By: Megan McGibney
After a public display of teacher and staff outrage against a new principal at a Bushwick middle school a few weeks ago, the school community is trying to move forward on a unified footing.
It has been about a month since about a dozen teachers, staff, parents and elected officials spoke out against Principal Nevya Rivera at Bushwick’s I.S. 347 School of Humanities, accusing her of creating a hostile environment.
Since then, some members of the school’s community have taken steps to resolve the issue and denounced the allegations against Principal Rivera, who just completed her first year at the school.
Ludvika Krysa, Lalia Duncan and Catherine White are among I.S. 347’s faculty and staff who say the allegations against Rivera are unfair.
White, an instructor coach, said Rivera is determined to improve the school’s academic standing. According to the data from the NYSED, during the 2022 – 2023 school year, I.S. 347’s reading and math levels were below proficient.
White said Rivera’s priority is the success of all students at the school. However, the new leader implemented new goals for the students, stricter dress codes, and new observation and training methods for the teachers.
“We were brand new teachers all over again,” White said. “The students were more involved and knew what their goals were.”
White believes the friction developed as teachers and staff had a tough time dealing with the different academic goals and standards Rivera asked the staff to adopt.
“It was a big change to accept,” said Lalia Duncan, a paraprofessional at the school. “Some never wanted to work and do their jobs.”
Even as frictions grew, many were unaware of how much they were growing. Teacher Ludvika Krysa, who was the chapter leader of the United Federation of Teachers until July 1, said the current chapter leader, Sandra Diaz, who was at the press conference several weeks ago, did not follow protocol by sharing information with her regarding the accusations against Rivera. Krysa added that the teachers started to take action without her knowledge.
“There were secret meetings and groups of teachers were writing letters,” Krysa said.
Diaz did not respond when BK Reader reached out for comment.
In May, letters were sent to Superintendent Rebecca Lozada by several teachers and staff, who then gave the letters to Assembly Member Maritza Davila without her knowledge, Krysa said.
Davila, who spoke at the press conference, said she has been trying to work things out at I.S. 347.
“There are two sides of a story,” she said. “And then there’s the truth. I’ll address this, that’s what I do.”
However, Davila said she remains concerned as more than half of the faculty signed a no-confidence letter against their principal.
“All of this was documented,” she said. “There’s 35 teachers there and 58% of them voted no confidence.”
Principal Rivera did not return calls and email asking for comment. State Senator Salazar, who was at the June press conference, and City Council Member Jennifer Gutierrez, who previously spoke to BK Reader, also declined to comment.
Alison Gendar, a spokesperson for the UFT, said in a statement that the union is aware of the issues at the school.
“The DOE and the UFT are aware of the concerns raised by a majority of the staff at I.S. 347. As a result of those concerns, the principal will receive guidance from the DOE about healing the breach her actions created among the staff. The DOE also instructed the principal to work collaboratively with the UFT to create an action plan to rebuild trust, and hopefully, prevent an exodus of staff this summer,” the statement said.
Gendar added that I.S. 347’s staff had filed grievances against Rivera and also filed at least one complaint with the DOE’s Office of Equal Opportunity & Diversity Management, which investigates complaints of discrimination and sexual harassment.
Assemblymember Davila said all she wants is a resolution. She has contacted DOE Chancellor David Banks and has met with Principal Rivera and expressed that she had nothing against her personally, and was sorry for what she was going through.
According to Krysa, Rivera has been hurt since the press conference. “She’s a warm-hearted person and she’s being called the devil. It’s not fair,” Krysa said.
Duncan hopes a resolution will come soon.
“This has divided staff members a lot,” Duncan said. “Everybody needs to support each other and embrace the new.”
