David Possner, Assistant Principal at MS 226 in Queens, Wins the "A For Accountability Award" From The E-Accountability Foundation

David Possner wins the A For Accountability Award

David Possner

David is an Assistant Principal at JHS 226 Virgil I. Grissom in Queens. He bravely stood up to speak against the Principal, Rushell White, in support of the excellent staff members who had been forced out of their jobs because of the discrimination, abuse, and hostile work environment created by Rushell White.

One of the most outrageous acts of Ms. White I think is the retroactive denial of bereavement days for David's grandmother's passing, which occurred in 2011. Rushell White altered David's attendance record for 2015 to make up for the bereavement days she had given him four years earlier. That's what hatred and discrimination looks like.

Rushell White

David has worked at MS 226 since 2005, and several teachers believe him to be the most caring and excellent AP they have ever worked with. Before becoming an AP, David was a teacher for 5-6 years, and worked on the Staten Island Community Board Education Committee to improve the schools of Staten Island.

He risked his own career, and his emotional well-being to say to the world via New York City newspapers and Parentadvocates.org Editor Betsy Combier, that no public school should be managed by fear and threats.

In or about 2002, I started a 501(c) 3 called the E-Accountability Foundation, to help people who became whistleblowers for corruption and were retaliated against.

My logo for Parentadvocates.org and the trademarked "A For Accountability" at the top of this post stand for bravery not often seen in the general population. As my website explains,

"The E-Accountability Foundation announces the A For Accountability Award which is given to those who are willing to whistleblow unjust, misleading, or false actions and claims of the politico-educational complex in order to bring about educational reform in favor of children of all races, intellectual ability and economic status. They ask questions that need to be asked, such as "where is the money?" and "Why does it have to be this way?" and they never give up. These people have withstood adversity and have held those who seem not to believe in honesty, integrity and compassion accountable for their actions. The winners of our "A" work to expose wrong-doing not for themselves, but for others - total strangers - for the "Greater Good"of the community and, by their actions, exemplify courage and self-less passion. They are parent advocates. We salute you."

We continue to help and support David as he proceeds through the Court system, making waves through an education system that no longer cares about kids.

Betsy Combier
betsy.combier@gmail.com
President, The E-Accountability Foundation
315 East 65th Street, Suite 4C
New York, N.Y. 10065
Editor, NYC Rubber Room Reporter
Editor, Parentadvocates.org
Editor, New York Court Corruption
Editor, National Public Voice
Editor, The NYC Public Voice

The Secret Bloomberg Administration

Mayor Bloomberg, with City Council's Christine Quinn standing behind him

I wonder why citizens of New York want a Mayor that closes the door to public scrutiny of all policy determinations. Bloomberg's disdain for accountability is obvious to anyone who has tried to obtain information about him, and/or his staff pursuant to the freedom of information law.

If you read the new website of the Committee on Open Government, you will read about the many violations of FOIA and FOIL by both Mayor Bloomberg and Mr. Joel Klein. More about Mr. Klein's violations in a later article. So let's go now to the New York Times' requests for information on Mayor Bloomberg's successful campaign to get himself into a third term as Mayor, as you can see in the Times' article posted below.

By the way, I have heard that any New York City Council member who can win a third term on the Council gets free health insurance paid by the New York City taxpayer for the rest of his/her natural life. This is good to know, isnt it?

Wake up, New York.

Betsy Combier

April 25, 2009
E-Mail Sheds Little Light on Term Limits Campaign in City Hall
By MICHAEL BARBARO, NY TIMES

“Many thanks.”

In the middle of the pitched battle over Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s plan to re-engineer the city’s term-limits laws, those are the only two words that the first deputy mayor, Patricia E. Harris, (pictured below with Mayor Bloomberg) wrote about the topic.



Or at least those are the only two words that City Hall will allow the public to see.

On Friday, six months after The New York Times requested copies of all e-mail messages about term limits sent or received by six top aides to the mayor under the Freedom of Information Act, the Bloomberg administration released 66 pages of correspondence.

Much of what the city released amounted to fan mail for the mayor, from businesspeople, friends of his aides or ordinary citizens.

“My husband and I fully support your bid for a third term,” a husband and wife wrote the mayor. Their names were withheld.

In an e-mail message to the mayor, Edward B. Ryder IV, from Farmington, N.Y., wrote a ringing endorsement of the third-term plan. “If there was a case to be made for lifting term limits, I’m sure you will make it and make it well,” he wrote.

The Times sought e-mail messages written or received by Mr. Bloomberg; Ms. Harris; Edward Skyler, deputy mayor for operations; Kevin Sheekey, deputy mayor for intergovernmental affairs (pictured below); Stu Loeser, the mayor’s press secretary; and James Anderson, communications director.

The administration did not release any e-mail messages written by Mr. Bloomberg, Mr. Skyler (pictured below)or Mr. Anderson.


The mayor’s office released 17 e-mail messages that encouraged him to change the law and seek a third term, and four others opposing the move. The remainder consisted of press releases, poll results and inquiries about Mr. Sheekey’s young twins. None of the messages reflected discussions of strategy, support-building or organizing the broader campaign around the issue, which consumed the administration for months in the second half of 2008.

In a letter to The Times, a lawyer for the mayor, Anthony W. Crowell, said the administration was withholding other correspondence because it falls under an exemption for “interagency or intra-agency” materials.

Gene Russianoff, (pictured at right) a senior lawyer at the New York Public Interest Research Group, which also sought the records, said that the city’s release of the e-mail messages “can’t be the full story.”

