Here we go again! The DOE fails to take any action against a Principal of a closing school who allegedly made racist remarks about Black teachers in her school and then terminated or excessed them. According to numerous reports Principal Minerva Zanca of Pan American High School which is scheduled to close made racial epithets against her black teachers and got rid of them at the end of the school year. Read the story here. Ms. Zanca worked under and is a protege of the infamous Principal Jose Cruz at the MAST school in Campus Magnet who has a reputation in "U' rating more teachers than any other Principal in the City.
There is now a petition against the Principal and a protest at Tweed scheduled for noon Monday July, 8th by teachers to have Principal Zanca removed. The question is why hasen't the DOE done it already?
The answer is the old DOE "double standard" when it comes to alleged misconduct by administrators. For the DOE administrators are "innocent until proven guilty" while for teachers it is "guilty and never proven innocent". The same rules should apply to all educators not different rules as the DOE presently employes. If you are in the City and not teaching summer school, please show up and tell that hypocrite Chancellor Walcott to terminate Minerva Zanca immediately. Campbell Brown, Ben Chapman, Fox news, and the Daily News where are your outrage? Oh, I forgot she is not a teacher so its not newsworthy.
She was a teacher and I have known her for over twenty years. During that time she worked with minorities. I strongly doubt that the racist statements attributed to her are true. Her bosses were minorities as is she.
ReplyDeleteIn all of that time there was never any racist statements made by her.
As someone who has been railroaded I find it very troubling that you jumped on the bandwagon and spout the party line.
I find it interesting that only one individual supposedly witnessed these statements. Who knows what his agenda is or who is pulling his strings.
You should be questioning the veracity of his statements and his motivation.
In addition, the teachers who lost their jobs certainly have an axe to grind.
Interestingly the DOE has kept silent on the issue.
Could this be a case of divide and conquer along racial and title lines.
Destabilize the schools by vilifying both teachers and administrators. Could it be that a charter schools is looking to take the space. Or perhaps the only "witness" has aspirations of becoming principal.
The fact remains that Minerva is a Latina and it is highly doubtful that the statements being attributed to her actually came from her.
Also, she is being tried in the press much as you were. Will you not afford her the same consideration that you demand for yourself?
What ever happened to innocent until proven guilty and due process?
Sincerely,
Angry Nog
Typical misdirection and conspiracy theories to sow confusion and doubt, racist are good at this.
DeleteAngry Nog probably never met this person. Enough already!
Anon 11:32
ReplyDeleteYou do make a point and it is possible that she never said anything that was racist. However, the post is more how the DOE treats principals and teachers differently and that is why I wrote it.
If she was a teacher she would have been removed from the classroom and 3020-a charges would follow. Instead she continues to run her school and that is the problem.
I believe we should all be treated equally, don't you?
I have word that 13 of the 30 teachers in this school are gone or leaving. I also heard that there were cuts to a theatre program in the school which are thought to be racially motivated.
ReplyDeleteAll I can say is "Wow." The whole school consists of a single floor, a single hallway. There seemed to be a high degree of real comradery among the teachers there, doubtless reinforced by the extreme smallness of the school and the difficult task they shared of educating students who barely speak English.
I must repeat again that she might not have said what is claimed. However, it is very obvious that she is a poor administrator and cannot keep her staff from leaving the school.
ReplyDeleteThe point of this post is how the DOE would have treated her if she was a teacher. Removing her and filing 3020-a charges rather than continue to allow her to run the school.
How about a white male principal in the spring of 2012 grabbed a 10th grade African African girl and told an African American male student to get the "Fuck to class" It's now 2013 and the principal faced no consequences. However, he 3020a one teacher and threaten to discontinue another teacher if the teacher did not resign. Both teachers had a rush to judgement while principal continues his reign or terror.
ReplyDeleteOh....it's fine for her to spew evilness..,and racist crap and she gets away with it. This is so frustrating and aggravating.
ReplyDeleteWhether Ms. Zanca did or did not say racist things is not a important as her poor running of her school and alienating her teaching staff. That alone should get her removed as a Principal.
ReplyDeleteThis is an excellent post about double standards. They do exist. They are very real and no one else is making as big a deal about them as you are here. Thanks for it.
