NYC principals union blasted over ouster of longtime official

The New York Metropolis principals union is being accused of missing transparency over its quiet — and “abusive” — ouster of a “extremely regarded” official, in response to members.

Sana Nasser — a union exec for 9 years and metropolis principal for 16 years — was instantly dismissed by Council of College Supervisors and Directors president Mark Cannizzaro in early June, in response to a termination letter obtained by The Submit.

At a closed-door assembly that very same day, June 7, Nasser and Cannizzaro acquired right into a disagreement over staffing — which allegedly escalated till the union prez, pointing at Nasser, yelled on the veteran educator to pack up her workplace.

“The response simply didn’t match by any means the dialog that was occurring,” Nasser lately informed The Submit.

The principals’ union, together with 5 individuals on the assembly that officers related with The Submit, denied Nasser’s characterization of the dispute.

Hundreds of the labor union’s members discovered that Nasser was now not with CSA simply earlier than Labor Day weekend, when some faculty directors — lots of whom had been mentored by Nasser and sung her praises — started asking questions on an electronic mail chain about her ouster.

“As each hour passes, it’s changing into increasingly more suspicious why our union president received’t converse to us,” Bronx Excessive College for Legislation and Group Service principal Michael Barakat informed The Submit final week.

“Clearly, there’s a tradition within the management of CSA that believes it’s OK to not converse to the membership that helps CSA, that pays their salaries,’” he stated.

Following The Submit’s inquiries concerning the incident, the union addressed the allegations in a daily weekly replace electronic mail to members Friday afternoon.

Officers denied the allegations that Nasser’s termination was abusive.

“The data and allegations lately shared with our members on this topic are untruthful,” stated spokesperson Craig DiFolco — alleging that “everybody else” on the assembly attested the matter was dealt with “utterly appropriately.”

“In any other case, this can be a confidential personnel matter,” DiFolco added.

The dispute centered round area employees for the union, which the president requested Nasser to proceed exterior of the manager management crew assembly, in response to each events’ accounts of the occasions.

Nasser stated that Cannizzaro requested her to ship him an electronic mail — and he or she pushed again, saying she’d already carried out that however would accomplish that once more. Based on her account, Cannizzaro — elevating his voice and pointing — informed her, ‘You need to do that now?’ and ‘You’re not going to love it.’ He then stood up and requested her to pack up her issues, she claimed.

Normal counsel David Grandwetter, claiming that Cannizzaro “repeatedly tried to de-escalate the scenario,” stated the president was asking Nasser to have a personal dialog with him in his workplace — “slightly than proceed the change in entrance of the 5 others in attendance.”

However when Nasser questioned whether or not she was valued on the union, Cannizzaro replied, “If that’s really the way in which you are feeling, you possibly can pack up your workplace,” in response to Grandwetter’s written assertion.

The opposite top-ranking officers endorsed Grandwetter’s account of occasions.

However Nasser stated attendees approached her after she left the room, telling her they didn’t need to see her go and “know the way he’s,” referring to Cannizzaro.

She added {that a} vp additionally referred to as her the subsequent day asking how they had been going to “current this to the household” — different union members — and requested if they may say it was a mutual separation.  

DiFolco, the spokesperson, stated nobody current urged to Nasser afterward that the assembly was handed inappropriately, and an official referred to as to “verify in as an expert courtesy” and the way she needed to privately talk why she left.

Cannizzaro earns a $287,870 annual wage for the native union, in response to public filings.

The principals union informed The Submit its coverage is to not talk publicly to members about personnel choices, reminiscent of Nasser’s termination.

However some principals imagine the union management deliberately misled them.

“I imagine that data was made purposefully obscure as a result of too many people could be upset to be taught that she was terminated,” wrote Meagan Colby, principal of Benjamin N. Cardozo Excessive College in Queens, by way of electronic mail.

“I keep away from the interior politics of the union as a lot as potential, however on this case I can not maintain my tongue,” she added.

In The Bronx, Lehman Excessive College principal John Powers in an electronic mail shared with The Submit referred to as the lack of expertise from Cannizzaro “deafening.”

“Your reluctance to carry to gentle the circumstances of Sana Nassar’s [sic] abusive therapy and tyrannical firing serves to weaken our union,” Powers stated.

The previous union govt, who stated she doesn’t need her job again, informed The Submit the controversy is about greater than her personal private scenario.

“Nobody needs to place out that there have been terminated. This isn’t a badge of honor,” stated Nasser.

“I don’t suppose us in central CSA talk absolutely and brazenly. I don’t suppose we’re being clear.”