This Sums Up Why Mike Mulgrew Must No Longer Be UFT President

 I have said it time and time again. If a principal were caught in the act murdering someone, and smoke still coming out of the barrel, with a sizeable blood splatter, nothing would happen to that principal. Well nothing negative at least. 

That principal would be "promoted" to a nice cushy office job at Tweed, be given a raise, and other perks. There wouldn't even be 3020a charges. It would be swept under the rug, never to be spoken of again.

Yet if a teacher were to fart the wrong way, that teacher would be summarily sent to the Rubber Room and brought up on 3020a charges. Then have more inane charges added and face the whims of an "impartial" arbitrator of whether or not they would keep their job. What gives? 

In today's Post it was reported that...

Khurshid Abdul-Mutakabbir, who was removed as principal of Maspeth High School last July, won’t return to any city school as a principal, according to a settlement of misconduct charges. But he can stay on the Department of Education payroll for another seven years.

Under Abdul-Mutakabbir, Maspeth HS created fake classes, awarded credits to failing students, and fixed grades to push kids out the door, the Special Commissioner of Investigation for city schools found..

In fact, read the SCI report here. It's really more perverse. But it is easy to ruminate over how yet another NYCDOE principal escaped the clutches of accountability or how there are two sets of rules; one for teachers and one for administrators. That's not my beef for today.

My beef today is the silence coming from Mike Mulgrew. The man who never misses an opportunity to miss an opportunity. 

I have written this blog since August 29, 2008. I have written about teachers being charged and/or losing their jobs nearly fourteen years. There are teachers who have been accused of doing one tenth of what the principal of Maspeth HS has done only to find themselves at the risk of losing their jobs. 

Where is the outrage from Mulgrew how the members he represents are the sacrificial lambs of the DOE? Where are Mulgrew's words denouncing how Principal Abdul-Mutakabbir's grifting and possibly criminal behavior? Where is the defense of teachers as Abdul-Mutakabbir  gets rewarded while teachers all over the city have suffered for years with such inane 3020a charges? Never once does Mulgrew come out and say, "THIS IS ENOUGH!!!" NOT ONCE! Nor will Mulgrew ever. Mulgrew does not get our plight. Our hurt. Our suffering.

Look through these pages. How many corrupt and incompetent administrators have graced these pages? One of my favorites, Greg Papadopoulos former AP at the former IS 162 in the Bronx. Greg stole time. He did programming at home and his pal, Principal Marilyn Manzolillo signed off on his time sheets and he was rewarded with comp time. Former District 7 superintendent Yolanda Torres gave him a letter to file. And remember this. Yolanda for her incompetence of running District 7 was rewarded with a cushy Tweed gig.

Burt back to Mulgrew. This is his problem. His tone deafness. His lack of connection to the rank and file. It's as if Mulgrew is in this so called gilded tower of his on 52 Broadway or somewhere in Staten Island as he looks down upon us and literally sees what he can get away with not doing. 

How difficult for Mulgrew--at the very least--to come out with a press release denouncing the how teachers are unjustly facing discipline versus administrators. Better would be to get in front of the cameras and show some emotion!

I think the real reason why Mulgrew keeps his mouth shut is even more deviant. Years ago, I think it was 2007, Leroy Barr stopped by when I was in the Rubber Room. I asked him point blank why the UFT is silent as administrators continue to harass teachers. His answer?

"They are fellow union members. We can't go after them." I wonder if CSA Mark Cannizzaro ever reciprocated with his members?

NYC Corporation Counsel Attorney David Mou

I got an email from Bryan Glass last week. David Mou, the attorney for the Corporation Counsel had sent over a box of documents we have been waiting for since the beginning of time. I was excited. Finally, I would have some answers, some documents to peruse through, to find answers to questions I have had since August of 2012.

It was not to be. David Mou pulled off the biggest con.

Remember the movie "The Sting?" At the very beginning Robert Redford and his buddy Luther did the whole switcheroo with the money. Redford basically gave that guy tissues? That's kind of what Mou did to us. The old switcheroo.

We got 2,135 of pure unadulterated, grade A, 100% nothing.

All we got is what I had already. My hearing transcripts. My hearing decision. My file. The evidence that the DOE attorney entered into evidence (Though we did ask for it). The evidence the DOE attorney never entered into evidence. Nearly all the papers were printed out (THEY'RE TIME STAMPED!!!!!!) in 2013 or 2014.

Here is Mou's answers to our interrogatory and discovery requests. See what I mean? All lawyer babble. All a bunch of nothing.

What sucks is that I put in hours upon hours answering the interrogatories and getting the discovery requested for I have learned through the greatness of Bryan Glass that a persons moral compass should be above reproach.

Answer after answer of "client-lawyer privilege," "work secrets," "too broad a request," "blah, blah, blah, blah, blah." Mou does a better "blah-blah" than Alex Lifeson.

But this is all par for the course with the NYC Corporation Counsel and Mou.

The emails between Coviello and AP's are privileged? Between Coviello and Yolanda Torres are privileged?


We should be privy to what went down at IS 162. Yolanda Torres has no problem ruining my career but does everything in her power to save the careers of administrators at IS 162, even when there was a death involved.

Where are the ethics of those who are sworn to uphold the high standards of the New York State Bar?

Is this oath not to be taken seriously?

"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I  will support the constitution of the  United States, and the constitution of th e State of New York, and that I will  faithfully discharge the duties of the office of [attorney and counselor-at-law],  according to the best of my ability."

Sad. So very sad. 

Chancellor Farina is Enabling the Incompetency of Bronx Bridges AP Rajendra Jimenez-Jailall

For those who have read my blog posts (here, here, here, and here) about my former AP at PS 154 in the Bronx, Rajendra Jimenez-Jailall there was one more thing I had wanted to add but couldn't find the proper way to segue into it. Until now.

