Yes, the ballots are out. I got my ballot in the mail on Monday. Simple for me. I am voting the UFC slate. No vote splitting for me. In 2019 I did not vote slate and vote for both Solidarity candidates and deserved candidates from Unity. In fact Chaz the Blogger was known to do this (here and here). Even NYCDOEnuts is doing so this year (here and here). I disagreed with them but as those who knew Chaz and know NYCDOEnuts know both men of their convictions. 

But something is amiss out there. Word has been filtering into the SBSB news room as well as to members of The Crack Team that a another form of ballot splitting occuring. Which can be quite ominous for the Unity ticket.

From what we here have heard is that many members of Unity are fed up with Mulgrew. That this year nstead of voting for the Unity slate,  these people with be voting  Camille Eterno for president and voting for the rest of Unity. 

Of course this is anecdotal, and some of it has come to us as second hand. But where there is smoke there is fire. So far in this election cycle we are seeing things never before seen from Unity. There have been attacks upon the opposition on Twitter and a professionally created web page. We have seen talking points and slogans that seem to have originated with focus groups and let's not forget one more thing; The smell of real fear coming from Unity. 

Now of course we don't know how many in Unity are ballot splitting. We don't know if those that are taking this path are "official" members of Unity or just regular rank and file teachers like you and me. Heck, we don't even know if its a few dozen or so who are doing this or if there are hundreds. There is no way to know. But what we do know this years election cycle is different than in years past. 

What does this say about Unity if that many are fed up with Mulgrew? Look long term. The worst thing for Unity would not be for it to lose the election, but to get under sixty percent of the vote. At least a total lost there probably will be people willing to fall upon there swords and have the foresight to reform the caucus. But if Unity stays in control and loses a significant percentage of votes the bloodletting can and will begin. It's time for the Unity house of cards to have some damage.

In this corner we have remote teachers. In the other corner we have in person teachers. And in the center of the ring we have the New York Post stirring the shit pot and and pitting teachers against one another. 

This story, which myself and The Crack team believe was planted by the DOE starts off, not with a teacher kvetching, but rather a DOE official. Chances are it's some ass kissing,
narcissistic,  incompetent (And if male has some serious physical Freudian shortcomings) administrator with serious people issues.

 Article starts off....

“Teachers who work in-person are all raging right now,” one DOE official said. 

“They’re all pissed because they feel they’re getting the short end of the stick in here everyday getting exposed while people are sitting home in their jammies,” the staffer seethed. 

“I just feel they should be forced to come back [after getting the vaccine]. Right now there’s many people before them that are in direct exposure that should’ve been entitled to receive the vaccine first.”

Who says they are raging? Where is this DOE official getting this from?  If this source is an administrator, are they quoting some pimply face, runny nose newbie teacher whining that they can't boogie down in Manhattan anymore? 

But to say we are all in our jammies? How gauche! In fact, how unoriginal. Claim we're all in our underwear. At least lie that way. But seriously folks. We get up, we get dressed. We eat breakfast. We go to work. My dad worked from home from the time I was in 3rd grade. Not once did was he at his desk or on his phone in his jammies. 

How do you know that there aren't remote teachers that want to come back to work? Duh. But it won't happen as fast as some would like. From what I have read (And I could be wrong) it could be 3-4 weeks before before one is at full immunity. And that's after the second shot! Lest we forget 4 weeks go by between shots. That goes for everyone. 

One Brooklyn teacher said the request to “wait for further guidance” hasn’t stopped remote workers from signing up for the booster. 

“Remote people are already scheduling their appointments, they had the luxury of being home and were able to refresh [the page] and find appointments today,” 

Yeah, it hasn't stopped remote teachers, and it shouldn't have stopped unnamed Brooklyn teacher. As I stated on Sunday a SBSB groupie shared a link with me Saturday night around 9:30. Unnamed Brooklyn teacher had the same opportunity. Unnamed Brooklyn teacher had all day Sunday to sign up. Did unnamed Brooklyn teacher sign up? Nope. 

You want something bad enough you do it. In 2007 my then 6 year old son wanted a Wii for Christmas. I got up at 4 AM and got to Target by 4:45. I wanted to get it bad enough for him. See how it's done? 

The same unnamed Brooklyn teacher continued to whine... “Remote people are already scheduling their appointments, they had the luxury of being home and were able to refresh [the page] and find appointments today,” the teacher, who works in-person, griped to The Post. 

Again, where were you on Saturday night and ALL DAY SUNDAY? There is no one you could have entrusted to sign up for you? This couldn't be done on your lunch? Prep? Whilst on the commode? Excuses and whining is all this unnamed Brooklyn teacher can do.

And lastly, an administrator came up with the whine of the day:

“Wish I could give my spot to my mom who’s [in her 70s],” the administrator said, calling the vaccination system “not organized.”

My 79 year old step mother signed up Sunday and received shot on Monday morning. Enough said. 

The DOE said “employees working remotely have been directed to wait for further guidance.”

We're not waiting for further guidance. Why? We suffer from heart disease, lung disease, cancer, diabetes, etc... If we don't have suffer from these, then a loved one we live with suffers from these ailments. We are not doing anything wrong, illegal, or unethical. We are following CDC guidelines which the UFT and the DOE agree upon. For those whining about teachers teaching remotely, do you really think it is that easy? Walk a mile in our shoes before you complain. Oh, and I don't wear my jammies but I usually walk around in socks. Last week I stepped in a big wet hairball deposited by Sparkles.  

And let me add. Any teacher who that is in a building and does have one of the CDC comorbidities, you have the right to go ahead of any able bodied teacher as well.

But in retrospect I think it was the DOE all along that wants the teachers in buildings to get vaccine and the UFT went along with it. Sound familiar? Why spend time and medicine on the sick? Just separate the teachers as we get off the 4 train. Those that can work go to the right, those that can't go to the ovens. 

I have no intention of becoming a statistic. Nor should anyone become a statistic. Whether able bodied or with a susceptibility. I don't want to wind up on this list nor do I want to see any teachers on it as well. I know people on this list. My dear friend Chaz is on this list, and I miss him terribly. 

If you are a remote teacher, or a teacher in a school that is vulnerable, you have every right to get a shot NOW. You owe it to yourself and your loved ones. You are no good to them dead. I was raised to believe that we help our most needy and most vulnerable ahead of ourselves. Doesn't the time call for this? 

This Post article was clearly planted by the DOE to sow division amongst teachers and to discourage remote teachers to get vaccinated soon. Perhaps the DOE is wished us to die off? 

There is enough crap on Twitter and social media, by NYC teachers with fake Bronx accents stabbing remote teachers in the back with wacky theories and what not. 

Oh, it'll help if the UFT gets involved in this. Maybe at tomorrow's DA?

Earlier today I found out my fellow blogger and friend Eric Chasinoff passed away at the age
of 69 due to COVID. Today is a sad day not only for myself, but fellow bloggers and the scores of teachers over the years that Chaz selflessly helped, supported, and sometimes (when needed) just lent an ear.