“It sounds like a very selective release of memos and that support for term limits was spontaneous combustion,” Mr. Russianoff said. “It’s hard to believe this was conceived by spontaneous combustion. People on the scene felt like it was well orchestrated. But you can’t orchestrate without an orchestra.”

A spokesman for the mayor, Jason Post, said on Friday afternoon, “We released all the e-mails that were subject to disclosure.” He noted that Mr. Bloomberg did not personally respond to many of the e-mail messages on term limits.

Even those e-mail messages that offer a window into City Hall’s thinking about term limits are long on logistics and short on substance.

An e-mail message to Mr. Sheekey from an official at 32BJ, a union representing custodial workers in the city, bears the subject line “Term Limits.”

The union official wrote: “Are you back in the U.S.A. for good? Want to talk on this A.S.A.P.” Mr. Sheekey responded: “Just back this a.m. Let me know where/when to call you.”

And even while citing the exemption for correspondence between agencies in City Hall as a reason for not disclosing other messages, the administration nevertheless included one e-mail message from Mr. Loeser, sent on Oct. 3, 2008, in which he forwards the result of a poll to his City Hall colleagues, including Ms. Harris, Mr. Sheekey and Mr. Anderson. The poll found that most New Yorkers backed the idea of a third term for Mr. Bloomberg.

Mr. Post said that because the e-mail message contained “final statistical tabulations,” the city determined it should be disclosed.

Still, the documents do provide a glimpse of the ego-stroking and subtle hierarchies that govern the political world.

When writing last October to Patrick Gaspard, (picture at right) a Barack Obama campaign aide who is now deputy political director at the White House, Mr. Sheekey urged him: “Focus on winning the national election. If you can take some time out from the transition, find some time for me.”

Then Mr. Sheekey quoted the character Leo McGarry, the White House chief of staff on the television series “The West Wing.” (Picture at left is actor John Spencer as Leo McGarry).

“We have the ability to affect more change in a day at the White House than we will have in a lifetime once we walk out these doors. What do we want to do with them?”

Mayor Bloomberg's e-mail stormed by New York voters - pro and con - after OK'd 3-term bid
BY Kathleen Lucadamo, DAILY NEWS CITY HALL BUREAU
Saturday, April 25th 2009, 1:09 AM
LINK

3rd time's the charm

How do you feel about Mayor Bloomberg running for a 3rd term?

Great - He's doing the best he can - all he needs is another chance.

Disappointed - I've lost hope in him - we need a new mayor.

Angry - I belive in term limits - you should only get two terms.

Mayor Bloomberg got an earful from New Yorkers last fall when he tossed term limits so he could run for reelection, according to e-mails released Friday by City Hall.

"This is a sad day for New York City. How dare you?" wrote one disgruntled citizen to Bloomberg the day after City Council voted to make the change in October.

Another urged him not to run for mayor again because "fatigue can set in," while a third wrote, "The way this is being handled is hurting you - it really is."

Others were more encouraging.

"We are thrilled to hear the news about the third run. THANK GOD," Mara Manus of the Film Society of Lincoln Center e-mailed the mayor.

"We only regret you didn't run for President," an enthusiast e-mailed after urging him to seek a third term.

The exchanges between City Hall and outsiders suggest Bloomberg was trying to line up labor support days before the Council voted on the controversial measure.

Deputy Mayor Kevin Sheekey was arranging meetings in early October to discuss the term limits debate with Stuart Applebaum of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (at right) and Peter Colavito of SEIU 32BJ, records show.

"Want to talk on this ASAP," Colavito wrote.

Sheekey also appeared to discuss the issue with President Obama's political director, Patrick Gaspard, who wrote on Oct. 21 he "wanted to talk term limits."

Gaspard was previously an operative at SEIU 1199, which opposed term limits. Bloomberg is now courting the union for a reelection endorsement.

The Council narrowly voted to extend term limits for itself and citywide elected posts on Oct. 23 despite opposition from good-government groups and several politicians.

Bloomberg received support from Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum chief Bill White, who ended his e-mail with, "Hope to see you at the Intrepid for the Grand Reopening."

Adrian Flannelly, chairman of Irish Radio Networks, wrote after the vote, "Congratulations. We look forward to your leadership of New York City for the next five years."

The e-mails were provided to the Daily News through a Freedom of Information request, though the names of most e-mail senders were redacted.

klucadamo@nydailynews.com

Lest We Forget: Quinn, Bloomberg and Secrets (2009)

The Secret Bloomberg Administration

Mayor Bloomberg, with City Council's Christine Quinn standing behind him

I wonder why citizens of New York want a Mayor that closes the door to public scrutiny of all policy determinations. Bloomberg's disdain for accountability is obvious to anyone who has tried to obtain information about him, and/or his staff pursuant to the freedom of information law.

If you read the new website of the Committee on Open Government, you will read about the many violations of FOIA and FOIL by both Mayor Bloomberg and Mr. Joel Klein. More about Mr. Klein's violations in a later article. So let's go now to the New York Times' requests for information on Mayor Bloomberg's successful campaign to get himself into a third term as Mayor, as you can see in the Times' article posted below.

By the way, I have heard that any New York City Council member who can win a third term on the Council gets free health insurance paid by the New York City taxpayer for the rest of his/her natural life. This is good to know, isnt it?

Wake up, New York.

Betsy Combier

April 25, 2009
E-Mail Sheds Little Light on Term Limits Campaign in City Hall
By MICHAEL BARBARO, NY TIMES

“Many thanks.”

