Saturday, February 17, 2007

Hotline, Hotline

from normsnotes2.blogspot.com/
When a Rose is not a Rose
"I suggest that as many people as possible call the Special Investigator’s office and ask him to investigate why Rose and Cerf were hired as consultants for DOE when they had clear conflicts of interest – and in Rose’s case, the company he managed was about to be cited by the Special Investigator’s office for unethical if not illegal practices, which officials at Tweed must surely have been aware of when he was taken on as a consultant.
Also, ask that the office look into why Rose and Cerf were recently hired as high level, full time employees, without being required to wait three years, as is the practice for CEC members, and in Cerf’s case, w/out being asked to divest himself of Edison stock.
Special Investigator Hot Line: (877) 888-8355 Every person who calls the hotline receives a case number and a pledge that an investigator assigned to the case will contact them shortly. The more of us who call, the more likely it is that they will take their responsibility to look into this matter seriously.
Exec in student 'bribe' flap gets hired by city
BY ERIN EINHORN
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
The Education Department has hired the former head of a tutoring company that was slammed last year for "bribing" students and allowing people with criminal records to interact with kids.
Joel Rose, the former general manager of the Newton Learning company, was hired last month as the $149,000-a-year chief of staff to Deputy Chancellor Christopher Cerf, school officials said.
Newton is a division of Edison Schools, the controversial for-profit company where Cerf served as president before becoming a city schools consultant early 2006. Rose worked with Cerf on the same consulting contract.
Newton was the subject of scathing report last year by special schools investigator Richard Condon, who found that the company failed to do criminal checks on employees who interacted with kids - including some who had been arrested for robbery and drug dealing.
Condon also found the company was one of several that had used money and gifts to lure kids into tutoring programs. Tutoring companies are paid based on how many kids attend their classes.
Schools spokesman David Cantor said Rose had a "distinguished educational career" and that his "role in designing Children First reforms over the past year has been invaluable."

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