Comments on: Administrator dinged for bailing out teacher facing foreclosure

By: I noticed that...

I noticed that... — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 19:36:00 +0000

My understanding is the kid didn’t get paid through the school’s funding but out of the principal’s pocket. Some administrators are dumb but some are truly stupid!

By: Pogue

Pogue — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 11:00:00 +0000

“It means that he couldn’t overtly schmooze it up to the point of
discussing lining up a new job with the firm while he’s still working
for the City.”

Now, that’s funny.

By: Mr. Flerporillo

Mr. Flerporillo — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 23:59:00 +0000

I see I must issue another ruling under Chapter 68 of the City’s Conflicts of Interest Law. Very well.

According to the City’s Conflicts of Interest Board, while he was Chancellor, Klein was barred from “networking” with any private firms with which he had official business dealings. That doesn’t mean he couldn’t take a job with such a firm after he resigned as Chancellor. It means that he couldn’t overtly schmooze it up to the point of discussing lining up a new job with the firm while he’s still working for the City.

When Klein resigned as Chancellor and went to work for News Corp., he had to follow three rules. Rule #1: Klein was/is barred from doing any work for News Corp. (including its subsidiaries) “on any specific matter on which [he] personally worked on in a substantial way as a City employee.” I have no idea how that rule is enforced or what authority the City has to discipline former employees for violating it, but whatever. Rule #2: for one year, Klein was barred from contacting anyone in the DOE on behalf of News Corp. (or its subsidiaries). Presumably that wouldn’t have prevented Klein from leaving a hilarious “whazzup” voice mail to Shael Polakow-Suransky. Rule #3: Klein is prohibited from ever disclosing or using for his advantage any “City confidential information” that he obtained as Chancellor.

That said, if Klein really, really wants to break either of the first two rules, he can — but only if he gets (1) a waiver from the Conflicts Board and (2) an ok from the head of the DOE. The Conflicts Board warns that “the Board does not often grant post-employment waivers.” But if they made an exception for Klein, and Cathie Black managed to sign off on a waiver while hiding under her desk, Klein would be in the clear. But remember, no waivers for Rule #3.

By: Mr. Flerporillo

Mr. Flerporillo — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 23:15:00 +0000

Well this was fun. The tutoring gig is probably a conflict of interest, assuming the AP’s position was instrumental in getting his/her son the tutoring job or the son uses the office regularly. See
http://tinyurl.com/3v2ohue at 13. ”Chapter 68 forbids using one’s City position for private or personal gain or advantage for oneself, one’s close relatives, or one’s business associates.” Id. It would seem immaterial whether he attends the school or whether he’s tutoring men or women.

Since we nailed the AP for the tutoring, we don’t need to address the shredding of “highly sensitive, student-information,” which is good, because I didn’t understand that hypothetical.

By: Manhattan70

Manhattan70 — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 22:54:00 +0000

Why didn’t you?

By: I noticed that...

I noticed that... — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 22:46:00 +0000

I wonder if an AP’s son, whose attends college, is allowed to come to my school and tutor female students alone in an office and her other son, who does not attend my school, is given permission to shred highly sensitive, student-information. Is this a conflict of interest or is it unethical procedures by the administrator?

By: Ritanadlarry

Ritanadlarry — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 22:02:00 +0000

I know an AP who rented a coop he owns to two teachers in his department. He got away with it for years. I wish someone had reported him.

By: reality-based educator

reality-based educator — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 21:31:00 +0000

How’s this for conflict of interest? A chancellor of the City of New York public schools signs a multi-million dollar contract with a company that makes data-tracking products and education software. The company is noted for its shoddy work, especially regarding its data-tracking product, which is roundly hated by educators who have to use it, but the city chancellor is nonetheless enamored of the company and its products and signs a mutli-million dollar extension with the company.

Cut to 2010 – the chancellor resigns his position with the city of NY school system and goes to work for News Corporation, a media/newspaper conglomerate that wants to get into the education software business. A few weeks after the chancellor resigns from the school system and hires on with the media/newspaper conglomerate, the media/newspaper conglomerate purchases the company that makes the data-tracking products and educational software and puts the ex-chancellor now in its employ in charge of the company that makes the data-tracking and education software products – you know, the one the ex-chancellor just signed a contract extension with a few months prior.

I await a Dick Condon report of his investigation of Joel Klein, Rupert Murdoch, News Corp., and Wireless Generation for conflict of interest.