Comments on: Major payroll improprieties alleged at Fort Hamilton High School

By: JULIE

JULIE — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 02:26:00 +0000

WELL NOW I KNOW WHY
CESTER DIDNT SHOW HER FACE WHEN MY GOOD FRIENDS CHILD WAS THREATENED WITH A KNIFE SHE WAS UP TO NO GOOD HERSELF IN STEAD SHE SENT THE DEAN TO SPEAK WITH US NOT THAT THE DEAN WAS ANY BETTER WHEN I ASKED IF THE BOY WITH THE KNIFE WAS A PROBLEM TO THE SCHOOL SHE SAID NO UNTIL THE POLICE TOLD THE DETECTIVES IN FRONT OF US HE WAS A PROBLEM CHILD THAT CAUSED OTHER PROBLEMS IN THE SCHOOL SO SAD AS PARENTS WE SEND OURCHILDREN TO GO TO SCHOOL TO DO THE RIGHT THING AND OUR PRINCIPALS ARE DOING THE WRONG THING

By: SMH

SMH — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 20:27:00 +0000

Be careful what you wish for. You could end up in a failing school on a closure list. All it takes is two years of bad data that can be easily manipulated. Yes, it really is that easy. Ask; Lehman HS, LIC, John Adams, Newtown, GCHS, etc., etc., etc.

By: Boom Chicka

Boom Chicka — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 07:20:00 +0000

Well since you’ve mentioned it… yes. Look, if Chester is still Principal on Sept. 6th, the first day of school for all students, that means she walked away with a slap on the wrist. It’s sickening I know but even more sickening is the fact that she took advantage of individuals who were hoping for full-time teaching positions especially in this garbage economy and none of the current teachers at Fort Hamilton seem outraged! What the heck is going on over there? She must rule like some kind of Dictator. Shame on the DOE if they let her walk!! They’ll just prove that they don’t have a handle on anything involving the Public School System. They’re completely useless! Pedophile teachers continue to work, Corrupt Principals continue to work. Who’s looking after the kids’ best interest? You thought NYPD’s Blue Wall of Silence was awful? How about the Academic Wall of Silence. Completely outrageous!

By: Concerned

Concerned — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 19:33:00 +0000

So what you’re saying is Chester has more power than Chancellor Dennis Walcott? C’mon that’s bull. And if it’s true, then that is pathetic. You’re right, the kids suffer from these rogue individuals.

By: Boom Chicka

Boom Chicka — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 07:42:00 +0000

Well that was quick. I’m already hearing through the grape vines that staff expects Principal JoAnn Chester to walk away from all this mess with just a slap on the wrist. Not surprised. She knows people. Besides, she walked away from a scandal years back when a teacher named Tom Greene was brutally assaulted by a team of jealous colleagues at Fort Hamilton High Schools pool right in front of parents watching their children swim. It was ugly. Oh well. So much for Justice. Looks like crime does pay. Pays pretty well too.

By: Former Teacher

Former Teacher — Mon, 06 Aug 2012 11:47:00 +0000

Since so many people know of such situations, I offer a suggestion. GothamSchools should offer a place to list schools where this has been allegedly has been going.Then, the people who would investigate would have a starting point. I mean this would be pretty easy to see because these investigators would have access to payroll records. As a subcentral substitute, it is difficult to work every single day in the same place. So you need to look at the substitute rolls and find substitutes who are working every day in the same place. I am sure they know this, but if they want to look, this will offer suggestions. Additionally, aren’t all these underpaid substitutes entitited to back pay? Does each sub have to file individually for backpay?

By: Basha

Basha — Mon, 06 Aug 2012 00:18:00 +0000

Agree. Alan Friedman was and is useless. There is an atmosphere of keep off the radar, keep quiet and out of trouble. This allows the principal and her henchmen and women to get away with everything and anything. Glad it has caught up to her.

By: Garthton

Garthton — Sun, 05 Aug 2012 22:30:00 +0000

My coverage ended on the 30th day and I did not return. However, the teacher who was out on maternity contacted the school and remained out another week. She was told by the payroll secretary that I couldn’t be called in because of “30 days” but she would call me on the following day, thus resetting the clock. I refused to go back for the extra week.

By: BeenThere

BeenThere — Sun, 05 Aug 2012 22:23:00 +0000

What about the Union Rep at Fort Hamilton? Alan Friedman was informed of this by several of these substitutes and he just flat out ignored them. The AP Fubozzi knew as well. They should clear out the lot of them!

