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A New York City principal and his spouse have earned over $500,000 in combined wages during a two-year period while foreign educators they recruited face severe travel restrictions to maintain their teaching positions.
Approximately 20 Dominican Republic teachers are currently prohibited from international travel without risking their Department of Education employment and city-funded Master’s program participation, as federal authorities investigate Emmanuel Polanco, Sterling Baez, and other Dominican-American administrators for alleged exploitation.
Polanco and Baez have not returned to their schools, but remain on the city payroll – collecting a combined $245,850 in Fiscal Year 2023 and $311,303 in FY 2024, records show. Polanco’s current salary is $185,112; Baez’’ is $95,365.
Exclusive https://t.co/w8j7DxDewU— 🇺🇸James Lee🇺🇸 (@leepd84) November 17, 2024
The affected teachers now hold “Continued Presence” status from Homeland Security after losing their initial visas. This designation, typically reserved for human trafficking victims serving as potential witnesses, prevents international travel during ongoing investigations.
“The last we heard was that they were still investigating,” one said. “Sometimes I wonder when this is going to end, because it’s been two years already, and we are still waiting.”
“We don’t know what’s happening.” said another Dominican teacher who was warned she might lose her job and protected status if she visited the DR when her mother underwent cancer surgery.
“We are in limbo.”
A Bronx high school educator remains separated from his Dominican Republic-based family, though his wife and children have made two visits to the United States.
“Nobody tells us anything,” he said. “How long do we have to wait?”
The teachers, speaking anonymously due to administrative warnings against media contact, seek public awareness of their situation.
The investigation began in November 2022 following allegations that Polanco orchestrated a scheme forcing teachers into overpriced accommodations managed by ADASA, a Dominican-American administrators’ organization, with deportation threats for non-compliance.
Following the revelations, education officials removed Polanco from JHS 80 and Baez from PS 595 after discovering she collected monthly payments exceeding $3,000 from three teachers sharing her mother-in-law’s apartment.
Though uncharged, both educators remain employed by the city, collecting $245,850 in FY 2023 and $311,303 in FY 2024. Current salaries stand at $185,112 for Polanco and $95,365 for Baez.
Prior to the scandal, Polanco held influence as ADASA’s first vice president, receiving praise from Chancellor David Banks for organizational effectiveness.
Investigation findings revealed ADASA charged eleven teachers between $1,300-$1,450 monthly for single rooms in a shared Bronx duplex, generating $15,800 monthly with approximately $8,900 in profit.
Daniel Calcaño, another ADASA official, collected $4,500 monthly from four tenants in a three-bedroom apartment, reportedly demanding payments late at night. He currently earns $151,409 annually in his reassigned position.
Public Schools Are New Hotbed Since Clergy Sex-Abuse Scandal. NYC school staffers in two-year human trafficking probe —20 teachers from the Dominican Republic amid a federal probe of Bronx principal Emmanuel Polanco, his wife, teacher Sterling Baez. https://t.co/gXdH10m2Ek
— Assoc_Pundits (@AssocPundits) November 17, 2024
While five teachers have returned permanently to the Dominican Republic, twenty remain employed, earning $66,000-$75,000 plus overtime, and pursuing DOE-funded Master’s degrees at City College.
Homeland Security Investigations declined comment, stating, “Due to law enforcement sensitivities, HSI is unable to confirm or deny the existence of an open investigation.”
