The NYC Department of Education Refuses to Investigate Claims of Corruption and Fraud Against Former Chancellor Richard Carranza

Richard Carranza

 The corruption just keeps getting worse. We know that Richard Carranza resigned after a sob story about family COVID hardships which I doubt ever occurred. Then he moved to Texas to work for an organization he was prohibited from working for due to rules of engagement with a company that does business with the NYC DOE. Then, we find out his wife was ditched for a woman who Carranza hired for a lot of money to work for the NYC DOE in a title that is an unofficial writeoff, and Carranza never was approved by the Conflicts of Interest Board (COIB) to hire this woman, Rachel Sosa-Gonzalez, and others, in the first place. Finally, our wonderful Mayor Bill de Blasio has blocked any investigations into any of this.

Raquel Sosa-Gonzalez and Former Chancellor Richard Carranza

 But SCI's job is to do just that, and there are many stories of corrupt people being investigated while at the NYC DOE (see the case of Peter Quinn, February 22, 2021). Add this substantiated report to the others, cited in this blog - David Hay, SCI report on David Hay, Miosotis Ramos, Maspeth High School, etc. But Richard Buery was not given any fine. SCI Reports. 

DOI (Department of Investigation), what have you to say about this? Taxpayers and parents want to know....need to know...have a right to be told what happened, and whose pockets were lined other than Mr. Carranza and Rosa Sosa-Gonzalez.

Such a disgrace for the Mayor and all of us for electing him (I did not vote for him).

Betsy Combier

betsy.combier@gmail.com
Editor, Advocatz.com
Editor, NYC Rubber Room Reporter
Editor, Parentadvocates.org
Editor, New York Court Corruption
Editor, National Public Voice
Editor, NYC Public Voice
Editor, Inside 3020-a Teacher Trials

City mum on Carranza corruption complaints, no probe for affair with underling

NY POST, Conor Skelding, September 11, 2021

City investigators are not probing whether ex-Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza had an affair with a subordinate he hired — and won’t say if they are still looking into multiple corruption complaints filed previously against the former Department of Education boss.

Carranza was accused of hiring several pals from around the country for six-figure DOE jobs that were never posted publicly in 2018, the year he arrived in NYC.

Carranza is now shacked up in San Antonio, Texas, with one of those pals, Raquel Sosa. The pair met years ago in Houston, when Carranza was superintendent there and she was an elementary-school principal.

It isn’t clear just when their relationship became more than professional, but Sosa moved into Carranza’s Texas home months before she quit her DOE job in late August. She registered to vote from the Lone Star love nest on March 20, just five days after Carranza stepped down in NYC.

The city charter prohibits financial relationships, such as cohabitation, between superiors and subordinates.

Carranza, 54, is still technically married. His wife, Monique, filed for divorce in August 2020. Sosa, 47, formerly Sosa-Gonzalez, was divorced by the time she moved to New York in 2018.

When Carranza quit the top DOE job, he said he needed time to mourn relatives who died with COVID-19. Less than a month later, he took a job at an educational technology company with millions in city business, IXL Learning.

The city charter prohibits government employees from soliciting, negotiating or accepting a job at a city vendor while in city service. It also limits how former public employees working for city vendors can interact with the city.

Councilman Robert Holden (D-Queens) called for an investigation into Carranza’s job negotiations by the Conflicts of Interest Board and the Department of Investigation in April. DOI said at the time it referred the matter to the Special Commissioner of Investigation for schools, or SCI.

Holden said he also lodged a formal complaint against Carranza’s hiring of cronies — and SCI confirmed to The Post Friday that this case was closed and no action taken.

Regina Gluzmanova, an SCI rep, told The Post that “during the course of his tenure, and in the immediate aftermath, SCI received numerous complaints regarding former-Chancellor Carranza and his administration.”

She said that “certain matters” have been closed, while others may be pending. She refused to say which other matters were open.

Gluzamanova said SCI never received a complaint regarding Carranza and Sosa’s relationship, and would not be investigating it.

