It seems no one wants to show me the money (ie school’s taxpayer funded budget). The public should be alarmed. Actually, even a guy on a porch rocking chair in Kansas should be worried. He pays taxes and the funds get funneled one way or another to the NYC DOE… Continue reading
This pastSaturday, I hadthehonor of being asked to speak on a panel and share my crazy story of blowing the whistle on corruption in my school. The forum was run by the new progressive caucus of the UFT, theMovementof Rank-and-File Educators (MORE). This is a group that has been helping… Continue reading
I don’t have much trust in investigations that involve the Department of Education. This lack of trust comes from both personal experience and reading and listening to other educator’s experiences. How broken is our system So broken that we can’t trust the investigators are investigating properly and without bias. It… Continue reading
Where is my union Where is the United Federation of Teachers (UFT) Where is the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) Where is the New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) Continue reading
Falling down Hill… …and no one to catch us. Why would Chancellor Dennis Walcott publicly state “We are aware of the issues at IS 49 and are working closely with Tweed to resolve them.” on June 6, 2012 and then not resolve the issues When my allegations, of financial misconduct,… Continue reading
Ahh Valentine’s Day. This year I will go out to dinner with my lovely wife. Last year though…hmm…last year was very special. Last year I spent Valentine’s Day with Principal Linda Hill, Superintendent Erminia Claudio and my district union representative for two hours. By this time last year, I was… Continue reading
A year ago I started realizing our union wasn’t what I thought it was. I had the naive assumption that if I was under attack, I make a call and the UFT comes swooping in, with sleeves rolled up, contract in hand and takes care of business. Now, over a… Continue reading
I received this notice and was quickly removed from school. I didn’t pay as much attention to it back then as I had bigger fish to fry, but all this talk of Teacher Evaluations and misusing Danielson Framework has steered me back to it. I recently found evidence that can… Continue reading
When I saw this sign, on the NYC Special Commissioner of Investigation (SCI) site www.nycsci.org,a year ago, I didn’t realize there was a catch. I looked at the NYC Dept of Investigation (DOI) site and I didn’t pay attention to this hook on the worm. I took the bait. I… Continue reading
I was going to attempt to write a post as good as these guys, but instead I will post this to refer these blogs for information: The Assailed Teacher –http://theassailedteacher.com/2013/01/30/attention-nyc-teachers-you-have-been-had-by-your-union/ MORE Caucus –http://morecaucusnyc.org/2013/01/31/mulgrew-surrenders-our-collective-bargaining-rights/ Evaluation Agreement What are the details of what each sides wants Sign Petition to… Continue reading
I want to say that if I did anything with this blog, it was to educate. Educate the public, educate educators and even the students. Perhaps I’m even educating the Office of General Counsel/ Labor Relations. Maybe they are thinking “Damn you social media…allowing people to share what we do… Continue reading
Updated with findings from the Special Commissioner of Investigation at the bottom. You have enemies Good. That means you’ve stood up for something, sometime in your life. Winston Churchill I’ve been keeping this one under wraps, but feel there is no real need anymore. Back in October I live streamed… Continue reading
ATR stands for Absent Teacher Reserve. If a school is closed down then staff in that building fall into a pool of teachers that get called in to cover other teacher absences. If budgets are down and teachers in a school get excessed, they too fall in to this ATR… Continue reading
As my federal case pushes forward and I depose witnesses, including high-ranking DOE officials like HR Director Andrew Gordon, I stumble upon new evidence of potential fraud. Here is an excerpt from a May 17, 2009 email from Principal Linda Hill to the staff. “Much thanks to Mr. Portelos for… Continue reading
I believe I have been more than patient with DOE personnel. I think I have had enough unanswered emails and unreturned calls. Time to start sharing my communication. As per Chancellor’s Regulation A- 655, an SLT member may request a more detailed “SLT View of the Budget” twice asemesterand… Continue reading
Earlier this week I discussed holding a meeting in our big town hall style room with our union members. “But Mr. Portelos, you are not allowed in the building for some unknown reason.” SinceSeptemberI was only able to have a handful of people at a nearby establishment, after school, and… Continue reading
I was wondering why I have been investigated for 345 days (first 3 allegations reported Jan 30, 2012) and I was not found guilty of anything yet. I mean besides the fact that I have been innocent, I should have been found not guilty by now for all 20 plus… Continue reading
Last night I attended the Staten Island Community Education Council (CEC) for District 31. I raised some concerns at the December meeting and will probably be attending everymonthly meeting. When I signed up, last week, to speak at this meeting, I had no idea about Resolution 76 – Proposal to… Continue reading
PS IS 71 -September 2013 A year ago, I brought up a potential issue for our school. I submitted the topic to Susanne Abramowitz, who was the School Leadership Team person at the time. For those of you who know my story, you know that she later used me… Continue reading
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