Accuse Principal, DOE
Teachers' Suit Claims Age Bias at Graphic Arts High

By MICHELLE FRIEDMAN

Eight Teachers, all over the age of 55, have brought an age discrimination lawsuit claiming that Graphic Arts High School Principal Jerod Resnick unjustly gave older instructors unsatisfactory ratings, prohibited them from extracurricular duties, and disciplined them for no reason.

MIDGE MARONI: Principal 'destroyed my career.'

The lawsuit is set against a backdrop of wide-ranging age discrimination complaints brought by the United Federation of Teachers, including a pending lawsuit claiming that more than 700 Teachers in the Absent Teacher Reserve are victims of age discrimination since a school funding formula implemented last year by Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein that gave Principals an incentive to hire younger, lower-paid teachers.

Forcing Them Out?

The Teachers claim that this is part of an attempt to force them to retire so that the Department can cut costs.

Midge Maroni, one of the eight Teachers involved in the Graphic Arts case, said that she was shocked when she received an unsatisfactory yearly rating in June 2005. She said the harassment began that March when her supervisor at the Manhattan school started popping in for unannounced, frequent visits. "He would come in and make nasty comments - age comments - such as, I had old ideas," she said.

Afterwards, observations from these visits were compiled and used as the basis for her unsatisfactory rating. Ms. Maroni called this "bogus," adding that she had never heard of this practice before.

Ultimately, the claims brought by Mr. Resnick were declared both inaccurate and unfair after nearly three years of arbitration. "The appeals process is completely controlled by the administration," said Ms. Maroni, who was upset that it took so long to be cleared. "I feel totally vulnerable to abuse."

'Hurt Me Financially'

Ms. Maroni also claims that as a result of her unsatisfactory rating, she was prohibited from facilitating after-school per-session activities, work that is paid by the hour and pensionable. "Unqualified people are doing the job instead," she said. "This has seriously hurt me financially."

"Resnick has totally destroyed my career," she continued. "I don't say that very lightly, because I had a career I actually loved and it has been taken away from me. When you know they are targeting you, part of your concentration has to be on self-defense."

"Before this Mayor came into office," she said, "things were different. There was a respect for seniority."