NYCSchoolsTech Award Recipients 2021

 Congratulations to all winners! And to everyone who didn't win, as everyone is a winner who works with children on harnessing the power of technology.

Betsy Combier

President and Founder, ADVOCATZ
betsy.combier@gmail.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

#NYCSCHOOLSTECH SUMMIT AWARD WINNERS 2021

This year’s #NYCSchoolsTech award recipients represent a diversity of grade levels, titles, subject areas, and boroughs. They were presented with the award at the annual #NYCSchoolsTech Summit on July 28, 2021. These staff members were recognized for their commitment to harnessing the power of technology to best serve students, staff, and families across New York City. 

Frances Amato

Ed Tech Model Teacher and Technology Coach, The David Marquis School of the Arts, Staten Island
Frances holds many roles in her school, including Ed Tech model teacher, technology coach, SPOC and website master. She believes technology will bridge the many gaps and deficits that many students currently face. Frances has provided professional development for technology for her entire organization over the past nine years, and she has supported the #NYCSchoolsTech community by providing professional development sessions during meetups. She has been a part of the Division of Instructional and Information Technology’s Insight Panels and is a lead contributor to EdTechU.

Robyn Bryant
Educator, Clara Barton High School, Brooklyn
Robyn has been a champion of technology at Clara Barton High School since her first day on the job. She spearheaded the professional development team and created and led trainings on multiple technology platforms for her fellow teachers, bringing clarity and transparency for teachers as to its uses in the classroom. As webmaster, she has grown Clara Barton High School’s social media presence and maintains the school’s website with a 5.0 Web Content Accessibility grade.

Josephine Coco 
Paraprofessional, PS 32, Staten Island
When the pandemic first hit, Josephine stepped up and became her school’s technology lead, SPOC, and webmaster. She trained staff, students, and families on how to use remote learning technology, and notably, created a digital library of tutorial videos, instructions, and more for the entire school community. Josephine also spearheaded the redesign of PS32’s website to be ADA-compliant. She was an EdTech Insights panelist, and created numerous turn-key professional development sessions for schools and paraprofessionals across her district.

Derek Cradle
Principal, High School Of Sports Management, Brooklyn
Under Derek’s leadership, HSSM has incorporated a computer science curriculum and program, launched a gamification laboratory, and designed a Sports Management Technology pathway for students. When the COVID-19 pandemic first began, Derek led a swift charge to make HSSM a 1:1 school and ensure students were able to learn from home. HSSM also partners with local universities and community-based organizations to teach students the technology skills they will need at the post-secondary level.

Michael D'Onofrio
Assistant Principal, PS 186, Brooklyn
Michael leverages Google Drive, ATS, and other DOE systems to create up-to-date analytics reports for teachers to help them differentiate learning more easily. He is always willing to try new technology platforms to help teachers engage students. Michael has implemented CS4All programs at his school, presented at various conferences and professional development sessions, and most recently, led a panel with other school and district leaders from around the country.

Zach Dane
Special Education Teacher, The Marie Curie High School for Medicine, Nursing, and Health Professions, the Bronx
Zach has been instrumental in promoting the use of the DOE Google Workspace and DocuSign at the Marie Curie High School for Medicine. He has also created in-depth resources, and provided individualized support, for schools across the City that want to migrate to the DOE Google Workspace domain. Zach was also the driving force behind his school’s 1:1 device policy, which was critical to his school’s success in March 2020. Throughout his career, Zach has facilitated countless professional learning opportunities for his school and across New York City. 

Theresa DeMatteo
Tech Coordinator, SPOC, School Website Master, STARS Programmer, and Remote Learning Support, PS 401, Brooklyn
Theresa is a 17-year veteran educator at the DOE. In 2017, after years of advocating for technology as a way to bring equity and access to all learners, she became PS401’s technology cluster teacher. In this role, Theresa works closely with students, staff, and administrators to integrate digital literacy tools, apply the Computer Science curriculum, and share best practices around digital accessibility. Most recently she was a panelist and moderator for #NYCSchoolsTech Insight Panels. Theresa is currently pursuing her school building and school district leadership licenses, with the goal of becoming an instructional technology leader.

