PS 24 PRINCIPAL DESPERATELY SEEKING SUPPORT

Steven Schwartz, the Principal of PS 24 in the Bronx, has resorted to offering teachers positive file letters, extra prep time and favorable observations in exchange for supporting the school at a Community Education Council meeting coming up on Tuesday.

ICE-UFT blog was given a copy of a Wednesday email from the Principal to the staff. Here is an excerpt:
On Tuesday, November 26, PS 24 will be hosting the monthly Community Education Council. This is a great opportunity to show members of the outside community, including our Superintendent, Executive Superintendent and others all the progress we have made (and do it not behind an e-mail). It would be greatly appreciated if members of our staff could join together and show the outside community how united and strong PS 24 is despite the past turmoil.

Further down:
Please let me know if you can attend this important event. Letters to file and considerations around 4e [Danielson Framework on observations] will be considered for your support dedication and time. In addition, I will be providing 2 additional preps to any staff members willing to show up and support their school and fellow colleagues. Please RSVP.

Thank you

Steven Schwartz
Principal

In a followup email, Principal Schwartz goes for the families:

My apologies, I almost forgot that I am also offering the grade with the most parents/staff in attendance extra recess.

Please let your students know, communicate with your parents and lets ensure a great showing.

Sue Edelman has the story in the NY Post with reactions.
Some staffers don’t like what they call pressure to make a show of their support to curry favor with the boss — or face possible repercussions.

“That’s not in the nature of a teacher to do,” one said. “Otherwise, they’d be politicians and not teachers.”

Another said Schwartz wants staff and parents to fill seats. “He’s trying to show that people are in favor of him despite all the negative press that we’ve had.”

Teacher Walter Rendon blasted the deal as “bribery” in an email to DOE officials Saturday, writing: “Mr. Schwartz is hoping to present himself in a good light” for district superintendent Maribel Torres-Hulla. Schwartz did not return messages seeking comment.

No surprise that the DOE has no comment.

ICE-UFT blog was also provided with a letter from PS 24 parents to the Chancellor and District Superintendent. Our CSA comment guy is welcome to respond.

Spuyten Duyvil Elementary School - PS 24 has been a gem in the Riverdale Neighborhood and a guiding school in District 10 in the Bronx.  This has been the case for decades.  We have had our share of unique principals that have led the school, but the strength of the community, parents and our children have kept us solid and strong.  We know this because we stand together and play an important and on-going role in our children's education.  We don't need to tell the innovators and administrators of the biggest and most expensive school system in the United States that the most consistent predictors of children’s academic achievement and social adjustment are parent expectations of the child’s academic attainment and satisfaction with their child’s education at school.

That being said, we are stifled and stymied by our current building leader, Steven Schwartz, who has already continued in the spirit of unique building leaders at PS 24.  

In the short 3 years he has been here, he has:

Been found by internal of inappropriate behavior, having been tweeting gambling horse racing information, when he should have been doing his job.  [see https://nypost.com/2018/06/02/principal-accused-of-gambling-on-horse-races-during-school-hours/]  Then again, a year later, he commits the same infraction, only to be scolded with a slap on the wrist.  [see https://nypost.com/2019/06/08/bronx-principal-could-face-another-investigation-over-gambling-tweets/]  Then, we hear that he was under investigation,has been found, today, in violation of mismanaging public funds and in doing so we learned he had to "let go" of the secretary (Lara Anabel) who would not comply with his illegal money shifting activity.  These were all allegations made last year, and yet he is still here.

In addition, we find Mr. Schwartz has created a culture of stress and fear among the teachers.  He has removed nearly 10 teachers who he didn't feel he wanted and replaced them with younger teachers that mostly came from a school his mother, Esther Schwartz consulted with [see legacy relationship at https://sites.google.com/site/ceipeacfn534/about/staff].  She has been on retainer with Ben Waxman, who now runs a consulting business.  Mr. Waxman has been seen on many occasion at PS 24.  This shady back door dealing is of a different time in New York's less illustrious history.  We now live in a world of transparency and professionalism.  So many schools around us and throughout the city have qualified and competent building leaders that have the students at their focus and concentration.  Why are we left with Mr. Schwartz?

