The Rubber Rooms

[Viguera]

Most people don't know about this, but the city pays hundreds of teachers to sit in empty rooms and do nothing, sometimes for months/years. The rooms are called "rubber rooms" -- like the ones at the asylum :) -- and they're basically where they send teachers that have messed up, but not enough to get fired.

Article from late last year:

http://www.nypost.com/seven/09302007/news/regionalnews/why_is_the_city_paying_757_peo.htm

The number was up to 750+ as of last September...

Now they're making a documentary about this, you can see the linkage over at buzzfeed:

http://www.buzzfeed.com/buzz/The_Rubber_Room

Movie Buzz The rubber room in the NYC public school district is where they send teachers who get in trouble, but not enough to fire them. It's also the subject of a new documentary that looks pretty interesting and is currently trying to amass funding. It's like purgatory for teachers. Kind of like how high school is hell for teenagers

[TriState Detailing]

shit ima about to become a teacher fuck up and spend my life in a rubber room for 93k

[AH MI]

^^^ i'm with you on that one

[TONE]

lulzz

[Viguera]

Back from the dead, since it's in the news again...

Alan Rosenfeld who was booted from the classroom in 2001 and has been running a side business from the Rubber Room he's been sitting in for the last 8 years, collecting a salary from the Department of Education.

It remains to be seen whether or not he will truly be fired after a NY Post expose yesterday that reveals some surprising data about him -- although I'm sure he's not the only one...

* He has made $700k in taxpayer funded salary in eight years doing nothing but sitting in the rubber room.
* Because all he has to do is go and sit there, he has perfect attendance, accumulating 435 unused sick days. When he retires, he is paid for half.
* He's entitled to a basic pension of $82k if he retires today.
* If not, his pension grows $1,700 each year.

So the guy basically makes $100,049 sitting in a room for the DoE all day and doing nothing. So he takes the time advise clients of his law practice while he's at it and collects a double salary.

Good job if you can get it, as evident by the fact that the dude currently owns 12 properties in Queens worth an estimated $8 million.

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/queens/school_creep_bQL5kouK80obW5MhZRyq7J

A DOE hearing officer gave him a slap on the wrist -- a week off without pay -- for "conduct unbecoming a teacher." He was cleared to return to teaching.

Instead, Schools Chancellor Joel Klein has kept the scruffy 64-year-old in a Brooklyn rubber room, deeming him too dangerous to be near kids, officials said.

The DOE can't fire him.

"We have to abide by the union contract," spokeswoman Ann Forte said.

[The Situation]

Jesus Christ...he's the richest teacher alive.

All jokes aside though, thats really bullshit if I ever heard it. I'm paying this guy to do dick, and he wants he can collect 82 grand a year right now for the rest of his life with full benifits...FUCK OUTA HERE. Fire him, I'll sign the petition.

[purebullet417]

if hes smart hell retire tomorrow lol

[Ichiban]

A true teacher would hate the rubber room. Because they actually LIKE teacher but I had my Math teacher go to the Rubber Room on us. Like 5 months before the Regents. I'm SO happy it happened. They HAD to pass everyone because they couldn't find a stable teacher and they had to give us the benefit of the doubt. And we got our standards lowered for passing the Regents. Kinda kick ass if you ask me.

[Viguera]

A true teacher would hate the rubber room. Because they actually LIKE teacher but I had my Math teacher go to the Rubber Room on us. Like 5 months before the Regents. I'm SO happy it happened. They HAD to pass everyone because they couldn't find a stable teacher and they had to give us the benefit of the doubt. And we got our standards lowered for passing the Regents. Kinda kick ass if you ask me.

I agree that a real teacher would hate it because they like to teach, but let's face it... if someone offered you $100k to sit in a room all day and do shit, it would be hard to pass up.

Imagine getting $100k a year, plus vacation, raises and pension accumulating while you do whatever you want. All you have to do is go there and be present...

[J450N]

I agree that a real teacher would hate it because they like to teach, but let's face it... if someone offered you $100k to sit in a room all day and do shit, it would be hard to pass up.

