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| Caterina Lafergola
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I mean, of course, Reginald Richardson, who was disliked in his school district (New Rochelle) and was hired by new Chancellor Richard Carranza to come to the NYC Department of Education as head of "School Quality". The NYPOST questioned this hire, and boom, he was un-hired. He tried to get his old job back, but New Rochelle would not take him back. What do you want to bet he will be found somewhere in the NYC DOE now or soon? Poor Reggie.
And now Chancellor Carranza and Mayor Bill have brought back another unwanted administrator, Caterina Lafergola. Why did they bring her back? Because she is protected, knows too much and has friends in high places. This is not rocket science.
What is sadly clear from the latest actions of NYC's new Chancellor Richard Carranza, is that nothing is new. The Department of Education and Mayor Bill de Blasio are up to their old tricks, which are to keep nepotism and favoritism alive no matter what the person did, as long as the person (in the high position at the DOE) keeps their mouth shut about what is really going on behind closed doors.
I guess that someone at the NYC Department of Education wanted her back in NYC, and this is why Lafergola suddenly resigned from the Baldwin School District in June 2018. The Baldwin School District and NYC DOE have a tight relationship, it seems.And, when principals have trouble raising the stats of their schools and pinning the lack of progress on the teachers and staff, they are immune from getting permanently fired. Lafergola was also on a hiring committee when Annie Seiffulah was hired.
There are so many scams coming out of City Hall and Tweed (the Mayor's hangout and the Chancellor's, respectively) that it isn't easy keeping a lid on all the roaming skeletons, but no one can let up for a minute, or investigative reporters will pounce.
I don't think Carranza is up to NYC par, where the most important part of his job is to squelch squealers. He doesn't know that NYC has some of the finest super snoops in the State, and these people will find out who's doing what to whom.
I am not in any way aligning myself with people who lie about other people to prove their point, and there are many currently on the internet and blogging with lies.
I deal with facts. Events. Let's try to keep the ball rolling toward what the truth/facts are, then go from there.
The fact of this matter is that Carranza has re-hired someone who a large group of people don't want, for good reason (see below). Is there no one else, Bill and Richard (now that we are chummy) to fill posts in NYC other than people who have done wrong?
Mayor Bill de Blasio is all about second chances ("I wont expose you if you don't expose me" policy) and a prime example is his disastrous choice for Chancellor, Carmen Farina. My opinion, folks. The media never picked up the side of Carmen that was: she hated the UFT, despised any teacher she could not control, and had a massive dislike of any child with special needs, including the gifted and talented. At PS 6 she often spoke about her version of social justice which was that all kids should achieve levels of high 2 or low 3, because then there is equality. Chancellor Carranza seems to be following in her footsteps. The Carranza that I can see right now is that he seems like a "nice" warm and fuzzy man who listens to people. Carmen was pretending to be warm and fuzzy, but truth be told she was relentless, vindictive and revengeful when anyone challenged her. I saw and experienced it. I reported her to the Office of Parent Engagement when she set up a School Leadership Team with 4 people, in violation of State Law. Carmen was reprimanded by the Department of Education and removed as principal of PS 6 in Manhattan in February, 2001. She was appointed Regional Superintendent of District 15 and the Joel Klein made her Deputy Chancellor. She then did not get away with her involvement in two scandals (two that were profiled in the media, there may be others) and forced to "retire".
Then Bill brought her back as Chancellor because no one else in New York City could do the coverups oops, I mean Chancellor duties. When the media hopped onto the bandwagon about the Renewal School Program (Carmen's baby) failure, out she went again, forced to "retire" - but she is still on the DOE payroll, I've heard, working with former unloved Superintendent Aimee Horowitz on the Restart Program. The Department can't get rid of Carmen. Too many secrets. Can a person get 3 pensions? Just askin'. Santiago Taveras was found guilty of grade changing, fined, then given another job at the DOE at basically the same salary.
Don't forget, Bill found Richard Carranza, our new Chancellor, in where? Texas? Where Caranza is under investigation for some kind of harassment? There obviously is no one in New York City who could fill Carmen's shoes.
Bill and Richard, I have a question: I, like you, value giving people a second chance, so how about doing away with the permanent problem code?
Do we have a deal?
Caterina Lafergola, principal
Betsy Combier
betsy.combier@gmail.com
Editor, Advocatz.com
Editor, NYC Rubber Room Reporter
Editor, Parentadvocates.org
Editor, New York Court Corruption
By Selim Algar, September 14, 2018
A former city principal who fled to Long Island after a troubled stint at a Brooklyn high school has been rehired by the Department of Education, The Post has learned.
Caterina Lafergola bolted to Baldwin HS in 2016 after an unimpressive run at Automotive HS in Greenpoint, where attendance, academics and teacher turnover were alarming during her five-year term.
But after just two years and several controversies — including naming suspended students in a newsletter and cracking down on revealing clothes— Lafergola resigned from the $169,927 gig in June. Now, despite that history, the DOE arranged a pillowy landing for Lafergola at Hudson HS for Learning Technologies in Manhattan, where she was hired this year as an assistant principal making $112,188.
“There are times when you wonder why things are done the way they are around here,” said a baffled DOE source, who attributed the hire to departmental connections. “It just doesn’t look good.”
Citing her shoddy performance at Automotive, some Baldwin parents staunchly opposed Lafergola’s hiring when it was first announced and circulated a petition to have her unseated.
Automotive HS is one of Mayor de Blasio’s Renewal schools, stricken campuses that have been pumped with cash and consultants to induce turnarounds.
But the school’s attendance, academics and teacher turnover remained grim with Lafergola behind the wheel and many staffers decried her as a bullying despot.
Despite that performance, Lafergola was retained while staffers were booted and principals at other failing schools were shown the door.
A Baldwin HS parent said Friday that Lafergola’s two-year tenure was a turbulent one — but that she did have significant parental backing. “From a parent’s standpoint, we thought she did a good job,” she told The Post. “We were surprised she left, it was very sudden. We still have no idea why. But a lot of us thought she was making sure the kids were doing what they were supposed to be doing.”
Students rebelled when Lafergola abruptly enforced the school’s dress code at the school in 2016 while parental reaction to the move was mixed.
Lafergola also drew fire for publicly naming suspended kids and listing their offenses in a school newsletter last year.
Another DOE source said Lafergola — who once made two ostracized Automotive teachers work in a squalid former bathroom — was a “retread” undeserving of her new role.
The DOE declined to comment.
De Blasio said this month that the fate of the 50 remaining schools in the Renewal program — including Automotive HS — will be decided this year.
Additional reporting by Susan Edelman