It was either May or June of 2013, about several weeks into the reign of DR Alison Coviello; Principal and Ed.D of PS 154 in the Bronx when Mr J said something quite revealing to me.

DR Alison Coviello; Principal and Ed.D of PS 154 had decided that mass preps in the auditorium were no longer to be accompanied by a movie but rather the children were to sit there, sometime for several hours, reading books. Good idea, poor implementation.

So one day, at the end of the day, I am covering the mass prep along with The Bow Tie, Mr J. The entire 2nd grade was in the auditorium when a student came up to me with a question. Now this student had a lot of issues, had been a holdover, and was quite challenging. I knew how to handle him and I had gained this young man's respect. Anyway, he came up to me and I was standing next to Mr J. and asked me something or was kvetching about something. Anyway, I got him to go back to his seat and as he was walking back Mr J turned to me and said;

"We'll see him in jail in a few years."

I was incredulous. I wish I had said something then, I should have. But as we know if a teacher makes an accusation against an administrator there better be witnesses.

So last night I get an email from a former teacher at Bronx Bridges High School. She knows The Bow Tie all too well and shared her story. A story that she has sent to Chancellor Farina, only to be ignored time after time.

Here is her story of her brush with The Bow Tie, Mr J (We added and/or deleted/edited some and highlighted the good stuff!)

Last June, I met with my principal (NELSIE CASTILLO) for my final conference. I wondered if she would mention that I had only had 5 of my 6 observations. Instead she informed me of my score. I then wondered how the calculation was made. 

Upon looking online, I found that one of my observations had been duplicated---DUPLICATED! The date and class period were changed and it was submitted as the foregone observation report; everything on it was exactly the same as another observation report previously submitted. To make matters worse, it just so happens to be my lowest scoring observation that now counts twice toward my MOTP rating. It all seems a little too deliberate to me.

Had I made my observer (Rajendra Jimenez-Jailall) angry? To be honest, probably. But what a petty way to retaliate. Fire me if you find me insubordinate, because at least then it might sting. Sabotaging my teacher rating is low, immoral, and incredibly unprofessional.  

Having received an Ineffective MOTP rating the previous year and undergoing the incredibly meaningless appeal process, I was incensed. If I had to go through another appeal, I would surely quit. You see, an APPR appeal is about a year long process where you amass evidence, present it to the UFT, they review it, you review it again with a lawyer, and finally you have a hearing. I didn’t win my appeal. In fact, no one did according to my assigned lawyer. The appeal process seemed to me more of a way to keep a few senescent lawyers and NYCDOE personnel on the books. I had a solid case and I am sure a great percentage of the other appellants did too. 

It turns out, even if I wanted to appeal this year’s rating, I cannot. My MOSL score came back Effective and since my MOTP is Developing, my overall score is Developing too. According to inane rule, you may only appeal a rating if your overall score is Ineffective. 

The fact that I had received an Effective for my MOSL score is evidence enough for me that I deserve to have received my final observation. I teach at an all English Language Learner (Bronx Bridges) school. One hundred percent of my students are ELLs. Every student had arrived to the country within the last four  years. A number of them are Students with Interrupted Formal Education (SIFE), having left their war-torn countries or the fields on which they labored in search of a better life. The vast majority of them might as well be SIFE students, having attended very poor quality schools their entire lives. Most of my high school students arrive to my classroom with the reading and writing skills of a third grader--in their native language. As far as skills in English, numeracy and logic, there are rarely any to speak of. It has been said that “education is not the filling of vessels but the lighting of a fire”. What is left out of this popular quote is that there has to be something in the vessel to fuel the fire, a spontaneous combustion requires ingredients. The teachers at my school are starting with empty vessels and are evaluated based on whether these vessels, which on most occasions take twelve years to fill to the required level, can be filled in four. 

I got nearly 30% of my students to pass on the first try. That may seem like a low number to you, but not compared to similar students within the district. In my classroom, every single one of the students tested grew statistically--between 4% and 98%. These numbers alone stand as testament to the fact that I am not a developing teacher and that I should not have been the victim of someone else’s lack of responsibility, or as it seems based on the observation he chose to duplicate, maliciousness. If anything, he should have fought to keep me as one of his teachers. 

My observer (Rajendra Jimenez-Jailall) just so happens to not be the very best assistant principal out there. Why can’t I rate him (Rajendra Jimenez-Jailall) as ineffective as he is? He (Rajendra Jimenez-Jailall) is the same man who on several occasions said that our students belonged in prison, who lost the Earth Science practicums back in January and cost my students 15% on their exams through no fault of their own, who, after having broken up a fight between two boys left them inside his office, to which the door automatically locks, by themselves, only to be found practically killing each other moments later by teachers who ran to pull them apart.

When asked about the duplicated observation, he (Rajendra Jimenez-Jailall) said that the principal was supposed to do the fifth and sixth observations. He (Rajendra Jimenez-Jailall) grabbed my file to see if I had signed the observation, as though if I had, that would save him from the repercussions yet to be seen. No, I never signed that I had received it, and no, it wasn’t in my file. 

I doubt anything will happen to him. The UFT says he should be fired, but then no one answered a single email all summer. I emailed Farina twice and have yet to hear back. Its as if it's all a big conspiracy. 

The evaluation system is meant to put teachers on a bell curve. Its supposed to tell hiring principals and parents how you stack up as a teacher against other teachers teaching the same population the same subject. Someone has to be on the left side of the bell curve, right? After all the bell curve isn’t going away no matter how great all teachers are. The problem is not that this is the goal, the problem is that it is impossible to take into account circumstances out of your control--like lost exams and made up observation reports. This and so many other stories is why the evaluation system is flawed. More so, its why my assistant principal (Rajendra Jimenez-Jailall) should be fired. How is this not illegal? 

WHOA! Some takeways.

One, as far as The Crack Team is concerned, it appears as if The Bow Tie, Mr. J had engaged in criminal activity by falsifying public records, the teacher's observation. Read it again. He never did the 6th observation as he should and instead of being a man, decided to just copy the previous observation verbatim.

According to New York State Penal Law S 175.30 Offering a false instrument for filing in the second degree; 

A person is guilty of offering a false instrument for filing in the second degree when, knowing that a written instrument contains a false statement or false information, he offers or presents it to a public office or public servant with the knowledge or belief that it will be filed with, registered or recorded in or otherwise become a part of the records of such public office or public servant.

Offering a false instrument for filing in the second degree is a class A misdemeanor.

Not good. Seems that there might be a possibility that Mr J and his bow tie might be looking at some time in Rikers. Maybe there he might meet some of his former students, you know, the ones he had so much faith in. But think about it. What a self-fullfilling prophecy if there ever was one. One wonders how many Newports Mr J would fetch for.

Leaving two boys locked inside your office so they can duke it out Raj? Come on. Even a TFA teacher knows not to do that. Was Mr J written up for that? Doubtful. As he said under oath at my 3020-a hearing, he is a good friend of Nellie Castillo. Ms Castillo looks the other way apparently. Hey Nellie, isn't this putting minors in harms way? A criminal offense?

Losing instructional material? Isn't this something to be written up for? Not if you are an AP and buddies with the principal.

So meanwhile The Bow Tie, Mr J had the audacity to sit in judgement of me and to criticize me and not assist me. When I complained I was looked at as if I am a liar or crazy. Looks like the Karma Fairy has snapped Mr J's bow tie.

But who is really to blame for this? DR Alison Coviello; Principal and Ed.D of PS 154 in the Bronx and former and currently exiled District 7 superintendent Yolanda Torres. They both had no problem conspiring attempting to separate me from my direct deposit and actually succeeding with several of my colleagues, but to pass the buck onto others at the expense of the students and teachers at Bronx Bridges HS is beyond the pale.

I am dying to find out about Mr J and what happened with him at PS 154 during his last year there in 2013-2014. Soon I will. We are awaiting discovery from the DOE and soon we will be deposing both DR Alison Coviello; Principal and Ed.D of PS 154 in the Bronx and Yolanda Torres. In fact, I think we should depose both Mr J and his bow tie as well.

This man is a waste of human life. He is self-serving and all for himself. He couldn't handle 1st graders, what the hell is he doing in a high school?

For those reading this at Bronx Bridges, keep on sending the stories.

McDonald's Managers Are More Accountable Than NYC DOE Superintendent Yolanda Torres

I can't believe I have yet to write about this or mention this on these pages.

About a two months ago Yolanda Torres was "moved up" and is no longer the superintendent for District 7 in the Bronx. No one on The Crack Team saw it coming. We are shocked and amazed and know that a black cloud has been lifted off the families and teachers of District 7.

According the press release from the DOE, Yolanda will know be the...

Executive Superintendent of the Division of Family and Community Engagement (FACE)

Yes, an old face to take over FACE. Yolanda is taking over for Jessie Mojica, who according to the Daily News will assume a managerial role in FACE.

I met Jessie make in 2009 when he was working as the education liason for the Bronx Borough president's office when we were having he troubles with Principal Linda Amil-Irizarry and AP Derrick Townsend. Jessie showed a real interest in what was happening at the school and truly cared about the communities in the Bronx that he was serving. When I heard that Jessie had gotten a job at Tweed a few years back I saw it as a win for the good guys.

I ran into Jessie a few time since. Once at a technology meeting for Bronx tech liaisons a few years ago and at Chambers St during my hearings. Jessie deserves better than this.

So back to Yolanda.

This chart shows the Peter Principle in action. How one actually does rise to the level of their incompetence (Click to enlarge).

How does someone has vastly incompetent as Yolanda Torres rise to the upper echelon of the NYCDOE? Let's look at some of Yolanda's record.

In May, the Daily News reported that District 7, Yolanda's district, is the worst in the city.

Yolanda is responsible for a vast conspiracy to separate me from my direct deposit forcing me to sue her and others in what might just cost NYC thousands of dollars. 

Horrible test scores year after year in District 7.

Yolanda covered up malfeasance at IS 162 in the Bronx. 

Allowed a school to go down the toilet. 

Covered up the ineptitude of pal, Linda Amil-Irizarry when Irizarry was principal at PS 154. Here, here, here, here, and here.

Allowed Greg Papadopoulos to get nothing but a slap on the hand for stealing time. 

My friend Stu Schmelz is dead and I know who is culpable in this. 

Yolanda has allowed a reign of terror brought upon PS 154 by her minion DR Alison Coviello; Principal and Ed.D of PS 154 in the Bronx. 

How long would Yolanda last if she were the superintendent of schools in Harrison, NY? About a week.

Sadly, a manger at McDonald's is more accountable than Yolanda Torres at whatever it is she does.

Former PS 154x Assistant Principal Rajendra Jimenez Jailall Makes Empty Promises and Blames Me

So how is that lawsuit going you might ask? Well, it is chugging along slowly.

I last mentioned the lawsuit that we filed against DR Alison Coviello; Principal and Ed.D. of PS 154 in the Bronx, the DOE, and Yolanda Torres back in August.

Discovery was supposed to be in on September 11, 2015 and so far we have received squat.

Because I have an extremely ethical attorney in Bryan Glass he kept on top of me to get my tush in gear to finish those darn Interrogatories. It's been tough. What with the holidays and me looking for a job every day for several weeks I just could not do it. But I finally finished it.