Imagine getting $100k a year, plus vacation, raises and pension accumulating while you do whatever you want. All you have to do is go there and be present...


That shit would get boring real quick. id def had to have my laptop/internet connect with me.

[The Situation]

So I think I'm gonna become a teacher and give the class nerd a wedgy

[J450N]

So I think I'm gonna become a teacher and give the class nerd a wedgy


There is a shortage of male teachers in jsut about every state. you'll be hired with the quickness.

[The Situation]

There is a shortage of male teachers in jsut about every state. you'll be hired with the quickness.

You sure? My cousin's been licensed to a be a teacher for 4 years now, and the kids been working off the books for the past 4.

[TONE]

You sure? My cousin's been licensed to a be a teacher for 4 years now, and the kids been working off the books for the past 4.

Shortage of male teachers doesn't exist anymore in NYC.. now there's a shortage of teachers in general. It all depends on your license. Gender has absolutely NOTHING to do with it. I wonder what kind of license your cousin has.

[J450N]

You sure? My cousin's been licensed to a be a teacher for 4 years now, and the kids been working off the books for the past 4.


Yeah bro, there is a teachers union right next to my building where i work here in the BX and i walked in to get info about it and they where ready to hire me that week. They said there is a major shortage of male teachers in NY, this was back in July of 09. Have him try back. Or come speak to these guys next to my job here.

[The Situation]

Shortage of male teachers doesn't exist anymore in NYC.. now there's a shortage of teachers in general. It all depends on your license. Gender has absolutely NOTHING to do with it. I wonder what kind of license your cousin has.

It's for a gym teacher...that's prob why lol.

[TONE]

Yeah bro, there is a teachers union right next to my building where i work here in the BX and i walked in to get info about it and they where ready to hire me that week. They said there is a major shortage of male teachers in NY, this was back in July of 09. Have him try back. Or come speak to these guys next to my job here.

Yeah hi, there's no shortage of male teachers and it all depends on license. Just because you're licensed to be a teacher doesn't mean you can teach anything you want. It all depends on license. A gym teacher can't teach math, a math teacher can't teach gym, get it? You need to be certified in whatever subject you want to teach.

[J450N]

Yeah hi, there's no shortage of male teachers and it all depends on license. Just because you're licensed to be a teacher doesn't mean you can teach anything you want. It all depends on license. A gym teacher can't teach math, a math teacher can't teach gym, get it? You need to be certified in whatever subject you want to teach.

Im not disagreeing with you, Im just relaying what i was told. They were asking my backgound/degree was and that there is a shortage of male teachers, thats what i was told. If its diff then yeah.

But my gym teacher was also my math teacher in high school.

[TONE]

Im not disagreeing with you, Im just relaying what i was told. They were asking my backgound/degree was and that there is a shortage of male teachers, thats what i was told. If its diff then yeah.

But my guy teacher was alos my math teacher in high school.

What's your degree in anyway? Just curious.

[J450N]

What's your degree in anyway? Just curious.


Statistical Analyst

[TONE]

http://lparchive.org/LetsPlay/Seiken%20Densetsu%203%20-%20Destructo/images/ball004dv1ye1.gif

[J450N]

http://lparchive.org/LetsPlay/Seiken%20Densetsu%203%20-%20Destructo/images/ball004dv1ye1.gif



???? invisable ink?

[M2D]

so you sit in a room do absolutely nothing and get paid that's great cause i been sitting at home and i haven;t gotten shit from unemployment.

[TONE]

so you sit in a room do absolutely nothing and get paid that's great cause i been sitting at home and i haven;t gotten shit from unemployment.

You don't get money when you quit or get fired.

[M2D]

You don't get money when you quit or get fired.

i didn't get fired nor did i quit, the company just got shut down. its was something along the lines of

;; lefty tom you and your staff don't need to come into work we are no longer in business he is your check and we are very sorry ''

[The Situation]

You don't get money when you quit or get fired.

i didn't get fired nor did i quit, the company just got shut down. its was something along the lines of

;; lefty tom you and your staff don't need to come into work we are no longer in business he is your check and we are very sorry ''

Or laid off...

