NYC Principal Fined for Approving Overtime, Tenure for Baby Daddy
A city probe found Bridget Garzaniti violated rules by granting benefits to her domestic partner, Curtis Williams.
A New York City public school principal has been fined for approving significant overtime pay and recommending tenure for her domestic partner, who worked under her supervision. Bridget Garzaniti, principal of the High School of Arts and Technology on Manhattan's Upper West Side, was fined $7,500 by the city's Conflicts of Interest Board (COIB).
Garzaniti approved nearly 200 hours of overtime for her partner, Curtis Williams, totaling $12,000 in 2024. The COIB found this to be a violation of city rules, which prohibit public servants from using their positions to financially benefit individuals with whom they have personal relationships. Additionally, principals are forbidden from having personal relations work under them at the same school.
Garzaniti also authored a letter to the district's superintendent in June 2024 recommending Williams for tenure, which was subsequently approved by the Department of Education. DOE employees require a principal's recommendation for tenure, a process that grants tenured staff lifelong job protections.
Garzaniti and Williams have been living together since June 2017 and share a child born in August of that year, according to the COIB report. Williams received the top rating in his June 2024 performance review, also recommended by Garzaniti.
Williams was ordered to pay $4,250 to the COIB. Despite the violations, both Garzaniti and Williams retained their positions. Following a complaint, Williams was transferred to another school within the same building complex.
According to former Deputy Chancellor Eric Nadelstern, DOE rules stipulate that a principal in such a situation should have reported the relationship to their superintendent, who would then arrange for one of the employees to be transferred out of the school. "You cannot in any form of public service supervise a close relative; it's just not permitted," Nadelstern stated.
Education law and policy Professor David Bloomfield criticized the actions, stating, "Tenure tainted by personal relationships demeans those actually deserving and should be met with the harshest possible consequences."