Aimee Horowitz, NYC Department of Education

Here we go again! Thanks to Yoav Gonen and Sue Edelman at the NY POST, we are seeing the back room nepotism, cronyism, and fraud of New York City Department of Education personnel.

Today, its Aimee Horowitz. Tomorrow, ........?
The saying goes this way: "its not what you know, it is WHO you know."

keep up the good work, NY POST!

Betsy Combier
betsy.combier@gmail.com
Editor, NYC Rubber Room Reporter
Editor, Parentadvocates.org
Editor, New York Court Corruption
Editor, National Public Voice

Office in charge of fixing schools ‘bent rules’ to hire ‘unqualified’ pals

By Yoav Gonen

, February 11, 2016

LINK

Aimee Horowitz

Honchos at the Department of Education’s Office of School Renewal — responsible for turning around the city’s 94 worst schools — lowered the qualifications for jobs to ensure they went to pals, The Post has learned.

Educrat Andrew Gallagher was promoted to a $128,000 “director” position in November — but only after the initial job posting was altered to drop a requirement of state certification in administration, according to sources and documents.

Gallagher has certification that’s good only for interning in administration while he earns his Ph.D, state records show.

“The hiring is based on friendship . . . and not qualifications,” said a source familiar with the Renewal office, whose superintendent, Aimee Horowitz, manages schools that have received more than $190 million in extra funds.

“Titles are being changed and rules are being bent ­because the people that Horowitz and [others] want are not qualified.”

In another case, e-mails show that the office’s director of communications, Alex Pederson, was allowed to craft her own job qualifications after she was hired without the required five years of p.r. or journalism experience.

Aimee Horowitz and Bill deBlasio

Dozens of experienced applicants had sought the gig, sources said.

“Attached is the JD [job description] for your per­usal. Please review which one best suits you and your résumé,” Renewal schools HR director Daphne Franklin wrote in an e-mail to Pederson on Feb. 1. “Let me know which one you prefer and I will have it re-posted.”

The next morning, Pederson responded with her preference, saying it “more closely aligned to the original posting for the position and I meet the minimum requirements outlined.”

Copied on the exchange were three top officials: Horowitz, executive director Elif Gure-Perez, and director of program planning evaluation Carina Garcia.

Last Thursday, a job listing for the communications gig was posted online — but the p.r. requirement was replaced with the need for three years of “full-time . . . professional experience in education administration.”

Horowitz, Gallagher and Pederson did not respond to e-mails seeking comment.

DOE officials touted Gallagher and Pederson’s qualifications but did not directly address the watering down of requirements.