Stephanie Fermin
Speech Language Pathologist PS 811X, the Bronx
Stephanie co-created a space for related service providers to take part in #NYCSchoolsTech events and panels. She also led the D75 Assistive Technology team in managing remote procedures and creating a SharePoint site to host and broadcast information. Stephanie is also a proud Ed Tech U Content Creator and Influencer.

Lily Ho
CS4ALL Teacher, PS 133, Queens 
Lily has been an educator for 14 years. She has taught special education and currently teaches K-5 computer science. She is also a SPOC, an Amazon Future Engineers BootUp District Instructional Coach, a 2021 CS4ALL Blueprint Fellow, and CS4ALL Ingenuity Equity Lead Educator. Lily serves on the Content Advisory Panel for NYS Education Department's Computer Science and Digital Fluency Standards, as well as the elected K-5 CSTA NYC Chapter Teacher Leader. Lily presented on culturally responsive project-based learning at Georgia Tech's 2021 Constellations' Summit, and culturally responsive student leadership at CSTA's 2021 Conference.

Shiela Lee
STEM Teacher and SPOC, PS 59 Beekman Hill International School, Manhattan 
In addition to being a STEM teacher and SPOC, Shiela is also a Computer Science Teachers of America Equity Fellow and a Math for America Master Teacher. During the pandemic, she created and shared across the DOE a digital notebook for families and staff to navigate multiple digital learning platforms. Additionally, she invited speakers like Hadi Partovi (Code.org), Dr. Amy J. Ko (University of Washington), and Google cybersecurity engineers to speak to her students about algorithmic bias, LGBTQ+ visibility in STEM, and how to keep our digital spaces safe. Shiela also pioneered a 3D-printing curriculum this year, teaching her students how to express themselves through 3D printing. Shiela builds her curriculum around socially relevant issues and strives to be an inclusive, anti-racist educator.

Nick Marinacci
Deputy Superintendent, District 79, Citywide Alternative Schools
In 2018, Nick created a Think B.I.G. (Blended Learning, Interdisciplinary Classes, Google Tools) team for more than 50 teachers and leaders in District 79, so that they could become better at using instructional technology. This led to the creation of a D79 Google domain, web-based curriculum, and teacher resources, all of which helped D79 more easily transition to remote learning when COVID-19 hit. Nick also led a team to create secure remote learning for students in juvenile detention facilities during the pandemic. He visited Crossroads Juvenile Center every day from November 2020 through March 2021, to distribute Chromebooks and troubleshoot tech issues. Nick continues to help D79 leaders use technology to support teacher coaching and is a tireless advocate for technology and internet access for students in juvenile detention facilities and on Rikers Island.

Raphael Ortiz
Technology Specialist, MS 390, the Bronx
After 12 years at Apple Retail, Raphael joined the DOE in September 2018, where he manages all technology-related issues with hardware and software for his school. Raphael manages a fleet of more than 1,500 one-to-one devices, and specializes in Mac and Apple devices. He is also the Google Workspace administrator and webmaster. His colleagues enjoy how passionate he is about technology, and how he always takes his time to explain troubleshooting steps without using too much tech jargon. Most recently, Raphael co-facilitated a professional development session on how to reimage devices to the latest DOE macOS image.

Ernest Poole
STEM/Computer Science Teacher and SPOC, The Abigail Adams Elementary School, Queens
In his 20 years at the DOE, Ernest has served in nearly every educator role, from paraprofessional to classroom teacher to instructional coach. As a STEM and CS educator, Ernest’s passion is to develop science and instructional technology literacy within teachers, teacher educators, and elementary school students. He is an integral part of DIIT’s Google Workspace migration team, a regular contributor to EdTechU, a member of the DocuSign kickoff team, and a previous #NYCSchoolsTechSummit speaker. Ernest holds a doctorate in Urban Education from CUNY.