“SCI never received a complaint regarding Chancellor Carranza’s romantic involvement with Ms. Sosa, or anyone else for that matter, nor did any allegation of such involvement surface during the course of a previous investigation,” she added. “As Sosa and Carranza are no longer employed by the City, nor do either reside within the jurisdiction, we feel that the best use of our limited resources is to continue with the important investigations that benefit the students, families, and taxpayers of New York.”

SCI has in the past investigated ex-Department of Education employees.

“It stinks to high heaven,” Holden said, demanding that the Carranza/Sosa affair be probed. “The fact that the mayor’s not interested speaks volumes about his administration.”

A DOI rep, Diane Struzzi, refused to comment on the Carranza probes, or lack thereof, referring The Post to SCI.

A COIB rep, Chad Gholizadeh, said that confidentiality rules prohibited him from discussing complaints or investigations.

Mayor Bill de Blasio has blocked SCI investigations into Carranza, whistleblowers alleged in 2019. The mayor’s office didn’t return a request for comment.

Former NYC Chancellor Richard Carranza Makes It Official, Shacks Up With Former NYC DOE Senior Administrator

 

Raquel Sosa-Gonzalez and Former Chancellor Richard Carranza

When Mayor Bill de Blasio appointed Richard Carranza, who was, at the time, schools boss in Houston Texas, as NYC Chancellor after  Alberto Cavalho suddenly turned down the job did anyone think that the choice of Carranza was legitimate? 

I didn't think so.

Lawmakers, parents blast de Blasio for selecting schools chancellor pick accused of sexual discrimination

First, this is New York City. Grabbing someone from Houston Texas rather than NYC where there are thousands of worthy people was already suspicious. Second, the word out on Carranza was not good and never changed. Rumors of his separation and divorce were heard very soon after he started. 

Raquel Sosa, his girlfriend, was brought by Carranza from Houston to NYC as senior director of ELL (English Language Learner) students in December 2018 at a starting salary of $149,000. In October 2019 Sosa got a raise to $156,274 and a new title as "senior director for development, support and implementation in the Office of Curriculum, Instruction and Professional Learning", whatever that means. The NYC DOE is notorious for giving people titles that have no job descriptions or duties to match.

But hiring someone with whom you are in a relationship is frowned upon in NYC, but the NYC DOE does not seem to be very good at sifting out those who should not be on the payroll.

See here:

David A. Hay, NYC DOE Deputy Chief of Staff is Arrested

Richard Carranza accused of waiving rules to give pals high-paying jobs

Carranza did not care, and neither did Mayor de Blasio. As far as we know, Carranza was not reprimanded.

See this Post article published September 9, 2021

Carranza + Gal Pal's Tex 2-Step

The whole Carranza thing smelled fishy even after Carranza resigned suddenly in March 2021, mainly because a majority of NYC residents do not trust or like de Blasio anymore, calling him the worst Mayor ever. (worse than "Boss" Tweed?)

Now we have proof that something very wrong was going on, thanks to Sue Edelman and the NY POST, see below. 

Betsy Combier

betsy.combier@gmail.com
Editor, Advocatz.com
Editor, NYC Rubber Room Reporter
Editor, Parentadvocates.org
Editor, New York Court Corruption
Editor, National Public Voice
Editor, NYC Public Voice
Editor, Inside 3020-a Teacher Trials

Ex-chancellor Carranza shacking up with staffer he hired for six-figure job

by Susan Edelman, NY POST, September 4, 2021

Ex-NYC Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza has left his wife for an administrator he brought from Houston to New York for a six-figure Department of Education job.

Raquel Sosa, who quit the DOE just last week, and Carranza now list the same luxury high-rise condo in San Antonio, Texas, as their current address, records show.  

Their relationship appears to confirm a complaint that Carranza used his powerful position to favor pals, but one that city school investigators did not touch.

In December 2018, eight months after Carranza became NYC chancellor, his administration named Sosa, a Houston elementary school principal, “senior director of ELL (English Language Learner) newcomers and students in temporary housing” with a starting $149,000 salary. 

In October 2019, Sosa got a lofty new position — “senior director for development, support and implementation in the Office of Curriculum, Instruction and Professional Learning,” officials said. Her salary increased to $156,274 in 2020.

Sosa worked remotely until mid-July. Her last day was Aug. 31, said DOE spokeswoman Katie O’Hanlon. 