In the middle of the pitched battle over Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s plan to re-engineer the city’s term-limits laws, those are the only two words that the first deputy mayor, Patricia E. Harris, (pictured below with Mayor Bloomberg) wrote about the topic.



Or at least those are the only two words that City Hall will allow the public to see.

On Friday, six months after The New York Times requested copies of all e-mail messages about term limits sent or received by six top aides to the mayor under the Freedom of Information Act, the Bloomberg administration released 66 pages of correspondence.

Much of what the city released amounted to fan mail for the mayor, from businesspeople, friends of his aides or ordinary citizens.

“My husband and I fully support your bid for a third term,” a husband and wife wrote the mayor. Their names were withheld.

In an e-mail message to the mayor, Edward B. Ryder IV, from Farmington, N.Y., wrote a ringing endorsement of the third-term plan. “If there was a case to be made for lifting term limits, I’m sure you will make it and make it well,” he wrote.

The Times sought e-mail messages written or received by Mr. Bloomberg; Ms. Harris; Edward Skyler, deputy mayor for operations; Kevin Sheekey, deputy mayor for intergovernmental affairs (pictured below); Stu Loeser, the mayor’s press secretary; and James Anderson, communications director.

The administration did not release any e-mail messages written by Mr. Bloomberg, Mr. Skyler (pictured below)or Mr. Anderson.


The mayor’s office released 17 e-mail messages that encouraged him to change the law and seek a third term, and four others opposing the move. The remainder consisted of press releases, poll results and inquiries about Mr. Sheekey’s young twins. None of the messages reflected discussions of strategy, support-building or organizing the broader campaign around the issue, which consumed the administration for months in the second half of 2008.

In a letter to The Times, a lawyer for the mayor, Anthony W. Crowell, said the administration was withholding other correspondence because it falls under an exemption for “interagency or intra-agency” materials.

Gene Russianoff, (pictured at right) a senior lawyer at the New York Public Interest Research Group, which also sought the records, said that the city’s release of the e-mail messages “can’t be the full story.”

“It sounds like a very selective release of memos and that support for term limits was spontaneous combustion,” Mr. Russianoff said. “It’s hard to believe this was conceived by spontaneous combustion. People on the scene felt like it was well orchestrated. But you can’t orchestrate without an orchestra.”

A spokesman for the mayor, Jason Post, said on Friday afternoon, “We released all the e-mails that were subject to disclosure.” He noted that Mr. Bloomberg did not personally respond to many of the e-mail messages on term limits.

Even those e-mail messages that offer a window into City Hall’s thinking about term limits are long on logistics and short on substance.

An e-mail message to Mr. Sheekey from an official at 32BJ, a union representing custodial workers in the city, bears the subject line “Term Limits.”

The union official wrote: “Are you back in the U.S.A. for good? Want to talk on this A.S.A.P.” Mr. Sheekey responded: “Just back this a.m. Let me know where/when to call you.”

And even while citing the exemption for correspondence between agencies in City Hall as a reason for not disclosing other messages, the administration nevertheless included one e-mail message from Mr. Loeser, sent on Oct. 3, 2008, in which he forwards the result of a poll to his City Hall colleagues, including Ms. Harris, Mr. Sheekey and Mr. Anderson. The poll found that most New Yorkers backed the idea of a third term for Mr. Bloomberg.

Mr. Post said that because the e-mail message contained “final statistical tabulations,” the city determined it should be disclosed.

Still, the documents do provide a glimpse of the ego-stroking and subtle hierarchies that govern the political world.

When writing last October to Patrick Gaspard, (picture at right) a Barack Obama campaign aide who is now deputy political director at the White House, Mr. Sheekey urged him: “Focus on winning the national election. If you can take some time out from the transition, find some time for me.”

Then Mr. Sheekey quoted the character Leo McGarry, the White House chief of staff on the television series “The West Wing.” (Picture at left is actor John Spencer as Leo McGarry).

“We have the ability to affect more change in a day at the White House than we will have in a lifetime once we walk out these doors. What do we want to do with them?”

Mayor Bloomberg's e-mail stormed by New York voters - pro and con - after OK'd 3-term bid
BY Kathleen Lucadamo, DAILY NEWS CITY HALL BUREAU
Saturday, April 25th 2009, 1:09 AM
LINK

3rd time's the charm

How do you feel about Mayor Bloomberg running for a 3rd term?

Great - He's doing the best he can - all he needs is another chance.

Disappointed - I've lost hope in him - we need a new mayor.

Angry - I belive in term limits - you should only get two terms.

Mayor Bloomberg got an earful from New Yorkers last fall when he tossed term limits so he could run for reelection, according to e-mails released Friday by City Hall.

"This is a sad day for New York City. How dare you?" wrote one disgruntled citizen to Bloomberg the day after City Council voted to make the change in October.

Another urged him not to run for mayor again because "fatigue can set in," while a third wrote, "The way this is being handled is hurting you - it really is."

Others were more encouraging.

"We are thrilled to hear the news about the third run. THANK GOD," Mara Manus of the Film Society of Lincoln Center e-mailed the mayor.

"We only regret you didn't run for President," an enthusiast e-mailed after urging him to seek a third term.

The exchanges between City Hall and outsiders suggest Bloomberg was trying to line up labor support days before the Council voted on the controversial measure.

Deputy Mayor Kevin Sheekey was arranging meetings in early October to discuss the term limits debate with Stuart Applebaum of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (at right) and Peter Colavito of SEIU 32BJ, records show.

"Want to talk on this ASAP," Colavito wrote.