Melissa Stark
SPOC, Special Education and Ed Tech Model Teacher, P94M, Manhattan
Melissa provides support to students, staff, and families on how to use and adapt technology to meet their individual needs. She is focused on helping students get their communication needs met and is an advocate for students' voices being heard in any form in the classroom and community. Melissa’s goal is to help individuals to be independent with the use of technology. As part of P94M's Tech Team, she created a Digital Citizenship Curriculum to focus on student, family, and staff needs. She has also been a moderator for the Ed Tech Insights Panels.

Cindy Wong
Technology Teacher, PS 41, Queens
Cindy believes all students should have digital access and lessons on computational thinking, digital applied skills, and digital citizenship. She has introduced and taught CS4All curriculum to her students at PS41Q. As a Google Workspace Admin, Cindy managed a local domain and assisted schools in migration to the DOE domain. Cindy is also an Ed Tech Model Teacher, Certified Google Trainer, and Google Innovator. She has led professional learnings around technology tools, contributed to Ed Tech U, and presented at NYCSchoolsTech Summit,  ISTE19, CS4All Teacher Summit, CSTA, and NYC GEG.

Federal Judge Frederick Block Rules That NY Statewide Mask Mandate For Public Schools Will Remain

 

Eastern District Judge Frederic Block. Photo: Rick Kopstein/ALM

The "all students come off the same cookie sheet" thinking of the NYC Department of Education just doesn't work for me. Never has, never will. All kids, parents, people are unique and have different needs, ideas, strategies and goals. I know, because I am an identical twin, and we are not at all alike except on first view, and our voices. Our mom never could tell us apart on the phone, bless her.

What I don't yet understand and may never understand, is why the NYC DOE will not give families the chance to have remote learning. Ok, it did not work last in the past school year. That was due to the lack of sufficient training and funding for enough computers to get all students and staff on the same page - making sure that what is learned and how the information gets to the persons who need to know is in place and working successfully.  

Also, kids and teachers who are not on-site cannot be judged or micro-managed, two very important activities for administrators handling budgets. 

Remote learning and teaching strategies do not work and have never worked because the Department does not want them to, and there is no accountability. Budgets are based upon "seat time" - the number of children sitting in class.  

That's why attendance is so important. Oops, I meant "Too important". 

Betsy Combier

President and Founder, ADVOCATZ
betsy.combier@gmail.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

Brooklyn Federal Judge Upholds New York Public School Mask Mandate

A student with asthma filed a lawsuit arguing she should be exempted from the mask mandate.

Jane Wester, Law.com, November 01, 2021 at 11:27 AM

In a 54-page decision, Senior U.S. District Judge Frederic Block of the Eastern District of New York upheld New York’s statewide mask mandate for public schools, though he criticized the “current prolix array of the regulation, recommendations and requirements, guidelines and guidance” that make it challenging to apply.

Block denied a motion from the plaintiff, the parent of a 10-year-old girl with severe asthma, for a preliminary injunction based on alleged violations of her constitutional rights and decided to hold in abeyance the question of preliminary injunctive relief for her state law claims because of ongoing settlement negotiations.

“[S]ince the Court is sensitive to the concerns that parents have for their children, it believes that a full exploration of the national mask mandate dynamics at play and the reach of the [New York State Department of Health Commissioner Howard Zucker]’s actions is warranted,” Block wrote.

The plaintiff filed suit in September after a letter from a doctor saying the student should be exempted from the mask mandate was rejected by school officials, who cited public health guidance saying people with asthma can wear masks.

Block found that rational basis was the appropriate standard for review in the case, rejecting the plaintiff’s arguments that the school district’s rejection violated their fundamental rights.

Block quoted at length from national and state public health guidance, including the state’s guidance for schools, and expressed his “displeasure” with “the complexities and uncertainties” of the school guidance.

The schools’ mask mandate includes a provision for medical exemptions for people with conditions that “prevent them from wearing a mask.”

“The practical upshot of the Commissioner’s regulation, its cryptic adoption of the CDC’s recommendations and its Prevention Strategies, the Health Department’s guidance, and the Education Department’s guidelines is that the school districts and their administrators do not know what precisely they can or cannot do to implement the Mask Mandate. … As shown by this case, all this has left the School District adrift,” Block wrote.

