduates than any high school in the world!

Michael Fortunato April 30, 2010 · 10:55 am

There is no crying in Math.

hunky dunky April 30, 2010 · 11:58 am

In 2007 I relocated to NY from the west coast to take a job teaching at a CUNY community college. My wife, a fully credentialed bilingual teacher with 5 years experience, assumed she would have no problem picking up a teaching position somewhere in Brooklyn or nearby in Queens or Manhattan. TEACH NY came out to San Francisco, spending thousands for hotel space and travel and hired 2 or 3 college grads with no experience to go to the Bronx. When my wife said she needed a site closer to Brooklyn they told her she was unemployable. Settled in Brooklyn, my wife couldn’t get past the beaurocracy on Court Street.to even interview in a school, save one special ed position in a middle school in BedSty.

Meanwhile at Brooklyn College and Kingsborough I’m finding undergraduate students who are being placed in classroom teaching positions (with a mentor of course). Experienced teachers from outside nead not apply, it seemed, despite the ads in the subway

Working at CUNY was great. Expectations were high and communication was clear and curt,unlike Califonia. I felt I was truly working in a meritocracy.

Not willing to either sacrifice my wife’s career or our marriage, we left the most stimulating and rewarding city on earth after just one year. Since then, with great sadness, I’ve been closely following what really goes on in NYC public schools.

CUNY is the best public college system bar none, but from our experience NYpublic schools certificated personnel leadership is a complete disgrace–worse than LAUSD even. Here’s hoping NYC can solve this problem as you’ve solved so many others, but from what I read it seems you haven’t even started to work on the solution,

Suzan Guberman April 30, 2010 · 4:32 pm

This Fact Finders report begins by giving us the background that the principal wanted to improve academics in this particular department of The Bronx High School of Science. As this school was, at one time, the finest science and math school in the New York City system and lost that standing badly, this is a reasonable goal.

Then we read that the department went through a series of assistant principals before Mrs. Jahoda was found. Why is that? What caused the school to have such a run of bad luck with assistant principals not wanting to stay there?
Further reading finds us being told that at one point Valerie Riedy, the principal of the school, advises Assistant Principal Jahoda that working with new teachers in the department could be helpful as they would be less “resistant to change.”

Ah, I thought. I’m beginning to see the picture. I suspect I know why the previous run of bad luck with assistant principals happened. I suspect I know why the Chancellor of the Dept. of Education fully backed Asst. Principal Jahoda and found this document that you chose to print without merit.

Furthermore, I suspect the stories, many of the tales told of her harsh treatment to be exaggerated if not made up. Am I really supposed to believe that she brought seven adult teachers who spend their days facing down hormonal teenagers in math classes to tears?

In fact according to the David Brodsky, Director of the Office of Labor Relations of the DOE, the number of teachers that are supposed to have been brought to tears was misstated in the Fact Finders Report to begin with. This report finds that the Fact Finders Report “is not fairly based upon all the evidence in this case. Equally important, the Report did not address major legal arguments or apply governing legal principles in this case and is thus fundamentally flawed.”

The Fact Finder did not apply governing legal principles. Think about that.

And finally, why isn’t the Chancellors Report here as well?

Rana clamitans April 30, 2010 · 6:10 pm

To Suzan Guberman: Since the Chancellor’s representative, Mr. Brodsky, never met with the teachers or reviewed any of the evidence, except what Reidy and Jahoda wanted him to see, how can he state that “the Fact Finder’s reportis is not fairly based upon all the evidence in this case.” He doesn’t know the evidence!

Face it – the fix was in from Day 1. There was no way the Chancellor’s office would not back Reidy; it is not in their interest otherwise. Like Jahoda’s observations, the grade was decided before the evidence was heard.

How’s the coverup going, Valerie?