For me Chaz was always the go to guy for almost any questions I had concerning my rights as a teacher. And when someone reached out to me, when I was stumped I sent them to Chaz. In fact for years, I wouldn't give Chaz's number without checking with him first, but eventually I asked Chaz if I could give his number without asking. He didn't blink an eye and said yes.

I would say it was around 2008 when I became of Chaz and his blog. That's about the time I started mine and I enjoyed Eric's straight to the point style of writing. Chaz didn't suffer fools gladly and was always quick to call bullshit.

It was also during this time that Chaz had been exiled to the Rubber Room for a quite innocuous comment he made to a student. His high school lost a great Earth Science teacher (Read more here), the kids and the community suffered, all for something that should've been just a letter to the file.

But I am sad not just for losing a friend, but for someone who kept me from losing my mind.

Chaz (And this is not taking away from others who were there for me), kept me sane when I was in the Rubber Room for two years and going through my 3020a. I can't count the number of times I would call Chaz in a panic and he would explain things to me and calm me down. Even though he wouldn't sugar coat anything, he know how to deal with me. For three years Chaz stuck by me, didn't give up on me, and kept me focused.

I met Chaz once or twice. The first time was at a diner in Queens right off the Clearview. I bought my accordion style folder with me for my 3020a and he looked over the papers. Better yet, he go my mind away from everything, and we enjoyed a good breakfast.

My heart goes out to his family. Thank you for sharing him with all the teachers of the NYCDOE that needed Chaz. Thank you for sharing him with me. My thoughts are with the Chasinoff family tonight.

I am grateful Chaz had played a part in my life.

I thin the DOE has stepped up in the world to the level of a "super villain." I mean if they haven't
reached that level before. Perhaps they are now a "super duper villain."

The story goes, and I got this from none other than Chaz the Blogger, was if you went through a 3020-a hearing and kept your job, but were fined more than $2k, or a month suspension (Chaz, correct me if I am incorrect) you were automatically put in the ATR pool. I mean come on, who would want to go back to a school in which you obviously were not wanted and if you go back, there will be a bigger shit storm raining down on you. I mean, you go through a 3020-a, obviously the principal wants you out there, no? And to see your smiling face come back, don't think for a moment your return will get your principal to say, "OK, it's all water under the bridge."

My biggest worry going through my 3020-a was not just losing my job, but actually winning. As in being found not guilty of all the charges and having no choice but to return to my school. I had a plan for just that contingency. My first day back I would've come dressed to school as Corporal Klinger. I had the outfit picked out. Short, short, black dress, red 5 inch heels, show some cleavage, and red lipstick. Thankfully, I didn't have to go that way.

The arbitrator automatically put me into the ATR pool along with a four month suspension. I was free!

But things appear to be changing.

The Crack Team has learned from very high up sources that a teacher who has gone though a hearing and his fined more than $2k does not automatically go into the ATR pool. The only way can happen is if the principal signs off that he/she does not want you back. And it appears some are not signing off on this.

We here at SBSB think there are two reasons for this.

One, is to thin the herd. Too many ATRs are a blight on the DOE. ATRs have been a blemish on the DOE for two long. This way the DOE can show it is doing something, anything to reduce ATRs.

The other reason I believe is more valid.

This ATR thing has backfired on the DOE spectacularly. They still want to thin the herd, but this plan is more diabolical.

Think about this. If you just went through a 3020-a and are sent back to your school do you think the bullshit will end? Nope. It will get worse, much worse. Every little inane thing you do, whether it would be, farting, leaving the toilet seat up, not puckering up, you will be written up for. If you are being observed, a student that fails to raise their hand while all others do, will be a blemish for the teacher. Students aren't walking perfectly on line? That's a letter to your file.

The DOE had been counting on ATR teachers who got fed up to quit. It wasn't happening. Now, with sending teachers back to their schools of horror the DOE is playing GOTCHA! You go back to the same school, under the same circumstances, under the same administration, and under the same bullshit. In no time you will be hit up with 3020-a charges AGAIN!! And this time, they can show that you can not change nor were you rehabilitated. You get terminated. There is a method to this madness.

Case in point. I know of a teacher that got fined $5k. Where will she be on September 3? Right back in her school. And this time, the principal will know better than nailing her with three bullshit charges. The principal will be relentless. And this teacher is one of the few teachers in her school that gives a shit, the kids love, and the parents adore.

The DOE has now entered super duper villainy. Unlike in Batman when the villain put Batman and Robin in some contraption to die and walks away, the DOE will not walk away until there is no longer a teacher's heartbeat.

Yeah, the DOE does seem to be run by a bunch of imbeciles. So purports Chaz when he wrote about former Beacon High School science teacher Anna Poole. Anna Poole, you may recall, set several students ablaze in 2014 in a science experiment gone awry back in 2014.

Personally, Anna Poole used the resources available to her, as is her right, to keep her job. I do not have a problem with that. However I do have several issues.

If she had been a tenured teacher would SCI have gone harder on her and not left her discipline up to the chancellor? If this had been a tenured teacher is it not fair to say that E4esaid teacher would not only have been brought up on 3020-a charges but possibly criminal charges as well?

According to a commenter on Chaz's blog there were some irregularities in her right to representation. Is this not a right as teachers that we see as inalienable?

Again, Mona Davids (She's still around????) has to stick her ignorant nose where it should not be and as always without having full information to base her inane comments on...

“I think that’s outrageous and ludicrous. It’s actually insulting, but it’s typical DOE. That’s what they do, reward poor performance.”

Mona, while not condoning nor condemning Anna, there is a difference between an accident and poor performance. Mona claims she she's smart. Prove it.

The way the Daily News implied that she got rewarded with a raise...

...currently makes a $79,484 a year — up from $56,048 on the day of the explosion.

No, she got was was contractually due her. That is it. 

What I want to know is if Anna Poole has a rabbi within the DOE. Why did she get a nice cushy gig within Tweed? How did she get it? Why did she get it? I have speculated that she must be with Educators 4 Excellence or Teach for America. Maybe she's Teaching Fellows?

I have no problem with what Chaz wrote. I disagree with him somewhat, but I respect his opinion. What he wrote was on his blog. He was not going to the, for lack of a better phrase, through the MSM to bash a teacher (yeah, I know. I have done the same, but only to TFA, E4E, and other rats. Poole, as far as we know is not a rat). Chaz did not have to go through a reporter. He was adult enough to do it on his own. Some weren't.

It pained me to see another teacher, a teacher who purports to claim to be on the side of teachers, playing both sides of the fence.

Too many teachers have been brought up on BS charges for leaving pee on a toilet seat, to carrying a cup of coffee, to leaving the toilet seat up, to not passing gas according to the way mandated in Chancellor's Regulations.

I have no problem with Anna Poole staying employed by the DOE. I have a problem with how the DOE kept her. There is something just not right about this "promotion."

I have been thinking about this Fair Student Funding for some time and how it affects ATR's.

On Monday, Chaz wrote a blog piece on how FSF "shortchanges students" and the DOE does diddly. As does the UFT. He used a recent Chalkbeat article that more or less explained how FSF came into being and how it works. Of course I take anything Chalkbeat blabbers about with a grain of salt but I have to admit, it was enlightening.

First, I am not buying the age discrimination angle some False Prophet dressed as a clown claims. Yeah, there might be some, but after reading the Chalkbeat article, in my opinion, proving age discrimination short of smoking gun, will be extremely, extremely difficult to prove. But alas, there are many followers that enjoy the Kool-Aid and will follow blindly until...well maybe there is no "until."

But here is a simple way to get ATR's hired that myself and The Crack Team put together.

Now as we know, an ATR making max salary (I forget what it is top of my head, but I am just going to use $100k for this post) is doing a damn fine job, likes the school and both the ATR and principal are in synch, and the principal really wants this ATR on board.

The ATR's salary will come out of the school budget. Now getting hired in the middle of the year is tough enough, what with the budget having already been spent. The following year, who knows? Will the school receive less monies? Maybe more but not enough monies?

The ATR at $100k is kind screwed. As well as the students and community of that school.

So the ATR is rotating to and fro not being able to do what they do best but rather be a glorified substitute. Just being wasted away.

But of course Tweed, in all it's glorified, illogical, infinite wisdom continues to pay this ATR $100k per year.

But the ATR can't be hired because the school lacks the funds to hire said ATR. Bear with me, I'm getting to the point.

The school gets it's monies from, care to guess? Yep, you are right. The school gets it's monies from Tweed. The same dolts that are paying the ATR $100k a year to do lunch duty, file papers, teach Latin when that ATR has a common branch license, etc... You get my point right?

Here is how we fix it. Kinda Charter School Style© (Just in case the UFT decides to use this idea.  I, and The Crack Team, can get royalty checks).

The money follows the teacher. Tweed gives the money for that ATR's salary to the specific school. Case closed. Problem solved. Everyone is happy. Tweed reduces it's self-created embarrassment of ATR's, a principal gets a darn good teacher, the students get a darn good teacher, the ATR is happy, and there will be less teachers are anti-anxiety medications.

It makes sense. Both the school's budget and the money Tweed spends on ATR's comes from well. It's like when my wife tries to bet me money. She thinks I am wrong about something, she says, "I'll bet you $100." I say, "No, that's illogical. that $100 comes from our money. You or I have access to that $100 no matter what. Bet me breakfast in bed for a month or something like that."  Can't tell you how many times I have had breakfast in bed. ;)

The Crack Team believes that this method is the best, and most adult, method to solve the inanity of this ATR issue.

It's been some time since I took the UFT and it's "leadership" to task, but now is as good as time as any.

I was looking forward (As are all of us) to my retro pay coming up in a few weeks. Even better, I was going to get a double retro check due to me being suspended (But technically "on leave") when teachers got their first checks in October 2015.

I was told, specifically, by several within the UFT that I was to get TWO payments with the upcoming retro check. Yes, more taxes will be taken out, but a double check would be nice.

So about last week I was reading Arthur Goldstein's blog and saw something that raised an eyebrow. Those who were on leave or whatever in October 2015 will not be getting a double check.

I checked with a good person within the UFT and I received confirmation.

Then a few days later Chaz the Blogger called me up to share the news.

Then I told my wife. YIKES!

Yeah, it is true. Anyone considered on leave when the first retro checks came out in 2015 this year's check will be considered their first payment and next years the 2nd and so on and those of us affected by this inanity will have to wait until October 2021 to be made full.

According to my sources the UFT never shared this part of the agreement with the rank and file. It is deeply embedded in some super duper double secret part of the MOU.

The UFT does it to us again. Just for the f*&*ing seat at the table. Just to f*&*ing acquiesce to the f*&*ing city once again.

"NO! You can't get your retro all at once, we might bankrupt the city. There are too many UFT members. You are not entitled to retro," goes the gibberish from 52 Broadway.

BULLSHIT!!!!

It takes two parties to agree to no retro. It takes one party to cower like a scared UFT President Dunsel to give into the city this f*&*ing ridiculous, moronic retro schedule!

DC 37 has as many members if not more than the UFT and they got their retro checks in one lump sum. So did the cops, the firefighters, the sanitation workers, the shit cleaners, and everyone except the UFT thanks to President Dunsel.

Who the f*&* came up with this idea of paying us over the course of 5 years? And worse, if you are terminated, quit, or die you get nothing! Bupkus! You are then royally f*&*ed!

So come 2021 when I get that last check, my son will be starting his junior year in college, the Jets will still be without a quarterback (I'm not a Jets fan), mass murders will increase, Trump will be in a mental hospital, and the UFT offices, thanks to Janus, will be down to a 250 sq ft office storefront. Now located next to Sizzler's on Tremont Ave in the Bronx with President Dunsel sitting a high school desk.

I swear when I tell friends who are members of other unions how the UFT operates they just don't believe it. This shit can't be made up!

It is time, with Janus on the horizon, that the UFT starts to heed the wants and needs of the rank and file.

The following comes from the files of, "You Can't Make This Shit Up!"

Last month Chaz in a blog post wrote...

Up until this previous school year the Office of Legal Services would include every trivial infraction as a specification in an educator's 3020-a charges and this was known as "throwing shit on the wall and hope enough sticks" to get the arbitrator to terminate the educator.  

You left toilet seat up once? It's chargeable. You farted in a non-prescribed, unapproved DOE manner? It's chargeable. Well, check this stuff out.

A colleague of mine just got hit with 3020-a charges today. Among the normal incompetence and teaching stuff were two doozies. Perhaps the first time charges of this type were ever leveled against a teacher. What are the gist of these charges?

Proper bathroom hygiene. I kid you not.

One charge involves my friend, let's call him Aaron Goldstein. One day, in fact one morning, Aaron arrived at his school and suddenly his stomach started to "percolate." His stomach started to rumble, and at this moment Aaron felt the need to relieve himself. Being that he was on the first floor of the school he started heading upstairs to the fourth, and highest, floor where there is the only men's bathroom in the school (This particular school was built over one hundred years ago. If you ever been in one of these the schools, the fourth floor can seem like climbing a mountain).

Aaron ascended the stairs as quickly as he could, trying his best to hold in what is colon wanted to push out. He finally made it into the bathroom but alas, Aaron was a bit too late. Let's just say Aaron missed his target, and instead created a scene such as Jackson Pollock would've. Not just in the stall, but on himself as well.

Aaron, being the professional that he is, cleaned himself up, made sure there were no remnants left behind, cleaned the stall, and reported the issue. He had to. For he had to go home. It is safe to assume that the custodial staff was called in.

I empathize with Aaron. I am diabetic and one of the drugs I take, Metformin, tends to make you this way. One of my biggest fears is that this will happen at school.

Not too long after this incident Aaron had to go pee-pee. Again, Aaron was on the first floor and the men's room was in another time zone. The first floor just had a ladies room as do the third and fourth floors.

Aaron had the pressing need to pee. Now we here at SBSB do not know if Aaron has prostate issues, had an UTI, or had drank an inordinately large amount of water that day. All Aaron was aware of is that he had to pee. Badly.

Aaron went to the first floor ladies room. He made sure no one was in there and he locked it when he went in. He soon had a gladder bladder.

But that is not what Aaron got written up for and what he is now being charged with. Aaron got written up for leaving three droplets of pee on the seat. Yes, Aaron should have lifted the seat and yes an argument can be made that he should not have used the ladies room. But one can also make the case that Aaron was so traumatized from his previous bathroom incident, that he just felt he could not make it to the fourth floor.

This is just inane. This is yet another case of the DOE throwing whatever it can find and  throwing it against the wall, to see what happens. It's also another case about disparities in discipline. If Aaron were a favorite all he would have had was a talking to.

We here at SBSB are calling for an equal distribution of bathrooms in all NYC public schools, as well as ensuring that all bathrooms be no more than two floors from another male or female bathroom. This way we can ensure that there will be no more incidents like Aaron's

I stopped reading Chalkbeat a long time ago. Educational propaganda for the deformists and the ediots of the world.

But Chalkbeat (formerly Gotham Schools) is back at being the Pravda for the above mentioned hacks.

In today's Chalkbeat, new "reporter" and former Yale journalism (you could have gone to SUNY-Purchase's fine journalism school. It would have saved mommy and daddy a lot of money!) student, Daniela Brighenti, asked the 5 ATR questions that are on everyone's mind. But no need to worry anymore Daniela, we here at SBSB, myself and The Crack Team have decided to give you the answers you are looking for.

What is the average years of experience among teachers in the pool?

By our estimates, the average years of experience amongst all ATR's system wide is about 150.3 years. Yes, you read that right. Seriously, what do you think? Gosh, you answer your own question...

"Historically, the ATR pool has been comprised of teachers who are, as a group, more experienced than their peers.
Data from 2010 showed that teachers with 15 to 25 years of experience made up 31 percent of the ATR pool, as compared to 19 percent of all active teachers. In comparison, more junior teachers were underrepresented in the pool — 13 percent, compared to 29 percent of all active teachers."

Look around your Chalkbeat newsroom Daniela, how many scribes that look like Jimmy Breslin or Lois Lane are in the cubicles next to you? As Chalkbeat will only hire "presently graduated young reporters," so, will the principals only hire presently hired young teachers. It makes sense. Young and out of college means less pay, more manipulation.

What percentage of ATR teachers are in the pool for disciplinary reasons?

A lot. Some for some serious stuff, some for leaving toilet seats up. Does it matter? If we have been deemed by an arbitrator to keep our positions, why can't we have the same chances all teachers have. But again, discipline or no discipline, it does not matter. Age, salary, and as Chaz the blogger says, "institutional memory" are the ATR's greatest foes.

But again, if you are 23, clueless, and never taught, you are the right fit for any school.

How long have the teachers been in the ATR pool?

Since the dawn of time. Since Adam met Eve, since Luke fought his pops. But again, you are given the answer again by some anonymous principal...

" the time they spend outside the classroom and in the ATR could be harmful, since they are unlikely to receive the same professional development as teachers in full-time positions."

Why aren't you, your handlers, or anyone kvetching that the ATR's are treated as such and demand that the DOE give the ATR's the same access to REAL, ( not the crap on Mondays,) professional development? Guess what? ATR's want it!!!!

Where have ATR teachers worked in the past?

Where? As a teacher or in life? I worked at Rosen, Mandell, and Immerman, printing brokers right after high school. It was great. Loved commuting into the city. Once walked in on my boss cutting coke into lines. But this was in 1982, It was all the rage.

I also worked in McDonald's on Central Ave in 1980 and Wendy's on 9A in 1981. Shall I go on?

But if you want to really get answers, why not roll up your sleeves, hit the streets, do some real reporting and ask ATR's?

What areas are ATR teachers certified in?

I have two certifications. One, Common Branch and the other, Meat and Cheese Sandwich Engineering. I know one ATR that has a certification in marriage counseling and another ATR that has a certification in the mortuary sciences. But again......

If you want to really get answers, why not roll up your sleeves, hit the streets, do some real reporting, and ask ATR's?

I hope I helped you Daniela in answering all these questions. In fact, by answering these questions, I feel the sudden need to hide the afikoman for some reason and to smack the simple child in the face.

But one more bit of advice and please take it.


If you want to really get answers, why not roll up your sleeves, hit the streets, do some real reporting and ask ATR's?

We've been offered $50,000 to go away and not be to heard from again.

As many know by now, there is a new ATR agreement bestowed upon the unsuspecting, the injured, the desperate, and the pissed done in secret by the powers that be of our wonderful union, the United Federation of Teachers (Yeah, I know I am a little late to the game in sharing).

To tell you the truth, I stopped and thought about it. That's a lot of money. Figure about $15k is taken off the top and that would leave me $35k. There is this deli or something on NY 203 in Spencertown (Columbia County) NY that used to be a general store. I have a small dream of buying this place when I retire and living up there full time. I could be another Sam Drucker. Sadly, I am 53, not eligible for a full pension until 2021 and my son graduates high school in 2019. So there goes that dream, for now.

But no one is going to take the offer unless they are thisclose to retirement or thisclose to being fed up. Want to delete the ATR pool? Offer early retirement. It's been done before.

But I have some question and/or concerns about the rest of the agreement.

Some of the highlights/lowlights:

After October 15, ATRs will be given a temporary provisional assignment to a school with a vacancy in their license area where available.

So what is it we do up until October 15? But even after October 15, here is a problem.

Say they put you provisionally in school after that date. You are a common branch teacher and you have been in the ATR pool since 2012. When do you think the last time a teacher in this situation had any true professional development? When was the last time such a teacher was trained on the latest and newest curricula? When was such a teacher trained in Danielson, or had any real meaningful feedback? 

Oh please, we will hear, "You are a teacher, that means you teach!" Well, I have a friend who is a doctor of proctology, I'm not going to see him about heart murmurs, am I? I mean, he is a DOCTOR? Using the DOE's logic he should be able to transfer is knowledge of colons and rectums to the heart.

But here is another problem. Instead of just plopping an ATR provisionally into any school, why not meet and/or interview the ATR and find out what their strengths are so they can be placed properly. Make it a win-win situation for all? How difficult can this be? 

The DOE, at its sole discretion, may choose not to assign an ATR to a temporary provisional assignment who have been penalized (as a result of a finding of guilt or by stipulation) in conjunction with §3020-a charges based on the circumstances of each case.

