SOUTH BRONX SCHOOL: March 2019

Saturday, March 30, 2019

Paul Egan Misuses UFT Issued Equipment

I went into the deli this morning to get breakfast and there right in front of me was the headline on today's Daily News about a sex scandal that has roiled the UFT. And sadly I was not surprised. Norm Scott had a feeling something was up earlier last week. Little did he know that wasn't the only thing "up."

Paul Egan, the UFT's political leader and director of chapter something or other who had been being paid over $190k a year was fired for using UFT issued cell phones and computers to sext and presumably other stuff with his a female UFT lawyer who according to the Daily News is a subordinate.

Frankly I do not care who he was banging. I don't care whether or not Egan or his babe have spouses. Yes, there are issues being involved with a subordinate, but what happens between two consenting adults is their business.

What I do take umbrage with his using dues monies to text photos of his junk using phones and computers paid for by the rank and file. Again, be as filthy and naughty as you want. Just use your cell and your computer.

I take offense that this man is paid, according to the Daily News...
...a salary of $192,102 in 2018 plus $25,757 in expenses, according to union filing
And what did he do to earn such a top flight salary within the UFT? I guess it all started when he was a teacher at PS 113 in the Bronx and he told he 7th graders before a standardized test to sharpen their pencils and just by an amazing coincidence the answers for the first 11 questions were next to the sharpener! And then to be sure to cover his tracks his brain kicked into high gear and blabbered to the students...
“Don’t tell anyone that I helped you or you’ll be the ones who get into trouble.”
Hey, we're all allowed our Homer Simpson moments, right? Why would the UFT hire such a person?

I am wondering about this incident that Egan was involved in...
...his next brush with notoriety occurred in an alcohol-fueled banquet at Albany’s posh Marché bistro in 2011. Big-eater Egan got rowdy while ringing up nearly $2,000 on dinner and drinks at the posh restaurant, which is now closed.

Why did Egan get upset?  He whined that the portions of his prix fixe meal were too small. This was his complaint. So big deal? When you leave, find a Burger King and have a post dinner Whopper. Heck, have a Double Whopper.

The main course of his meal was quail. WTF?? Who eats quail? I guess that is something one eats when you aren't the one paying for it. Why some fancy joint? There is not a IHOP, Denny's, TGIF, on Wolf Rd in Albany where the UFT can dine. Egan looks like a pancake guy. IHOP routinely has all you can eat pancakes.

Why oh why on the day this comes out that the UFT is spending thousands of dollars for a Functional Chapter retreat at the Hilton in Rye Brook NY? Would it not be more cost effective to have such a retreat or whatever it is be at 52 Broadway?

Bad optics. Almost no one at the UFT thinks steps ahead nor what the rank and file truly want.

It would have been nice for Mulgrew to have been quoted in the Daily News article about how appalled he is at the behavior of Paul Egan. I think that would have been good optics. But Mulgrew is rarely about the optics.

Worse, there will be members who will use this to discontinue paying their dues. Some statement by Mulgrew and transparency with this incident might help keep some who are thinking of leaving to stay.


Wednesday, March 27, 2019

The Lunch Teacher Turns the Lunch Tables on Her Accusers

It's Wednesday, and that means it's time for an update on the Lunch Teacher. Actually, no hard and fast rule about Wednesday.

For those who have forgotten, or those who are new, you can catch up on the Lunch Teacher here, here, and here.

This past Monday, March 25, the Lunch Teacher turned the proverbial Lunch Tables on her accusers during the always fun and exciting professional development.

PD was all about the upcoming ELA exam's next week and The Crack Team had some insiders at there reporting back that not only was the Lunch Teacher chomping at the bit raring to go, but she completely p3wned the upper echelon of her school.

The Lunch Lady asked the testing coordinator...
"If the students don't finish the test by lunch is it permissible to keep them from lunch until they are finished?"
The Crack Team's insiders reported a collective gasp from all the teachers gathered when the above was asked.

