Brooklyn principal Yolanda Ramirez under investigation for intimidating teachers over school surveys

[tonysam]

This is a classic case of a bad principal who will likely get away with what she is pulling. Only an act of God can remove a principal from a public school. The worst "punishment" a principal can get is reassignment to another position. A teacher wrongfully fired, however, can have his or her livelihood destroyed and along with it health insurance, pensions, his or her home, the whole nine yards.

NY Daily News

An angry Brooklyn principal was caught on tape berating teachers after they trashed her on a crucial school survey, the Daily News has learned.

...

"If you don't trust me, you air that in the school," Ramirez is heard saying in the tape from June 2009, just after she learned the survey's results.

"You don't put that out there for the public because if I were to begin putting out some of your dirty laundry, a lot of you wouldn't be here."

Confronted about charges of intimidation, Ramirez denied she received any poor marks on the survey. "That was good," she claimed.

The survey results paint a different picture. Nearly 60% of teachers said they don't "trust the principal at his or her word."

And 58% disagreed with the statement, "The principal is an effective manager who makes the school run
smoothly."

Gotham Schools has the survey in question.

I like this comment at the end of the blog post, which is totally true:

The fact remains, whether teachers and/or parents are honest or not, the survey results really make no difference. Principals who continually receive low marks are never disciplined. Numerous schools that received an “F” in environment still got overall “A’s” on their Report Cards, and their principals received only praise from the DOE leadership. School surveys are only an expensive farce that trick parents and teachers into thinking that they actually have a say in how a their school is run. All that principals are really held accountable for is test scores (which make up the other 90% of the school’s grade) and, as long as they don’t make the news for some other transgression, keep their jobs and can run their schools however they darn well please.

[tonysam]

1. Make sure to listen to the audio clip at the end of the NY Daily news article.

n/t

[AnneD]

2. And this is new?

Our members have caught this on tape numerous times.

[tonysam]

3. Apparently this is newsworthy

You and I know it is virtually impossible to get rid of principals, so she will keep her job and perks and continue to treat teachers like crap.

[roguevalley]

4. actually, they aren't hard to get rid off. in my state they don't have

tenure and I'm sure they don't have tenure anywhere else. principals work on contracts and they can be dropped. this prick needs to be fired or dropped.

[proud2BlibKansan]

5. My state too

All of the principals in our district were pink slipped this week.

[roguevalley]

6. not surprised. sort of a dream come true if that would happen up here

[tonysam]

7. I would believe it if I see it

They don't normally get "laid off" but instead are moved around to other administrative jobs or bounce teachers out of their jobs and teach in the classroom. They make the same salary as they did as administrators. Or else they retire early.

Principals, too, have unions, which go out of their way to protect them. It's newsworthy if a principal is fired because it is extremely rare. When it happens, it's reported in the media, for a principal REALLY has to screw up to get sacked, unlike teachers (unless teachers are accused of criminal wrongdoing). They basically can do whatever they want whenever they want as the district will help them. Teachers are totally ungunned.

Only an act of God can get a principal removed.

My principal, who brazenly violated state law and the union contract, and should have been fired, instead still has a principal job with Washoe County School District but was moved to another school. The district and the union rigged the hearing so that my career would be ruined in order to help this sack of shit.

[AnneD]

8. Ours generally don't get fired...

they end up going to 'charm school' at full salary. Teachers go to rubber rooms principals go to charm school.

[tonysam]

9. It's almost impossible to fire principals, unless they commit criminal acts.

The entire school district apparatus, with its unlimited taxpayer monies, will defend them no matter what barring criminal acts.

Teachers don't have a prayer against them, as I learned all too well.

That's education's dirty secret.

[AnneD]

10. "Teachers don't have a prayer against them"....

Which is why it galls administration that teachers have Unions. Frequently it is the only thing standing between you and an unfair firing.

[tonysam]

11. And in my case the union actually helped my wrongful firing along

Everybody has a price, including my union's executive director, who coincidentally took a job working directly under the head of human resources, who was the one who targeted me and put my principal up to the firing. She's pulling down around a hundred grand a year for taking what amounted to a bribe.

The union's law firm was also in bed with the district when the lawyer wouldn't allow me any witnesses.

Anything short of murder is allowed under education "law" as long as it is the district that is doing it.