Cover Up at IS 162 in the Bronx? Let's Ask District 7 Superintendent Yolanda Torres

On June 10, 2013, I wrote a post, "Where is the Bronx District Attorney When You Need Him?" I left a lot of details out, names, the school, the district, etc... Today, I am rewriting/rerunning that post but not holding anything back. Names, school, everything.

These three miscreants get away with such behavior while Christine Rubino, Francesco Portelos, myself and 8 other colleagues and the rest of the teachers in NYC are crapped on. Accountability from Tweed is bullshit. It means nothing. It is just watching out for yourself, your cronies, and those that live in the rectums of administrators.

Remember, this shit can't be made up! 

This happened over the course of several years in District 7 in the Bronx. The school is IS 162.
Yolanda Torres is the superintendent, the principal is Marilyn Manzolillo and the AP is Greg Papadopoulos.

But everything is true. Everything happened. Everything was covered up.

Greg Papadopoulos put in "long hours" at home doing the scheduling. I mean really really long hours.

There were no time cards to be punched nor signed. Marilyn Manzolillo principal of IS 162 did not have enough money to pay per session so the pay was in comp time.

There was shit loads of comp time involved. Remember, all unverified. No time cards.

The assistant administrator took vacations with this comp time. All during instructional time, for weeks at a time.

Countries and cities of Europe were visited all while the students of IS 162 were busy as Papadopoulos was off gallivanting around.

Meanwhile the school is going into the crapper.

Somehow the Commissioner of Special Investigations office got wind of this. Praise be to God! We all know how CSI can be when going after those who misrepresent time taken off and defrauding the DOE claiming they worked while in reality they did not.

Just ask Matthew Kaye aka Matt Striker or Lynn Stewart's daughter. We know how seriously SCI takes this stuff.

This is where that Yolanda Torres comes in.

SCI, the bastion of all keeping all that is correct in the NYC DOE drops the ball!!!!!!

There was proof up the ying yang!!

They kick it back to Yolanda Torres for the discipline phase.

The Marilyn Manzolillo is buds with the superintendent. She must be, why else would we not hear of this, but we heard of Liza Cruz Diaz at PS 31 in District 7. Ms Diaz stole money. Stealing time is the same as stealing money.

Papadopoulos gets just a letter in the file!

Imagine if a teacher had done this??? OH baby!

Of course Papadopoulos could not have done this without being enabled by Manzolillo.

I might not be a lawyer, but dang, if this doesn't seem like fraud, larceny, conspiracy, and a few other felonies, then I mock my SUNY education.

Why hasn't Bronx District Attorney Robert Johnson been notified of this?

But he is a dolt. How about US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Preet Bharara?

It has been said, and by very reliable sources, that  Papadopoulos had much more than a professional relationship with Manzolillo. Wink, wink, nudge, nudge. Know what I mean? Know what I mean?

So this happens and teachers all across the city, and the country are getting crapped on.

Why? Where is the logic behind this.

It is not us running the schools. We just work there.

Maybe it is time to go after the schmucks in charge?  

These 3 crap all over Stu Schmelz, yet they continue to game the system.
 
Yeah, this shit can't be made up!!!
  
 Update 7/22/13 @ 6:12 PM: The Crack Team as learned that Marilyn Manzolillo is no longer the principal of IS 162. The new IA principal is Angel Fani.

Thoughts About Stuart Schmelz And Sycophantic Assistant Principals

As those regular readers of this blog remember, Stu Schmelz, an assistant principal at IS 162 in the Bronx passed away suddenly last May. Tribute was paid to Stu, twice, on these pages after his untimely passing. We here at SBSB and those that worked with Stu know that he got jacked big time and know that in due time the truth will come out in full.

A lot of truth landed on the desks at the SBSB newsroom of what transpired at IS 162 prior to his passing. At press time we can't reveal too much other than the dirty dealing that was perpetrated upon him was beyond reprehensible. Not only was Stu thrown under the bus, but the bus backed up and ran over him again and again.

Stu was caught up in the world of people having obscene, carnal relations with ghosts and dogs, sycophantic machinations brought on by the de facto leader of the Mole People, chronic disappearances for football and gallivanting with a passport, and literally picking up doody. But for now, what we know will need to remain only referred to cryptically and must remain vague.