We here at SBSB applaud the Lunch Teacher for asking a hard hitting non softball question. Recall, she was punished, ostracized, and shunned for daring to insist that one of her students report for a federally mandated lunch last year during testing.

The response...
"No, they go to lunch then when they return they come back and take the test."
Exsqueeze me?? So it seems the Lunch Teacher was following protocol last year. But then why is she being charged in a 3020-a? She just had her pre-hearing last week? Apparently the hacks at Gold St  are going full throttle in presenting this farce and doing whatever they can get away with in separating her from her direct deposit.

The Lunch Teacher then inquired to...
...a pacing method that was placed in the PD folder about telling the kids to stop at question 5 or so and tell them to wait like doing it all together as a class everyone as looking at each other like we’re not supposed to guide them at all. Then asked further about pacing. The Lunch Lady asked the staff that was there does anyone pace the kids. Insiders shared with The Crack Team that other teachers were sharing how they do it. One said she writes the time in the board just to let the kids know their pace (that’s what Lunch Lady did.) Lunch Lady said to testing coordinator, you cannot clarify about pacing and suggest how to do it and she said no.
Now one of the issues is that another teacher in the school took her tongue and tattled on the Lunch Teacher informing upper echelon on improper pacing. Seems the Lunch Teacher was doing it right all along. 

Then the Lunch Teacher asked....

"...if a student doesn’t finish on day 1 by dismissal can they finish on day 2? 

Testing coordinator said no but they can finish on the make up days.

Face palm!


This is a big violation. It is supposed to be in the confines of the same day!

Is this 3020-a really necessary? Are most? Think about it. If we had seniority transfers and get rid of fair student funding there would be a drop in the amount of teachers brought up on charges. The Lunch Teacher was brought up on charges just to get her out of the school. So she can spend her remaining years wandering a nomad existence as an ATR.

There are more lunch table to turn.

Monday, March 18, 2019

It's Time the UFT Helps Displaced and Indigent Former and Retired Teachers

It never ever stops. That innate ability to teach. That special talent to reach young mind and souls through your own kind of magic. You never ever stop being a teacher. You never ever stop wanting to share your gifts. There are only two things that can stop you.

Dropping dead and the NYCDOE.

Back in 2017 we here at SBSB reported on a teacher that went through hell at his school PS XX with trumped charges that we see time and time again are systemic and the pain and suffering he went through facing the demons of the 3020-a. In March 2019 he is still hurting.

I was at the Meadowlands Fan Duel sports book this past Saturday evening (I bet $10 on the Phoenix Suns -2.5 over New Orleans. Suns won buy 2.) from Aaron Goldstein. He told me that yet again his old lady booted him out of the house as they were arguing over money and his lack of steady work. He was heading into the city to find a subway car to sleep in.

If I had been home or not out with friends I would have picked him up and he could've crashed at my place. But it also got me thinking. He should have some support. Support from his union.

Aaron is nearly destitute. He shouldn't be. If the UFT were smart, it would set up some type of job retraining, job something for teachers that have been discontinued or terminated. Something in which they can learn to transfer their teaching skills into the "real world." You could also add resume and interview skills and even a job bank in which other teaching positions in the charter, parochial, and private schools of NY/NJ/CT are listed. Heck, even give that newly out of work teacher a "career coach." I would donate to such a thing. Better spent for this instead of for COPE.

And what about teachers that are truly destitute? At least Aaron has a roof over his head and he's not eating cat food for dinner. I am sure there are former teachers that have it a lot worse than Aaron.

What a great story I read in yesterday's Daily News how EMS workers are helping keep alive the memory and the spirit of Yadira Arroyo...
...the Daily News launched a fund to help Arroyo’s five sons. EMS members were so inspired by the gesture that they decided to keep the good will going with their own campaign, according to Vincent Variale, president of the Uniformed EMS Officers Union, Local 3621. So two years ago, Arroyo’s colleagues launched the EMS FDNY Help Fund to assist needy families of EMS workers.
Better my money goes to something like this than to COPE.