Sheekey also appeared to discuss the issue with President Obama's political director, Patrick Gaspard, who wrote on Oct. 21 he "wanted to talk term limits."

Gaspard was previously an operative at SEIU 1199, which opposed term limits. Bloomberg is now courting the union for a reelection endorsement.

The Council narrowly voted to extend term limits for itself and citywide elected posts on Oct. 23 despite opposition from good-government groups and several politicians.

Bloomberg received support from Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum chief Bill White, who ended his e-mail with, "Hope to see you at the Intrepid for the Grand Reopening."

Adrian Flannelly, chairman of Irish Radio Networks, wrote after the vote, "Congratulations. We look forward to your leadership of New York City for the next five years."

The e-mails were provided to the Daily News through a Freedom of Information request, though the names of most e-mail senders were redacted.

klucadamo@nydailynews.com

Peter Bregman on Holding People Accountable For Their Actions

 The New York City Department of Education does not use or believe in "Accountability".

That's a problem.

Betsy Combier
betsy.combier@gmail.com
President, The E-Accountability Foundation
Creator, The A For Accountability AwardEditor, NYC Rubber Room Reporter
Editor, Parentadvocates.org
Editor, New York Court Corruption
Editor, National Public Voice

The Right Way to Hold People Accountable
Peter Bregman

LINK

John* was doing his best to be calm, but his frustration was palpable. Jeanine was explaining that there was little chance her group was going to make the numbers for this quarter. “Honestly?” she said. “The numbers weren’t realistic to begin with. It was really unlikely that we were going to make them.”

That’s when John lost it. “You agreed to the numbers in our budget meeting! You came up with them!”

Jeanine was silent for a while. Then she stammered out a weak defense that John promptly tore apart. Later, when John and I were debriefing the conversation, he asked me a question that I have heard countless times from countless leaders.

“How do I get my people to be more accountable for results?”

Accountability is not simply taking the blame when something goes wrong. It’s not a confession. Accountability is about delivering on a commitment. It’s responsibility to an outcome, not just a set of tasks. It’s taking initiative with thoughtful, strategic follow-through.

And it’s necessary at all levels of the hierarchy. Executives high on the org chart can’t really be accountable unless the people who report to them also follow through on their commitments. This a struggle, of course. I have seen leaders direct, question, and plead. I have seen them yell, act passive-aggressively, and throw up their hands in frustration — all in the service of “holding people accountable.”

None of that works. Getting angry with people when they fall short is not a productive process for holding people accountable. It almost always reduces motivation and performance.

So what can we do to foster accountability in the people around us? We need to aim for clarity in five areas:

1. Clear expectations. The first step is to be crystal clear about what you expect. This means being clear about the outcome you’re looking for, how you’ll measure success, and how people should go about achieving the objective. It doesn’t all have to come from you. In fact, the more skilled your people are, the more ideas and strategies should be coming from them. Have a genuinely two-way conversation, and before it’s over, ask the other person to summarize the important pieces — the outcome they’re going for, how they are going to achieve it, and how they’ll know whether they’re successful — to make sure you’re ending up on the same page. Writing out a summary is a good idea but doesn’t replace saying it out loud.
2. Clear capability. What skills does the person need to meet the expectations? What resources will they need? If the person does not have what’s necessary, can they acquire what’s missing? If so, what’s the plan? If not, you’ll need to delegate to someone else. Otherwise you’re setting them up for failure.
3. Clear measurement. Nothing frustrates leaders more than being surprised by failure. Sometimes this surprise is because the person who should be delivering is afraid to ask for help. Sometimes it comes from premature optimism on both sides. Either way, it’s completely avoidable. During the expectations conversation, you should agree on weekly milestones with clear, measurable, objective targets. If any of these targets slip, jump on it immediately. Brainstorm a solution, identify a fix, redesign the schedule, or respond in some other way that gets the person back on track.
4. Clear feedback. Honest, open, ongoing feedback is critical. People should know where they stand. If you have clear expectations, capability, and measurement, the feedback can be fact-based and easy to deliver. Is the person delivering on her commitments? Is she working well with the other stakeholders? If she needs to increase her capability, is she on track? The feedback can also go both ways — is there something you can be doing to be more helpful? Give feedback weekly, and remember it’s more important to be helpful than nice.
5. Clear consequences. If you’ve been clear in all of the above ways, you can be reasonably sure that you did what’s necessary to support their performance. At this point, you have three choices: repeat, reward, or release. Repeat the steps above if you feel that there is still a lack of clarity in the system. If the person succeeded, you should reward them appropriately (acknowledgement, promotion, etc.). If they have not proven accountable and you are reasonably certain that you followed the steps above, then they are not a good fit for the role, and you should release them from it (change roles, fire them, etc.).
These are the building blocks for a culture of accountability. The magic is in the way they work together as a system. If you miss any one, accountability will fall through that gap.

I’ve found that it’s useful to make this list public and to discuss it with the people you’re asking to be accountable before there’s a specific project on the line.

When I explained all of this to John, it was easy for him to identify the gaps in his communication with Jeanine. His expectations were clear, but her capability was lacking, which they had never addressed. Once they’d spoken about the gap, he could support her development with coaching while also reviewing her milestones more frequently. That gave him the data he needed to give her clear and timely feedback.

Remember the question we started with, the one that plagues so many leaders: “How do I get my people to be more accountable for results?”

Now there’s an answer: It depends. Which of the five areas have you neglected?

*Names have been changed.

