I have a very good friend who was reassigned by her Leadership Academy Principal for alleged incompetence (the charge is false. Her crime is she is over 40 and not the same religion & culture as the "newbie teachers" that she hires). This "Principal From Hell" also known as a Principal-In-Need-Of-Improvement (PINI) by the UFT has limited classroom experience (less than three years) and poor management skills. In addition, over 50% of the teachers she inherited when she was made Principal less than six years ago have left the school for greener pastures.
This Principal had wanted the teacher to resign but the teacher refused and was reassigned to the "rubber room". When the teacher's 3020-a hearing was starting, the Principal had to testify and was grilled by the NYSUT lawyer for the teacher and now no longer in control, the Principal's testimony was evasive, and uncertain. Further, the Principal now had the tables turned on her as she was defensive, uncomfortable, and couldn't remember many of the charges she logged against the teacher. By the time the Principal was allowed to leave the 3020-a hearing (after three days of testimony) she was a mess.
This should have been the end of the Principal's interaction with the teacher, except for one thing. The Principal still had to sign off on the teacher's annual rating sheet which includes the attendance. It doesn't matter that the teacher has not been in the school for years. This vindictive Principal decided to violate protocol and not pay the teacher for attending her 3020-a hearings or meeting with her NYSUT lawyer even when the teacher is no longer on the Principal's budget! Hopefully, the union makes sure that not only will the teacher be paid for those days she was docked but that the union goes after the Principal with the same vengeance that the Principal did to the teacher. If the union allows the Principal to get away with this, what stops other Principals from doing the same? Nothing of course.
Our union makes $100 million dollars on member dues and it is time that some of the money be used to go after Principals that abuse teachers. No more talk, just take some real action.
If they spend money defending teachers or going after principals from hell then they will have less money to keep the patronage mill going. We don't have a union anymore. We just have a dues collecting organization.
ReplyDeleteIt certainly appears that is the case. I can only hope that our union starts to represent the members and not the leaders perks.
ReplyDeleteWhat;s the principal's name? Email me. They need to stop hading behind this cloak of anonymity.
ReplyDeleteBronx:
ReplyDeleteI would love to but I promised this teacher I would not name names. However, the union and NYSUT are aware of this and is working with the DOE to try to rsolove this situation. Once it is resolved, I will name the Principal.
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ReplyDeleteI will be surprised if anything is done to the principal. It's very difficult as it is for teachers to win kangaroo hearings, let alone principals being held accountable for ANYTHING. My principal in my termination hearing (in Nevada) was a nervous mess and lied her butt off and hadn't done one thing she was supposed to do by law, but it didn't matter to the hearing officer. I am out of work and she is doing better than ever.
ReplyDeleteSusan:
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear that. However, NY State has more teacher protection laws and we teachers do have a fighting chance.