NEWSDAY HEADLINES 8/26/05

[Say What Again]

Go Plain,

If I were that insurance company paying out either of those claims, guess who I would be dropping the very next day! (not to mention as all insurance companies would follow up with trying to find any legal means to not have to honor it as fast as possible)

makes you wonder why people still live in feet of active volcanoes and earthquake fault lines

[justfacts]

Goplainedge!

Insurance Companies will write contracts on almost anything. But do you really think this District's Board had the foresight to inquire about such a contract?

Also, there is no such insurance coverage item in the Superintendent's contract, the old or the new version!

The scenario described need not occur - Richman could be called in by the Board, on the day he announces his retirement and asked to leave with no further pay due to him. This happens in the "Hire at will, Fire at will" employment world of New York State every day of the week.

Even if one gives a two-week notice, the employer can immediately dismiss the employee without pay. In almost all cases however, the standard reaction is just to have the employee immediately removed from the premises on such notice, and inform them that they will be paid for the two-week period.

However, in this School Board-Superintendent relationship Plainedge enjoys (?), the actions could be just as mentioned on another thread on this site - the Board will permit a post resignation period of "consulting" by the present Superintendent!

After all, that is exactly what they did with Jeff Burns, the Assistant Superintendent, when he "retired"! He "Consulted" with the District for a few months!

The Board of Education in Plainedge makes no attempt to tighten the drawstrings on the Public's purse! It never has, and is giving no indication that it ever will!

So, when you send your kiddies off to school each of the 174 days they go to School in Plainedge; put a few pennies in their hand for the Superintendent's pay; put a few more for the Administration staff's pay; add again more for the Principal's and Assistant Principal's pay and, finally; a few more cents for the shared Teacher's pay.

Then be prepared to add a few cents for "Consulting Contracts" for a little while!

Those few cents for salaries ignore the other operating costs for the District.

Totally, the Salaries and other costs come to 99 dollars and 15 cents that has to be put into the hand of each student each day they go to school in Plainedge! [ Hey! - Hand them a "C-Note" each day and don't ask for change! ]

With the demographics in Plainedge of about one house in three having students enrolled in the District - this could also mean you put $33.05 in each child's hand, then send them to the neighbor on the right for an added $33.05 - and to the left for their contribution of $33.05 to make up the daily $99.15 total for "Cost of Admission to the Plainedge Schools" required from each child!

Ed.

Superintendent's cut = 45¢
Assistant Sup's cut = 95¢
Principal's and etc. cut = 234¢ ($2.34)
Teacher's cut = You figure it out!
Consultant's cut = Depends on BOE generosity!

[justfacts]

Here's the latest trouble in Roslyn

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Roslyn schools chief candidate pulls out

BY KARLA SCHUSTER, Newsday Staff Writer, June 28, 2006

The man who was about to become Roslyn's new schools chief turned down the job only hours before the school board was expected to hire him because of last-minute opposition from some members over the proposed $340,000 pay package.

Plainview-Old Bethpage Superintendent Martin Brooks decided to pull out after several weeks of negotiations with Roslyn when he learned the school board's vote to appoint him would not be unanimous, and could be split by as much as a 4-3 tally, Brooks and Roslyn School Board President Stanley Stern said.

His hiring at a salary of $285,000 plus perks and benefits was on the agenda of last week's board meeting, but at the beginning of the session Stern instead announced Brooks had changed his mind about coming to Roslyn.

"When it became apparent to me that it was not a unanimous vote, I felt with all the other issues there, they didn't need another issue with the appointment of a superintendent," Brooks said, referring to the $11 million embezzlement scandal that led to the arrest of the former superintendent and several other school officials.

The sudden turn of events leaves Roslyn, which has spent the last two years with an interim superintendent, scrambling to find someone to lead a 3,300-student district with a reputation for academic excellence, but also of divisive school board politics. Interim Superintendent David Helme is set to step down Aug. 1.

