From the desk of Betsy Combier, Editor:












It is our opinion that while the NYC Department of Education has had several problems keeping within the law in terms of Special Education and diversity, we were totally unprepared for the hate-filled and divisive policies of the new Chancellor appointed by Mayor Bill de Blasio, Richard Carranza.

Richard Carranza is the wrong person for the position of Chancellor of the New York City New York City school system.

Council members turn on ‘divisive’ Carranza in searing letter to de Blasio

Carranza protégé once quit job in ‘mismanaged’ funds scandal

DOE’s Carranza hires Disney exec as ‘chief experience officer’

NYC DOE Chancellor Carranza Rules With Hate.

Carranza despises the PERCEIVED (by him and his rabid friends) second-tier position that black people or people of minority races (not Asian) have in his new city. He plans to destroy the diversity here, in his new New York City home, and establish his condemnation in policies that show political collusion, discrimination against white and Asian races, contempt for gifted and talented people of any age, and hate. He lives in a bubble where you are only the color of your skin, and if you are white or Asian, you are a BAD person because of your race. It's payback for alleged wrong-doing in the past which has not been proven and/or did not occur.

His implementation of these disastrous policies will have a lasting effect on the minds of young people for a long time. We are teaching kids to hate rather than negotiate, judge a person by the color of their skin rather than their accomplishments, and take away a person's rights if he/she does not see the world exactly as you do.

We are in favor of terminating his job effective immediately. Please, Mayor De Blasio, save our uncompromising stand on being tolerant of those individuals who are different in any way.

Oh. We forgot that you are never here anymore, and are running for president of the USA. We don't have a Mayor.

Betsy Combier
Betsy Combier
Editor, Parentadvocates.org
Editor, Advocatz.com
Editor, NYC Rubber Room Reporter
Editor, NYC Public Voice
Editor, National Public Voice
Editor, Courtbeat-New York and US Court Corruption

Richard Carranza accused of waiving rules to give pals high-paying jobs
By Susan Edelman, NY POST, June 8, 2019

Chancellor Richard Carranza waived job postings and other requirements to hire ex-employees he knew in California and Texas, including the former vice president of a company that has since racked up millions in sales to New York City schools, The Post has learned.

A complaint to the city’s Special Commissioner of Investigation for city schools alleged the Department of Education violated rules in giving six-figure jobs to two women Carranza met in two other school districts he led.

According to the complaint and inside sources, the DOE hired San Francisco teacher Martha Martin Perez and ex-Houston principal Raquel Sosa-Gonzalez outside normal protocol “at the instruction of Chancellor Carranza.”

Whistleblowers also questioned the hiring of Abram Jimenez as “senior executive director of continuous improvement” for New York City schools, a newly created job in the DOE bureaucracy with a salary of $205,416.

“It stinks. It’s cronyism,” a veteran educator charged.

DOE spokesman Doug Cohen defended Carranza’s decisions.

“Like all leaders in new roles, the chancellor recruited some of the most talented people he’d worked with previously to join his team,” Cohen said. “They were hired in accordance with DOE rules and regulations, based on their proven leadership ability and wide-ranging experience.”

Despite repeated requests, Cohen would not specify the rules and regulations that applied or explain how the employees were hired.

Normally, a city agency makes job openings known internally as well as publicly, so that current employees or outsiders can apply. The listings describe duties, cite required qualifications and give salary ranges.

Carranza has never publicly announced Jimenez’s hiring or the creation of his high-level job. Cohen said the job posting was “waived based on his senior leadership roles in large urban districts.”

Last week, the DOE described the position as a “citywide leader” whose duty is “to transform student outcomes in historically underserved schools and communities.”

Jimenez will oversee a staff of 40 and report directly to Carranza’s first deputy chancellor, Cheryl Watson-Harris, Cohen said.

While Jimenez has a doctorate degree in education, he holds no New York state certification as a school district administrator — a typical requirement for such positions.

The DOE said Jimenez “does not require state certification.”

