Her appointment still up in the air, a parent initiated a lawsuit this week alleging Cathie Black does not have a Master's degree, a requirement for the position she does not possess, therefore, her waiver should be annulled. And other lawsuits pending, and questions of whether the waiver is valid considering neither Commissioner David M. Steiner or Mayor Michael Bloomberg followed the procedures in State Education Law to issue her a certificate as a school district administrator. Yet Black's response to those protesting her secretive appointment is "let's put all of that aside. I've this position. Let's "move forward."And she is moving forward. On Saturday, December 4, the South Bronx School Blog in "Cathie Black's Baffling Email to Principals" posted the email she sent out to all principals in the NYC Schools. Black sent out the email on Tuesday, with the subject "Hello from Cathie Black, thanking the principals for welcoming her into the DOE (Department of Education). Yet, Art McFarland, a channel 7 newscaster who interviewed Black on Friday reported many of those same principals upset with her appointment as the new chancellor and her lack of credentials in education.
A prominent hedge fund investor Whitney Tilson had received a copy of the e-mail as well, sending it out to all of his hedge fund people, and his charter schools buddies, having answered too the prayers of the blogger hoping to get a copy of it.
Black started the email by saying, "Now that the State has officially approved the waiver," she "is eager to immerse herself in the exciting work ahead." She said, she is "fully committed to our mission to provide every child in NYC with a high-quality education," though she lacks one herself. And the last thing many of those principals want to hear is that she "took the job--to build on the...progress...of Mayor Bloomberg and Joel Klein. What progress? In what areas?
She writes how in "four decades I devoted my professional life to blazing trails in the magazine and publishing industry." What does it have to do with education? Why would a highly educated cadre of school administrators want to listen to someone that for forty years "devoted her life to...magazines and publishing industry?" What trail blazing has she done in education?
While she writes she "intends to proceed in the same way" in her "up-coming tenure at the DOE (Department of Education) as she did in her former job as a magazine executive. She sees it as her "most important mission." So she needs them (the principals) over the next three years as she transforms the system to put children first.
And she writes, "as you know, I will appoint Shael Polakow-Suransky as Senior Deputy Chancellor and Chief Academic Officer. Hmmm, wonder if she understand the title to create it in the first place. She explains his duties and how he "will serve as my counselor..." She mentions Sharon Greenberger "as my Chief Operating Officer...also serve as my key advisor... Over the next few weeks she'll be working with...all of them to make sure this is a seamless transition." She's excited about getting involved...and beginning to identify areas of improvement...She acknowledges she has "a lot to learn about the inner workings of the system, but confident...her fresh perspective, combined with their deep experiences will help us rise to the challenge of preparing all NYC public school students for college and careers." She "thanks you for your support..look forward to getting to know you."
I'm sure just as bloggers in education are having a field day with the e-mail, the principals are likely scratching their heads saying, huh? And she didn't mention the teachers in the e-mail only sent it to her underlings, the principals most of them disconcerted about her appointment. In her interview with Art Mcfarland she said the budget constrained and she doesn't believe in seniority or tenure and doesn't like the idea of younger inexperienced teachers (she called the one with the fresh ideas ) "last in first out." And in this previous e-mail casually written she is used the word hello never used the title chancellor sounded as though the principals all her buddies.
Did she send the email from Hearst? Because she is an employee of Hearst (until Jan 2011). And, can you post that email she sent? Also, do NYC Principals have a Principals' Union like principals do in Chicago?
ReplyDeleteInteresting you ask this question. Allegedly while still at Hearst she had an office in the Dept of Education NYC School. She left Hearst right away as soon as Bloomberg invited her for a meeting in his Bloomberg Foundation Family Foundation offices as she relates this story herself when she discusses how he picked her. Her former boss at Hearst commented he thought she would stay around longer after he hired a younger man to replace her as President of Hearst her old position. They created a new job for her with less responsibilities. So she is not working at Hearst. In fact she tells gossip columnist Cindy Adams Mayor Bloomberg called her a couple of weeks ago last month for a meeting. The president of United Federation of Teachers about the same time met the mayor for breakfast at the same diner Bloomberg was having breakfast with Black, but Mulgrew merely met her as she left. Bloomberg casually introduces her as she leaves but never mentions he offered to her the position of chancellor or that she was the new chancellor. This story is corroborated by a NYTimes reporter investigating when did Bloomberg pick her for the job. Click the South Bronx School Blog on this posting to see a copy of the email. Yes, there is a principals union in NYC. If you go to the website of the NYC Dept of Ed there should be information on the union.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your response above.