"We have to review our options and see where we go from here," Stern said, adding that he hoped the problem with Brooks' appointment would not affect the district's ability to attract other top candidates. "That's always a concern ... I'm personally very disappointed. I have a great deal of respect for Dr. Brooks and was looking forward to having him here."

Brooks will remain in Plainview-Old Bethpage, where he has been superintendent the past six years. He would have been the first permanent superintendent in Roslyn since Frank Tassone resigned in 2004 amid a widening embezzlement scandal. Tassone is set to be sentenced next month for stealing more than $4 million from the district.

Board members Meryl Ben-Levy and Jeffrey Borowick, who will leave the panel next month, and board vice president Judith Wilner, whom sources identified as the members who balked at the salary package, did not return calls seeking comment.

Tassone was earning $230,800-a-year plus perks and benefits when he resigned. Helme, the district's interim superintendent, receives $240,000 a year, but gets no benefits.

The salary package for Brooks became a hot button in the district's budget election last week. Many residents balked at the $100,000 the school board added to the schools chief budget line even as it made other cutbacks.

Copyright (c) 2006, Newsday, Inc.

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Could the real reason for the pullout be that he saw he would not have a rubber-stamp Board always voting 7-0 on decisions?

Ed.

[justfacts]

Good News For Suffolk

Now - how about Nassau?

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School probes likely to go on

BY ALEJANDRO LAZO, Newsday Staff Writer, June 28, 2006

Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota said yesterday that he will likely impanel a second special grand jury to continue investigating fiscal mismanagement and corruption in the county's school districts.

While the current grand jury - whose members began their work in September - has indicted four school administrators, the bulk of its work will likely end when it issues a report this September. The second grand jury would continue to focus more on criminal misconduct, Spota said at a news conference where he announced receiving $300,000 from the state for the investigation.[/i]

Spota's office has subpoenaed thousands of records from all 70 Suffolk school districts dating back to the 2001-2002 school year.

"It's astonishing, the amount of waste and fiscal mismanagement, and I think you will see that," Spota said.

The report that the grand jury likely will issue must first be approved by a judge. The report would make public the grand jury's findings, could include recommendations to lawmakers and may serve as the basis for future allegations, Spota said. The grand jury may also hand up more indictments before the end of its term, Spota added.

Spota said the $300,000 was much needed and would go toward paying for audits, investigations and copying costs, among other expenses.

"Our investigative auditors, they are beleaguered," Spota said. "There are thousands upon thousands of documents. The cost is enormous to us."

State Sen. Owen H. Johnson (R-Babylon), chairman of the finance committee, helped secure the $300,000 from last year's budget. "We want to make sure all the money we bring down here [for schools] is used legally," he said.

Copyright (c) 2006, Newsday, Inc.

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Hey! Ms. Rice! What about doing the same in Nassau?

Doesn't your office want to ensure that the money used for schools is used legally?

After all, The Comptroller's review of several school districts placed Plainedge just under Roslyn in its rating list for fiscal mismanagement for just a narrow area of evaluation. We were number two on the hit parade!

Ed.

[justfacts]

Latest School District Athletics Fund Raiser.

It seems to be getting the thing to do and it looks like some Districts will soon expect a separate "vote" (some call it fund raising) on every Budget!

Leads one to wonder just how much these programs cost the School per student in each District - and what are the details of those costs?

How much per "chaperone", per "coach", per "assistant coach", per "groundskeeper", etc. on a District by District comparison.

That artical might make for intersting reading in Newsday - a School by School comparison of the cost of Sports to each District on a per-athlete basis! And - if there are significant differences - Why?

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From Monday's Newsday:

East Islip athletes seek boost

BY JAMES FITZPATRICK JR, Newsday Staff Writer, July 31, 2006

The student-athletes at East Islip High School have been confronted by their toughest opponent, a $6 million budget cut that included the elimination of all 28 varsity athletic programs.

