{"id":512732,"date":"2022-11-20T02:47:58","date_gmt":"2022-11-19T23:47:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/nyc-principals-wife-rakes-in-cash-from-dominican-teachers-paying-steep-rent\/"},"modified":"2022-11-20T02:47:58","modified_gmt":"2022-11-19T23:47:58","slug":"nyc-principals-wife-rakes-in-cash-from-dominican-teachers-paying-steep-rent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/nyc-principals-wife-rakes-in-cash-from-dominican-teachers-paying-steep-rent\/","title":{"rendered":"#NYC principal&#8217;s wife rakes in cash from Dominican teachers paying steep rent"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a25844e34b5e\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a25844e34b5e\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/nyc-principals-wife-rakes-in-cash-from-dominican-teachers-paying-steep-rent\/#%E2%80%9CNYC_principals_wife_rakes_in_cash_from_Dominican_teachers_paying_steep_rent%E2%80%9D\" >&#8220;NYC principal&#8217;s wife rakes in cash from Dominican teachers paying steep rent&#8221;<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9CNYC_principals_wife_rakes_in_cash_from_Dominican_teachers_paying_steep_rent%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>&#8220;NYC principal&#8217;s wife rakes in cash from Dominican teachers paying steep rent&#8221;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<div>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignleft\">\n        <\/aside>\n<p>The wife of a Bronx principal collects rent money from teachers recruited from the Dominican Republic and forced to share a co-op <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>arently owned by the principal\u2019s mother.<\/p>\n<p>The city Department of Education announced with great fanfare in September that it had hired 25 bilingual Dominican teachers to work with Spanish-speaking students. But the program is now embroiled in accusations that the foreigners have been controlled and intimidated by a group of DOE administrators profiting as their landlord.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to a Bronx duplex where 11 Dominican teachers were housed by ADASA, the Association of Dominican-American Supervisors and Administrators, three others were put into a three-bedroom co-op \u2014 each charged $1,350 to $1,400 a month, plus security deposits, teachers said. <\/p>\n<p>Emmanuel Polanco, 39, the first vice president of ADASA and MS 80 principal \u2014 removed this month pending an investigation into the program \u2014 runs the rental with his wife, Sterling B\u00e1ez, 32, a DOE  elementary teacher in the Bronx.<\/p>\n<p>The couple hold keys to the teachers\u2019 rooms and mailbox, the teachers said. They also set rules: \u201cWe cannot receive visitors, Ms. Polanco told us.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/11\/polanco-slumlord-01.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"2866 Marion Ave., Bronx, NY, for sunday edition\" class=\"wp-image-24722774\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/11\/polanco-slumlord-01.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/11\/polanco-slumlord-01.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/11\/polanco-slumlord-01.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>The unit is a three-bedroom apartment in a co-op building purchased back in 2006.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">J.C. Rice<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Desperate attempts by the teachers to save money were rejected: \u201cWe wanted to move into the same bedroom [and split the rent], but they said \u2018No you cannot. You have to live individually.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The three-bedroom apartment in a 67-unit co-op building at 2866 Marion Ave. was purchased for $155,000 in 2006 by Juana Polanco-Abreu, 61, who is listed in records as the principal\u2019s mother.<\/p>\n<p>Polanco-Abreu received a $10,000 loan from the city\u2019s Housing, Preservation and Development department under a program to help low- and middle-income people buy their first homes, agency officials said in response to an inquiry.<\/p>\n<p>One of the Dominican teachers in the Marion Avenue co-op, Rosa Minier, said she was required to rent a room there after being told that her husband and three children, ages 12, 7 and 5, could not join her in New York for at least a year.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI cry every night,\u201d she said of missing her kids.<\/p>\n<p>But Minier enjoys teaching at the International School for Liberal Arts: \u201cI love my job.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The three women share a kitchen, bathroom and living room \u2014 which last week had just an old, dismantled fish tank in it.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/11\/sterling-polanco-baez-1.jpg?w=1022\" alt=\"The wife of Bronx Principal Emmanuel Polanco, Sterling B\u00e1ez, 32, collects rent money from some of the Dominican Republic teachers recruited to work in NYC.\" class=\"wp-image-24722777\" width=\"618\" height=\"619\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/11\/sterling-polanco-baez-1.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1236 1236w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/11\/sterling-polanco-baez-1.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=927 927w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/11\/sterling-polanco-baez-1.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=618 618w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/11\/sterling-polanco-baez-1.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=309 309w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/11\/sterling-polanco-baez-1.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 618px) 100vw, 618px\"\/><figcaption>Sterling B\u00e1ez, a DOE elementary school teacher, helps run the rental.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\"><a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Facebook<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cI pay my rent to Polanco\u2019s wife,\u201d one said, showing a screenshot of a $1,012 payment on a digital banking app to \u201cEsterlin Adasa\u201d with a phone number that records show belongs to B\u00e1ez.<\/p>\n<p>B\u00e1ez, who posts sexy photos of herself on Facebook, is a teacher at PS 595 The Colibr\u00ed Community School in the Bronx.<\/p>\n<p>B\u00e1ez did not reply to an email asking about her role. The city Department of Education and Polanco did not respond to requests for comment.<\/p>\n<p>On Friday, District 10 Superintendent Maribel Torres-Hulla sent a letter to the MS 80 community announcing that Kenyatta Williams, an assistant principal, will take over as Acting Principal. She did not mention Polanco, who was \u201creassigned\u201d on Nov. 2.<\/p>\n<p>The Dominican teacher program is now under investigation by city and federal authorities.<\/p>\n<p>Since The Post and <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/newyork\/news\/only-on-2-bronx-principal-accused-of-shaking-down-teachers-brought-here-from-dominican-republic\/\">CBS <\/a>first reported complaints of exploitation and intimidation of the Dominican teachers last week, more have emerged.