However, a recent DOE ad seeking applicants for a $125,000 job as Jimenez’s second in command says candidates “must have” certification as a school district administrator or leader, plus state certification in a subject area.

Jimenez served as chief of schools in San Francisco for one year, from August 2015 to July 2016, during Carranza’s last year as that city’s school superintendent. Before that, Jimenez was vice president of Illuminate Education Inc., a for-profit company based in Irvine, Calif., which sells digital student-data management systems.

When Carranza left San Francisco to lead Houston schools, Jimenez returned to Illuminate as vice president until September 2018, when Carranza, who took over New York City schools in April 2018, hired him. Jimenez quit Illuminate when he was hired by Carranza.

However, within three months of Jimenez’s arrival, Illuminate gained a foothold in New York City. The company has since racked up 28 purchase orders from city schools totaling $700,000 to date.

Each order is for $25,000 — just below the threshold at which city Comptroller Scott Stringer would have oversight.

Illuminate bought IO Education, another company that sells student data systems, in July 2018, while Jimenez was still vice president. IO has racked up $33 million in sales from New York City schools since 2011, records show. Since its acquisition by Illuminate, IO has pocketed $5.4 million in New York City purchase orders.

But, again, IO purchases do not exceed $25,000, so the city Comptroller’s Office cannot scrutinize which schools are customers, what the payments cover and whether the money is well spent.

Stringer vowed to look into the loophole.

“No agency should be manipulating contract spending to evade scrutiny and our charter-mandated oversight,” he said. “We will work to ensure that’s not the case and that this spending is transparent.”

The DOE insisted it had nothing to do with the deals.

“Schools are allowed to make purchases of $25,000 or under on their own,” Cohen said.

Jimenez, he added, “has not dealt with this company since he joined the DOE and would recuse himself if it came up.”

In the other out-of-town hires, Lauren Siciliano, the DOE’s deputy chief operating officer, e-mailed staff in September 2018, “We are granting a waiver to exempt the position below from posting.” The job: “associate director for special projects” in the office of English-language learners.

Martin Perez, the California teacher Carranza knew, started the $117,000-a-year job in October 2018. When the office later reorganized as the Division of Multilingual Learners in December, she took a different job — “associate director for community and family empowerment” — with the same salary.

When Martin Perez was introduced to the staff, “People asked her, ‘How come you just packed up and moved to New York from San Francisco without knowing anyone?’?”

“Oh, I know Richard Carranza,” she replied, a co-worker recalled.

The DOE said the posting was waived “based on her 18 years of experience, consistent with DOE policies.”

She has not yet been certified by New York.

In the same division, Sosa-Gonzalez, Carranza’s Houston friend, was put on payroll in January 2019 as “senior director of newcomers/students in temporary housing” with a $149,000 salary. She is seen in multiple photos with Carranza on social media.

She calls Carranza “family” in the caption to one photo where they are standing side by side, Carranza’s arm around her.

Sosa-Gonzalez, an ex-principal of a 569-student Houston elementary school, holds New York certification as a “school building leader,” but it’s unclear what, if any, was required for her high-level job.

The complaint charged there is no evidence in DOE records that her job was ever posted. The DOE would not address the allegation.

Jimenez, Martin Perez and Sosa-Gonzalez did not return messages seeking comment.

Council members turn on ‘divisive’ Carranza in searing letter to de Blasio
By Susan Edelman, NY POST June 15, 2019

New York City Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza is a thin-skinned divider obsessed with “ethnicity rather than efficacy,” charges a nine-member, bipartisan coalition of city and state pols who on Saturday demanded the mayor fire him if his “contentious rhetoric” continues.

“We need a chancellor who promotes education, not division,” declares the damning dispatch, obtained by The Post, to Mayor de Blasio, “If Chancellor Carranza continues to divide this city, then someone who can unite this city and provide a quality education for all should replace him.”

The letter was written by Queens Councilmember Robert Holden, a Democrat, and signed by eight others, including two Republican members of the Council’s Education Committee, Joseph Borelli of Staten Island and Eric Ulrich of Queens.

