The woman tapped this week by school Chancellor David Banks to replace an ousted top deputy is under scrutiny by the city’s Special Commissioner of Investigation for her sale of pricey conferences along with books and online courses in a side business, The Post has learned.
Miatheresa Pate, a former superintendent of District 23 in Ocean Hill, Brownsville, and parts of East New York, was named “interim executive chief” to replace Carolyne Quintana, the $241,000-a-year deputy who Banks dumped in a major shakeup.
Pate, 45, will lead a restructuring of the DOE’s teaching and learning division, which runs Banks’ reading initiative.
Pate, who made $206,130 per year before the promotion, formed a for-profit company last year called ETAPS, for Executive Training and Professional Services.
“Seize this empowering opportunity to take a journey as sisters in educational leadership,” the company urged while charging $289.95-a-ticket for an “ultimate leadership” conference on Saturday, Jan. 20, in West Nyack. She has a similar conference scheduled for April 20.
Pate ran an evening workshop Feb. 23 on “Loving While Leading,” charging $108.55 per ticket for an evening devoted to personal relationships, and an event Friday night to launch her book, “To Hell with Work-Life Balance,” for $124.56 per person.
Pate does not have a waiver with the city Conflicts of Interest Board to run an outside business, a COIB spokesperson said.
Her appointment came after a complaint sent Jan. 24 to DOE’s ethics officer Samantha Biletsky alleged that Pate violated conflict rules by charging admission and other fees to city employees — and for using her DOE title to benefit the business and herself.
Banks, DOE general council Liz Vladeck, and Danika Rux, deputy chancellor of leadership, received copies of the complaint. It was also sent to the SCI, which opened an investigation, records show.
“They’ve known about this for months. One has to question the judgment of whoever is making these decisions, and the overall DOE vetting process,” said education activist Leonie Haimson.
COIB instructions warn educators, “You may not have a second job that puts you in personal, written, or telephone contact with the DOE or any City employees.”
Yet photos posted on Linked-in show DOE teachers and principals among attendees at Pate’s $289.95-per-person conference in January.
In addition, COIB rules state, “you may not use your official DOE position” to financially benefit an outside employer or oneself.
Pate links to “my website,” ETAPS, on her LinkedIn page, which also lists her DOE experience. She cites an official DOE title describing herself as an ETAPS instructor.
“She has quite brazenly been selling the services she is paid by the taxpayers to provide in her day job, to DOE employees on weekends and evenings at their own cost,” said a veteran teacher familiar with Pate’s activities.
The DOE gave its blessing to Pate’s business, saying she will follow unspecified COIB “guidance,” and defended her promotion.
“Dr. Mia Pate is a strong, experienced leader, and she is exactly the right leader to manage this reorganization,” spokesman Nathaniel Styer said.
Styer would not say whether Pate will get a pay raise. She did not return a request for comment.
Pate’s sister, Tammy Pate, is also a DOE exec, tasked with recruiting businesses owned by women and minorities to work for city schools.
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