Block also examined the paths taken by states other than New York. He found that New York is one of 16 states with statewide school mask mandates, while 26 other states have left the decision to individual school boards. The remaining eight, including Texas and Florida, had some kind of prohibition on school mask mandates as of the date of Block’s ruling, he found.

The plaintiff submitted several scientific articles as part of the complaint, but Block found that they were “ill-fitted to her arguments,” mostly dealing with environments different from schools. In contrast, he found that the scientific materials submitted by the defendants were well-tailored to the issue at hand.

Block found that the plaintiff’s situation was different in key respects from past cases involving abortion and, separately, the right to refuse medical treatment because mask mandates implicate public health as well as individual health.

“While the Mask Mandate was obviously intended as a health measure, it no more requires a ‘medical treatment’ than laws requiring shoes in public places … or helmets while riding a motorcycle,” he wrote.

Block praised the Franklin Square Union Free School District for its willingness to grapple with the various guidance and requirements involved in the case and expressed hope that the next iteration of the school mask mandate takes a “simpler, more manageable format.”

Sujata Sidhu Gibson of the Gibson Law Firm, who represents the plaintiff, did not respond to a request for comment Friday.

Adam Kleinberg, a partner at Sokoloff Stern representing the school district, said he and his colleagues were pleased that Block recognized the efforts made by the school district.

“We recognize this is a difficult situation for all involved and look forward to a resolution,” Kleinberg said.

Judge Valerie Caproni

Federal judge denies NYC teachers' request for injunction on vaccine mandate

By Crystal Cranmore, ABC News, October 12, 2021

NEW YORK CITY (WABC) -- A federal judge in Manhattan on Tuesday declined to block enforcement of New York City's vaccine mandate for public school employees, denying a request for a preliminary injunction from a group of 10 teachers, at least one of whom was denied a religious exemption from the policy.

"Plaintiffs have not shown they are entitled to this extraordinary remedy," Judge Valerie Caproni said in reading her ruling from the bench.

The judge said she found not "even a whiff" of animus toward religion in statements made by New York Mayor Bill de Blasio in enacting the policy, as argued by the plaintiffs.

The group of 10 teachers lost their bid for a temporary injunction last week, but a three-judge federal appeals court granted the Tuesday hearing.

Caproni also faulted the teachers for waiting to file for an injunction until three days after the mandate took effect.

"I'm baffled by the plaintiffs delay in seeking a preliminary injunction," the judge said, adding such "gamesmanship" does nothing to help the cause.

The teachers had accused the city of being "openly hostile" toward certain religious beliefs.

"Nobody's religious beliefs contrary to the pope's would be valid," plaintiffs' attorney Sujata Gibson said, referencing a September newspaper article: "De Blasio said Thursday that only Christian Scientists and Jehovah's Witnesses have any prayer for a religious exemption."

"I believe that shows animus," Gibson said.

"Why does that show animus?" Judge Caproni asked. "I'm having difficulty getting from that to hostility to religion."

"In nearly every appeal the Department of Education was asking that they be denied on the basis that the pope has been vaccinated," Gibson answered.

An attorney for the city, Laura Manicucci, argued there's no problem with how the mandate is enforced. The plaintiffs were denied because there was something about their claims the arbitrator who evaluates them did not buy.

"Each person's personal religious beliefs would require different kinds of evidence and different kinds of statements and it's up to an arbitrator to determine whether those beliefs apply to vaccination," Manicucci said, adding that more than 20 religions have been represented in exemptions granted so far.

"The mandate is not unconstitutional because it doesn't favor one religion over another and it doesn't give any religion an advantage," Manicucci said.

Toward the end of the hearing the judge appeared exasperated by doubts the plaintiffs expressed about the effectiveness of the vaccines, citing purported experts consulted by the plaintiffs.

"You're losing credibility," Caproni said.

A Law Department spokesperson issued a response from the city.