[M2D]

so if they don;t help you when your fired or laid off who the fuck do they help ? cause metalp3n for an example has the same issue yet he gets help from the unemployment agency. i understand them not helping those that quit cause its there own fault for not working

[The Situation]

^yea that was my fault, laid off is when they DO actually pay you. I'm not sure but it could have something to do with your company going under and not being able to pay there end of the unemployment. Don't quote me on that though, because I'm really not sure.

[Quimby]

this is my dream job...

[Viguera]

^yea that was my fault, laid off is when they DO actually pay you. I'm not sure but it could have something to do with your company going under and not being able to pay there end of the unemployment. Don't quote me on that though, because I'm really not sure.

could be that the company wasn't collecting or paying unemployment benefits too.

[M2D]

well i been filling out paper work and faxing it over and over and they keep tellng me they aren;t sure if my wages could be used.

[M2D]

could be that the company wasn't collecting or paying unemployment benefits too.

could it be cause of the fact that the company was from VA ?

[Viguera]

Say hello to Francisco Olivares, a Queens math teacher who knocked up and then married his 16-year-old student.

Not that bad? Well he later sexually molested three students, two of them 12-year-olds. So Schools Chancellor Joel Klein barred him from the classroom, starting his career in the Rubber Room.

So far Olivares has spent seven years in the Rubber Rooms, collecting $94k by now.

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/queens/head_of_the_crass_qWrc4xPXr5UxSo8Npym2vO

[LEON]

The city and the teachers union have come to an agreement to close the so-called "rubber rooms" by the end of the year, the Daily News has learned.

About 550 teachers and 630 school employees report to reassignment centers after being accused of serious violations ranging from incompetence to sexual misconduct. At a cost of $30 million, they sit in centers in each borough while waiting for their cases to wind through the system.

The surprise agreement would bar any new teachers accused of violations from being put in the rubber rooms starting in September. Instead, they would be assigned to administrative duties outside the school or, if the cases are relatively minor, they may be reassigned to non-teaching duties in the school.

Educators accused of the most serious sexual or financial misconduct would be suspended with pay, and there would be an increase in the number of crimes considered so extreme, that a teacher could be suspended without pay.

Mayor Bloomberg is expected to formally announce the agreement Thursday afternoon.

In order to speed up the process and work through the back log of educators currently in the rubber rooms, the number of arbitrators who hear cases would expand from 23 to 39. And they could hear seven incompetence cases a month instead of five.

Instead of the months it now takes for a teacher to be charged, the agreement limits that time to 60 days. After that time period, a teacher could return to a school. Once the hearings began, the case could not drag on past 60 days





Took long enough..

[AH MI]

Leon I understand how you feel when you say it took them long enough time. However, now that they are closing the rubber room now those teachers will be working in Central with peopel like Tone and myself on a daily basis and still get their vacation pay, holiday pay, and a raise when ever other teachers do. So is the city doing the rite thing yes by closing the rubber room now will the funds be sent tot eh schools now NO will it be used for schools? No so thhis isnt a good thing after all.

[Viguera]

Leon I understand how you feel when you say it took them long enough time. However, now that they are closing the rubber room now those teachers will be working in Central with peopel like Tone and myself on a daily basis and still get their vacation pay, holiday pay, and a raise when ever other teachers do. So is the city doing the rite thing yes by closing the rubber room now will the funds be sent tot eh schools now NO will it be used for schools? No so thhis isnt a good thing after all.

Yep... all they're doing is relocating the rubber room inside the school rather than having all the teachers in a centralized location.

Until the Unions and the contracts are looked at, they won't be able to fire any of them anyway so they'll just be in schools wasting time and collecting a paycheck.

[E90 TT]

I swear sometimes I think this city is run by fucking retards. Then I remember that someone is making money off of this so that's why this is happening.

[LEON]

Ye if they don't add funds to the schools they'll be sent to, thats fucked up, what are some possibilities, like overtime cuts? Or how exactly will it effect the ppl at your current location?

[Ichiban]

Great, so you touch a pre-teen's would be chest, get punished by being sent home and get paid as a teacher. Sounds good to me.