But there is hope, thanks to the fundraising efforts of the East Islip Athletic Booster Club.

The club joined forces with the local community yesterday to hold a "huge yard sale spectacular" in the parking lot of the East Islip Bowling Alley.

Booster club president Dave Dinota said the school has until Aug. 18 to raise more than $188,000 to fund the fall season. He said a total of $472,000 must be raised to fund athletics for the entire school year. The event is one of several fundraisers planned by the club since the school's budget failed in June.

"When the second budget went down we were prepared for it," Dinota said. "We had a plan in place and I have to credit everyone for all the work they are putting in. When we found out we had no money for sports, we were ready."

Not only does the budget cut eliminate all varsity and junior varsity sports, but it also strips seniors of the chance to showcase their talents to recruiters.

"I worked so hard during the summer to get better, and to have it taken away really bothers me," said Dinota's son, D.J., a senior who played soccer and basketball as a junior. "Not having a senior year will definitely hurt my chances of being recruited."

Other members of the community expressed their concern for the students who are left with no after-school activities. Some said they are worried that the students will have nothing to keep them out of trouble.

"There are going to be a lot of kids going home to an empty house," said varsity girls' bowling coach Harold Cooley. "As a member of the community I hope it's not going to be a big problem. The bell rings and these kids don't have anywhere to go."

Janet Schmidt, whom Dave Dinota and booster vice president Bill Shea credited with being the leading force behind the yard sale, said she will do all it takes to bring varsity sports back to East Islip.

"No sports is not an option," said Schmidt, whose son John hopes to pitch varsity baseball next spring. "This is a time in the kids life that they can't get back."

The girls' varsity basketball coach and assistant head coach of the varsity football team, Matt Johnstone, said the thought of not having sports doesn't even cross his mind.

"For a community that has such a strong athletic tradition not to have sports is a shame," said Johnstone, who graduated from East Islip. "The kids are the ones that are going to suffer. The participation, the camaraderie you build with your teammates - it's irreplaceable."

Donations may be made to: East Islip Athletic Booster Club, P.O. Box 398, East Islip, NY 11730
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Ed.

[justfacts]

A Guide-Book to the "Tricks of the Trade"

Newsday has released info about Hevisie's Report on the William Floyd School's performance - or lack of it! The report is interesting enough in its own right. However, what is most interesting is the School Board's response to the issue. It sound's like a slightly longer edition of the one that the Plainedge BOE wrote following its Audit by Hevisie!

Hevisie's response - beginning with the public comment that the School Officials "Just don't get it" is a well worth while read in its own right. It should be a "MUST READ" reply by each of our own BOE members.

The list of what can and can not be done in Executive Session - and what constitutes a proper Executive session - is by itself, a very enlightening Guideline to proper BOE performance!

The section about an employee providing consulting after retiring is an eye opener - especially when it is clearly stated that ALL contracts, consulting or otherwise, are proper and valid only after being put out for public bid!

Has this been done in the case of consulting contracts at Plainedge? I don't recall it happening in Mr. Burn's case, I wonder if it is going to happen in any other case.


Many community members would also benefit by reading it! It is virtually a guidebook to all the" Tricks of the Trade" that scoundrels will use to rob a District blind! I learned a lot of what to watch for - Life insurance policy transfers, illegal putting of spouses on policies, transfer of ownerships, gas plus car allowances, etc.

Boy! Can those "professed professionals" find ways to cheat the public. One would think that there are post graduate courses provided on this topic - "Doctorate of Deceit" should be the title for those involved!

Ed.

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Hevesi: William Floyd officials 'just don't get it'

BY KARLA SCHUSTER, Newsday Staff Writer, August 7, 2006

The William Floyd School District doled out more than $1 million to vendors who got no bid contracts or had no written contracts at all, according to a state audit released this morning.

Details released earlier showed that district Superintendent Richard Hawkins received pay raises -- they totaled more than $150,000 over nine years -- and perks such as reimbursement for his doctoral studies without prior school board approval.