ReplyDeleteThe reality is that the standards set for teachers are way too extreme. We, in the classroom, say one thing out of line and we are, in fact, removed. The way the DOE dealt with Portelos and Rubino is proof enough of this.
But the standards set for principals is also too extreme in the other direction: they can get away with almost anything they want and, unless a group of teachers figures out a way to turn to the press and bring embarrassment to the DOE (the one thing the people at Tweed can't take or deal with), then nothing gets done.
I think the teachers who filed suit and turned to the press -and the people who helped them do it -some of whom are members of the Movement and Rank and File Educators (MORE)- should be applauded. They have made sure the double standard doesn't apply to their situation and they, with their deft handling of the press, have demonstrated how to bring to the entire department to heel.
Anon 11:56
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on all counts. Yes, MORE should be applauded for bring this situation to the press. I wonder why Unity doesn't do the same thing?
Notice how the Bloomberg media mouthpieces the Daily New, Post, and Fox news don't even mention the issue?
I'm glad somebody-is pointing out how principals and teachers are treated differently.
ReplyDeleteI worked for principal Jose Cruz and he would bully us until we left. When we complained to the DOE an investigator came but only talked to carefully selected people and not the ones who made the complaint. You can guess nothing came of the investigation.
Your main point of this blog entry is well-stated.
ReplyDeleteAs an aside, I worked with Jose Cruz. He couldn't understand why I failed a number of students. I replied, "How can I pass students I have never met?" (heh heh heh)
He asked what I was doing about that. My answer included a documented and well developed array of strategies for contacting the students and their families, including requesting assistance from the attendance teacher. I still got the "WTF" look from Mr. Cruz. I guess I made him look bad. BooHoo!
Keep on truckin' Chaz! Good job!
Their are always two sides to a story and in this case three. First of all Ms. Zanca is PUERTO RICAN MULATTO. Why in the world would she be racist against herself? The two teachers in question were denied tenured by Mr. Mendez. Ms. Zanca supported their tenure. The theater teacher ALWAYS received accolades by Ms. Zanca. Her program was reduce in budget due to financial constraints. The AP in question is being investigated by the DOE's OSI for misconduct of funds. This was brought up by the NETWORK that realized some irregularities.
ReplyDeleteDo you know that the previous principal of this school was bullied by her staff and resigned? Ms. Zanca has brought in numerous PD opportunities for the school to help scaffold teachers. She was always looking for how to help teachers improve their practice.
Yes she work for Jose Cruz but her leadership style is different. She is a product of the LEAP program which has successful candidates. Ms. Zanca is being done an injustice in this case.
Anon 11:24
ReplyDeleteEven if you're right. How can she explain why 16 of 30 teachers are leaving? That to me is poor administration.
I must repeat that it is how the DOE is treating the accusation not the accusation itself. That is why I call it a double standard.
Lets talk about double standards. Back in 2010 there was an argument among some of the teachers in my school. The principal heard about this. At a faculty conference he said " I am going to take your asses out to the parking lot and whoop em. Fuck you go ahead report me I dont care". Nine people reported the incident. Not only that but his remarks were recorded on tape. And do you know what happened to that principal. Thats right absolutely nothing. Had a teacher told a supervisor the same thing he would have been brought up on disciplinary charge. Dennis Wallcott " The King of the double standard."
ReplyDeleteThe teachers are leaving not because of the principal, but because the school is going to close. if they wait for the school to close and they do not find a position they are placed in the ATR pool. This is how the system is set up. Unfortunately the students are the ones that lose.
ReplyDeleteEven if Zanca is a "Puerto-Rican mulatta" (a label which is offensive on several levels),how does this preclude her ability to be racist? Principal Ron Smolkin of Independence High School is gay, yet falsely accused a gay teacher, and his partner of deliberately infecting children with AIDS. The DOE has done nothing. Your point about double standards is sooo true.
ReplyDeleteMM:
ReplyDeleteI did do a story about Ron Smolkin in May and agree he should be removed.
Anon:
In most schools slated to close, the teachers stay on until excessed. It's only those schools where the Administration is terrible will teachers leave in mass.
An example was this school had a "newbie" social studies teacher" come to my school and ask how the students should do the Earth Science lab practical one day be3fore the Regents.
I pity those students who had to take the Earth Science Regents without a certified teacher to instruct them and who's fault for this academic travesty? The ADMINISTRATION!