ReplyDeleteI have to tell you: I think what Cathie Black did by sending this email out to principals was an extremely sneaky and dirty trick, and here is what I mean by that:
Just as you commented on the Gotham Schools blog that you would like to ask Cathie Black a question, BUT Black is really NOT officially the chancellor yet (she's not a NYC DOE employee till Jan 2011 AND there is pending LITIGATION), you can't ask her a question right now.
But, I think Cathie Black wants to know RIGHT NOW how many principals feel the way you do, above, and how many principals she can intimidate into opening an email RIGHT NOW and perhaps even solicit some warm kiss *ss response from.
So, Cathie Black sends out this email to principals NOW. And, I will be Cathie Black had set the email distribution to tell her which principals have opened this email -- and which didn't.
Consequently, Cathie Black can now comprise her little Hit List:
1) PRincipals who refused to open the Cathie Black email at this time (and Black now has those names)
2) Principals who opened it but did not respond (not warmly greeting Black in response - may make it to the Hit list which includes above principals) and
3) Principals who were intimidated enough to both open the email and respond warmly to it, dearful of losing their jobs (the suck up principals).
Now, the List of the Suck Up PRincipals is important to Black, as Black and her lawyers will be bringing those emails to the judicial hearing on Dec 23rd in response to the parent's lawsuit, and crying: "Oh, look your honor, these principals don't care if I don't have a Masters and don't care if Mayor Bloomberg didn't follow the right procedures; here's all their welcoming emails to me!"
So, she is illegally obtaining evidence since she is not yet an employee of NYC DOE and has no business harassing principals at this moment in time.
I realize I may sound harsh to some, but here is the truth: I have seen ALL this before in another school district, in FL.
There, the idiot principals had no union, so they were completely at the mercy of these military jerks who took over the district, and these principals were told, point blank: "Consider yourself as having a target on your back."
In short, the same people who engineered that scam I am sure engineered this Cathie Black scam, and again, it is all being done for political reasons.
But hey, if the principals union in NYC is too stupid to organize and tell their principals not to open the email, well, then Cathie Black illegally gets her evidence for court, is what Cathie Black and her NYC DOE lawyers and Bloomberg are sitting around saying. That is my guess and I would not be surprised if I was right.
"I will bet" is what I meant to type here:
ReplyDeleteAnd, I will bet Cathie Black had set the email distribution to tell her which principals have opened this email -- and which didn't.
summer aka flcertifiedteacher on Gotham Schools blog
And, "Fearful" is what I meant to type here:
ReplyDelete-------
Principals who were intimidated enough to both open the email and respond warmly to it, fearful of losing their jobs (the suck up principals).
-------
Finally, Maria, I made more comments on that thread at Gotham Schools about questions for Cathie Black, and I explain why individuals should be filing EEOC complaints -- you should definitely file an EEOC complaint, IMO, if you are qualified to be chancellor without the waiver, as I explained on that blog.
And BTW, now Cathie Black is intimidating parents who have kids in the public schools =-- and work for HEarst. Because in this economy, when jobs are so scare, what parent is going to refuse Cathie Black's email demand to them at HEarst that these parents join a focus group right now and tell Cathie Black how to do the job of chancellor? What if all the parents at Hearst hate Cathie Black already -- AND do not want Cathie Black to be chancellor?
ReplyDeleteBut, now, these parents will be forced to be in Black's focus group as these parents really have no choice since these parents are probably afraid they will lose their jobs if they say no.
And, now, on Dec 23rd, Cathie Black and the NYC DOE lawyers will argue that "one" lone parent didn't like Cathie Black, but look here, at all this parent "input" Cathie Black has received form parents (at Heasrt) who "voluntarily" joined her focus group.
This is my major point: NOTHING, and I mean NOTHING is going to be voluntary until Cathie Black. EVERYTHING will be by force, by intimidation, by coercion, and be done illegally, as it is already being done (as what is she even doing in the schools right now? She is not a volunteer as she had no background check, not a visitor as no teacher invited her to a classroom, and not an employee of NYC DOE -- she is trespassing, illegally. But boy oh boy is she getting lots of nice photos for her run for governor in three years.)
She is testing right now -- to see if the union the media and others will let her get away with all the coercion she is already doing.
But like I said: I have seen all this before. And it is not pretty what I am seeing now with cathie Black. It all seems innocuous and pleasant. but she is a train wreck who will destroy innocent lives if she stays in this job. You watch. You'll see.
