Talk about an entrepreneurial spirit! As if one salary were not enough in tough economic times, Raquel Downing is pulling two--by running a side business from her seat in one of New York City’s notorious “rubber rooms.” Seems Ms. Downing was placed in teacher detention in 2005 after being fired for insubordination from her post as an assistant principal. She sued and won, retrieving her taxpayer-funded $100,000 salary and benefits, while freeing up her days (in the rubber room) to make a few extra bucks on the side. Wielding a couple of phones and laptops, Downing sells CDs for children during her “work day.” (We can only hope none of the discs teach morality.) Downing even refused a job offer from the city, which would at least have retained her $100K pay, presumably to continue her double dealing. No one likes a double-dipper, especially when it’s more than just a chip.
“Principal is a 'double dipper',” by Angela Montefinise, New York Post, September 20, 2009