OK.

The DOE shall not be required to send more than one (1) ATR at a time to a school per vacancy for a temporary provisional assignment. These assignments will first be made within district and then within borough.

This is good and bad. It's good if your district is in Western Queens or Brooklyn and you live on Long Island, or the South Bronx like I do and live in the Hudson Valley. Put me in District 10 or 11. It'll chop 20-30 minutes off my commute.

But, if it all comes down to it I would much rather stay in District 7. I know the neighborhoods, I know the schools. I know the teachers. This year I have been lucky enough to know a few teachers in each school I have been at. It makes the transition easier. 

But it will affect more ATR's than it won't and this is not a fair.

It is understood that at any time after a temporary provisional assignment is made, a principal can request the removal of the ATR from this assignment and the ATR can be returned to the ATR pool and be subject to the terms and conditions of employment then applicable to ATRs pursuant to this Agreement.

This should be good. Don't like the school you are at show up wearing a dress or a pro Donald Trump shirt and boom! You go back in the pool.  

What this agreement does not mention though is for those who are still being rotated, how long will the rotations be? 

But there are other problems with this agreement, most of all the secrecy in which it was done and which James Eterno, Arthur Goldstein, Chaz, and Norm Scott  have written about.

When ATR's received the email concerning the new ATR there is a link that takes us to a online form if we have any questions (ATR's should have some fun with this form and inundate it with REAL COMMENTS, wink, wink, nudge, nudge) for the UFT.

What is perplexing is why after the genie has packed up and left the bottle is there a way to talk to the UFT about the agreement?  Why at no time did UFT leadership, re: Mulgrew and Barr take the time and play make believe and treat the ATR's as if we are retired members who live in Southeast Florida and come to us? Five borough UFT offices, five meet and greets, five question and answers, five separate days of at the very least pretending to give a shit what is on the minds of the ATR! If Mulgew was so afraid of meeting with ATR's get some tech geek to set up Survey Monkey and blast the poll out to ATR's.

I know James Eterno was working on getting ATR's recognized as a chapter and I have lost track of what the current status of that struggle is but is time to take a big step in my opinion. The fact that a few people are making the decision for about 2,000 teachers is beyond the pale and patently unethical. The ATR's should have a chapter, should have a seat(s) in the delegate assembly, and should have a seat on the executive board. The worst part is this agreement is rammed down our throats without even having a chance to vote on it!

The UFT is figuratively emasculating the ATR's by not being proactive to what we want and need. It is time that our leadership stops being reactive and try being proactive and hear what we want and need. All it will take is a little listening and a lot of empathy. How difficult can this be?

In the meantime something needs to be done. Can a complaint be filed with the National Labor Relations Board, NYS or US Department of Labor, or PERB?

Please don't tell me or any ATR that our Chapter Leaders in our schools are there for us. Many of them don't know who we are, don't care, too inexperienced, or bought. An ATR and the CL are two ships passing in the night.

I am sure we all have read in the New York Post how Progress HS for Professional Careers AP Diana Rendon walked into the locker room of Grand Street Campus' football team back on October 20 whilst some of the team was in the state of semi-dressed (The Crack Team has been given a video of the purported incident. However we cannot confirm the veracity of provenance of said video).

My friend Chaz the Blogger brought up some good points on his blog about this incident  yesterday. Yet again the double standard does exist. Even when an administrator is shone is a bad light in the media two weeks in a row.

But good enough was unable to be left alone.

The Grand Street Campus football team was in the news due to allegations that coach Bruce Eugene had an ineligible player on the team. Coach Eugene was fired as coach even though Grand Street won the city football title in 2015. But just before the game on October 20, Eugene won a court order that lifted the suspension and this is where I am going to focus.

He was set up. All about petty BS.

According to the New York Post Coach Eugene was terminated from his coaching position for...

“allegedly heard making inappropriate comments and using profanities”

Come again?

Coach Eugene is quoted in the Post as having said to the team in a pre-game speech...

 “F–k what I’m going through, f–k what’s going on. Let’s focus on Lincoln,”

How shocking! A football coach cursing?

The Crack Team checked with my 15 year old son and asked him if any of his coaches during the time he has played ball have dropped the F and/or S bombs. Now mind you my son's primary sport is baseball. Yes it is a different game.The emotional level is not as high as it is in football. But nevertheless, The Crack Team wanted to be sure.

My son shared with The Crack Team that while neither his middle school or freshman baseball coaches used filthy language the coaches he has had for his travel team have used the F bomb on more than one occasion.

Examples are...

"Get on the f**king line," "cut the sh*t," "What the f**k are you doing?"

Another coach uses the S word as a noun, verb, and adjective quite a bit! Dang, even his Babe Ruth coach is prone foul language. So was his wrestling coach in middle school. In fact, one of my son's friends shared with The Crack Team that the JV football coach has a potty mouth as well!

And guess what? I, and the other parents, don't care. These are boys. Teenage boys. This past summer his Babe Ruth coach needed someone to be in the dugout and keep the book during a game. I turned red listening to what the boys (including my son) were talking about!

Can't the NYCDOE look past a few potty words and see what Coach Eugene has accomplished and allow him his day in court?

Coach Eugene was keeping these boys of the streets. Instilling purpose and discipline in them that will serve the boys for years upon years to come. In a city where quality high school athletics are lacking why must the fix be always to terminate or severely discipline the person? What is so bad about talking?

Coach Eugene was lauded by the community of Grand Street Campus. In the October 5 edition of the Post it was reported that Coach Eugene...

he still has support among parents who lauded his ability to instill confidence in at-risk kids.

Isn't this what we all want? Why not fix the issue instead of blowing it up? 

Think about this. You need a criminal defense attorney. The best ones out there seem to be those that previously had worked in a district attorney's office. You have a tax problem you find someone who worked at the IRS. Need a security consultant you go with an ex-cop. Makes sense, huh?

So if you're investigated by OSI wouldn't it be best to have someone who was a former OSI investigator who can help you with the ins and outs of dealing with OSI?

It might be a dream too good to be true.

The other day a comment was left on this blog post directing readers to the Facebook page (I deleted the link. You will see why in just a bit) of former OSI investigator Iuliana Celik.

Celik left this on teachers.net...

I am a former OSI Investigator and Supervisor, former
Hearing representative and former law enforcement investigator with over
10 years of investigative experience.
I provide consulting services to teachers, guidance counseled, principals
and other NYC school staff who are or believe they are being investigated
by OSI. I bring a wealth of inside expertise and techniques that can help
you successfully navigate your case with OSI.
Do not hesitate to contact me should you need my services and check out
my page for more useful information!

WOW! I thought to myself. This must be really great. Finally, teachers can get int of the brains of OSI.

I immediately called Chaz the Blogger to share this with him and see what he thought.