"with" is what I meant to type:
ReplyDelete-------
This is my major point: NOTHING, and I mean NOTHING is going to be voluntary WITH Cathie Black. EVERYTHING will be by force,
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And again, I have seen ALL this before. ALL of it.
All your points very interesting. Nice to be able to see the matter of Cathie Black from diverse view points. I didn't think the email had the significance you suggested. I'm wondering what the union is telling them to do? She went on channel 7 on Friday and said the budget is contrained "there's not a lot of gives to give," just like that. I'm sure the more she talks the more the union is preparing the troops for a response. I do have the certificate Bloomberg is trying to get for Black an SDA (school district administrator) and have more than the three years of experience required in NYS education law. Better still, I'm bilingual, the NYC Schools 80% black and Latinos, the latter the largest of the two groups, but I'm not in Bloomberg's personal address book of his wealthy friends living in the upper east side of Manhattan. The process of tenure set up is fine there is no need to change it now, teacher evaluation should not be tied to standardized test scores. There should be a way to insured children are properly instructed by qualified teachers but that is done during the probationary period and three years is enough time. A teacher in a classroom with 25 or more students of diverse abilities and academic development is at a disadvantage over one in a highly performing school. There are many variables to consider. But we know the game here keep the young inexperienced teacher, pay them less, get rid of the veteran teacher they cost too much, while threatening those who don't comply with the new evaluation process if they resist. And continue to allow the billionaires to profit on the backs of poor working class children in the inner city schools. Do I just show up at EEOC and file a complaint? How would I word it? I'll do it. I'm in the NYC Schools on line application system for years. Of course a public school advocate with my background is not what they want down there. Wow, as Cathie Black said " I would be over the moon!"
ReplyDeleteThat is fantastic -- that you are willing to file an EEOC complaint!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI am not a lawyer but I have been through this process as a teacher. Since it is a federal agency, I would think the procedures are the same in NY as in FL.
Below is my suggestion to you on how to apply, again, I am speaking as a layman who has been through this procedure.
Since the EEOC is a federal agency, I will guess the procedures for filing a charge in NY are the same as in FL -- and, in FL the online info tells you that you can call or write a letter to begin the process.
ReplyDeleteOddly enough, the NY Online info does not mention your right to choose to begin by writing a letter.
It seems the NY online info wants you to only go in person or call; but, I would not do that if I were you.
I would begin the process with a written letter, sent by certified mail return receipt request, to the EEOC office in NY, Attn: Intake.
Begin your letter by saying you are too busy working to come in person or call so you are writing this letter to file the charge of discrimination based on (your race) if that is what you are claiming.
Here is their address:
ttp://www.eeoc.gov/field/newyork/
New York District Office
Location: 33 Whitehall Street, 5th Floor
New York, NY 10004
If I were you, I would include the following information in your letter, as such info is listed on the EEOC website:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.eeoc.gov/field/newyork/charge.cfm
...provide the following information:
1. The name, address, and telephone number of the person filing the charge;
2. The name, address, and telephone number of the company, employment agency, or union that the charge is filed against, and the number of employees (or union members), if known;
3. A short description of the event(s) with supporting documentation (if any) which caused the person filing the charge to believe that his or her rights were violated;
4. The date(s) the event(s) took place;
5. The names, addresses, and telephone numbers of any witnesses;
6. Whether the individual has filed the same or similar charge with a state or local fair employment practice agency; and
7. The name, address, and telephone number of a person who always knows where to contact the person wishing to file a charge.
And, if I were you, I would describe the discrimination as "discrimination which was intended to, and did, in the application process" because: that is an area where discrimination happens.
ReplyDeleteIn addition, I would describe the discrimination as "discrimination preventing current employees from having opportunities to move up in the organization despite being qualified" or something like that, as I believe that is another whole area of discrimination.
If I were you, I would describe the alleged discrimination very briefly as follows:
1) NYC DOE procedures require all vacant positions to be posted online and advertised to current employees and to the public.
2) Bloomberg knew of a vacancy in the position of chancellor but due to discrimination against (women of my race: _____) Bloomberg failed to post the required notice online at NYC DOE and failed to advertise the position in violation of NYC DOE procedures.
3) To cover up his discrimination, Bloomberg later removed the "public trust" element of the chancellor job description from the chancellor he subsequently appointed.
4) Had the job been advertised as required, I would have applied, but due to the discrimination I could not apply and was denied opportunity to be considered in this chancellor position.