"William Floyd school officials just don't get it," said state Comptroller Alan G. Hevesi, in announcing the results of the audit at a news conference in Hauppauge this morning. "While at least five school officials have been arrested and four have pleaded guilty to theft or official misconduct, other officials were taking money in ways that were clearly inappropriate, and millions were spent without proper controls."

According to the audit, the district paid six vendors, including an accounting firm, a home tutoring service and a physical therapy company, $739,929 without written contracts. The district awarded $324,214 in no-bid contracts for trash removal, electrical repairs and paving services, even though state law and district policy required competitive bidding, the audit found.

District officials, who dispute most of the audit's findings, say they have revamped their policies and tightened up financial controls since then.

"Your report ... is so surprisingly jaundiced in its tone that we cannot help but wonder what you hoped to accomplish by it," the district said in its written response to the audit. "We are also left wondering how the public can continue to place its faith in your office when it behaves in what does not appear to be a fair manner."

A two-year corruption probe by Suffolk District Attorney Thomas Spota into the school district has has led to the arrest of five school officials, including four of Hawkins' chief deputies. The four former deputies have pleaded guilty to falsifying documents or stealing from the district. Hawkins has not been charged.

Hevesi said that school officials have learned little from the scandal. "At the very least, such management is beyond irresponsible and demonstrates contempt for the district's students, parents and taxpayers," Hevesi said.

State auditors contend that they did not find "valid" evidence of prior school board approval for raises totaling $159,931 over nine years in excess of what Hawkins was due under his contract. His salary, as of the 2003-2004 year, was $175,220, according to the audit. The state review also determined that he got a gas card while continuing to receive a monthly car allowance. He also was also reimbursed $57,933 for education expenses, golf outings and donations.

The audit of William Floyd, with 11,000 students and an annual budget of $165 million, marks the first time an investigative agency has publicly made allegations of financial irregularities involving Hawkins.

Copyright (c) 2006, Newsday, Inc.

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[justfacts]

For those that might be interested in Hevisie's reply.

The post about the William Floyd School District report is lengthy – but the Appendix in which his office replies to the School Board''s allegations of “foul” is concise. It provides an interesting Guidebook of the many ways found to reroute the Tax money District residents paid toward providing education for their children.

Some of the questions to be considered under a retirement/consulting contract are covered in that appendix to the Report. Reading the comments caused me to think a little more about recent retirement announcements in Plainedge.

Just a few of the ones I wonder about are: Are car allowances and credit card use, approved under an employee agreement, valid when one is retired and does consulting? I wonder if the credit card use was permitted in the Jeff Burn's case, and would it be allowed in the upcoming case? Would the period of consulting be added to length of employment to figure added benefits? Would the District's annual $20,000 contributions to the Tax Deferred Annuity plan continue?

Just when would spousal and employee change in insurance benefits occur – before of after the consulting period? Just how long is the consulting period? Just how much was the quoted and approved cost for this consulting service? Were the costs quoted competitive in nature? When was the motion made by the BOE to approve each of these changes?

Among some of the ways that were used to siphon tax money from the children of the William Floyd School District, some comments that might be pertinent to Plainedge are show here:

Corrective actions required:
14. Before the District hires a retired employee as a consultant, it should first determine whether such employment is in compliance with NYSTRS regulations.

15. The Board should revise the District’s procurement policy to require that the District award all professional services contracts only after soliciting requests for proposals.

16. The District should enter into written agreements with all firms and individuals that provide professional services to the District prior to the contract period and before any services are rendered.

17. Ensure that contracts for services describe in sufficient detail the services to be performed and the basis of compensation.

18. Ensure that invoices are sufficiently detailed and properly audited prior to payment. Payments should not be made until sufficiently detailed invoices are audited and approved.