He was quite skeptical. Chaz thought that even with all that knowledge to share how do you get around the fact that if you are on principal's good side the investigation goes nowhere and you aren't you are screwed. I tried bringing up the fact that according to Celik's OSI Consultation Facebook page she can be an expert witness in your 3020-a hearings and help your defense as well.

I kinda had blinders on but Chaz was making sense. I guess a little voice in my head was saying the same thing since even before I had called Chaz I was planning on calling Celik to find out more before I would post about her service.

I told Chaz I was going to give her a call and Chaz said one important thing. He told me to ask her how to get around that principal thing. If she had plausible  answer to that he would be more receptive to finding out more.

I called Celik. She answered the phone. I said, "Hi I am Peter Zucker. The reason I am calling is that you left a link in the comments section of a post on my blog, South Bronx School."

She replied, "Yes."

I told her that I wanted to find out more about the services she was offering so that when I share her info on these pages so my writing can be better informed.

Her response, and are you ready for this???

"I only speak to paid clients."

Say what? You are starting a brand new consultative business and you want to be silent? You don't want to get the word out?  She can't be shy. Heck, she has photos of herself all over her Facebook page. I decided to try a different tact.

I told her that I was planning to write about her services and this would be a great way to get clients. I told her teachers should be knocking down her door.

At this point she told me she no long wishes to discuss this and at this point hung up.

Something smells rotten.

After consultation with The Crack Team we here at SBSB are suggesting to all teachers and educators within the NYCDOE to NOT HAVE ANY DEALINGS AT ALL WITH FORMER OSI INVESTIGATOR IULIANA CELIK UNTIL SHE IS WILLING TO BE MORE FORTHCOMING!

Think about this. How can someone, someone that is just starting a business not want to get word out to the very constituency it wants to cultivate? This is why I am writing this post, not because I am feel I was slighted but rather at the strangeness and evasiveness of Celik's responses which totally go against the grain.

But upon further investigation by The Crack Team there were other red flags found. Like here, where Celik is advertising to be a dog walker and this misleading line...

I am an animal lover who has left a high paying law career to start a dog walking and pet sitting business in Westchester.

We here at SBSB did not know that being an OSI investigator was such a high paying career and by "law career" it might make one seem that Celik was an attorney. The Crack Team just to be sure searched and found nothing.

I want to believe that Celik's venture is a noble one. I want to believe that Celik saw the light and having knowledge of the damage that OSI has done had decided to use her powers for good and not evil.

On these pages I have touted the fine legal work of Bryan Glass. There have been readers that have reached out to him. Heck, Portelos has done the same regarding Bryan on his many forums and many readers have reached out to Bryan as well. If there is someone out there who is on the side of teachers positive word of mouth spreads fast. Using Bryan Glass as an example, look at him. He is like Ringo in A Hard Day's Night. Being chased everywhere for his services.

Iuliana, or is it Julie, if you want to do this than you need to be more forthcoming, more transparent. Too many teachers have been burned by too many promising the moon.

If teacher's are going to spend money on the services of Ms Cerlik than teachers have a right to know more. Simple as that.

I have this little OCD habit which I believe I have mentioned in the past. If I awaken in the middle of the night I reach for my phone and check the news. I did this morning at 5 AM and boy did I get a surprise.

No, not that Namita Dwarka, principal of William Cullen Bryant High School is in the news again, but that this time as reported by the New York Post, she apparently was covering up sexual malfeasance. Apparently her AP, Pelagia Papoutsis, was involved in sexual tryst with a female student.

As the Post reported that the DOE is;

"...investigating allegations that a female assistant principal slept with a girl student while the principal kept it quiet."

And...

"...the former math teacher and Bryant HS alumna was promoted to assistant principal last school year, and considered a powerful member of Principal Namita Dwarka’s inner circle. But she is now under a cloud for allegedly engaging in a romantic relationship with one of her former students."

Sickening.

Has Chaz the Blogger asked today;

"Here we go again....You just need just to look at the many issues associated with the Principal.  Here, Here, Here, and Here."

Who do we have to thank for this getting in the Post? None other that Bryant High School phys ed. teacher Peter Maliarakis (Check out his Facebook pages here and here.) who has blown the whistle ever since he was reassigned in June for alleging;

"....filthy conditions in the basement area adjacent to a bathroom that caused such a stench “students put shirts over their noses,”

For this he was hit up with 12 charges of incompetence and insubordination.

Two takeaways here.

One, Peter is a whistle blower for the noblest of reasons. This is not about him, his quest for revenge, it is about the students. Peter has a young child and one on the way. Putting his neck out there like this in his situation shows that he is not doing this to advance anything other than what is right for the students. What is right for the school. And what is right for the community. Doing what he has done and being in the situation he is in surely is not easy. I too have blown the whistle and like Peter my reasons were for the safety of the students.

The other takeaway is how does Dwarka keep her job (Seriously, we know how she keep her job, she is a administrator with the DOE)? Face it, she is a fuck up. If any teacher covered up sexual malfeasence he or she would be arrested immediately, suspended without pay, and have an expedited 3020-a hearing. If Dwarka even gets removed and Rubberized it will be at least 4 years before some resolution happens.

Same with her AP. In fact I was chatting with Peter on FB today and jokingly told him that Papoutsis will probably be promoted to a nice cushy position when this is all said and done. Same to with Dwarka.

But the worse part is this crap was happening when Bloomberg, Klein, and Walcott were in charge and where is the outrage that will follow this week when Farina and de Blasio are castigated by the press (Farina should be crucified by the press and then resign!).

Apparently the DOE seems not to care about the students and the community and only wishes to keep itself in power just like some two bit Central American military junta.

Individuals and the communities need to keep up the pressure, not just with the DOE but with he media as well.

And what of the false idols claiming their writing of  letters and emails to the principals and superintendents shall worry them and/or keep them on their toes?  The false idols are nothing more than just paper clowns (THIS IS OPINION! DEAL WITH IT!).

Several days ago, in what then was a tongue in cheek blog post, we here at SBSB suggested that my cat Sparkles, run for UFT president.

Apparently when we were all asleep Sparkles manages to read that post and sat down with me to discuss the possibility. She has spent the last several days contemplating a run and today decided to sit down with members of The Crack Team to announce her decision and share her policy points.

Here now is the entire "presser" held by Sparkles, with myself offering the translation from cat talk to English, completely unedited.

Sparkles, you called us to your home today telling us you have a major announcement. What is it?

I have decided to throw my hat in the ring and run for president of the UFT

Which caucus nominated you? In fact which caucus are you with?

Careful there bub. I have yet to be nominated. I find it presumptuous to nominate oneself or even influence others to nominate me.

As for which caucus I am aligned with, that would be the MORE caucus. You can say I represent teachers that are cat owners. 

And just what is it you have done for teachers that own cats? 

I have started the UFT Kitty Alliance FB page (Well I didn't start that someone else did), Don't Tread on Teacher Kitty Owners, I have been there for teachers when they need to talk to someone about their kitty coughing up hair balls, I have begun many websites and list servs as well.