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI have continued to receive allegations even after the investigation was initiated,\u201d Bronx state Sen. Luis Sep\u00falveda said Friday.\u00a0He would not discuss the allegations, saying he referred them to the DOE.<\/p>\n<p>ADASA put 11 teachers in a cramped two-family house on Baychester Avenue in the Bronx, charging 10 of them $1,450 a month each, and one $1,300 a month, The Post has reported. The total $15,800 in collected revenue would net a $8,900 profit over the $6,900 ADASA pays to lease the duplex.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/11\/polanco-slumlord-04.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"Emmanuel Polanco at his home at 2171 Hughes Avenue in the Bronx on January 13th, 2018.\" class=\"wp-image-24722779\" width=\"618\" height=\"411\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/11\/polanco-slumlord-04.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1233 1236w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/11\/polanco-slumlord-04.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=925 927w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/11\/polanco-slumlord-04.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=618 618w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/11\/polanco-slumlord-04.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=308 309w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/11\/polanco-slumlord-04.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 618px) 100vw, 618px\"\/><figcaption>Emmanuel Polanco was removed as principal of MS 80 pending an investigation.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Richard Harbus<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The teachers were warned, several said, that they could lose their NYC jobs and J-1 visas if they objected to the terms.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou can join the other teachers, or you can voluntarily resign,\u201d Ramon Alexander Suriel said he was told in an Oct. 14 \u201cultimatum meeting\u201d at MS 80 with Polanco and an MS 80 staffer.<\/p>\n<p>Suriel, 50, who brought his wife and two kids, ages 2 and 4, to share the New York experience, said he was told to send his family back without him.<\/p>\n<p>He quit, and returned to the DR \u2014 after incurring some $3,500 in expenses due to ADASA botching a set of airline tickets to NYC, forcing him to pay again for a second flight and overnight stays.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI want my money back,\u201d he fumed, adding that ADASA has failed to refund his lost money. \u201cNo one is accountable for it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The NYC teachers\u2019 union said it will look into legal aid for Suriel and other Dominican teachers, said UFT spokeswoman Alison Gendar.<\/p>\n<p>Last week, the other Dominican teachers renting rooms <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/almomento.net\/ny-fundacion-sale-en-defensa-de-maestro-dominicano-acusado-de-extorsion\/\">received a letter<\/a> in defense of Polanco and ADASA from Marianne Mason, executive director of the Cordell Hull Foundation for International Education, a New York-based group that sponsors the visas.<\/p>\n<p>She blamed the teachers\u2019 complaints on \u201cculture shock\u201d and \u201cquite a few points of misunderstanding.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/11\/polanco-slumlord-05-1.jpg?w=473\" alt=\"Teachers pay rent to Polanco's wife on a digital banking app.\" class=\"wp-image-24723246\" width=\"473\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/11\/polanco-slumlord-05-1.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=946 946w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/11\/polanco-slumlord-05-1.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=709 709w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/11\/polanco-slumlord-05-1.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=473 473w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/11\/polanco-slumlord-05-1.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=236 236w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/11\/polanco-slumlord-05-1.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 473px) 100vw, 473px\"\/><figcaption>Teachers pay rent to Polanco\u2019s wife on a digital banking app.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>She said DOE administrators provided accommodations to spare the teachers the\u00a0 \u201cfrustrating and difficult\u201d task of finding their own. While charging rent,  ADASA covers other expenses such as utilities, Internet and furniture, she said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEmmanuel Polanco and the entire ADASA team have done all this work to give, to contribute, and not to profit from you,\u201d Mason wrote.<\/p>\n<p>Mason warned the teachers they signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the foundation that \u201cgives us the right to cancel your visa if you do not behave in the spirit of exchange or for default as a teacher.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She denied that ADASA forced the teachers to live in the buildings it leased: \u201cYou were always given the opportunity to live somewhere else and you still can.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Reached by The Post, Mason said of the teachers, \u201cThey\u2019re lying.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mason\u2019s letter demands that the Dominicans \u201ccontact and correct the facts of any reporters who have interviewed you.\u201d\n                        <\/p><\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2022\/11\/19\/nyc-principals-wife-rakes-in-cash-from-dominican-teachers-paying-steep-rent\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;NYC principal&#8217;s wife rakes in cash from Dominican teachers paying steep rent&#8221; The wife of a Bronx principal collects rent money from teachers recruited from the Dominican Republic and forced to share a co-op apparently owned by the principal\u2019s mother. The city Department of Education announced with great fanfare in September that it had hired&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":512733,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/11\/polanco-slumlord-comp.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1024","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[135848,70643,97674,69286,72939],"class_list":["post-512732","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-11-19-22","tag-department-of-education","tag-dominican-republic","tag-schools","tag-teachers-union"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/512732","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=512732"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/512732\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/512733"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=512732"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=512732"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=512732"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}