Carranza quit his $363,346-a-year chancellor’s job in March — with schools still in session amid the pandemic — after leading the nation’s largest school system for nearly three years. He explained he had to mourn loved ones lost to COVID-19, but promptly took a job with an ed-tech vendor with millions of dollars in DOE  contracts

Last week, Carranza and Sosa posted the same cheek-to-cheek Facebook profile photos

Carranza, 54, makes no secret of their romance. He has commented on various photos of Sosa, 47, making remarks such as “Absolutely gorgeous mi vida!!!!”

On Aug. 12, when Sosa posted a video of a Mariachi concert, Carranza wrote,  “Thank you for joining me, mi amor. Te amo.”  

Sosa met Carranza when he served as Houston’s school superintendent. Formerly Sosa-Gonzalez, she was already divorced when she moved to NYC. 

Richard Carranza and his wife, Monique, filed for divorce in Brooklyn Supreme Court in
August 2020. [photo:Matthew McDermott] 

Carranza was married. His wife, Monique, filed for divorce in Brooklyn Supreme Court in August 2020, and eventually moved back to California while he remained on the job in the city. They have two children. She did not return calls. The divorce is not final, according to court records.

The hiring of Sosa and two other friends from California, where Carranza was schools superintendent in San Francisco, generated a complaint in early 2019 to the Special Commissioner of Investigation for NYC schools, The Post revealed.

A whistleblower letter said DOE put them on the payroll in 2018 “at the direction of chancellor Carranza,” without advertising the openings, as usual, and without interviewing other candidates.

At the time, Carranza called the criticism a form of bias against him as “a man of color.”

The SCI said this week, “This case has been closed,” and  “no further information is available.” 

A spokeswoman refused to say whether SCI investigated the allegations, or why it closed the case. She insisted that Mayor de Blasio had no influence on its decisions.

Another woman named in the complaint to SCI, Martha Martin, was a San Francisco teacher who met Carranza when he was that city’s schools superintendent. Hired in October 2018, the DOE named her associate director for community and family empowerment in the Division of Multilingual Learners, with a $119,587 salary. Martin resigned in October 2019, the DOE said. A spokeswoman gave no reason.

Also named was Abram Jimenez, then vice-president of Illuminate Education Inc., a California ed-tech firm doing business with NYC schools. He was named “executive director of continuous school improvement,” a newly created title that now doesn’t exist. Jimenez quit that  $205,416-a-year job in July 2019 as The Post prepared to reveal he held stock in software vendor Illuminate Education, an apparent conflict of interest.

Carranza and Sosa did not respond to requests for comment.

NYC Principals Run Amok Because There is No Accountability Within the NYC Department of Education

It seems that every day there is another Superintendent or Principal stealing money, lying about something, harming kids, etc. The list is long.

In my opinion the real story is that the New York City Department of Education does not have the institutionalized strategies to deal with wrong-doing by anyone in their employ. I dont think anything will change in the occurrences of misconduct until the structure of the workplace is reformed "according to a new social and legal contract, one that encourages cooperation, justice, and a heightened and broadened sense of community". (p. 10, Mobbing by Maureen Duffy and Len Sperry).

A Staten Island high school principal paid $10,000 to the city amid accusations he misused his position to
benefit his domestic partner. (Advance file photo)

City principals caught behaving badly

By Carl Campanile

, 

NY POST, February 7, 2018

Three city principals were caught treating schools like their personal fiefdoms — with one scoring a plum gig for his lover, another using pre-K as her grand-son’s babysitter and a third treating an underling as a chauffeur, according to the Conflict-of-Interest Board.

College of Staten Island HS for International Studies principal Joseph Canale was fined $10,000 for having his domestic partner become a social work intern at his school in 2016.

Canale then lied to College of Staten Island officials that the two didn’t meet until after his partner got the gig.

In a settlement with the ethics board, Canale, employed by the city Department of Education since 2001, admitted that he had a staffer directly supervise his partner and then attempted to convince the college to extend the internship.

Canale pulled out all the stops to keep his lover in the school.

After he “falsely claimed” to have her first met his partner during the internship, he told college officials that failing to extend it would “negatively impact my school,” according to settlement documents.