Stu was one of a kind in this business. His word was his bond. What you saw with Stu was what you got. You could trust Stu. You could count on him. Unfortunately, education, in particular the NYC DOE has become a world in which the incompetent, sycophantic, unqualified are rewarded, while those who are competent, independent thinkers, qualified are slowly fucked and made to suffer.

Yes, there has been lots of news lately of principals without any morals. Principal Penis, and newly added to the list, Principal Liza Cruz Diaz of PS 31 in the Bronx. But what of those that we call assistant principals? There are much more of them than principals, and with more and more schools being added, there seems to be a high demand for them.

Back when I started teaching in the 90's all AP's it seemed were teachers who had paid their dues through years and years of teaching. Now, all one needs to become an assistant principal is a check book, some college that offers an administrative degree, a compliant friend, and the ability, to cleanse on a daily basis, a principal's colon. Oh, and let's not forget what a joke the C-30 process is. Why others are interviewed when it has already been predetermined who the AP will be I have never understood.

There are too many AP's out there that just take up space and for lack of a better explanation are nothing more than a principal's Himmler. They do the evil bidding of their principal and will move mountains to blame someone else for their own Freudian shortcomings. Assistant principal's such as these are manipulative, bereft of any and all empathy, sympathy, or basic understanding of the human race. In fact, one can wonder if such AP's as these are of the human race.

Fortunately, there is something known as Karma. Karma will always rear its head for such AP's and will, to paraphrase John Lennon, gonna bring them down. Well not actually Karma, but their own manipulation, machinations, inclinations, and general low sense of themselves will catch up with such AP's.

The Facepalm Of Failure In The Bronx

I remember when my dad's first cousin died. This was way back in 1981 when I was 17. Other than my grandparents dying within 6 months of each other when I was 4, this was my first family death and funeral.

One thing that caught my eye during this time is when his wife and daughters were sitting Shiva. For those who aren't aware, Shiva is Hebrew for seven and that is the amount of days we Jews are supposed to mourn. People come over the house, food is served, according to how observant you certain customs are followed. But, there are a lot of friends and family around, not to mention copious amounts of food.

So here I am 17 years old and taking this all in for the first time. I forget which day of Shiva it was but I recall seeing my cousin, I guess my 2nd or 3rd cousin, whatever you wish to call it with a bunch of friends, laughing. I couldn't believe it. How could she laugh on such a solemn occasion? Her father just died and there she is laughing, smiling. How was this possible?

I got my answer a year later when my mother died. You want to laugh, you need to laugh. You need to be around family and friends and hear all these stories about the person you lost. You need to laugh and smile between the periods of crying and sadness. You want to feel  warmth when all there is around you is nothing but a chill.

I always thought Jews had it right as compared to wakes. In no way am I besmirching the Christian way of mourning. But, I have always had a tough time with with the somewhat more refrained wakes. Yes, I know, I am stereotyping. But I just don't like the open casket, the formality that I see, what with the chairs in rows, the family sitting down at one spot.

But we all have our differences, and these differences need to be celebrated and enjoyed.

But one difference I do not understand in light of my colleague Stu Schmelz's death. Why, when his family is at its lowest point are the teachers and staff of IS 162 being discouraged from on high to not attend his wake? What is there to gain from not having the people he works with not pay their respects to his grieving family?  Is there something that whomever issued this edict is afraid of getting out, some type of information that might not bode well for the person who commanded, or at least suggested, not to show up for his wake?

This was not a time for petty, personal business to come in to play. If the person who made this edict did have issues with Stu Schmelz then the best thing to do was for this person not to show up at the wake or the funeral. Send a condolence card. Send flowers. Make a donation. Have a tree in Israel donated in Stu's name. These might have been phony, empty gestures, but gestures nonetheless. It would at least have given solace to Stu's family in the time of the grief. But to at the least suggest to others not to attend his wake or funeral only exasperates their feelings of loss.

The person who did this must either an extremely guilty conscious, or just is a person so devoid of human emotion and empathy that it boggles the mind.

The World Is Now Lonelier Without Stuart Schmelz

I got very sad news earlier this evening. My friend, Stuart Schmelz, AP at IS 162 in the Bronx passed away Thursday.

I have known Stu for almost 16 years. I met him the very first day I started teaching. I took an instant liking to Stu. He told it like it was, and not only did he talk the talk, but more importantly he walked the walk.

