Monday, February 8, 2016

Karla and Antonio: The Frontline Fraudsters


Sell-Out UTD "leader" Karla Hernandez-Mats during work hours

Karla Hernandez-Matz – Look at the date and time when she tweeted this picture. Does she have no shame? Getting her hair done in the middle of the day at Ritica La Peluquera when she should be working tirelessly to address the issues affecting teachers and students. How do you imagine she will spend her work days if she wins the race for UTD President and begins to pull in more than $170,000 a year thanks in large part to member dues money?

Karla now hypocritically claims to support opting-out of standardized tests yet when one looks at her record she has done nothing to promote or nurture the opt-out movement. She is a fraud. In fact, she has done the exact opposite. In the summer of 2015, she contacted the president of the South Florida AFL-CIO Central Labor Council and pressured him to prohibit the Grassroots Education Movement of Miami (GEM) from meeting at their office. Why would she try ruining the efforts of a grassroots community initiative that is assisting parents and children in exercising their right to opt-out of standardized tests if she is supposedly against high-stakes testing? She has even had the audacity to proudly tout her future decision to opt her own kids out of standardized tests but then fails to use her high-ranking position within UTD to help other parents remove their kids from the vicious over-testing.

We also have heard from two very reliable sources that Karla also holds very disturbing views of African-Americans. Witnesses have said that she made disparaging and racist comments at a UTD immigration workshop held over the summer (June ’15) at UTD headquarters, labeling all the African-American members of UTD in attendance as “these Africans.” According to witnesses she was pleasantly surprised and relieved to see white Latino(a)s present at a UTD meeting as it is usually only “Africans” that show up to these meetings. We don’t want a closet racist to lead our predominately Black teachers union.

We also don’t want an individual like her who enjoys playing divisive racial politics as president of our multi-racial union. She has spent months now pretending to be a defender of the Latino community (using her Twitter account to denounce recent ICE raids) in a transparent bid to win the vote of the Latino members of the union based on nothing but her "Latina-ness". Where has she been for Latino/a students and teachers suffering in the school system all these years? Or does she only "care" about them on social media and when cameras are present? 

Antonio Tony White  - Does he have a dirty, secret past? It appears so. Recently discovered evidence shows that Mr. White violated the standards of his profession and had his Florida Educator’s Certificate suspended in 2002 for two entire academic school years (2003-2005) for the purchase and possession of a controlled substance – crack cocaine.  The incident occurred on or about March 15, 2000 and led to the arrest of Mr. White (adjudication was subsequently withheld by the court after Mr. White was placed in a Deferred Drug Program by the court).  See for yourselves: http://www.myfloridateacher.com/discipline/icmsorders/990-1591-FO-012616120855.pdf


Antonio is also known as being a man with a nasty temper and cocky attitude. Several members have reported that they have had very unpleasant encounters with this man. He is hostile and verbally abusive toward the union members who pay his salary, and is not tolerant of any form of criticism or opposition. However, in dealing with MDCPS he does what he is told.  We do not want to see a man of his low character run (or ruin) our union.