Dont Drink UFT President Mike Mulgrew's Brew

In my opinion, Mike Mulgrew's statement in the article below, "Michael Mulgrew, the president of the United Federation of Teachers, said the results were evidence that the new procedures to resolve charges against teachers were working. All the demonizing that went on with these teachers, all of the complaints that this could never be fixed were wrong.” he said. “Once there was a will there was a way. Not only did this work, it worked better than we could have imagined" is accurate.

His statement "It’s fast and its fair, and that’s what we wanted.” is bull-oney.

Mike Mulgrew is one of the people who led the way on the most outrageous destruction of due process rights I have ever seen, and I've seen alot, both inside and outside of the court system. I also - in case you are new to this blog - have donated nine (9) years to attending open 3020-a hearings so that I could understand how teachers were fired and/or removed from their teaching positions after being thrown into a NYC "rubber room" or, as the "rubber rooms" are now labelled, "re-assignment" locations..

There are many articles available on how the rubber rooms of NYC were filled with tenured (and some untenured) teachers, but little has been written about the massive violations of due process that occurred when each case was brought to arbitration or resolution.
Here is an example:

A tenured math teacher placed into a rubber room because of an allegation of a child, then fired her NYSUT attorney and hired a private attorney to represent her at her 3020-a. He became ill, and had to go to the hospital. The lawyer requested time for his case to go forward. The arbitrator, Mary Crangle, refused. the teacher could not find another attorney and went to three days of the hearing begging for an extention of time for her case. She was denied. I was with her. Crangle was rude and condescending, clearly believing that the teacher was guilty of the charges and just needed to be terminated. I had read all the papers and I believed the teacher was not guilty of the charges and it was a set up by the Principal. (By the way, all those who say I think all teachers are innocent, this is not so, and I do not protect the guilty). On the third day we saw a woman being ushered into the hearing room by DOE Attorney Marvin Pope. I asked the teacher, "Who is that?" The teacher said she didn't know. I replied, well, as she is now testifying against you at your hearing, we have to wait outside for her and ask her her name. By this time the teacher refused to set through the hearing and hear Crangle's insults to her.
When this witness came out, the teacher said, "hello, can you tell me your name?"
The woman said her name, and then asked the teacher "Who are you?" (After the person had testified at the teacher's hearing).
The next day we appeared for the hearing day, and Crangle's name was not on the hearing schedule. The receptionist called Marvin Pope, and heard from him that he had rested his case the day before, and Crangle closed the record. The decision would be in the mail. The teacher was terminated.

The teacher and I complained to the UFT, NYSUT and the DOE, but no one responded. I'm not sure where Ms. Otterman got the facts for her article below.


March 11, 2011, 6:16 pm
Most Teachers in Disciplinary Limbo Have Returned to Class
By SHARON OTTERMAN, NY Times

Whatever happened to all those teachers who were cooling their heels in the city’s infamous “rubber rooms,” doing nothing while waiting to hear if they would be fired on charges of incompetence or worse?

Most have been returned to the classroom, according to new data released on Friday by the Department of Education.

Under an agreement between the city and the teachers’ union last April, all 744 teachers and administrators then awaiting decisions in the city’s reassignment centers — or rubber rooms — had to have their cases resolved by the end of 2010. Education officials said Friday that all hearings had been completed, although teachers still await judgments in 50 cases, and 33 of the teachers still have open criminal cases against them.

Of the 661 teachers and administrators who have learned their fates, 474 have been “returned to service,” which means they have resumed whatever job they were doing before, generally teaching. About 200 were cleared following the investigations and 270 received penalties, whether a fine, mandatory training, a letter being placed in their file or suspension without pay.

About a quarter of the teachers, 181 of them, are no longer employed by the Department of Education. Of those, 59 were fired following a legal process; 27 resigned or retired; 94 agreed to quit in a settlement; and one died.

Six teachers were permanently re-assigned to nonclassroom duties.

The rubber rooms formally closed in June, and teachers removed from the classroom these days are assigned to administrative offices around the city. They must be charged within 60 days, while before, it could take years. As a result, there are now only 123 reassigned employees, including the 83 old cases, the city said.

Michael Mulgrew, the president of the United Federation of Teachers, said the results were evidence that that the new procedures to resolve charges against teachers were working.

“All the demonizing that went on with these teachers, all of the complaints that this could never be fixed were wrong.” he said. “Once there was a will there was a way. Not only did this work, it worked better than we could have imagined. It’s fast and its fair, and that’s what we wanted.”

“Ending the rubber rooms was certainly a critical step,” said Barbara Morgan, a schools spokeswoman, said that but she added that the city still had to do more to make sure it retains the best teachers.