And have you engaged in any picketing in favor of teachers that own cats? 

No. Basically it is a waste of time picketing a school with only 8 people and one of those 8 are wearing a Captain Picard uniform. Picketing is all well and good but basically, without community support, or the "real" media involved, you basically look like a bunch of schmucks out there.

It's better to establish a presence within the school to hand out information extolling the caucus, i.e. when are meetings, people to contact, etc... Also to reach out personally to other groups in the community. Picketing, unless you truly narrowly target where you are picketing, such as an unexpected place, makes you look like a bunch of schmucks. 

Now mind you, there are cat owning teachers that have been discontinued, brought up on 3020-a charges, are being harassed, but empty gestures can only raise their level of expectations which in the end will disappoint them.

So all these social media pages have they affected any change within the DOE or the UFT?

You're joking, right?

Why do you expect to be nominated?

I don't. If I do, fine, if I don't fine. Democracy rules. I can honestly tell you there are people more worthy than myself to be UFT president. My owner has listed them here.

Speaking of which, I feel blogs have more (Pardon the pun) influence and more reach, at least the popular ones, such as Ednotes, Chaz, NYC Educator, SBSB, Raging Horse, ICE, DOENUTS, than picketing and all that stuff. The above blogs are what the people read!

Some say that James Eterno will be nominated. What would you do if he is? Will you put up a fight?

I will graciously step aside and support James. Remember, anyone can own a restaurant not everyone can be a 5 star chef and it is the chef that brings in the people to the restaurant.

And on that note James once made me a liver, chicken and cheese påté that was to die for!

If James is not nominated and you are, would you offer James the position of UFT Secretary?

I don't know if James would accept that job. I would like to have James be my closest advisor, much as Clark Clifford had been to many presidents. Anyway I am thinking of having my good friend, Bill the Cat be secretary.

Editors note: It was at this point that Sparkles got distracted by birds flying by the window and then she decided to clean herself. 

And if you are nominated, what can we expect?

You can expect to have someone there to work their butt off for every UFT member there is and I will put in place throughout the entire UFT only those that will put members first. I will not have an ego, I will allow anyone to come to me if they disagree with me and I will not be vindictive, I will not have a hissy fit, and I will be mature with those who are of independent thought.

Last question, what can the rank and file expect from a Sparkles presidency? 

It will be a union run buy the teachers, for the teachers. If I become president, God willing, I will stand before the rank and file a humbled kitty. That all egos will be checked at the door and that each member of the union is as important a cog in the wheel as me or anyone.

Thank you for allowing me this time. I now want to take a nap. Godspeed to all. 

And there you have it. Sparkles threw her hat in the nominating process.

Shocking news, well shocking in the same way that Captain Renault felt when he "found out"
gambling was happening at Rick's Cafe.

The Crack Team received an exclusive email from an ATR regarding the sham hiring practices ATR's encounter in looking for a permanent position.

Last year I went on 15 interviews for positions in English in Brooklyn.   In each case, I and other ATRs with English licenses were interviewed after a new teacher had been hired.  In some cases I was told upon arrival to the interview, "Thank you for coming, the position has been filled."   

In some cases, I was interviewed and told during the interview that they had already chosen a candidate and they were only interviewing me out of compliance with a mandate to interview ATRs. In other cases, I was interviewed but never heard back from the school.    

Two of my placements as an ATR  were in schools where I had interviewed.  In each school I met the teacher who had been hired.  In both cases, the teacher was brand new to the system.  One was a new graduate from Ed school.  The other had worked for a year in Suffolk County.   

Were these probationary teachers more qualified? Absolutely not. I have a B.A and an MA plus 30.     

Do they have more experience?  One teacher had student teaching, the other had 1 year of experience in a suburban school.  I have 18 years of experience in the district where I have taught urban populations.  I have lived in this community for 25 years.    

The new recruits were not from NYC, nor had they worked in an urban district before.  Neither teacher had ever worked with a high needs population before.    

What then do they have that made them the ideal candidate?   

As regular substitutes, they can be paid $150 a day and fired without due process. 

The issue is not about hiring effective teachers. It's about the DoE's decision to grant Principal's the autonomy and discretion to make all administrative and economic decisions without the constraint of union rules.  It's also about the Department of Education's long term strategy drive down the cost of labor, while privatizing corporate services throughout the system, and generating profits for their wealthy investors.  

There you have it. I was planning to compare this to would one rather have a heart surgeon right out of medical school or a seasoned heart surgeon who has done may heart operations. But I changed my mind.

I think the bigger picture is how there is not only a level of mistrust of the DOE--and the UFT--but a actual, rational anxiety that ATR's have to the new rules that govern them.

If they, and the DOE and UFT, can be manipulated in ways written of in the above email, then what is to prevent a unscrupulous principal in continuing to manipulate the ATR system?

Today Chaz wrote in his blog;

However, for ATRs, special rules already apply and if the ATR exceeds 10 days, the ATR will be automatically rated "unsatisfactory" by the field supervisor,

For ATRs, the new contract's special rules that will start in the 2014-15 school year will allow only two consecutive days for an ATR to not show up to the school and  since the ATR is absent without notification  the DOE will assume that the ATR resigned.
 

And, problematic behavior has yet to be defined. Nor are there any checks and balances to be sure to keep rouge (Which suffice it to say is the rule not the exception) administrators from abusing the 50 day rule.

Worse, and this is a feeling I get, is that the ATR's feel worse about the lack of empathy and support from fellow teachers. Be it in the schools they go to each week or just system wide. This kind of behavior is somewhat expected by the DOE and the UFT, but to get it from your very own colleagues must be crushing.

Sadly, the lack of feeling from colleagues is staring to be pretty standard operating procedure and I am sure that shock and disappointment must be wearing off.

I have always said that I will take respect and dignity over a big pay raise in our new contract. Today we found out we are getting neither.

I was with my wife in Valhalla, having just gotten in the car, when the contract announcement came over the radio. I delayed our trip home to tweet and text information that was coming from the Farina/Mulgrew love fest. One thing was on my mind the most. And it wasn't the raises, it wasn't the retro. It wasn't any of the givebacks or little deals made behind our backs. The most important thing to me was the status of the ATR's (Absent Teacher Reserves). To me and The Crack Team that was the deal breaker.

At another time we can delve into the raise, the added hours, the merit pay, etc... But for this evening, the topic of discussion are the ATR's.

The Crack Team and myself have spoken and with and read the blogs of several prominent bloggers. Chaz, Reality Based Educator, and Urban Ed. Now remember, not all the details have been released about the ATR's, but we have been able to get a pretty good general idea. But remember, this post is open to any revision coming down the pike.

It seems that if one is an ATR, you will not be forced into a school that you don't want to be in nor will a ATR be foisted upon a principal. It is has to be mutual.