By: Jeffjaguar

Jeffjaguar — Sun, 05 Aug 2012 20:49:00 +0000

Did you speak to the UFT?

By: Garthton

Garthton — Sun, 05 Aug 2012 19:42:00 +0000

IS 24 on Staten Island employs the same practices. Teachers are dismissed or given a different course to teach on the 30th day, thus resetting the clock. They did it to me!

By: basha

basha — Sun, 05 Aug 2012 18:27:00 +0000

I used to teach there and this principal is evil and dishonest. No one likes or trusts her.
Karma will get her after all.

By: Boom Chicka

Boom Chicka — Sun, 05 Aug 2012 02:09:00 +0000

Shame on this Principal. My daughter goes to this High School and my son graduated from there a few years back. When Alice Farkouh was Principal at Fort Hamilton, things like this never happened. How does she get away with this and for so long? Anybody else would have been arrested and thrown in prison for these kinds of actions. Outrageous!! How is she still Principal??? I’ve noticed as well as other parents that the school is in very sad shape. Repairs are needed badly. Ever since Mrs. Chester became Principal, Fort Hamilton has been in an aggressive decline. Academically & physically. I see it, we all see it. Where does all the money go?? Not only that, I’ve been told she has other shady deals going on at that school. Lord only knows how deep this goes. Parents & school staff have mentioned that her love for the arts & music department is downright creepy. I hear that the majority of funds gets re-routed to that department. Amazing. Shouldn’t funds be distributed equally?? What’s the connection there??? So we have a Principal who’s messing with student grades, engaging in improper hiring practices, picking and choosing which department gets the most funds. Your naive if you think this is all she’s involved with and who do you think suffers from all this???? THE KIDS!!!! Hello?!?! Where’s Chancellor Walcott on all this?? Does he have anything to say?? Absolutely disgraceful.

By: Heishere

Heishere — Sat, 04 Aug 2012 08:02:00 +0000

Regents aren’t graded on a 1 to 4 number scale by the way..

By: CourseBoss

CourseBoss — Sat, 04 Aug 2012 03:56:00 +0000

In order to do this, those in charge in the school seem to be filing a false report with the DOE. Does that not break the law? Those at Tweed cannot be ignorant of what is happening. Is there not a fiduciary responsibility to hire within the regulations, and spend the City’s money within the regulations? Is there not a responsbility at the top to properly supervise and ensure those who spend our money stay within the rules, or they are as complicit in failing to comply with the law? If these behaviors are less than lawful, where is the District Attorney? Where is the Federal Attorney? Can you spell R.I.C.O.?

By: Jack Jay

Jack Jay — Fri, 03 Aug 2012 22:40:00 +0000

You have to ask in regard to the DOE is anyone watching the store?????

By: Jack Jay

Jack Jay — Fri, 03 Aug 2012 22:38:00 +0000

I must respond to the comments about the teachers in the ATR pool being more expensive then schools are willing to pay for any teacher due to a crafty switch by the DOE in regard to the funding of teacher salaries. Why is this such a secret? I have been talking about this since 2006. It is a falied policy (aren’t they all?) by the DOE that has cost the city uneeded
monies. While teachers are forced into inaction, the DOE hires Teaching Fellows, Teach For America people. All the DOE has to do to end their self created ATR crisis is place the ATRs. It is that simple.

By: Jack Jay

Jack Jay — Fri, 03 Aug 2012 22:38:00 +0000

By: Mr_Mike_

Mr_Mike_ — Fri, 03 Aug 2012 21:13:00 +0000

This is clearly robbing the teachers. The principal should be brought up on charges and put in jail. However, the DOE justs cuts a deal and gives the principal their pension. Talk about a kangaroo system. I am concerned about all the illegal deals that are going on with the system.

By: Invictus

Invictus — Fri, 03 Aug 2012 17:06:00 +0000

Sweeping generalizations are what DeFormers are known for and ‘Often+incompetent+ATR”, if it is not a generalization, it is quite a loaded statement.

While bigger people who are part of the DeFormer camp might not like it, there are rules that govern hiring and letting go of employees and the ATR pool, like it or not is part of it, until both the DoE and the UFT decide to do away with it.

There has always been and there will always be double or for that matter triple standards in what field you decide to analyze.

Perhaps we should make the system more corporate, not that it already becoming much like it, but we haven’t degenerated too far to the right.