19. Compare invoices to corresponding contracts before any payments are made. Special attention should be given to ensure that hourly rates and services performed are in accordance with contract provisions, and that contractual maximum payments are not exceeded. The invoices should be referenced to valid contracts.

20. The Board should adopt policies and procedures that restrict access to District accounts to only those employees who are authorized to have such access for legitimate District business.

21. The Board should follow provisions of its purchasing policy and General Municipal Law by soliciting competitive bids for district purchases and public works contracts.

22. The District should limit its use of confirming purchase orders to those situations where they are absolutely necessary. If confirming orders are necessary, individuals making purchases should be required to indicate on the purchase order the reasons justifying the use of a confirming purchase order.

In addition, Hevisie's Report showed that employee's responded to an Administrator's general authority over them too readily out of habit, never questioning if the order was reasonable and not an overextension of power. Many times they permitted and accepted “orders” from a superior without question as to their being proper in all aspects and within the scope of their authority! Here's a example of the consequences from another section of the Report:

“Severance Withdrawals: Wright’s employment contract allowed him, as an administrator, to withdraw up to 75 percent of his total accumulated severance pay.

On reviewing documentation provided about Wright’s severance withdrawals, we found that, on three occasions, Wright wrote memos requesting withdrawals of 100 percent of his severance pay. On two of these occasions, Wright’s accumulated severance was actually in deficit.

Nonetheless, all the requests were approved – by the Superintendent and the Assistant Superintendent for Business - without verifying Wright’s calculations or documenting the reason why Wright was given access to 100 percent of his severance pay, contrary to his contract terms. District officials used these memos to disburse $72,125 in severance withdrawals to Wright, a total of $31,344 more than his contract allowed.”

That statement, plus Item 20 in the corrective actions, is especially interesting to me since there was a recent access to District accounts made by an employee who is not authorized to have that access. This unauthorized intervention has prevented the full transfer of operating funds to the Library from the School District Treasurer for the recent fiscal year. The amount transferred is short of what voters approved. This shortage is being evaluated, not neglected.

The Hevisie Audit report is provided on the Newsday site via a link. The Newsday site can be accesed at:

www.newsday.com/news/local/longisland/

Ed.

[justfacts]

from an early Newsday story

Below is one of the first releases about William Floyd that covered what had been done while the administrator concerned was working as a "Consultant" after retirement. It shows how even those close to the inner workings of the District don't clearly understand how tight the controls must be on dealing with the publics' money. Too often, those employed in the District don't fully understand, nor are they adequately trained in, the extra care needed with handling funds in the District.

It is even more important for these "second level" professionals to be more aware of the limits on the authority of their bosses since many BOE members, the first line of protection against mishandling of public funds, simply "jump into" the position of Board members with little or no training.

Although BOE members may have adequate experience for similar jobs in industry - the laws and rules particular to the not-for-profit educational system have many more twists and turns than is in their background. It does take a few years to properly season a Board member, while some of the Administrators seem to have plenty of occasions to cooperatively swap tales about how to - "beat the system"!

That it s why it is so important that the second level administration personnel in a District be more adequately trained. In fact, it would be an improvement if they were not District employees at all, but members of a professional civil service organization the rotated their positions from District to District every three years or so.

This would be a powerful way to curtail the fiscal chicanery that seems to be so prevalent lately at too many of the top levels of School District Administration.

Ed.

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WILLIAM FLOYD SCANDAL
DA: School district kept quiet

BY SANDRA PEDDIE, STAFF WRITER, July 3, 2004

Although William Floyd school officials have insisted they haven't hidden any financial irregularities, records show they discovered last year that treasurer James Wright improperly wrote $15,000 in checks to himself, let him pay it back quietly and never reported it to authorities.

NOTE: This is very similar to what Plainedge's prior Board did with the improper loans from the Insurance company. They let the former Superintendent pay the money back, retire, and never reported it to the community or officials!

School records show that Wright wrote out $15,000 in five checks to himself between Feb. 18, 2003, and May 15, 2003. He signed them, endorsed them and cashed them.

