TEACHER PAID TO NOT TEACH

Have you heard that story, which was reported in the Chicago Sun-Times? A 75 year old New York City public school teacher, who has been on paid suspension from the classroom for 13 years, is still receiving full pay of over $97,000. The New York Post reports that he is also receiving fringe benefits, including health, pension and vacation pay.

This individual was removed from his classroom back in 1997 after he was accused of sexually molesting a sixth-grade girl at a Brooklyn school. He is still required to report daily to one of the school’s so-called “rubber rooms,” where teachers accused of wrongdoing or incompetence are assigned but do no work. Compounding this disgusting situation is the fact that there are six other New York teachers that Chancellor Joel Klein has refused to permit back in the classroom.

Although arrested on felony sex-abuse charges back in 1997 those charges were apparently dismissed, and a school district disciplinary case was “dropped on a technicality.” Apparently the school system cannot fire this teacher under the union contract, but he can be placed in a “rubber-room”, and still collect his salary.

Now tell me please, is this situation acceptable? No wonder there are massive financial short-falls in city, state and federal government when we have miscarriages of justice like this case. This is just one example of waste and corruption, and this one has cost taxpayers $1,261,000, plus fringe benefit costs, and there is no end in sight to this travesty.

This story is a political hot-potato that no one has the guts to resolve.

COMMANDER GRANGER