"Every court that has considered a challenge to the DOE's vaccine mandate has found it to be lawful," the statement read. "What we heard from Judge Caproni today was a resounding confirmation that DOE's vaccine policy is lawful and in the public interest and that there was not a shred of evidence of religious animus by the city in implementing the mandate."

Meanwhile, a federal judge ruled Tuesday that New York must continue to allow health care workers to seek exemptions from a statewide vaccine mandate on religious grounds as a lawsuit challenging the requirement proceeds.

Judge David Hurd in Utica had issued a temporary restraining order a month ago after 17 doctors, nurses and other health professionals claimed in a lawsuit that their rights would be violated with a vaccine mandate that disallowed the exemptions.
Hurd's preliminary injunction Tuesday means New York will continue to be barred from enforcing any requirement that employers deny religious exemptions.

The Unlawful Randomness of Arbitration in NYC

How does it happen that teachers are being fired for not getting the COVID vaccine, no exceptions?

Oh, I know everyone reading this says "Wait! She is incorrect, teachers can have a hearing on religious exemptions and medical accommodations."

Yes, everyone - we are all right. The arbitration won by the UFT to have the medical and religious exemptions put into place is only as good as its implementation. What happens if the outcome of all hearings on the exemptions for any employee is denied? This is called constructive denial and ends up in the same pile as those applications which were denied without any hearing. Except, a couple of attorneys and arbitrators made some money.

What if...indeed.

Then there is the winning CSEA  (Civil Service Employees Association) Petition filed on behalf of 5,600 members who work in the State's court system, to PERB and the Supreme Court, which has just decided that a mandatory vaccine requirement without proper negotiation is contrary to the rights of the members:

CSEA Wins Improper Practice Charge Against the NYS Unified Court System For Unilateral Imposition of a COVID-19 Vaccine Requirement Without Proper Negotiation

When there is something that just doesn't seem right, there is probably something that isn't right, like employer bias in arbitration.

Just sayin'...

Betsy Combier

President and Founder, ADVOCATZ
betsy.combier@gmail.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

The Unlawful Randomness of Labor Arbitration 3020-a in New York City

ADVOCATZ, October 17, 2021

From Editor Betsy Combier:

When I started my voluntary study of the compulsory arbitration known as “3020-a” in 2003, I believed right from the start and still do believe, that the procedures used to prosecute the charges violate the accused person’s Due Process rights to a fair and complete hearing. This egregious action is compounded by the biases and lies of the lawyers and their witnesses brought to testify or promote false “evidence” under the color of law. 3020-a arbitrators, one in each case, sit in judgment of a tenured employee of the NYC DOE and can exonerate, fine, suspend from employment without pay or terminate any charged person brought before them. The United Federation of Teachers, their legal adjunct agency NYSUT, and the New York City Department of Education run these hearings in such a way as to deny the charged employee their rights under New York State law. See more

and,

The New York City 3020-a Arbitration "Teacher Trial" Is Based on Fraud | Advocatz

Education Law 3020-a Arbitration Up-Close and Personal: The Case of Teddy Smith

Attendance of Homeless Students Fall in NYC Public Schools

 

Absenteeism from homeless students has increased throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Advocates for Children of New York.

Getty Images/Cavan Images RF

The breakdown of lawful procedures in the NYC Department of Education is clear. And the people most harmed by all of this are the students, whose futures will be altered by the lack of safety, rules and academic excellence that they can, and are told, to expect. It's all a lie.

Advocates For Children has issued a Report saying that attendance rates for homeless kids are falling this school year in NYC. Where are they going? Is anyone overseeing these kids? We hope they are safe.

MTA NASA-Like "Bus Command Center" Remains Unused, Falling Apart

De Blasio’s final days are proving disastrous for NYC schools

Parents should immediately move their children out of the public school system and try to get placement for their children in private or religious institutions, or, if able, home school.

Betsy Combier

President and Founder, ADVOCATZ
betsy.combier@gmail.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

NYC homeless student attendance drops sharply so far this school year

By 

Selim Algar, NY POST, October 18, 2021

More than a quarter of city kids living in shelters were absent from school in the first several weeks of the new academic year, according to a new study.