Although Wright retired Jan. 1, 2003, with a pension of $198,890, he continued working at the district through June 30, 2003, to train a successor, said Superintendent Richard Hawkins. The district did not pay him a salary at that time because they had negotiated a $100,000 payment upon his retirement.

Hawkins said a woman who worked in the district's business office discovered the checks[/u] and that he forced Wright to pay it back. Wright did so with a personal check dated May 15, 2003.

District officials, however, never notified the Suffolk district attorney's office. "We were not told by the school district about those checks at any time," Assistant District Attorney Edward Heilig said.[/i]

Hawkins said he did not notify authorities because he didn't view it as a theft, because Wright felt entitled to the money because he was working. "At that point in time, we didn't see that as theft," he said. "We basically saw it as a contractual issue."

Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota, however, said the district's failure to notify his office showed that the district had not been as forthcoming as officials have claimed. "It is clear to me that there was not the full cooperation that the district superintendent is claiming," he said.

Wright, 56, of Bohemia, was charged Tuesday with grand larceny for allegedly stealing at least $700,000 from the district. He has agreed to cooperate with prosecutors, who said the losses could reach more than $1 million and date back to the mid-1990s.

Prosecutors began investigating the district in September, after receiving information from former Legis. Fred Towle (R-Shirley), who pleaded guilty to taking a bribe in May 2003.

On Tuesday, Spota blasted school officials for failing to institute proper controls to stop the thefts. William Floyd officials countered that they had done everything they could.

Hawkins, in a letter to the district's 700 employees directing them not to talk to the media, said the district's internal controls had worked and that officials had been forthright. "No one ... can accuse the William Floyd community of attempting to cover this up, or sweep it under the rug," he wrote.

NOTE: What would a reasonable person call the direction given in the letter? A "fully open" attitude? Sounds like some Spins on information that we've recently heard!

In an earlier interview, and in a timeline posted on the district's Web site, Hawkins said officials discovered a discrepancy of a single penny on Sept. 25, 2003, and, as a result, reviewed the books. That review prompted the board to hire an outside firm, Miller, Lilly and Pearce of Setauket, to do a forensic audit.

The audit, completed in January, found that Wright had taken $528,000 through various means from the district. For example, he wrote two checks to himself totaling $353,132.74.

It also found that he improperly inflated his final year's salary - a key number in determining an annual pension - by $110,000. State officials reduced his pension to $142,808 after learning of the findings.

A school board meeting is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at William Floyd High School in Mastic Beach.

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[justfacts]

Here's the opinion of a Newsday columnist about the goings on in one School District on Long Island. How appropriate are the comments to other School Districts?

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jJoye Brown, August 8, 2006

Only right step is to step down from district[/u][/size]

Richard Hawkins ought to rethink his decision not to step down as superintendent of the William Floyd school district. And he ought to take some school board members with him.

Together, they have presided, blithely, over one of the biggest school district scandals in Long Island's history.

Hawkins, much respected in the district where he has worked for 30 years, wasn't saying much yesterday after the state comptroller released an audit that should have had residents outraged and storming the district's administrative offices.

Maybe Hawkins is counting on his popularity to see him through.

It shouldn't.

He may be a nice guy, a smart guy and maybe even one of the most talented school administrators in Suffolk County. But he's also head of a district that's dissed taxpayers and done them wrong.

So far, five district administrators have been charged, and four of them pleaded guilty, in the last two years, in connection with the scandal.

And it doesn't take much to read between the lines of Suffolk District Attorney Thomas Spota's careful remarks during yesterday's news conference, to conclude that more indictments may be forthcoming.

But Hawkins and school board veterans shouldn't step down because of the criminality of subordinates. The district's leadership ought to step down for a more fundamental reason: It looks incompetent, and sneaky.

According to an audit by Comptroller Alan Hevesi's office, Hawkins for years essentially gave himself raises.