Originally published at Harvard Business Review

Peter Bregman

Peter Bregman is CEO of Bregman Partners, a company that strengthens leadership in people and in organizations throughprograms (including the Bregman Leadership Intensive), coaching, and as a consultant to CEOs and their leadership teams. Best-selling author of 18 Minutes, his most recent book is Four Seconds. To receive an email when he posts, click here.

E-Accountability. It's Time.

As we head into the campaign season, let's all remember the people who have stood up and said "No" and "No way" to Mayor Mike Bloomberg for 12 years. Then we all should - no, must -hold Mayor Bloomberg, Joel Klein, Cathie Black, Dennis Walcott and all their willing subordinates accountable for denying employees, parents and children their due process rights while in office. 

Definition of ACCOUNTABILITY: the quality or state of being accountable; especially : an obligation or willingness to accept responsibility or to account for one's actions."

Accountability matters. Anyone "suddenly" changing his or her mind now in order to curry favor is not worth voting for, in my opinion.

Betsy Combier
Editor of NYC Rubber Rook Reporter
President, The E-Accountability Foundation, a 501 (C) 3 which holds people accountable for their actions online

Education, Vision and the Mayor’s Race

By THE EDITORIAL BOARD

LINK

The Democratic candidates for New York mayor, whirling around the boroughs on the debate-and-forum carousel, have been struggling for advantage and the attention of tuned-out voters. But they have had no trouble infuriating the Bloomberg administration, which seems to be getting touchier about criticism as it heads to the exits.

Exhibit A was a candidates’ forum on May 11 with the United Federation of Teachers, where they took turns blasting the mayor’s record on school reform. It was five Democrats — and Adolfo Carrión Jr., who’s running on the Independence Party line — in pursuit of an endorsement, so flattery and incumbent-bashing were expected. But the jabs made the mayor go all-but-apocalyptic in reply: “If the next mayor really is serious about kowtowing to demands from some radicals in a union,” he said, “then this city does not have a future.”

Mr. Bloomberg’s schools chancellor, Dennis Walcott, called the criticism an “unconscionable” assault on the Education Department and accused the candidates of lacking vision. On Saturday, at a conference in Brooklyn for school administrators, he foretold a “tragedy” if the next mayor did not continue Mr. Bloomberg’s policies.

But after 12 years, this mayor’s ideas are due for a counterargument. The critiques the candidates are offering hardly shock the conscience, and their complaints about the Bloomberg administration can be heard from teachers and parents in any school in the city.

The school system has indeed gone overboard in relying on standardized testing. Tests need to be a means to the end of better instruction, not the pedagogical obsession they have become. Yes, Mr. Bloomberg has shown disdain for consultation, as in his rush to close underperforming schools without the full and meaningful involvement of affected communities. The system needs to strengthen neighborhoods’ connection to schools and reconnect with parents who feel shut out. And while charter schools can be a path to excellence, they can also cause problems. Shoehorning them into existing school buildings over local objections can alienate parents and reinforce among students a harmful sense of being separate and unequal.

When Mr. Bloomberg won direct control of public education in 2002, it was a historic and necessary victory, ending a system of local districts that was grossly dysfunctional and unaccountable. The candidates should not be allowed to downplay or deny how bad things were when nobody was in charge.

But there can be truth in applause lines. Comptroller John Liu spoke for many at the forum when he told of his frustrating inability, as a parent, to give input to school officials. And William Thompson Jr., a former city comptroller, answered Mr. Walcott in a statement on Saturday by noting the incompleteness of educational gains: “For 12 years, the mayor has vilified teachers, shut out parents, turned classrooms into test prep centers and closed community schools. We have tried those policies, and our kids are still not receiving the education they deserve.”

The candidates are not above campaign mushiness and overpromising. While they support a long list of desirable things, like arts and music, smaller classes and community schools that provide health and social services in poor neighborhoods, they have been vague about how to pay for them. When asked at the U.F.T. forum to embrace the union dogma that only an educator can be chancellor, they all did, except for City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, who said, sensibly, “Not necessarily.” Nobody vowed to be tough in negotiating a new teachers’ contract. But that wasn’t going to happen before this group anyway.

The Democrats have work to do before the September primary to persuasively show how — and with what money — they would make the city’s schools better. They will be competing not only with a defensive mayor, but with voters’ inattention and distractions, especially if former Congressman Anthony Weiner cannonballs into the pool.

They have begun laying out ideas. Mayor Bloomberg and his aides are upset that the visions aren’t his. But they should not deny that alternate visions could exist, or the possibility that they could be better than the one we have.

Think the Job Performance of the NYC DOE Chief Officer Dennis Walcott Stinks?

Too bad.

No one who works at Tweed (or City Hall, we hear) has a contract and no one is evaluated. That's how Bloomberg works, and how public money is spent.

Below is the final response to my FOIL for the evaluations of the leaders of our public school system. There are none.

Betsy Combier

From Parentadvocates.org:

Think the Job Performance of the NYC DOE Chief Officer Dennis Walcott Stinks?
Too bad. No one who works at Tweed (or City Hall, we hear) has a contract and no one is evaluated. That's how Bloomberg works, and how public money is spent. From the desk of Betsy Combier, Editor.
          

Mike Bloomberg

Below is the final response to my FOIL for the evaluations of the leaders of our public school system.

There are none.