Advocates for Children of New York found that attendance plunged to just 73 percent, and that absenteeism among homeless students has steadily worsened over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The DOE said Monday that the figure has since ticked up to 78 percent.

Attendance for all city students has hovered near 90 percent thus far in the academic year.

Citing the dire figures, ACNY has called on the Department of Education to allocate more federal funds to curb the trend.

“These alarmingly low attendance rates make clear that the DOE’s current shelter-based support system is not sufficient,” said Jennifer Pringle, Director of AFC’s Learners in Temporary Housing Project. “There needs to be dedicated, well-trained staff on the ground in the City’s shelters who can help students reconnect with school and access the educational supports they need to get back on track.”

ACNY said that roughy 30,000 kids spend time living in homeless shelters each year.

During the 2018-2019 academic year, attendance for homeless kids was 82 percent and rose slightly to 83 percent in 2019-2020 before schools shuttered.

An ACNY attendance analysis for the period between January and June of 2021 found that attendance for kids in shelters never cracked 80 percent.

The organization noted that 94 percent of kids in shelters are African-American and Hispanic.

See AFC's full report:

Attendance Data Show Urgent Need to Overhaul the Education Support System in City Shelters

10.18.2021 | Today, Advocates for Children of New York (AFC) released a new policy brief documenting the pandemic’s heavy toll on school attendance for students living in homeless shelters and calling on the New York City Department of Education (DOE) to direct federal COVID-19 relief dollars to overhaul the education support system in shelters, starting with hiring 150 shelter-based DOE community coordinators.

The brief, which examines monthly attendance data released by the DOE pursuant to Local Law 10 of 2021, shows that students in shelter had significantly more difficulty accessing an education than their permanently housed peers during winter and spring 2021. Between January and June, overall monthly attendance rates for students in shelter were lower than those for any other student group and trailed attendance rates for students in permanent housing by 10.6 to 14.1 percentage points, depending on the month. While the lack of internet access in some City shelters undoubtedly had an impact on remote attendance, the attendance rate for students living in shelter who opted for blended learning (some days in school and some remote) was just 2.3 to 4.3 percentage points higher on their in-person days than on their days of remote learning.

There were especially high rates of absenteeism at the high school level: 10th graders living in shelter missed more than one out of every three school days in winter and spring 2021, while 9th, 11th, and 12th graders in shelter were absent more than 25% of the time.

While the attendance rates of students in shelter during the pandemic were particularly troubling, barriers to consistent attendance are not new. In both 2018-19 and 2019-20, more than half of students living in shelter—94% of whom are Black or Hispanic—were chronically absent, missing at least one out of every ten school days.

Unfortunately, this trend has continued into the start of this school year; the average attendance rate of students in shelter during the first couple of weeks of school was only 73%.

“Children get one shot at a quality education, and every day a student is absent is a day of instruction they can never get back,” said Jennifer Pringle, Director of AFC’s Learners in Temporary Housing Project. “These alarmingly low attendance rates make clear that the DOE’s current shelter-based support system is not sufficient. There need to be dedicated, well-trained staff on the ground in the City’s shelters who can help students reconnect with school and access the educational supports they need to get back on track.”

At present, there are not enough staff working in shelters who have the skills and knowledge necessary to help families navigate the school system, address barriers to attendance, and resolve educational problems: just 117 shelter-based DOE Family Assistants are tasked with supporting the roughly 30,000 students who spend time in shelter each year. The number of Family Assistants has not grown over the past decade even though thousands more students are now spending time in the shelter system than in years past. As there are more than twice as many shelters as there are Family Assistants, these staff must divide their time among multiple shelter sites and are stretched very thin. The Family Assistant position is also very low paid ($28,000 for 10 months), making it difficult to recruit and retain qualified staff for the role.

Fortunately, New York City is poised to receive tens of millions of dollars in federal COVID-19 relief funding specifically to address the needs of students experiencing homelessness—and the City has not yet decided how to allocate these funds. AFC, in partnership with 25 organizations, is recommending that the DOE use this funding to hire 150 new community coordinators to work on the ground in the City’s shelters and help students get to school every day.

These coordinators would proactively assist families with getting school placements, bus service, and special education services in place as quickly as possible upon entering shelter and for the start of each school year; ensure that students are attending school regularly and help address barriers when students are not getting to school; and connect students to after-school programs, tutoring, counseling, and other supports.

“New York City has long struggled to meet the needs of students living in shelter, and the pandemic has only exacerbated the many challenges these young people face,” said Pringle. “The good news is that the City now has funding to hire a new team of professionals who can help students succeed in school and break the cycle of homelessness.”

Read the data brief [PDF]
View the news release as a PDF

MTA NASA-Like "Bus Command Center" Remains Unused, Falling Apart

 

This is so sad.

New York City has been robbed by political miscreants who are gleefully stealing from the public coffers because they can. There seems to be a psychology of entitlement to public funds when a person works for the NYC government, and they see others doing service or resource theft, so why can't they do it too?

‘We’ve been babysitting them’: MTA pins bus ‘war room’ delays on contractor

What is $86 million between friends, anyway.

These are my thoughts on this scandal.

Betsy Combier

President and Founder, ADVOCATZ
betsy.combier@gmail.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

$86M bus ‘war room’ empty, falling apart two years after MTA ribbon-cutting

By 

David Meyer, NY POST, October 17, 2021

The eastern Brooklyn command center replaces a smaller facility across the street.

Gregory P. Mango

Brooklyn, we have a problem.

The MTA spent $86 million on a state-of-the-art, NASA-like “bus command center” that has gone unused for more than two years because it’s already falling apart, The Post has learned.

Transit officials have said the eastern Brooklyn command center, which replaces a smaller facility across the street, will serve as a “war room” for bus dispatchers. But the building has sat empty since former Transit President Andy Byford and other bigwigs held a celebratory ribbon-cutting there in June 2019.

With the building at Jamaica Avenue and Fanchon Place having suffered leaks, faulty heating and bug-infested bathrooms, dispatchers who are supposed to work there have refused to relocate from across the street, sources said.

Transit President Andy Byford, center

The ribbon Byford cut with then-MTA buses president Darryl Irick in 2019 said “Grand Opening,” but dispatchers only started to move into the building last winter, sources said. That lasted only a few months because the heat did not work and the building’s electrical system couldn’t handle the workers’ space heaters.

The MTA has not communicated plans for when the building will reopen.

“It’s falling apart. It had roof leaks. The place is empty and the employees refuse to work there,” said one bus worker. “They have to put in electric heaters just to keep warm.”

MTA officials have promised to hire additional dispatchers to fill the new command center’s massive theater, but photos obtained by The Post show the so-called “war room” empty — with the computers running and cable playing on the TVs.

“They’re keeping the heating and ventilation system running. They can’t let it freeze up. They’re paying thousands of dollars in cable bills with TVs on and no one’s there,” said the source. “It’s a brand new building and it looks horrible.”

“That place has been a mess since it started,” said another worker, who shared photos of dropped ceilings, an infested bathroom and cracked glass in a section of the building meant to protect workers from chemical attacks.

The command center was initially supposed to cost $55 million and wrap up in 2017. Completion was ultimately kicked to June 2019 due to issues with the building’s drainage and sprinkler systems.

The building was constructed by MPCC Corp., a contracting company based in Westchester County.

A related project to upgrade the MTA’s bus radio system has been repeatedly delayed, in part due to “poor contractor quality/productivity,” according to publicly available MTA board materials. Once slated to cost $283 million, the radio project cost has increased to $294 million as of November 2020.

MTA rep Aaron Donovan said the command center is now set to open “in the first half of next year.”

“The upgraded Bus Command Center is the first part of a complex project to improve service for bus customers by bringing our service management into the 21st century with a state-of-the-art bus radio system,” Donovan said in a statement. “Like most of the capital program, the project was temporarily placed on pause during the pandemic.”