One interrogatory that comes to mind is when I am asked who told me that I would be given notebooks to use for my Character Education Through Literacy (Always add the "Through Literacy" or DR Alison Coviello; Principal and Ed.D. of PS 154 in the Bronx will plotz!) and when.

Simple. It was the most inept Assistant Principal ever, Rajendra Jimenez Jailall. He is not at 154 anymore, but currently the AP at Bronx Bridges High School (God he couldn't deal with 3rd graders how is he doing this?). DR Alison Coviello; Principal and Ed.D. of PS 154 in the Bronx effectively neutered him his last year at 154 the 2013-2014 school year.

We even supported Mr J as we called him, or sometimes Mr Bowtie, when he was shat upon by DR Alison Coviello; Principal and Ed.D. of PS 154 in the Bronx. But he was just too neutered to do anything and just tucked it under and slank away.

But Mr J and myself had a meeting on November 9, 2012 in which he promised to get me notebooks (Listen here).

No remember that I had this program thrust upon me in a conspiracy between DR Alison Coviello; Principal and Ed.D. of PS 154 in the Bronx and BFF AP Jessica Cruz. I had taught Character Ed. before but I not integrating it with the cult of Lucy Calkins.

I never received the notebooks from Mr J. Instead all I received were about 300 pocket folders. But so much could have been taken care back in September if I just followed what BFF AP Jessica Cruz testified to in my 3020-a hearing.

So the procedure for getting supplies  for students at the beginning of the school year--and  this is a practice that, I mean, we all learn in  Teachers School. You write "Welcome letters" to your  parents introducing yourself and teachers ask for  supply lists. And so, students typically would come  with the supplies to school for students that can't  afford or don't bring all the supplies, then we can  make accommodations.

We learn this in teacher school? Did the dance teacher have to do this? The art teacher? I had been a cluster before and never was I asked to send a letter home for supplies. Only homeroom teachers had done that. But even if I was supposed to why did DR Alison Coviello; Principal and Ed.D. of PS 154 in the Bronx mention this to me or in any of the write ups I had in the beginning of that school year or what did not BFF AP Jessica Cruz inform me of this on our September 29 meeting?

But it gets better, BFF AP Jessica Cruz goes on;

So Mr. Zucker had asked Mr. J for folders

No I didn't. Listen again, it was offered to me.

But BFF AP Jessica Cruz is not done with me yet...

So as I mentioned, the schools are not in the policy or the habit of providing supplies for  all classroom teachers I was a cluster not a classroom teacher for the school year, which is the reason why teachers all write letters to parents welcoming them--introducing themselves and welcoming  their children to the classroom classroom teachers do, and they do it in June and not clusters, and also include a  list of supplies that you would need. In addition to  that, we do have a supply closet, and there are some  supplies in there. So if a student doesn't bring, or if a classroom happens to just have a group of students where most parents didn't supply the  materials then we would provide for that class. You  know, it would be for that specific--because that  class has a specific need. In addition to that,  teachers receive Teacher's Choice, and Teacher's Choice is monies that are given to teachers by the  Department of Education to provide--to buy supplies for students or for their classroom, and it would encompass anything from crayons and markers and paper  to even, like, an overhead projector. I spent over $100 of my money to get that classroom ready!So the  Teacher's Choice usually comes around December so how could I get notebooks for December?, and teachers have--it's either a direct deposit or an  actual check that's handed to teachers. The teachers  have to August--before the school year kicks off--  until March to use up the monies, and they just have  to provide receipts for what they've purchased. 

See, BFF AP Jessica Cruz had come to informally observe me on November 8, 2012. My meeting with Mr J, to discuss my informal observation of a month earlier was about to take place, the next day. At this point when BFF AP Jessica Cruz came into informally observed me my meeting with Mr J had yet tot take place so that I can learn from my previous observation!

And how did Mr J testify?

Q. Mr. Zucker asked you for student notebooks for his students? 
A. Yes, there was a request for notebooks.

WRONG RAJENDRA!! You offered the notebooks, twice (Listen to the second time in the same meeting)!

But who's fault is it that I never was told of sending a letter home, getting the notebooks, and getting folders instead... at the end of December? Of course, it was my fault.

Why was it my fault? I know dumb question.

If my name was Joe Smith I never go through this crap.

Next time...audio of me asking the most inept Assistant Principal ever, Rajendra Jimenez Jailall, for a demo lesson in November than January and he promising it and never following through. Oh, and let's not forget me asking the most inept Assistant Principal ever, Rajendra Jimenez Jailall, that I can stay late one day a week after school and if he can work with me on setting up my learning environment and hear how he blows me off. That and more next time!

How Does Bronx Superintendent Yolanda Torres Keep Her Job?

When I went into the bodega yesterday morning I saw the headline on the front page of the Daily News that Fariña sacked 12 out of 42 superintendents. Coming so soon on the heels of the ode to District 7 Superintendent Yolanda Torres one couldn't but help to wonder, as well as hope.

Sadly when I turned to page 5 I saw that yet again Yolanda Torres is the Teflon Superintendent. Even though she is responsible for;

....the debacle of Linda Amil-Irizarry as principal of PS 154, to the abuse of students by former 154 AP Derrick Townsend and the subsequent cover-up, the arrest for stealing funds of the principal at PS 31, to the continuing educational failure in District 7, admonishments from the New York State Department of Eduction, to allowing co-locations, to the stealing of time at PS 162 involving former Principal Marilyn Manzolillo and her AP Greg Papadopoulos (In which Papadopoulos only received a letter to the file) and the subsequent death of an AP at 162, and the brain drain (Teachers leaving in droves) at PS 154, one can seriously call into question Yolanda's integrity.