Betsy Combier

Betsy Combier and Harvey Elentuck File FOIL Requests For DOE Performance Evaluations

My very good friend Harvey Elentuck, the "Elentuck" of the case "Elentuck v Green" in which the New York State Supreme Court and the Appellate Division both told Harvey that there are no facts in observations and observations are not final (so he could not FOIL observation reports), filed a FOIL request for performance evaluations of the DOE "leadership". Judge Cynthia Kern used "Elentuck" in her decision to grant the DOE release of teacher evaluations, and Bob (Freeman) has issued an opinion about Harvey's case. The UFT used "Elentuck v Green" in the Memorandum of Law filed at the First Department Appellate Division (Attorney Charles Moerdler is on the Attorney Departmental Disciplinary Committee for the 1st Dept. and was the Attorney hired to defend Randi Weingarten and me in the Teachers4Action lawsuit filed in 2008 by former Attorney Edward Fagan....evidently Fagan owes Moerdler more than $340,000 in judgments).

I filed a FOIL request as well, but I put in the following paragraph:

"As you know, I have filed a Notice of Claim against Mr. Joseph Baranello, Chief Records Access Officer of the New York City Department of Education, for consistently delaying my FOIL requests beyond the time available by Law, and I have had my 50-H deposition. Any and all delay in receiving the information I request herein will be pursued pursuant to all relevant laws and statutes. I also posted Baranello's Facebook comments on my blog, and I will consider any and all delay in receiving the information I request in this FOIL request or any other as retaliation and unlawful action by a public employee.

Here is my FOIL request for DOE Performance Evaluations:

From: Betsy Combier
Date: Fri, Mar 2, 2012 at 8:45 AM
Subject: Freedom of Information Request For Records
To: FOIL@schools.nyc.gov, Baranello Joseph , Betsy Combier
Cc: FOIL@mail.nysed.gov, MBloomberg@cityhall.nyc.gov, THernandez5@schools.nyc.gov, RJackson@council.nyc.gov, SpeakerQuinn@council.nyc.gov, MBest@schools.nyc.gov, RGreenf@schools.nyc.gov

Records Access Officer
NYC Department of Education
52 Chambers Street, Room 308
New York, NY 10007
By email: FOIL@schools.nyc.gov

Dear Records Access Officer and/or Mr. Joseph Baranello:

Under the provisions of the New York Freedom of Information Law, Article 6 of the Public Officers Law, I hereby request a copy of the following records or portions thereof:

(1) The final performance evaluations of all of the members of the Chancellor’s leadership team for 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011, in the NYC Department of Education, including but not limited to every Deputy Chancellor, as well as the performance evaluation of the Chancellor himself.

Robert Freeman, Chair of the NYS Committee on Open Govt., has written that the performance evaluations of all public employees in NY State are available to the public through FOILs, except for police and correction officers and firefighters.
With respect to the Chancellor, he is the equivalent of a "Superintendent of Schools" and is, therefore, required to be evaluated annually by the Panel for Educational Policy, which is the equivalent of a "Board of Education."

Here is the full statement of §100.2(o)(1)(vi.) of the current Regulations of the Commissioner of Education:

Performance review of superintendent. The governing body of each school district shall annually review the performance of the superintendent of schools according to procedures developed by such body in consultation with the superintendent. Such procedures shall be filed in the district office and available for review by any individual no later than September 10th of each year.

These requested records are not exempt from disclosure under FOIL. To the extent that information contained in the requested records is protected please redact such information and provide me with the remaining information. In the event that all or part of this request is denied, please cite each specific applicable FOIL exemption and notify me of appeal procedures available under the law.

(2) records containing the policies and procedures for conducting the performance evaluations of each member of the Chancellor's Leadership Team (including the Chancellor) for each of the years from 2006 to 2012

(3) Names of the individuals who conduct the evaluations, with titles and years of service in the capacity cited.

To the extent that these records are readily available in an electronic format, we request that they be provided in that format. Please provide responsive records as they are identified, rather than waiting to gather all records. I request to be notified of any fees associated with this request of over $100.00.

The Freedom of Information Law requires agencies to respond within five (5) business days of a records request, therefore I expect a timely reply to my request in compliance with the Law, as well as a timely completion of this request with all documents. My email address is: betsy.combier@gmail.com.

As you know, I have filed a Notice of Claim against Mr. Joseph Baranello, Chief Records Access Officer of the New York City Department of Education, for consistently delaying my FOIL requests beyond the time available by Law, and I have had my 50-H deposition. Any and all delay in receiving the information I request herein will be pursued pursuant to all relevant laws and statutes. I also posted Mr. Baranello's Facebook comments on my blog, and I will consider any and all delay in receiving the information I request in this FOIL request or any other as retaliation and unlawful action by a public employee.

Relevant decisions:

Gould v. NYC Police Department (89 NY2d 267):
Blecher v. NYC Board of Education (NYLJ, 10/25/79).

The Leadership Team to which I refer and the members for whom I request records are:

Leadership Team
Chancellor
Dennis M. Walcott

Senior Advisor to the Chancellor
Courtenaye Jackson-Chase

Chief Operating Officer
Veronica Conforme

Chief Information Officer
Kemi Akinsanya-Rose

Division of Finance
Michael Tragale, Chief Financial Officer

Division of Academics, Performance, and Support
Shael Polakow-Suransky, Chief Academic Officer and Senior Deputy Chancellor
Division of Equity and Access
Dr. Dorita P. Gibson, Deputy Chancellor
Division of Portfolio Planning
Marc Sternberg, Deputy Chancellor

Division of Operations
Kathleen Grimm, Deputy Chancellor

Division of Talent, Labor and Innovation
David A. Weiner, Deputy Chancellor

Division for Students with Disabilities and English Language Learners
Laura Rodriguez, Deputy Chancellor

General Counsel and Legal Services
Michael Best, General Counsel to the Chancellor

Public Affairs
Lenny Speiller, Executive Director

Division of Family and Community Engagement
Jesse Mojica, Executive, Director
Strategic Partnerships
Elizabeth Larson, Managing Director

Thank you for your prompt reply.

