Failure Rewarded: NYC Teacher Test Lawsuit Pays Off

In a remarkable turn of events, New York City has ended up in the position of rewarding failure. The narrative unfurled around Herman Grim, who repeatedly failed the New York City teacher’s exam, only to become the beneficiary of the largest payout in a newly announced legal settlement.

The story of Grim is astonishing. Instead of preparing for a quiet retirement at 64, he finds himself standing on the peak of a fortune without lifting a finger to earn it. His successful strategy? Persistent failure.

Grim is no lone ranger in this debacle. He is one among an estimated 5,200 individuals who failed to pass the exam required to become New York City teachers. Over two decades, from 1994 to 2014, these applicants, primarily of Black and Hispanic descent, failed to pass the teachers’ exam.

These failures are now seeing paydays that defy common sense. A class-action lawsuit alleged that the teacher’s licensing exam was “culturally biased” against Black and Hispanic applicants. Despite initial rulings favoring the city, a subsequent ruling declared that the exam violated the applicants’ civil rights. As a result, a staggering settlement of $1.8 billion was initially agreed upon during former Mayor Bill DeBlasio’s administration.

Some critics argue that this settlement rewards mediocrity, devalues standardized testing, and raises important questions about the standards required to become educators. Are the standards set for the licensing exam fair or discriminatory, as the lawsuit claims? This case highlights the delicate balance between maintaining high educational standards and ensuring equitable access to opportunities.

And who stands as the greatest benefactor from this saga? Herman Grim. He failed to pass the test despite numerous attempts, tutoring, and exam prep. Yet, this most prolific of failures is now set to pocket a whopping $2,055,383.

Ironically, a role meant to shape future generations is mired in controversy about standards and fairness. As Grim puts it in a rather muddled statement, he never took the lawsuit seriously. But this dismissal has reaped him unexpected benefits.

Success, in this case, is measured not by merit but by the ability to tap into the prevailing narratives of victimhood and bias.

And as the lawyers for the would-be teachers make their way to the bank with their $43 million fee, one wonders who the real winners are. The candidates who couldn’t pass a test? The lawyers who represented them? Or a system that seems more interested in settling scores than upholding standards?

One can only hope that the lessons learned from this case can help shape a more equitable yet rigorous system that values merit as much as it values fair representation. Because in the end, it is the education and future of our children that hangs in the balance.