Even then, way back in 1995 Stu knew how to fix the schools. Stu believed in personal responsibility. He was its strongest advocate. He would have made a great chancellor. Unfortunately, he never applied, nor did Uncle Mike know how to find and utilize talent when it was right under his nose.

He was a chapter chair for several years. I will never forget the fight he put up for a 1st year teacher who was bullied by the then nut job principal, Luisa Pinero-Fuentes. Luisa decided that she no longer cared for this teacher. The teacher probably didn't kiss her ass enough. Within the course of a month, starting the last week of April, Luisa decided to give the first year teacher all three of her observations. This teacher received a U each and every time. Stu fought like hell for this teacher. Eventually, the grievance went to a Step II and the teacher won. If it was not for Stu, if it was not for him fighting the fight, this teacher would have given up.

Stu and I worked together for three years. We parted ways for two, and then both wound up working together for another three. Sharing an office with him I found out so much more about Stu. Stu was a great family man. Stu was always there for his wife and daughter. I'll never forget when he came to work one day with his daughter's cell phone. I asked him what he was doing with it. He told me that she had gone over the minutes one too many times and until she pays for it the phone was now his. I learned so much from this man how to be a good father.

My son was born the last day of school in 2001. Stu and I were alone in the office when I got the phone call that my wife's water had broken. I hung up the phone and looked at Stu with a "now what" look on my face. In his always calm, always rational way he said, "I guess you better go now." I told him, "I can't. I just ordered breakfast." With that half smile, and devilish look in his eye he agreed with me. Thing is, anytime we talked after that, whenever the topic of my son came up Stu always mentioned that day, with a smile, with pride.

We parted company, yet always stayed in touch. Stu was a great believer that the way to fix the problems in the schools was not more testing, not more curriculum that does not work, but to fix the family. To fix the root of the problems. In no uncertain ways, what Stu was saying was it is poverty that needs to be taken care of, the helplessness people have that must be addressed. But Stu put up a good front. Saying those words would put a dent in the tough armor he wore. Underneath that armor was a man, a true man that cared about his family, his friends, his students.

As an assistant principal, one thing is sure. The title never went to his head. He might have belonged to CSA, but his heart, his soul was with the rank and file of the UFT. He was everyman, he was Sipowicz. Hell, he even dressed like Sipowicz.

As an AP he never looked to jam a teacher. He did not believe in "gotcha!" He too his title as AP seriously, he was there to work with a teacher, to guide a teacher, to be a leader. That was his belief system

My favorite story about Stu, and one that I will always remember and share one day with my son is about the New jersey Devils. Back in 2002 his wife was working for Volvo. At the time, Volvo was sponsorship deal with the Devils. That morning at work Stu informed me that he has $24K of Devils tickets laying on his kitchen table. His wife, somehow was in charge of distributing the tickets to deals, customers, etc... We looked at each other and wondered what we can do with $24K. He kidded that it wasn't worth his marriage. But we had a better idea.

The Devils were home that night against the Canadiens. He said, there are eight seats for the game that night, come on up to his house, pick as many as I want. I said sure. I called a few friends, drove up to his house, picked up the tickets, and presto! There I was with my friends seating second row at the blue line right next to Montreal's bench. And who do I see making his way to the other seats a few rows back midway through the first period? Stu, with his daughter and her friend.

What did Stu die of? I am not really sure. The story is still sketchy. But I do know that he was going through a lot of work related stress. In my mind, with what I see, Uncle Mike, Joel Klein, Michelle Rhee, all the ediots and deformers somehow, someway have contributed to this undue stress. If there was a way to indict these people, I would be first on line to testify.

But what is worse, what really gets me, are the phony teachers out there now. These young turks who think nothing of it to think just about themselves, to have others plant ideas in their heads. These twentysomethings are about themselves. Marching in a rally that they don't believe in. Stu was not like that. He saw the big picture, he knew what needed to be done and he went against the grain. He was respected by teachers, students, parents, friends, all school staff, all the people of the school community. I only wish I could fill his shoes some how.

Stu liked to call himself a rabblerouser. He saw bullshit, but never stepped in it. But he did everything he could to rid the world of it.

I hope now that the Jets will win a Super Bowl. Just not in a year in which doing so will impede the Giants chances.

The DOE will be so much emptier now that Stu Schmelz is gone.