Congrats to John Elfrank-Dana who has now successfully battled two abusive principals

If this were Atlanta, Almonte would be leaving in handcuffs..... Ed Notes

Bergtraum HS principal leaves after caught pushing kids into substandard online courses & violating sped rights; sadly she will now likely go and ruin some adult ed program. Congrats to John ElFrank-Dana who has now successfully battled two abusive principals now…hope the school gets someone good finally!... Leonie Haimson

The school’s “blended learning” program, launched by Almonte, let hundreds of students take online courses at home in place of classes they failed or didn’t want to attend, prompting a state Education Department investigation....The state found the school failed to provide required services for special-ed students. Teachers reported constant threats and assaults by out-of-control kids during Almonte’s tenure. Dozens of staffers fled....The school had a 51.2 percent graduation rate in 2013.... NY Post

And the principal is rewarded:

Almonte, who made $144,777 last year, will become a city adult-school principal.

So she can go screw up another program. I know all about Almonte, who worked for a network and knew all about blatant cheating that went on at a school. If this were Atlanta, Almonte would be leaving in handcuffs.

We reported on the Bergtraum situation the other day: It's an exhausting enterprise getting rid of a principal, especially when you get NO help from 52 Broadway.

I'm glad Leonie acknowledges the work John has done in defending the teachers while the UFT told him to try to get along with the principal as she chopped away at his staff.

I have another piece to put up from John that will enrage everyone.

Murry Bergtraum HS principal leaves following Post report

By Michael Gartland and Susan Edelman
August 31, 2014 | 3:51am
Two years after The Post first exposed horrible conditions and mismanagement at Murry Bergtraum HS for Business Careers, its principal has left the building.
Lottie Almonte, who has presided over the F-rated downtown school since 2012, wrote in a farewell email that she’s “taken on a new challenge in our city to support students and families in different communities.”
Almonte, who made $144,777 last year, will become a city adult-school principal.
Bergtraum, just two blocks from City Hall, has weathered a slew of scandals in the last two years.
The school’s “blended learning” program, launched by Almonte, let hundreds of students take online courses at home in place of classes they failed or didn’t want to attend, prompting a state Education Department investigation.
The state found the school failed to provide required services for special-ed students. Teachers reported constant threats and assaults by out-of-control kids during Almonte’s tenure. Dozens of staffers fled.
“The memories of our days together and all of our work at Murry Bergtraum HS will forever resonate in my life,” Almonte wrote to staff. “I am confident that (Bergtraum) will become the flagship high school that it once was.”
The school had a 51.2 percent graduation rate in 2013.
“Teachers feel relieved,” said John Elfrank-Dana, a teacher and union chapter leader, referring to Almonte’s departure. “The school was turned into a nightmare for the staff and students, and the Post was there to shed light on it.”