Let's also had in the "wonderful" test scores (Click to enlarge);

 Was the only qualification to keep the superintendent job was to be a principal and have taught for ten years? Or was a qualification to be a leader as well?

But in today's Daily News Chancellor Fariña laid out what she expects from the superintendents in today's Daily News;

“You’re the eyes and ears of the chancellor, you’re accountable for the success of the principals. Being on the ground visiting and listening is crucial.”

Hey The Crack Team has no problem with that.

But The Crack Team has a problem with this;

city’s supers will get the low-down on strategies for aiding troubled schools, including help getting rid of bad teachers.....

But why not work with teachers on how to be the best gosh darn teacher that they can be? But if not, is one of the strategies for getting rid of teachers to have the principal enter into a conspiracy and pre-determine that a teacher will be found incompetent?

But back to the wonderment of how Yolanda Torres has somehow managed to keep her job.

I hate to quote Families for Excellent Schools, but;

" of 11 middle schools in District 7, eight middle schools are failing and only 10% of students are at grade level."

And....

Almost 10 percent of the failing elementary schools in the city are from District 7.

What gives? The superintendents at Districts 8,9,11,and 12 were all let go, yet Yolanda stays. We all know why District 10 Superintendent wasn't replaced...too much money flowing in Riverdale, but The Crack Team is perplexed at Yolanda's seeming good luck.

The Crack Team wants to know, as well as the entire District 7 community, who is Yolanda Torres' rabbi?

What Did District 7 Superintendent Yolanda Torres Know and When?

In 1973, Senator Howard Baker of Tennessee, during the Watergate hearings asked John Dean this question in regards to President Nixon's knowledge of the Watergate break-in;

"What did the President know, and when did he know it? 

In 2014, the same question should be asked of Bronx District 7 Superintendent Yolanda Torres.

What did Yolanda know and when did she know about the diabolical (here, here, here, and here) plot that DR Alison Coviello, Ed.D and Principal of PS 154 in the Bronx and BFF AP Jessica Cruz were involved in against me and possibly other staff members at the school?

I had spoken to Yolanda on or about July 17, 2012 sharing my concern about the technology, or the lack of technology, at PS 154 and also asked her if she can bridge any differences between myself and DR Alison Coviello, Ed.D and Principal. Unbeknownst to myself at the time, the plot was put into play on August 24, 2012.

It is only natural to wonder what Yolanda's involvement is in this sordid conspiracy. One can only look at the past and wonder what machinations she has involved her self in.

From the debacle of Linda Amil-Irizarry as principal of PS 154, to the abuse of students by former 154 AP Derrick Townsend and the subsequent cover-up, the arrest for stealing funds of the principal at PS 31, to the continuing educational failure in District 7, admonishments from the New York State Department of Eduction, to allowing co-locations, to the stealing of time at PS 162 involving former Principal Marilyn Manzolillo and her AP Greg Papadopoulos (In which Papadopoulos only received a letter to the file) and the subsequent death of an AP at 162, and the brain drain (Teachers leaving in droves) at PS 154, one can seriously call into question Yolanda's integrity.

If she was not part of the plot planning then she has hired to rouge administrators and is incapable of leading a school district. If she was part of the planning, then she is still incapable of being a district leader and has serious ethical issues.

These questions must be asked of Yolanda Torres;


In June 2012, myself and several other staff members at PS 154 went to meet with her about our concerns about DR Alison Coviello, Ed.D and Principal. She seemed generally taken aback by some of our concerns. Was the fact that myself and others, either immediately or soon after rated U or brought up on 3020-a charges, orchestrated by her? 

If Yolanda was involved in the conspiratorial plot against me (And possibly other teachers) who at Tweed did she confer with or get permission from? 

At what point will Yolanda's leadership, or lack of, for District 7 be looked into? 

And again, what did Yolanda know and when did she know it? 

The ELA test scores at PS 154 are worse now (Page 355, and remember, this years cut scores were lower!) with DR Alison Coviello, Ed.D and Principal than before. 

Where is Yolanda?

Is PS 154 in the Bronx the Next Watergate?

I got to thinking.

I got to thinking after reading some of Chancellor Fariña's Capacity Frameworks on the DOE website. Yep, was really rubbing my chin and pondering.

Under the Framework known as Trust, and so it was said;

Relationships between all members of the school community— including administrators, educators, students, and families—are based on social respect, personal regard, and integrity. Trust creates a school culture where teachers, principals, staff, and all members of the Department of Education value and respect each other...

Another Framework, Effective School Leadership so sayeth;

 The principal sets the tone for the school, develops a climate of inclusiveness, and inspires staff and students with a clear vision for student achievement. The goal of a strong school leader is to build coherent instructional and social-emotional support that improves student achievement. School leaders support teacher development by consistently offering professional development opportunities and providing meaningful feedback.

¡Uni momento, por favor! It seems that someone has not gotten the Frameworks memo. I wonder who, **COUGH COUGH**, **WINK WINK.**

 What would a lay person say if they have read about the shenanigans that DR Alison Coviello, Ed.D and Principal of PS 154 in the Bronx and BFF AP Jessica Cruz have engaged in concerning me, and possibly others?

When this was shared on August 7, would any Joe Shmoe from Palookaville see the integrity, the trust, the inspiration, and the meaningful feedback? Would Mr Schmoe find the same values in this? Or this?

One would hazard to guess that the answer would be an unequivocal no way!

But let's give DR Alison Coviello, Ed.D and Principal of PS 154 in the Bronx and BFF AP Jessica Cruz the benefit of the doubt for just an itty bitty moment. Perhaps we don't have enough information to make an informed opinion, or enough information to confirm a fact.

But first a little background info.