The ATR will have to interview and if offered a job will have (according to Chaz) a 50 day try out (If the principal thinks you have cooties you are gone), though Farina said it can be as little as 1 day. After that 50th or 1 day, the ATR gets one more chance at remaining in a school. If you flunk out again, that's it, your career is over. There is an expedited hearing to be had within 1 month that is not to be more than 1 day. See how this can be abused?

What is to keep a principal from being in cahoots with a higher up to "get" a teacher that is in the ATR pool? That principal can be directed to take on that teacher and than let him or her go. Repeat it again and that teacher, their salary, their pension, and their health benefits are off the books. Bye, bye to that ATR and bring on the next victim.

Now as Chaz mentioned;

In fact, principals are not required to hire ATRs for their vacancies until October 15th, by then all vacancies are usually filled. 

So there again is the double edged sword that will keep ATR's out of schools. But then again this might be a good thing, no?

But what can an ATR do to keep from getting terminated? It is so simple.

Remember, there apparently is no penalty for the ATR if her or she goes on the interview and does not get a position. The Crack Team cracked the numbers and came up with a simple solution.

Blow the interview. If you are a male teacher, come dressed as Corporal Klinger. If you are a female teacher, come dressed as Bette Davis. Come to the interview and answer the questions wrong, don't bring a portfolio, act as dumb as possible.

Be rude, be crude, share with the principal the number of time you were taken aboard the mother ship and went to the home world. Don't shower, don't shave. Share with the principal that you believe Jim Morrison and Andy Kaufman are still alive and you have tea with them every Sunday afternoon at the Blue Bay Diner in Riverdale.  But remember, whatever you do, blow the interview.

And one more thing. VOTE NO ON THE NEW CONTRACT! Send a message. We need to look out for one another and we need to support the ATR's. They need it, the deserve it, and they have earned it.

Chaz the Blogger had an interesting piece yesterday about how new chancellor Carmen Farina must clean house of the approximately 700 attorneys and 300 accountability "experts" that permeate and suck money out of the DOE. But Chaz stated the obvious;

...presently, the DOE acts as a "bully" when it comes to the teaching staff.  Carmen Farina can't simply"rearrange the deck chairs on the Titanic"and expect that the very same people who treated the schools and the teachers with disrespect and as disposable cogs and the students as widgets in a perverse business model to earn the trust of parents, students, or teachers.   Only a complete "spring cleaning" by the Chancellor is necessary and instead of a staff of non-educators, only long-term successful educators should be at the highest levels at the DOE.  

This leads into the plight of Lydia Howrilka, former teacher at the Academy for Language and Technology in the Bronx. Wait! You say that school sounds familiar? It should. The principal, Arisleyda Ureña, was featured in a New York Post article just last month in which she allegedly went against chancellor's regulations and had students participate in raffles for wonderful prizes such as iPads, mini-laptops, sporting goods, and various other prizes. Principal Ureña and ALT were also mentioned in the Post in September of 2013 for as the Post claims, "dubious make-up work."

Lydia wrote a letter to Chancellor Farina which fell into the hands of the Queens Time Ledger on March 11, 2014. It is a moving and stirring letter written by a young lady that really wants to give of herself to the students and communities of New York City. I have met Lydia and in my opinion any school, any student, any parent, and any community that comes into contact with her will benefit from her involvement in their lives.

Lydia's open letter to Chancellor Farina; 

This letter is in regard to my investigations with the Office of Special Investigations in the city Department of Education and my still pending investigation and charges from a school-based investigation.

I was a teacher for the DOE. Teaching had been my passion since I was a young girl, and I am a proud graduate of Hunter College’s School of Education. I worked in District 9, at the Academy for Language and Technology in the Bronx.

Principal Arisleyda Ureña hired me in August 2012 to teach social studies. I stayed late almost every day crafting rigorous and engaging lessons, working with my colleagues to improve the outcomes for our English language learners and organizing school-wide events in my role as student government faculty adviser.

On June 17, 2013, I received a letter from Cristina Jimenez stating that I had been reassigned from my position. I spent the final eight school days of the academic year sitting in a reassignment center at 1 Fordham Plaza. Neither Ureña, any staff member from ALT’s Children First Network, any investigator from the Office of Special Investigations, nor any lawyer from DOE told me why I was reassigned. I did not speak with an investigator upon arrival or during my stay there.

On July 15, 2013, I was discontinued from probationary service. Prior to this discontinuance, I had received a job offer from a secondary school outside District 9 in early July 2013. The new principal’s CFN human resources manager was unable to attach me to the job and informed me that I had been “red flagged” in the system.

I went to OSI July 25, 2013, and spoke to Henry Gomez as a walk-in when Gomez was doing intake. I wanted to know whether I was under investigation. Gomez was professional and looked up the case to see which OSI investigator was handling my case. Gomez informed me that OSI had no information as to what is going on with my case because it had been downgraded to a local, school-based investigation.

It has been more than seven months since an investigation was first opened on me. I have not received any charges to date. I have neither spoken to Ureña, interim acting Principal Jose Viñales, Superintendent Carron Staple, any DOE investigator regarding my case, nor Senior Field Counsel Gillian Kost. On Nov. 1, 2013, Ureña resigned from her position as principal of the Academy for Language and Technology.

How does this affect my case? Is it still open? Were my “charges” found to be unsubstantiated or not?

On Nov. 8, 2013, Katherine Rodi sent me an e-mail explaining to me that my termination from the DOE will “trigger” a review if I have a “valid job offer.” A copy of Rodi’s e-mail reads as follows:

“Ms. Howrilka,

“Mr. Hearn and Mr. Condon are not involved with the clearance process within the DOE.
“As I have told you and your representatives before, your termination from the DOE will trigger a review if you have a valid job offer. Until you have a valid job offer, your file will not be reviewed. There is no “flag” on your record beyond your termination.

“Sincerely,

“Katherine Rodi

“Director of Employee Relations

“NYCDOE”

Rodi; Lawrence Becker, the chief executive officer of the Division of Human Resources and Talent; and the Office of Personnel Investigation are unwilling to respond to my questions regarding my school-based investigation, but during an interview with OPI Investigator Laurie Vazquez, she informed me that the reason why I had been unable to accept a job with another DOE school in early July was because of the OSI/school-based investigation which had placed a “block” on my record and prevented the second principal from hiring me.

This “block” made it impossible for the principal to enter my credentials through Galaxy and trigger OPI to re-open and re-evaluate my case.

I am requesting a meeting with you and other appropriate school officials regarding my OSI and school-based investigations. What charges had I been accused of that warranted my removal from ALT June 17, 2013, in the middle of proctoring a Regents exam?


Since I have neither met with an investigator, an administrator, nor another DOE official regarding my charges in seven months, this removal and subsequent silence are violations of my constitutional right to due process.

Lydia Howrilka

What an amazing letter from an amazing person. The Crack Team hopes that things work out for Lydia. This looks like a problem where if the people involved just sit down and talk they can find a mutually beneficial agreement. 

Communication can stop so many problems.