When that failed, Canale attempted to convince CSI officials to allow his partner to continue the internship at Tottenville High School, also on Staten Island.

That pitch also was rejected.

A miffed Canale then sent angry emails to CSI officials in May and June of 2016 complaining about the denial and threatened to discourage his graduate students from enrolling at the college.

“I said I was `not comfortable’ recommending the CSI Social Work Program to graduating student given CSI’s treatment of my domestic partner,” Canale said in his settlement statement.

As part of the settlement, Canale agreed to pay the $10,000 fine after admitting to misusing his position to benefit his partner.

In the second case, PS 38 Principal Yolanda Ramirez admitted to bringing her 3-year-old grandson to her school during the 2015-2016 school year and had him participate in a Pre-K classes ten times.

Ramirez’s grandson was not officially enrolled in, or old enough for the class.

Making matters worse, the pre-K class she illegally placed her grandson in was already at maximum limit of 18, the COIB settlement said.

Ramirez admitted she violated the City Charter by using her office to benefit her daughter.

Under the settlement, Ramirez agreed to pay a $3,000 fine.

Ramirez has been in hot water before. She was investigated after being accused of berating teachers for giving her poor grades on a school survey.

The board also issued a warning letter to Dewey HS Principal Connie Hamilton, who misused her position by being regularly driven to and from work by a subordinate from March 2016 to April 2017.

During that time, Hamilton, who had medical issues, did not reimburse the staffer for the expenses.

The COIB choose to issue a warning instead of a fine because the staffer volunteered to drive the principal and lived near her home.

Hamilton also reimbursed the staffer when informed of her transgression.

The conflict-of-interest law bars any financial relationship between a boss and subordinate — and any car-pooling arrangement must be approved by COIB.

Staten Island principal pays $10K to settle misuse of power allegations

Updated 1:54 PM; Posted 1:49 PM

By Kyle Lawson

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A high school principal on Staten Island recently paid the city thousands in fines amid accusations he demanded his live-in partner be given an internship. 

Joseph Canale, the principal at College of Staten Island High School for International Studies, violated conflict of interest laws over a span of about a year in the interest of his live-in partner, according to a statement Wednesday from a spokesman for the city's Conflict Of Interest Board (COIB).

In 2015, Canale approved an internship for his partner at CSI High School, authorities said.

At the time, his partner was pursuing a master's degree at the College of Staten Island, which collaborates with the high school in programs offered to students, the spokesman said.

The internship was overseen by Canale's subordinate and indirectly by himself, which represented the first in a series of violations, according to a joint disposition with the city's Department of Education and COIB.

At the end of the internship, Canale allegedly attempted to convince CSI to extend his partner's internship at the high school beyond its normal termination date. When that didn't happen, he demanded the college place his partner at a different DOE school, insinuating "in a manner the college viewed as a threat," he would no longer recommend the college to his high school students, the COIB release said.

In lieu of judicial or administrative action, Canale agreed to pay the COIB $5,000 on or before Nov. 30, 2017; followed by a second payment of $5,000 due on or before Dec. 31, according to the disposition.

Canale could not be reached for comment Thursday. 

A spokesman for COIB said the following in regard to investigations of DOE employees misusing their positions: "We take conflicts of interest seriously and ensure accountability. We have strict protocols in place for reporting and investigating violations."

Staten Island school principal hit with $10G fine for trying to get his lover paid internship

NY Daily News, Ben Chapman, February 7, 2018

The City Conflicts of Interest Board slapped a Staten Island principal with a $10,000 fine for trying to get his live-in lover a paid internship, settlement documents published Wednesday show.

College of Staten Island High School Principal Joseph Canale misused his position by attempting to get his partner an internship at the affiliated College of Staten Island, according to the documents.

When College of Staten Island officials refused, the board’s papers say, Canale suggested he’d withdraw his school’s support for the college.

He remains on the job.

Other documents released Wednesday show the conflicts board also hit Brooklyn Public School 38 Principal Yolanda Ramirez with a $3,000 fine for illegally putting her grandson in pre-kindergarten classes at the school.

Ramirez also remains on the job.