Betsy Combier
Editor, Parentadvocates.org
Editor, NYC Rubber Room Reporter
Editor, New York Court Corruption
Editor, National Public Voice

CC:
Hon. Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg -- MBloomberg@cityhall.nyc.gov
Hon. PEP Chair Tino Hernandez -- THernandez5@schools.nyc.gov
Hon. City Council Member Robert Jackson -- RJackson@council.nyc.gov
Hon. City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn -- SpeakerQuinn@council.nyc.gov
Michael Best, Esq. -- MBest@schools.nyc.gov
Robin S. Greenfield, Esq. –- RGreenf@schools.nyc.gov

Below is the FOIL I filed to obtain the evaluation of the performance of Joel Klein in 2007:

Sent: Sat 2/17/2007 11:42 PM
To: Holtzman Susan
Cc: Best Michael (Legal Services); MCardozo@law.nyc.gov; Longoria Carragher Arlene; betsy@parentadvocates.org; RFreeman@dos.state.ny.us; JFriedla@law.nyc.gov; AbGolden@law.nyc.gov; Greenfield Robin; CJobinDavis@dos.state.ny.us; Kicinski Christine J; Klein Joel I.; LKoerner@law.nyc.gov; Nathan Judy; Richardson Jacqueline;
Subject: Press FOIL Request from The E-Accountability Foundation
The E-Accountability Foundation

Betsy Combier, President and Campaign Sponsor


VIA E-MAIL

February 17, 2007

Ms. Susan W. Holtzman
Central Records Access Officer
Office of Legal Services
New York City Department of Education
52 Chambers Street
New York, NY 10007

SHoltzm@schools.nyc.gov

Dear Ms. Holtzman:

Under the provisions of the New York Freedom of Information Law, Article 6 of the Public Officers Law, I hereby request to receive E-mailed copies of the following records, or inspect, copy, and receive letters, documents, or any written form with data pertaining to:

1) all written annual professional performance reviews of Chancellor Joel I. Klein that were generated by the Panel for Educational Policy (or any subcommittee thereof) in order to comply with §100.2(o)(2)(v) of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education

2) all formal written procedures for evaluating the Chancellor developed by the Panel for Educational Policy (or the former Board of Education) in consultation with any Chancellor, and which formal written procedures are likely located in the Chancellor's Office, Office of the Secretary of the Panel for Educational Policy (Michael Best), Office of Legal Services, or offices of the individual members of the Panel for Educational Policy

I have quoted the aforementioned regulation below for your convenience:

"Performance review of superintendent. The governing body of each school district shall annually review the performance of the superintendent of schools according to procedures developed by such body in consultation with the superintendent. Such procedures shall be filed in the district office and available for review by any individual no later than September 10th of each year."

If the requested records cannot be E-mailed to me due to the volume of records identified in response to my request, please advise me of the actual cost of copying all records onto a CD or floppy disk.

If my request is too broad or does not reasonably describe the records, please contact me so that I may clarify my request. When appropriate, please inform me of the manner in which the records are filed, retrieved, or generated.

If any record has been redacted or denied, please identify which categories of information have been redacted or denied, and cite the relevant statutory exemption(s).

As you know, the Freedom of Information Law requires that an agency respond to a request within five business days of receipt of a request. Therefore, I would appreciate a response as soon as possible and look forward to hearing from you shortly. If for any reason any portion of my request is denied, please inform me of the reasons for the denial in writing and provide the name, business address, and E-mail address of the person or body to whom an appeal should be directed.
Sincerely,
Betsy Combier
CC:

VIA E-MAIL

Mr. Michael Best
MBest2@schools.nyc.gov

Mr. Michael A. Cardozo
MCardozo@law.nyc.gov

Ms. Arlene Longoria Carragher
ALongor@schools.nyc.gov

The E-Accountability Foundation
betsy@parentadvocates.org

Mr. Robert J. Freeman
RFreeman@dos.state.ny.us

Mr. Jeffrey D. Friedlander
JFriedla@law.nyc.gov

Ms. Abigail Goldenberg
AbGolden@law.nyc.gov

Ms. Robin S. Greenfield
RGreenf@schools.nyc.gov

Ms. Camille S. Jobin-Davis
CJobinDavis@dos.state.ny.us

Ms. Christine J. Kicinski
CKicins@schools.nyc.gov

Chancellor Joel I. Klein
JKlein@schools.nyc.gov

Mr. Leonard Koerner
LKoerner@law.nyc.gov

Ms. Judy Nathan
JNathan@schools.nyc.gov

Ms. Jacqueline Richardson
JRichardson@schools.nyc.gov

The answer from the NYC DOE was: "there is no evaluation done of Chancellor Klein. He works at the pleasure of Mayor Mike Bloomberg."

This is why we have no say on anything that occurs in our city schools.
Betsy Combier

Carmen Farina: The Problem With Her Being Chancellor of the NYC School System Is.......

I love Eric's new article on the "old" problem of Carmen Farina. (see below) Please see my extensive reporting on my experience with Ms. Farina.

Carmen Farina and the "beautiful day" blizzard

I'd like to add another memory that some might miss in my articles. When School Leadership Teams first started in NYC schools, I had the lucky break to be a PTA President (Booker T. Washington MS 54) and on the Executive Board of PS 6, and I was able to compare the SLT rules and regulations with Carmen Farina's PS 6 version. Carmen told us at PS 6 that she would NEVER collaborate with the parents and teachers, never. Her PS 6 SLT was made of 4 people, who were basically told what to do.