“Since coming to New York in April 2018, Carranza has rightfully focused on creating a more equitable school system, but his comments and actions have seemingly made the system even more divided. He has yet to outline a comprehensive academic agenda.”

It adds, “Rather than taking criticism into honest consideration, Chancellor Carranza and his administration respond by making accusations of their own.”

Last week, Carranza railed that he’s been blasted over his hiring practices because he is “a man and of color.”

"There are forces in this city that want me to be the good minority and be quiet,” he said. “I will not be silenced.”

Meanwhile, the coalition cites a “deep concern” over a lawsuit by three white veteran DOE administrators charging that Carranza has fostered a “hostile atmosphere.” As first reported by The Post, the plaintiffs, all women, claim they were demoted or pushed aside for less qualified people of color.

The letter lists allegations that have “resulted in alienating key stakeholders” in city schools.

*“Cronyism in the hiring process.” Carranza has given jobs to people he met while leading school districts in San Francisco and Houston, some without New York certification or job postings.

*“Usurping trusted job candidate search committees.” Carranza hired a man he knew in California as a $205,416-a year “senior executive for continuous school improvement” without advertising the opening.

*“Meritless firing or demotion of qualified, veteran employees.” The women who filed the lawsuit contend they were stripped of duties despite excellent track records.

*“Releasing divisive statements directed toward parents and students.” Carranza has suggested that white parents who dislike his remarks or proposals need implicit-bias training.

*“Changing policies based on ethnicity rather than efficacy.” Carranza wants to eliminate the entrance test to eight specialized high schools because current enrollment of black and Hispanic kids totals 10 percent, while Asians and whites make up 70 percent. “I just don’t buy into the narrative that any one ethnic group owns admission to these schools,” he declared in June 2018.

*“Creating an environment for schools to potentially violate equal employment opportunity laws.” The Post reported that Community School District 1 in Manhattan advertised for “teachers of color.” The ad invited candidates to the district’s first “Job Fair for Diverse Teachers.” The DOE yanked the illegal ad, and insisted the fair was open to all.

Besides Holden, Borelli and Ulrich, the other councilmembers who signed the letter are Democrats Peter Koo, Karen Koslowitz, Paul Vallone and Chaim Deutsch. Assemblymen Peter Abbate, Jr. and William Colton, both Democrats, also signed.

A spokeswoman for the mayor ripped the coalition.

“It’s a sad day for New York City kids when lawmakers care more about seeing their name in the NY Post than about our school system,” Freddi Goldstein said.

“This racially charged smear campaign is the only thing dividing our city and anyone backing it should be ashamed. We stand with Chancellor Carranza and thank him for all he’s doing to bring equity and excellence to all our kids.”

De Blasio defends Richard Carranza’s race agenda
By Rich Calder, NY POST, June 17, 2019

Mayor Bill de Blasio passionately defended city Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza’s race agenda Monday night, claiming a nine-member bipartisan coalition of city and state pols “should be ashamed of themselves” for demanding Carranza be fired if his “contentious rhetoric” continues.

“The (elected officials) should’ve known better, and that’s not the way to handle it,” de Blasio also told NY1. “Richard Carranza is not going anywhere. He’s doing a great job.”

The mayor was referring to a scathing letter he received Saturday, signed by seven City Council members and two state assemblymen, ripping Carranza for instituting “divisive” school system policies based on ethnicity.

The coalition also raised “deep concern” over a lawsuit by three white veteran Department of Education administrators charging that Carranza has fostered a “hostile atmosphere.” As first reported by The Post, the plaintiffs, all women, claim they were demoted or pushed aside for less qualified people of color.

“It’s irresponsible, and all the folks who signed that letter should be ashamed of themselves,” de Blasio said.

Councilman Robert Holden (D-Queens), who authored the letter, said “if caring for the education of nearly 1.2 million (city public school) children is irresponsible to the administration, then so be it.”