Only in NYC: Failing Teachers’ Exam Can Make You A Millionaire

Herman Grim will soon retire. He retires as a wealthy man. At 64, most Americans consider retirement and what to do next. Grim earned $2,055,383 while doing nothing. Herman only needed to fail.

He excelled in that and he failed many times.

Of Course, It’s Racial

Grim was one of 5,200 persons who failed the NYC teaching test. Grim failed it repeatedly. Despite receiving tutoring, he never succeeded. He studied, but failed.

It wasn’t a “Herman Grim problem.” It was a racial issue.

Maybe Grim wasn’t meant to teach? Perhaps he was too stupid to teach. No. Racial discrimination was the reason. Attorneys anticipated a sizable payday, and boy, did it pay out.

Lawyers sued the test as unconstitutional in a class action. In the final days of former Mayor Bill De Blasio’s term, New York settled the dispute and agreed to a $1.8 billion settlement.

Grim is perched atop that massive settlement, the biggest in the city’s recorded history. Herman got the biggest payout since he failed the most.

Thousands of teachers flunked the exam between 1994 and 2014. The lawsuit claimed a “disparate” number of blacks and Latinos failed the test.

Unbelievable

50 percent of Latino applicants and 53 percent of black applicants both passed the test. White applicants passed by 90%.

The “Love Judge,” Kimba Woods, determined requiring candidates to complete a Liberal Arts and Sciences Exam to teach liberal arts and sciences violated the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Wood called it discriminating because it did not indicate excellent teaching. After many litigation victories for the city, outgoing Mayor De Blasio accepted the settlement.

No surprise. This mayor found racism in dairy products, but taxpayers had to spend $1.8 billion.

Grim and thousands of others who failed an 80-question test will become millionaires. Why? They failed.

They failed a lot, but in New York City, it means they were treated unfairly; therefore, they will be paid well and receive pensions for a job they never completed.