Even Major League Baseball has the Baseball Assistance Team in which indigent former ballplayers are helped with a slew of arrangements that benefit them.

This can be funded very easily. Automatic donations from paychecks in lieu of donations to COPE. Instead of paying for 1,000 people or whatever at the Rye Hilton twice a year how about those monies go to help retired teachers? Maybe a couple of gold tournaments at Winged Foot (or Westchester Country Club?)or some silent auctions? Mulgrew could auction off his US Open seats.

But it's time. We here at SBSB call on the UFT to initiate this plan post haste. It's needed. Hurting teachers need it.

Saturday, March 9, 2019

UPDATE!!! The Lunch Teacher Chronicles

This is an exclusive SBSB news update! News so exclusive that we here at SBSB felt the need to copyright our this blog post.

The Lunch Teacher's (here and here) date with the Rubber Room came and went. When she walked into
school on February 26, she fully expected to sent to Michelle Nacht's welcome and dispersal unit on Gold St to find out which Rubber Room in the Bronx (Fordham Plaza or Zerega Ave) she would reside at. The Crack Team had it's fingers crossed for Zerega.

She had studied Star Trek trivia and other useless trivia to better able to segue into the insane conversations one gets into at the Rubber Room. Also, a stack of Eric Carle books was with her for her reading pleasure.

But she was thrown a curveball. She was not sent to Michelle Nacht. She was not reassigned. She is still teaching her class. This is great news for the parents and students who depend so much on her.

She is still facing these bullshit charges and was just assigned a damn fine NYSUT attorney.

My guess, as well as The Crack Team's, is that these are charges to drive her out of the school and into the ATR pool. And of course, a small fine of at least $2k just to drive home the point.

Luckily, The Crack Team has a contact over at 100 Gold St and has found out some interesting information on this case. The NYCDOE is about to introduce a pilot program, a new shock punishment regimen, on naughty and wayward teachers. The word is that the Lunch Teacher will be the first one this will be tried out on.

There are two punishment options being discussed.

Punishment #1 entails, in conjunction with new NYCDOE consultant Satan, "The Prince of Darkness," having the Lunch Teacher travel back with Satan to Hades in she will do lunch duty in the staff cafeteria in which she will be subject to one of Satan's "ironic punishments": she will be forced to do lunch duty for what will seem forever (In actuality it will be only a week).

Punishment #2 The Lunch Teacher will be forced to watch hour upon hour of watching this lunchroom etiquette (click here) film from 1960. The goal here is for the Lunch Teacher to show that she understands the proper social ramifications of lunch.


As of press time we are waiting with bated breath on the UFT to share if any of the above punishments violate the contract.




Monday, March 4, 2019

Forest Hills High School Up in Smoke

 Disclaimer: I promised someone no snarkiness nor silliness on this subject but it's late. Serious blog post about FHHS tomorrow.


It appears, according to the New York Post, that stoner principal Ben Sherman now has a baby sitter with him at Forest Hills High School.

So The Crack Team has been hard at work trying to find out what has been happening behind the scenes now with Sherman and his baby sitter. Today they struck gold.

We here at SBSB were blessed enough to hear audio between Sherman and his baby sitter as they discussed the marijuana scandal. Sadly the file format could not be saved as a link and we here at SBSB were forced to transcribe the conversation. 

Babysitter: Man, what is in this shit, man?
Principal Sherman: Mostly Maui Waui man, but it's got some Labrador in it.
Babysitter: What's Labrador?
Principal Sherman: It's dog shit.
Babysitter : What?
Principal Sherman: Yeah, my dog ate my stash, man.
Babysitter: Yeah?
Principal Sherman: I had it on the table and the little m**********r ate it, man. Then I had to follow him around with a little baggie for three days, man, before I got it back. Really blew the dog's mind, ya know?
Babysitter : You mean we're smokin' dog shit, man?
Principal Sherman: Gets ya high, don't it?

Principal Sherman: Uhhh, I wonder what Great Dane tastes like, man.
Babysitter : I think it's even better than before, you know?

What a weird and far out school.