As reported here on December 3, 2013, the erstwhile and multi-talented Betsy Combier filed a FOIL request in September 2012 for Coviello's any and all emails regarding me. Betsy felt she was quite thorough in using many keywords. But alas, they were one step ahead of her.

In an email in September 2012 from BFF AP Jessica Cruz to DR Alison Coviello, Ed.D and Principal of PS 154, BFF AP Jessica Cruz suggested to DR Alison Coviello, Ed.D and Principal of PS 154 that all future emails regarding me should be use the honorific, "Mr."

Now I am not a member of the legal profession, I do happen to be Jewish, and I can assume that this is not kosher behavior. Can this be obstruction of justice as some have suggested? I can't say, nor is it my place to make either an assumption or pass judgement.

But these questions can be asked...

Why were they so afraid of what Betsy would find out and why would they use a pseudonym for me? 

In a school that still consistently has almost 90% of students across all testing grades in both Math and ELA  put so much energy into what some might also call a cover up?

Are there any other teachers from the 2012-2013 school year that were U-rated for the year subject to what I was subject to? 

Are there any other teachers from the 2013-2014 school year that were rated ineffective or developing for the year subject to what I was subject to? 

Are these kind of behaviors by administrators done in a vacuum or is it systematic throughout the system? Knowing that if we all had a dime for every time we hear a teacher say, "My principal set me up," we would be quite wealthy, if this is just the tip of the iceberg in a systematic problem, how many years do we go back to see if this was done and be sure accused teachers are exonerate?

What did District 7 Superintendent Yolanda Torres know and when did she know it? More importantly, was she the one orchestrating this conspiracy? 

Inquiring minds want answers.

A Notice of Claim Has Been Filed Against the NYC DOE

The deed has been done. I had until December 3, 2013 to do it and I did it. I filed a Notice of Claim against;

NEW YORK CITY DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, its agents, servants, employees and/or licensees.

For the claims;

To recover money damages for infringement and violation of United States Constitutional First Amendment rights and rights of Due Process rights infringement of first amendment rights, pain and suffering and related damages incurred by and on behalf of claimant myself by reason of the negligence, malfeasance, willful, recklessness and carelessness...

And in a Dr Evil moment asking for the sum of; 

has suffered damages in the sum of TEN MILLION DOLLARS ($10,000,000.00).

 Of course, the little finger never came up to the corner of my mouth.

 This really is just to cover myself. I believe that this will never see the light of day in state court but will be heard in Federal Court. So be it.

Imagine, how much money the DOE spend on lawyers to wipe out teachers careers, fighting these teachers in 3020a hearings, and going to court. No wonder the DOE has no money for schools.

I am facing charges for two reasons. One, this blog. I have known for sometime that Yolanda Torres, Superintendent of District 7 has not liked this blog and has called me unpredictable.

The other is that I truly believe, as I have stated many times on these pages, that DR Alison Coviello, Ph.D and Principal has been involved in a vast conspiracy to rate me unsatisfactory last school year, that all my observations would be found unsatisfactory, and resort to lies, half truths, out of context situations to fill my file with specious disciplinary letters to the file. Oh, and lest we forget my own Serpico moment. I believe that the truth is out there and that with my faith in God the truth will come out. 

I think in my heart of hearts that this conspiracy will lead to Tweed and go very high up the food chain. But the opposite is true. It can go down the food chain as well. Not all involved in the conspiracy are administrators. Learning from another blogger and one in 3020a proceedings right now, that person, ......................, decided to jump on the "let's do him in bandwagon" by blatantly defaming me.


God knows the truth. God will show the truth.

If Only the Daily News and the New York Post Had Old Fashioned Reporters

On Friday after the horror that I had gone through I received a DM from ace reporter Ben Chapman of the Daily News inviting me to comment on a article that was to appear in yesterday's Daily News concerning the Rubber Rooms.

I had to think about it. My spidey sense was telling me that something is up. I mean what happens
with the same regularity of the cherry blossoms blooming, the swallows returning to Capistrano, or the Jets not making the Super Bowl? Teacher bashing stories at the beginning of each and every school year in the Daily News and the Post.

And sure enough in today's Post there was an article slamming teacher's who dared to take advantage of the 14th Amendment. For shame.

But Ben, here is what bugs me and others. One, with your story on Saturday and today's story in the Post, there is no way this is a coincidence. It's a plant by the DOE, in particular Uncle Mike.

Come on, when we all know that Uncle Mike walks in the same social circles as Mortimer and Rupert what is one to think? Yes, we know that is standard operating procedure. Of course one will leak stories to those that they know will cooperate and share the same warped views (not you Ben, but the others). Yes, you and other reporters have editors to answer to and teacher bashing is sexy and sells papers, but can you understand from our point of view how it seems so unbalanced?

I'll give you credit, you do seem to balance it out more and do show administrators that are doing bad, very bad things. You and yours at the News, IMHO, do come across less sensationalistic than the Post and for that thank you. But there are, IMHO, things that have slipped through you and other's fingers at the News.

I mean one of the things we talked about is the spoon fed news I gave you about the shenanigans at IS 162 in the Bronx. It's there for you. The who, what, where. The SCI investigation, the hand slap, and the people involved. Want to speak to others to confirm it? I'll give you names. You need to put a little elbow grease into putting all together.

You did bring up a good point. Why did only 7% of students in District 7 score proficient in the state ELA exams.

There are many reasons. Common Core. The fact some schools, including my own PS 154 still believe that Reader's and Writer's Workshop will save the day even though neither are aligned to the common core.

Of course there is the superintendent of District 7, Yolanda Torres. How long has she been in power and how long has District 7 been going downhill? McDonald's would not stand for one of it's managers having her record, why should the District 7 community?

Why not look into the lousy curriculum that teachers are given. The overcrowded classrooms? The lack of support from above. The pathological lying from administrators? The lack of books and supplies? The skewing of numbers from Tweed? Why not sit down with the teachers in the Rubber Room and listen and learn from them? Why not hold Tweed accountable?

I hope things change on January 1. De Blasio doesn't seem like the type to have weekly schpritz with Mortimer and Rupert.

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.

BREAKING NEWS!!!! Former NYC Principal Caught On Audio!!!

Way back in June of 2012 I reported on my former principal at PS 154, Marsha Elliott, lack of true Christianity. She repeated a lie, and repeated it repeatedly.

But first a little back story. In May of 2011 I was teaching character education, which is basically

citizenship. I gave up being dean and SAVE room coordinator due to a senior teaching whining and kvetching about filing a grievance. Honestly it is a fantastic  curriculum.  But needs to be kept away from stupid decision makes that tend to ruin curriculum.

I wanted to do a lesson based on the late 60's experiment Jane Elliott did in Iowa, the “blue-eyed/brown-eyed" experiment. Unfortunately being in the South Bronx negates such an experiment, since all the students are brown eyed, and me being the only blue eyed person in the class or for that matter, that the students have ever seen, I would have to come up with something different.

I switched it to the "left handed-right handed experiment." Sadly, I did it with 2nd graders, I took it a bit to far, and the lesson went a bit awry. However, I thought outside the box and if certain people were not so shrill and unrelenting in how righteous that think they are, the hub bub would have subsided quickly.

Typically, a collegue decided to share with Elliott (and as reported in June 2012);

....finding out that after a former principal accused me of having porn on a computer and being completely cleared by SCI, claimed not only that

"XXXXXXXXX (District 7 Superintendent Yolanda Torres...which Yolanda vehemently denied.) said you can't be the computer coordinator" A blatant lie

But worse said,

"even though they didn't find anything and cleared you doesn't mean it never happened."

 But in that meeting in which Marsha Elliott perpetuated these blatant falsehoods, she suggested that it was time for me to leave the school, that as a common branch teacher that was a cluster, and out of classroom teacher, a dean, a computer coordinator, someone that did everything I could to help out the school without asking for much in return, was useless, a nothing.

Lunch duty, mass prep coverages, when a student was throwing chairs in the classroom it was me they called upon. I did this for the school, for the students, and for the community. Running a soccer program without getting a dime of per session.

Before I give a link to the audio, I just was reminded of something.

In August of 2009, I had knee surgery for a torn meniscus. I came back to school pretty much healed that September. Around the 2nd week of September during lunch duty a 3rd grader threw a tantrum in the yard. I attempted to hold back the young man from punching another student. This boy kicked me in the side of the knee that was just surgically repaired. Something happened. A few days later I went back to my surgeon he told me that I had a grade 1 tear ligament tear. I had to wear a knee brace and my PT was pushed back months.

I asked Marsha Elliott if I could park my car in the school lot. It was quite difficult to walk from the parking lot in the Mitchel Houses to the school. She told me no.'

Here is the audio. Principals lie, deceive, obfuscate, manipulate, use subterfuge, whatever they can to fuck you over. It's all about power. The reason they do is they know how incompetent and in over their heads they are. If they had any confidence in their abilities 99% of the shit that happens in schools won't happen and Francesco Portelos will not be where he is.

CLICK HERE TO HEAR THE AUDIO!!!

The Quality of Review at PS 154

We're having a big day this week at PS 154. Company is coming, the quality review type of company. Like your rarely seen great-aunt coming over to visit, everyone at PS 154 will be on our best behavior this coming Tuesday and Wednesday and impress District 7 Superintendent Yolanda Torres and her QR minions as they poke, prod, probe, and have us turn our heads and cough as they determine not only whether or not we are proficient enough, but also if we stay open as a school.

We here at SBSB applaud that 154 is subject to a QR and wish to extend an invitation to the reviewers to be sure and speak to a wide array of teachers. Hear many opinions, and listen to many viewpoints. We are sure a reviewer will benefit greatly from such a meeting.

I still think the school is going to be shut down even if we are labeled proficient.I think the powers that be not only wish to excoriate most of the staff there, but The Crack Team has a sneaky suspicion that since Bronx Success is no longer co-located in PS 30 just a few blocks away, that Eva is looking for a new home to co-locate in and PS 154 would be perfect for her.

Why? One is the Robin Hood Foundation funded library that we have. Secondly, enrollment has been plummeting for several years and with about half a dozen empty or extremely under utilized classrooms, all one needs to do is some simple math.

But there is something more sinister happening. The neighborhood, the little section of Mott Haven from 138th St south to Bruckner Blvd and from about the 3rd Ave Bridge east to Willis Ave is becoming gentrified.

Very foretelling is the new apartment building that has been constructed on Bruckner Blvd right next to the Willis Ave Bridge. This is a 350 unit building with a gym, swimming pool, concierge, and many more amenities. More so, to live in the new apartments, one must qualify for residence with a minimum salary, as well as a maximum salary depending on the unit and the family size. 

But where does this leave the families and children who live in the Mitchel Houses and who make up just about 95% of the students at 154? Someone will lose out and it just might be the parents, the families, the children who live in Mitchell.

Apparently, no one cares about those who have invested years into PS 154. We have parents who attended 154, and grandparents who attended 154. But it does not matter to those in power.

The children, the families, and the community of PS 154 are just dupes to those at City Hall and Tweed. What they're selling is some sham miracle elixir being sold to them from a trunk of a car.

The Failure of Those in Charge Permeates District 7

Juan Gonzalez wrote a great piece in yesterday's Daily News on how the Young Leaders Elementary School, a school opened up by Uncle Mike in 2008, is now on the list of possible closures. 

Funny thing is, Young Leaders Elementary School replaced another closed school, PS 220 back in 2008. PS 220 was run by one of the classiest principals ever to work for the DOE, Michelle Kahn. I know Michelle is up above having the last laugh. She should.

Again, students and their families education is going to again be uprooted and thrown into disarray. Will another school be a community school, or will be a magnet school attracting students from all over the neighborhood. Teachers that have built up some modicum of trust within the community will be thrown away like bathwater. Then again, since this school opened up in 2008, I am sure there are plenty of new, malleable teachers to keep around.

But why is this happening, and what does it portend for PS 154, which is on the closure list as well? In the Young Leaders Elementary School most recent (2011-2012) quality review, this stood out;

Due to the high number of inexperienced teachers, school leaders are cognizant of the importance of ensuring that the decisions around professional development support the individual needs of teachers

Yes, a high number of inexperienced teachers. Inexperienced teachers, which if 154 closes, will be tasked with righting the ship. But yet, when the most recent accountability and review report was released (2010-2011) the turnover rate of teachers with less than 5 years experience was 39%. In fact the school started out with 64% of teachers with less than 3 years experience. Heck, just look at the rate of ELL's in this school.

But this is Uncle Mike's way. Instead of improving, let's destroy. As Mr Spock said in Wrath of Khan when Dr McCoy question what would happen if Genesis was let loose on an inhabited planet;

"It is easier to destroy, than to create."

But why must the students, the families, the community and the staff of the Young Leaders Elementary School, PS 154, and MS 203, another school in District 7 that is on the closure list and led by a class act in Bill Hewitt, suffer?

Who should be held responsible for this mess? We should begin with Yolanda Torres, Superintendent of District 7. If the Yankees don't perform, Joe Girardi is the one responsible, as is Brian Cashman. Right now The Crack Team is researching other schools in District 7 that have closed and/or failing under the watch of Yolanda Torres. We here at SBSB call for the immediate removal of Yolanda Torres as District 7 superintendent.

Also, the network leaders of these schools. Yes, we have pilloried Varleton McDonald, but what about Dan Feigelson, network leader of CFN 203 for the Young Leaders Elementary School and his undying devotion to Teacher's College? And let's not forget Robert Cohen, network leader of MS 203 CFN 104. What would the folks think at NYU for his abject failure?

No one cares. Everyone, except the teachers, are out for themselves. I brought up a very good point to a person of power in my district last week;

"Why wait for them to close us down? We all know that whatever side of the bed Uncle Mike wakes up on that's what the decision is based on. We need to not be reactive, but proactive. We need to fight back. We need to muster the parents, the community, and more importantly, the politicians together and fight, fight, fight for this school, the students, and the community."

My plan was met with derision.

"They don't want us to do that or anything. Just sit back and wait."

Those 14 words sum up so clearly at what is coming down the pike. In my opinion, the decision has been made. Time to pack up and start saying your goodbyes.

But it does not have to be that way. The parents of these schools need to rise up, need to speak as one voice, to go to Assemblywoman Carmen Arroyo's office, to go to Councilwoman Arroyo's office and get them involved. Get the other parents involved. NOW!

This is not just about your child's education, but your respect as a community. Do not think for one minute that those white males in the blue suits at City Hall and Tweed give one iota about you or your children. It is all about power, all about taking care of their own, and all about paying monies to their friends for incompetent and failing curriculum.

There needs to be a true grass roots advocacy coming from the the bottom up, the parents and the communities. You are the most important people there are to affect change within the NYC DOE.

Quality Review; Part 2

Let's continue with the school's quality review.

Part 2: Overview

What the school does well

• The school provides students with a safe environment, which supports their
growth well.
ROTFLMFAO!!!! The school does not in any way, shape or form provide a safe environment for students in this school. Please read this blog from August 28th and make the decision yourself. Good thing Dear Principal John Deacon has BFF Yolanda Torres
• Organizational decisions made in regards to additional after-school and
extracurricular activities for students lend support to their academic growth.
ROTFLMFAO!!!! The school does not in any way, shape or form provide a safe environment for students in this school. Please read this blog from August 28th and make the decision yourself. Good thing Dear Principal John Deacon has BFF Yolanda Torres
• Teachers take initiative through inter visitation and sharing practices that
have a positive impact on student learning.
Yes, true. Teachers left to their own doings, do well.
• Students enjoy coming to school and speak positively about the support
they receive from their teachers.
What else can be said? The teachers are the best in this school.
• The school uses a variety of data sources to provide teachers with
information on students’ academic strengths and areas in need of improvement.
And these information sources are? More an more redundant paperwork so there is less teaching.

Areas for Improvement

• Revisit and refine the goal-setting and teacher feedback process to give
students specific information and targeted strategies to help them meet
their individual needs.
How can teachers teach when there has been a breakdown of discipline in the school? How can teachers teach when they get no support whatsoever from administration?
• Improve communication with students and parents in the development of
learning goals and next steps towards the achievement of academic
excellence and high expectations.
Dear Principal John Deacon needs to get out of its bunker once in a while and actually communicate with parents. Perhaps if it stops looking down its nose at the parents things relations can improve.
• Refocus the inquiry team on the target population and specific learning
targets that will meet these students’ individual academic needs.
The root problem of this has been removed. **cough** NUMB NUTS **cough**
• Develop effective systems and structures in the usage of interim
checkpoints to monitor teacher planning and differentiated instruction.
God, there they go with that differentiated instruction. It is being done. Just the smart way, not their way.
• Revisit the mission and vision of the school in order for the whole school
community to work collaboratively in one direction.
Again, lack of leadership. Get a new,competent, non-mental leader and things will change.