I would include any procedures of NYC DOE about advertising vacancies, and a news article showing that Bloomberg removed "public trust" from the job he gave to Cathie Black (a NYT article has that into).
And, that is it.
I would not say much else. See if the EEOC accepts your written charge and you will find that out fairly quickly.
Tell the EEOC you would like a response in writing only.
That is my suggestion to you; again, I am not a lawyer but I am a teacher who has been through this procedure in FL.
PS And, of course, describe your qualifications for the job.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I meant to type:
"discrimination which was intended to, and did, prevent me from applying in the application process"
Now, I will tell you the issue (if your charge gets filed with the EEOC and the EEOC accepts your charge, as they should):
ReplyDeleteBloomberg will say: "I don't have to advertise any job; my only obligation is to APPOINT someone."
But, since the job is in government, at the NYC DOE, and since NYC DOE has procedures for advertising vacant positions, Bloomberg is wrong because in fact, he is required by those procedures to first post and advertise the job vacancy and THEN appoint.
That is the issue. In my view. (And that is why he removed "public trust" from the job title; he is pretending the NYC chancellor position is no longer a job requiring public trust when in fact it does -- just as all NYC DOE jobs do and all jobs in public education do.)
Good luck! Let me know how it goes.
ReplyDeleteAnd I would say something like this, too, in my charge:
ReplyDelete"Bloomberg's hiring of the current chancellor is illegal because it discriminated against me due to my race and was done in violation of my rights (as a woman of ___ race) as such rights are recognized under federal EEOC laws."
and
"I am better qualified under the existing, current legal job description of chancellor than the one who Bloomberg appointed.
Had Bloombger wanted to change the job description of the chancellor job -- so that he would not be discriminating against me as I would might not be eligible under a different job description -- he should have done so, but he didn't; instead he discriminated against me because of race with respect to the current job description of that job, which required: (list the requirements of the job - Masters, etc).
Again, just suggestions from a layperson / teacher who has been through an EEOC intake process.
(And, learned how the EEOC colludes with corrupt public officials.)
Let's see if it happens here again.
PS ANd BTW, it looks to me like the NY office of the EEOC may already be colluding with the GOP and Bloomberg since the NY EEOC office has omitted from its online info any instructions on how to file a written charge -- instead, the NYC EEOC is telling people they must call or come in person, but, I know from my own experience: that's not the only way to file a charge. You can file a charge in writing, via mail.
ReplyDeleteYou know, why bother having laws when public officials are the last ones to follow the law?
Down in FL, here is how the corrupt Miami EEOC office likes to deprive teachers of their civil rights, as this is what they did to me:
Instead of serving my written charge on the school district, the EEOC corrupt official added the name of a corrupt individual at that school district to my charge, and sent that complaint to that individual.
But I did not mention any individual in my complaint. I only named: the school district, as that is who my complaint was against (and that is who I think your complaint has to be against, the NYC DOE and School District of NYC -- and not Bloomberg).
However, because of the corruption in Miami (where Jeb Bush lives) the name of this individual who I never mentioned in my complaint was now ADDED by the EEOC. Where did the Miami Office of the EEOC get this person's name? Out of a black hat?
SO, my complaint was then sent, via US mail, to: that individual. And never sent to: the school district.
The individual then faxed my complaint to a lawyer that does not work for the school district, that lawyer then "answered" my complaint by lies and retaliation, and faxed it back to the individual, and, that individual (Allun Hamblett of Collier County Public Schools) then signed it, as if he had written it when he didn't.
Hamblett then faxed it to the Miami EEOC, and meanwhile, the lawyer for the school district, Richard Withers, never knew of nor saw my complaint.
Needless to say, I did not get any relief.
And, the 3rd degree felony committed by both the corrupt EEOC officials and Allun Hamblett continues to not be prosecuted beecause: Only the little people go to jail in this country. Not the agents of Jeb Bush or his dadd GH Bush. They never go to jail when they committ crimes.
So, that is FL Miami EEOC operates: in collusion with corrupt public officials in school districts that are controlled by the Bushes.
I am wondering if it is the same in NYC. WIthout any instructions on how to file a written charge online for the EEOC NY office, it's looking like there might be a connection here: TWO corrupt EEOC offices.
Here is the 3rd degree felony I believe Allun Hamblett and the Miami EEOC office committed due to other facts not mentioned here:
http://www.lawserver.com/law/state/florida/statutes/florida_statutes_843-0855
Prior to that, my graduate degree was destroyed and I have a forgery instead of a degree. It's lot of fun being a teacher in FL when corrupt military hired by the Bushes are in charge of a public school district!
