Exiled New York school staffers reap big paydays as human trafficking investigation drags on

A New York principal and his wife, accused of being the masterminds behind a bilingual teaching scandal exposed by The Post, have raked in more than $500,000 in salaries over the past two years — while foreign educators They are recruited and do not have the right to visit their families back home if they wish. to keep their jobs.

About 20 teachers from the Dominican Republic have been banned from traveling outside the United States without losing their well-paying jobs at the Department of Education and their enrollment in a master’s program paid for by the city, as part of a federal investigation against Bronx principal Emmanuel Polanco, his wife, teacher Sterling. Baez and a group of Dominican-American administrators who allegedly exploited the newcomers.

The Department of Homeland Security granted teachers, who lost their original visas in the turmoil, “continued presence” status, intended to allow victims of human trafficking to remain in the United States as as potential witnesses to crimes. Under the rules, they cannot travel outside the country and return pending the investigation, teachers told The Post this week.

“The last we heard was they were still investigating,” one said. “Sometimes I wonder when this will end, because it’s already been two years and we’re still waiting.”

“We don’t know what’s going on.” said another Dominican teacher who was warned she risked losing her job and protected status if she traveled to the Dominican Republic while her mother was undergoing cancer surgery.

“We are in the dark.”

A third teacher, working at a high school in the Bronx, cannot visit his family in the Dominican Republic, even though his wife and three children have visited him in the United States twice in the past two years.

“No one tells us anything,” he said. “How long do we have to wait?” »

The three teachers requested anonymity, saying their supervisors had warned them not to speak to reporters. But they want their fate to be known.

Homeland Security launched an investigation in November 2022 amid complaints that Polanco, principal of JHS 80, led a restructuring plan to force teachers to rent overpriced rooms rented by ADASA, a fraternal group of Dominican-American administrators – and would threaten them with expulsion. if they hesitated.

The DOE removed Polanco from JHS 80. His wife Sterling Baez, a teacher at PS 595 in the Bronx, was also fired when it emerged that she had personally pocketed more than $3,000 a month from three teachers assigned to sharing a Marion Avenue apartment owned by the deceased Polanco. Mom.

Neither has been charged with a crime. They did not respond to requests for comment.

Polanco and Baez have not returned to their schools, but remain on the city payroll — collecting a total of $245,850 in fiscal year 2023 and $311,303 in fiscal year 2024, records show . Polanco’s current salary is $185,112; Baez” costs $95,365.

Polanco, as ADASA’s first vice president, was a favorite of then-chancellor David Banks, who praised the group – dormant since the scandal broke – for “getting things done” , echoing Mayor Adams’ mantra.

But disturbing details quickly emerged.

ADASA placed 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 for single rooms with a kitchen and bathroom. shared baths, The Post reported.

The total $15,800 in revenue would generate a monthly profit of $8,900 compared to what ADASA paid to rent the duplex.

Daniel Calcaño, ADASA treasurer and former assistant principal, rounded up rent payments of about $4,500 a month for three teachers and a spouse in a three-bedroom apartment on Pilgrim Avenue — once by knocking their door at 11 p.m.

Calcaño, still on city payroll, earns $151,409 per year.

Calcaño, Polanco and Baez were all “reassigned to central administrative roles,” the DOE said, declining to specify their duties, if any. “Reassigned” is DOE slang for “rubber room,” meaning they do little or nothing while they are under investigation.

Five Dominican teachers abandoned their jobs at the DOE out of frustration and returned to the Dominican Republic permanently. The other 20 have since found accommodation on their own. They receive DOE salaries of between $66,000 and $75,000, plus overtime.

They also attend City College to earn a master’s degree in education – paid for by the DOE – which can lead to certification and permanent status as active immigrants.

A spokeswoman for Homeland Security Investigations did not respond to questions about the investigation: “Due to law enforcement sensitivities, HSI is unable to confirm or deny the existence of a open investigation. »