I reported Mrs. Farina to the DOE for doing this.

She was told by Jamal Young at the Office of Parent Engagement to change her SLT to comply with the rules.

Here is my report (in the article titled "Carmen Farina: Politics Wins with Her Appointment as Deputy Chancellor In New York City"(2004)):

"For the past three years The E-Accountability Foundation has interviewed parents and teachers at PS 6, in District 15 (Brooklyn), and from region 8, where Mrs. Farina was Regional Superintendent before being appointed Acting Deputy Chancellor of the NYC DOE in February, 2004, and then made Deputy Chancellor in May. Her disdain for parents - aside from those who she brings into her closed circle of friends - is legendary, and her School Leadership Team Bylaws at PS 6 violate almost every clause in the "Green Book" on SLT Regulations. She was reprimanded by the Director of the Parent Advocacy and Engagement Office, Jamal Young, in a May 2001 letter to me, sent to Carmen, Superintendent Shelley Harwayne, and several other people. Nothing was done about the Bylaws or the SLT at PS 6, but Jamal's aunt Birdie Blake-Reid was found guilty of improper payments of public funds to employees, and fined by the Conflict of Interest Board soon after.

Mrs. Farina is a Master at threatening retaliation for any deed that she does not support, and she follows up her threats quickly and forcibly."

Before Bill De Blasio became Mayor, I sent him all of the articles I had written about Carmen, and suggested that he appoint someone without the baggage she has. He did not listen.

Another question that should be asked, is: "  Does Carmen get to collect her full pension now that she has stepped out of retirement to become the Chancellor?

    http://seethroughny.net/index.php?cID=189

The more you know......

Betsy Combier
Editor, Parentadvocates.org
Editor, NYC Rubber Room Reporter
President, Theater Kids/Advocatz

Despite Too Many Questions of Improprieties, Carmen Farina is Named Deputy Chancellor For the New York City DOE
E-Accountability OPINION

A Question For Carmen Farina, NYC Chancellor: Where is the Money?

Monday, May 26, 2014

Chancellor Carmen Farina Is Part Of The Problem And Not The Solution.

LINK

Its very interestingly how the leadership of our union and the new Chancellor appears to get along with each other which was not the case under the Bloomberg administration.  Its no wonder that UFT President Michael Mulgrew bellowed that there's a new tone at the DOE.  Yeah right, and I have a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you.  Unfortunately,  when it comes to real change for the teachers in the trenches, its still the same old song.

First, a little history. The new Chancellor, Carmen Farina, was a very important part of the Joel Klein's inner circle as a Deputy Chancellor and only retired when she saw much of her authority taken away and given to a subordinate, Eric Nadelstern.  Encouraged to come out of retirement to be the new Chancellor for Mayor Bill de Blasio, she has been a vast disappointment and even suffering a Cathie Black moment by failing to close schools during a blizzard and then while it was sleeting with freezing rain by saying "its a beautiful day".  Rather than do what should have been a no-brainer and  "clean house" at the DOE, Carmen Farina has instead promoted some long-term Bloonberg bureaucrats into the highest positions as Deputy Chancellors.  Katherine Grimm and Dorita Gibson.   Moreover, her failure toremove some Superintendents and the continuation of the useless and money-sucking "Children First Networks"  says everything about her failure to change the tone at the DOE.   Moreover, Carmen Farina's past and present actions suggests she is pro principal but not pro teacher.  As Principal she had a 80% teacher turnover rate which strongly suggests that she didn't collaborate well with her teaching staff.  Furthermore, stories about her actions from Betsy Combier and Phillip Nobile's comment show that she has made some very questionable decisions over the years. 

Presently, Chancellor Carmen Farina has continued her pro principal agenda by not imposing a hiring freeze until all the excessed teachers are placed and gave principals even more authority to remove an ATR from their school in a day.  Moreover, under the Chancellor the DOE fought hard to demand that teacher lesson plan specifics be dictated by the administration.    Furthermore, the new Chancellor is giving the principals the power to charge a long-term ATR with the vaguely defined term of "problematic behavior" that can lead to the expedited ATRs termination in a one day 3020-a hearing.  Additionally, while she reduced the  Danieson components to eight from 22, this was at the request of the principals and not to help teachers since it made the administrators job very difficult to cover all 22 components and refused to lessen the amount of observations under the teacher evaluation system.

During the contract negotiations, the Chancellor's position was to have all the ATRs fired by giving them only four months to find a position.  With her approval for the continuation of the "fair student funding" any time limit is simply a termination program for senior teachers and she knows that,  According to one blogger, South Bronx schools, Ms. Farina claimed only 400 of the 1,200 ATRs are capable teachers.  I guess to the Chancellor these are the teachers that never received an unsatisfactory observation or went through a 3020-a hearing.  More importantly, she has convinced the union to have a "caste system" and have the lowest caste being those teachers who won their 3020-a hearings who are known as the"untouchables".  Finally, the chancellor has retained the teacher termination requirements under the teacher evaluation system that makes it very difficult for teachers to win their case if given two consecutive "ineffective ratings".

When compared to the Chancellor's of the Bloomberg Era, she may cooperate with the union leadership but when it comes to the classroom teachers she still practicing many of the destructive Bloomberg Era policies and its still"education on the cheap" under her tenure.  Chancellor Carmen Farina is still part of the problem and not a solution.

Posted by Chaz at 11:53 AM