Also, Maria -- if you do choose to file your EEOC charge via US mail (as I did), and if the EEOC does then deprive you of relief via US mail (as the EEOC did to me), then maybe you and I together can file a complaint of mail fraud with the US Postal Service, as two instances of mail fraud would be pattern that they should investigate.
ReplyDeleteThe US Postal Service can then find out why it is that the EEOC keeps depriving people who try to exercise their civil rights of their civil rights via US Mail on behalf of the Bushes and their agents, wherever those agents may be located (Hamblett in Collier County, FL and the Miami EEOC Office and Bloomberg in NY and the NYC EEOC Office).
I realize the US Postal Service may do nothing but at least we will have it on the record.
Filing a charge the way the online NYC instructions are now for the NYC EEOC office insures there is no record of your attempt to file a charge.
So, file your charge in writing, via US mail is what I would suggest. Not in person, not by phone and not online. In writing vie certified US mail return receipt requested.
Finally, I just now realized: maybe it's a good thing in a warped way that the NYC EEOC office is trying to stop people from writing charges, as perhaps that is actually MORE evidence that: your claim of discrimination is correct.
ReplyDeletePS You might want to post your letter and certified mail receipt to the EEOC online here on your blog.
ReplyDeleteThat way, if the NYC EEOC tells you in six months that they "lost" your charge of discrimination or "can't find it" or whatever excuse they come up with, you can prove you did mail it in.
And, since the deadline to file a charge is 180 days I think (six months), and that seems to me it would mean six months from Nov 2010, perhaps during those six months when your EEOC complaint is here online on your blog:
other women of color or other women who are Hispanic or whatever race and religion will likewise file an EEOC complaint as you did, using your letter as a model.
Then, perhaps it will be more difficult for the NYC EEOC to claim they "lost" thousands of complaints from women of color or Hispanic women etc in this matter.
It's always easy to screw one person in isolation, as I am constantly screwed by the corrupt Bushes and have been for 25 years (and I don't mean sexually).
But I think it's sometimes harder to screw an entire class of people, like thousands of women of color.
Although, it now seems to me they do try, over and over and over and over again.
So, maybe you could start a class action lawsuit with your one complaint.
That would be good.
That whole town in FL now knows its govt is totally corrupt, BTW, but -- too late. No one down there ever files a lawsuit for anything is what it usually seems to me.
But then again, why bother? The Bushes own not only the school officials and the local newspaper, but the judiciary, the govt, the law enforcement; etc. Everything.
THat area in FL is now a totalitarian state, and guess what? That's where the new FL gov is from.
Wow, what a coincidence...(NOT).
BTW, if you try to obtain public records in NY or in FL, and you stumble upon one of many Bush schemes, or you try to exercise your civil rights, guess what they do to you in Collier County, Naples, FL? They put you in jail. (For no real reason other than you tried to exercise your US Constitutional rights. That is illegal now in certain parts of FL.)
ReplyDeleteIt's like what North Korea must be like.
That's why it's kind of frightening to hear Cathie Black made such statements as "There's nothing anyone can do to change the outcome."
Translation: "The Bush totalitarian takeover of NYC has begun in earnest, so, do not try to resist it. The dictatorship is here."
It's already there in NYC HPD and NYS DHCR and certain judges; I guess it just took a little longer to take over NYC DOE, too.
But, it's not fun when the PEople have no civil rights and the US Constitution is no longer recognized, I can tell you that.
It used to be:
"Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the Earth."
Abe Lincoln
But that is now perishing from the Earth. It has already perished from Collier County, Naples, FL and certain govt agencies in NYC and NYS.
I guess NYC DOE was the next target.
VEry diturbing what is going on with respect to dictators.
I guess Bloomberg never heard of Abe Lincoln or Abe's quote which I will repeat here since it is vanishing rather quickly from our way of life:
"Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the Earth."
Abe Lincoln
Well today a 2nd lawsuit was filed, this one alleging that the NYS Commish erred by relying on the credentials of the 2nd in command to grant the waiver.
ReplyDeleteBut, I still hope you file the EEOC complaint; it would be great if other women who are qualified joined you, too, in time.
You might also want to include a copy of lawyer Michael Meyers' letter to the State Commish as this letter mentions that the state should have had a search of qualified candidates before any "apppointment."
ReplyDeleteHis letter is posted as the 5th comment on today's NYT city room blog here --
Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries