From the NY Post:A Queens teacher who collects a $100,000 salary for doing nothing spends time in a Department of Education "rubber room" working on his law practice and managing 12 real-estate properties worth an estimated $7.8 million, The Post found.
Alan Rosenfeld hasn't set foot in a classroom for nearly a decade since he was accused in 2001 of making lewd comments to junior-high girls and "staring at their butts," yet the department still pays him handsomely for sitting on his own butt seven hours a day.
In 2001, six eighth-graders at IS 347 in Queens accused Rosenfeld, a typing teacher who filled in for an absent dean, of making comments like "You have a sexy body," asking one whether she had a boyfriend and making others feel uncomfortable with creepy leers.
Because the Department of Education could not produce all the students as witnesses, he was found guilty in only one case. A girl testified that Rosenfeld stopped at her locker, where she was standing with a friend, and "said I love him because I talk to him so much."
A DOE hearing officer gave him a slap on the wrist -- a week off without pay -- for "conduct unbecoming a teacher." He was cleared to return to teaching.
Instead, Schools Chancellor Joel Klein has kept the scruffy 64-year-old in a Brooklyn rubber room, deeming him too dangerous to be near kids, officials said.
The DOE can't fire him.
"We have to abide by the union contract," spokeswoman Ann Forte said.
So Rosenfeld simply collects his $100,049 salary -- top scale for teachers -- plus full health benefits and the promise of a fat pension, about $82,000 a year if he were to retire today.
19 comments:
he cant teach or be fired, gets to collect a pension because of union contract, then he is deemed unfit to teach and collect 100k a year for sitting at his desk. what does the board of ed expect him to do? stare at a wall. Id hate to say this but I wish I were in his shoes.
do they also get free rubbers?
does Chuck Schumer get large U.F.T. union donations
each election? if so, he must support the rubber room taxpayer scam.
it is all up to you now,lets be heard.
confirm that he is getting your message. his office does not give him the constituents complaint.
Actually, if you read the article, you will notice that it's largely based on unsubstantiated hearsay. Furthermore, no teacher has "about 435" days in a sick bank, as sick banks are capped at 200.
The fact that this reporter couldn't be bothered with rudimentary fact-checking, along with the fact that there were no witnesses to back up these allegations ought to give a marginal clue as to how reliable this story is.
Certainly there are people who shouldn't be teaching, but clearly they haven't been able to establish this guy is among them.
And this guy is a TYPING teacher. Is that position really necessary in this day and age?
Do you think that at the next negotiations with the teachers union they will have this extreme example in the back of their heads to eliminate or address fine print thqat will prevent this going forward? I doubt it.
The unions are killing this city.
Notice how there are a lot of more negative stories about teachers being publicized. Klein was all over the media over the past week doing damage control. They're afraid the public is turning against them. So the answer is to demonize teachers and call the UFT the root of all the system's problems.
Is it wrong for this guy to be doing what he's doing? Of course it is. They should have done something years ago to "fix" the rubber room problem. They didn't, so now the DOE has ammunition to vilefy the teachers even more.
NYPost, NYDailynews, NYTimes:
Why not write about all the GREAT things going on in our schools? Nah, that's too boring. Much more interesting and damning to blame our teachers for all of our society's problems.
Ro$$$enfeld?
There are three things destroying this country...
Illegal Immigration
Career Politicians
Unions
"There are three things destroying this country...
Illegal Immigration
Career Politicians
Unions"
ABSOLUTELY
Quit hatin', y'all.
Really, I want to take this guy's class. Probably one of the few educators in the school system with something useful to teach.
the city is talking about laying off teachers, i am sure that if the uft ask there members to ratify a contract that allows a panel of other techers to have a hearing to see if the techers in the rubber room are there because they are a danger and are useless then with that ruling allow the chancellor to dismiss this person then there would be no layoffs and the deadwood would be gone. the way it is now is a disgrace to all the good teachers in the city that do a great job and care about our kids
re:"they"should have done something to "fix" the rubber room situation.
the operative word is "they" ,when it should be "you and your present teachers group" insisting that your union {leftie leaders} eliminate the expensive rubber room. why are you in fear of your union leadership ?
did you not voluntarily vote for their rules in the contact?
P.S. re:P/Donna U.F.T.LOYALIST ?
Why can't these "rubber room" teachers perform tasks such as marking papers or making up tests, anything to help relieve the burden of regular teachers?
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seriously. it's bad enough when teachers are held in the rubber room for ridiculously long stretches of time without having a hearing...but this guy did, fulfilled the punishment, and should then have been let back into the classroom...except klein says no. he (or his people) couldn't prove their charges against this guy and yet they want to punish him as if they did??? ludicrous!
re:Q.C , TYPING INSTRUCTOR ?
the only volume of typewriters used today is at the N.Y.P.D. pct. houses ,for the officer's reports.i believe multiple copies produced with carbon paper ,is the reason.
the last typewriter repair shop in Manhattan is the Gramercy Office Equipment at Fifth Avenue/22 street.
Tom Hanks,a collector of antique typewriters, shops there. if ribbons are needed ,they sell them,but are high priced.
Billy Rose,night club owner during the 1940's ,was considered the fastest touch typist of his time. Billy Rose and his "long stemmed roses".girls,girls,girls.
i could not resist,sorry.
The "rubber rooms" were created by Klein - and they are being used to hold many teachers who are no danger to students and often victims of principal retaliation for whistle-blowing or refusing to inflate grades. (before Klein, teachers removed from the classroom DID do some work while waiting in regional offices for their case to be heard).
There are some incompetant teachers, but the few extreme cases are being used by Klein to discredit all teachers, and to shift attention away from the problems in schools.
BTW, next time you go home after 8 hours of work, enjoy weekends off, or use a sick day - thank a union.
Don't dicard them too quickly.
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