We are not interested in having to put up with a less than qualified principal that continues to bend the rules and turn PS 24 into a lock-step, teach-to-the-test school.  Teachers are complaining that they are assessing students and rarely getting to instruction.  We can send you at least 10 qualified principal candidates that believe and respect the position entitled to them.  These are men and women with integrity, experience and value.  They are not, like Mr. Schwartz, in his current position as principal only there to what we believe to be - just to position himself to the next level.  When we look at the number of of qualified principals - we wonder why we have a building leader who:

Never taught elementary school (yet reviews teachers who have decades of elementary experience)

Spent less than two years teaching - at a High School / Middle School level. Was a vice principal for less than two years (and during that time was moved by Melodie Mashel (the previous district 10 superintendent) to protect him from allegedly inappropriate interaction with a female subordinate and an alleged corporal punishment charge upheld.) 

Then spent some time working with the district on data.....

…..and now he is responsible for 850 student's elementary school education?  If this history and allegations are true, then, it stands to reason, that maybe he is being protected.  This is at the cost of the PS 24 community and families.  Don't they deserve a leader worthy of their children?

 He does not interact with our children (he knows nearly none of their names), he spends as much or more time intimidating and over-working our teachers (instead of positively supporting them and giving them the opportunity to grow).  Teachers have told parents that he said to the whole staff 3 years ago that all of their ratings are too high and they should expect them to drop.  We have been told that he has said, on numerous occasions, to the entire staff at staff meetings, that he doesn't care what the parents think.  In addition, he makes it very difficult for us parents to be in the building to support our children and teachers.  He has used derisive efforts to lower teachers rather than raise them.  We have been told by other teachers, that in fact, one teacher whom he wanted to leave - he wrote up poor reviews of her and even mentioned in a review that she was inappropriate for pumping her breast for her new child (even though it was done after class time.)  The teacher who eventually left because of such negative pressure admitted it to be true and had proof in e-mails between the two. She was reluctant to come forward for fear of retribution.  He eventually retracted his statements in the review, but the social statement he made spoke volumes. 

It is no wonder parents are pulling their children out sooner than when they graduate 5th grade.  The kindergarten classes - 7 in all, are full and up until a month ago were at 32 a room, enraging parents and limiting kindergarten growth.  His claim to parents was that it was the district's fault and he had to do this to prove that he was overcrowed to get more money / teachers.  This at the sake of the kindergarten teacher's stress and the kindergarten's students well being and experience.  By the time, our students are in 5th grade, the grade-wide numbers for 5th graders have dropped - indicating to us that parents are dissatisfied. 

You, Ms. Hulla, come from a distinguished background in Brooklyn and have come to District 10 in the Bronx to help make it amazing.  We are sure you can do this; that is if you don't let the old guard and old fashioned back room politics run you.  You have our support to be open and transparent and live up to the 3 tenants our Chancellor has claimed to provide to the children and parents of New York.  

Mr. Carranza, we are just one of your 1800 schools and most likely are not on your radar, as we produce great numbers for the district.  But, please tell us, why are you ignoring this situation for the 850 students of Riverdale?  We can most certainly meet and give you a long list of qualified principals willing to be as honest and forthright as us, the community of Riverdale in the Bronx.  Is it really okay to have a new Superintendent (Hulla) be tugged along by this yesteryear group who think they have the run of the public's money and use their  influence and connections to degredate the students of this neighborhood?  We know you are busy, but we are sure you have a qualified staff to help Ms. Hulla make the prudent and right decision to give us a building leader that can lead with honesty, integrity and fortitude, one that knows the student's names and cares about the development of our children.

Thank you for your time.

With equity and excellence