But, hey, that must have been the rage in William Floyd, because contracts and salary increases for six other administrators weren't approved by the school board in advance either, the audit said.

And the school board?

For years, the board met - or, at least, school board members now say it met - in secret to approve matters that, by law, should have gone before district taxpayers. There appear to be no minutes of those meetings.

Were officials so incompetent that they didn't know the law? Or so contemptuous of residents, that they didn't bother to operate within its boundaries? Either way, it stinks.

The district, in a response to Hevesi's audit, launched an unusually aggressive 42-page defense of itself. The first eight pages alone slam Hevesi's office 21 times for not concentrating on current district procedures.

"We are ... left wondering how the public can continue to place its faith in your office when it behaves in what does not appear to be a fair manner ... " the district wrote. "Our taxpayers are left without an impartial review of our current practices."

The response makes for interesting theater. It reads like a magician feverishly flourishing a red scarf in one hand, while hiding his real work in the other.

As to culpability, the district spoke, not with a shout but a whisper. " ... the board acknowledges that things in the past should have been done differently," the district wrote.

Our acceptance of responsibility is not hollow - we backed it up by serious, concrete and structural changes."

OK, but it still begs the obvious question:

Can leadership that ran things so poorly for so long, really clean itself up?

[e-mail]

Email: [e-mail]

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Ed.

[techie]

Does this sound familiar?


Board silences public

BY JOHN HILDEBRAND
Newsday Staff Writer

August 11, 2006

When Michael Buksa spoke at an East Islip school board meeting this week, he was startled to be stopped by the superintendent after 30 seconds.

Equally surprised were his companions from a local taxpayer group known as SchoolWatch.

"I was totally shocked when they cut him off," said Frank Gerace, the group's president. "Let the public say what they have to say."

Superintendent Dennis Maloney and other East Islip school officials have taken an unusual and possibly illegal tack in their efforts to reduce public controversy over high property taxes and a teacher-salary contract that is now being renegotiated: a ban on residents' comments about the contract during question-and-answer sessions at board meetings.

Maloney said he imposed the ban in response to shouting matches at earlier meetings between taxpayer advocates and their critics.

"We're trying to curtail some of the negativity surrounding school board meetings in the past year and create a more positive atmosphere," he said. School board president Kim Phillips later told Newsday that she agreed with the need for community "healing," but also intended to review the ban with other board members later this month.

Buksa, 43, an oil-heat technician, experienced the ban first-hand Tuesday night. It happened after board members ran through more than 90 minutes of official business and opened the meeting to public comments. SchoolWatch had come up with 18 ideas on revising the teachers' contract and saving money, ranging from a reduction in the number of coaches per team to an $85,000 salary cap.

Buksa had barely gotten to idea No. 2 in his prepared remarks when he was stopped. Maloney said he would not allow oral comments on collective-bargaining issues, but would accept them via e-mail.

School spending is a hot issue in East Islip. Last spring, residents voted "no" twice on proposed school budgets. As a result, the district has eliminated more than 26 teaching jobs and canceled all interscholastic sports. A booster club is now trying to collect donations to save teams.

At the same time, the district is renegotiating an expired teacher contract, which provides top salaries well over $100,000. SchoolWatch members contend it would be unfair to award big raises at a time when students are losing elective courses and sports. A majority of board members, on the other hand, are sympathetic to teachers.

Controversial though the contract may be, the district's ban on public discussion is just plain wrong, according to one of the Island's leading free-speech advocates.

"You can't silence people at a public forum simply because it makes you angry to hear what they say," said Tara Keenan-Thomson, executive director of the Nassau County chapter of the New York Civil Liberties Union. "That's the heart of democracy."
Copyright 2006 Newsday Inc.

[justfacts]

Techie

I see we think alike on some things!

I was just about to post the same news release as you just did from Newsday, when;

Lo! & Behold! - - - You did it first!

It's a shame that so many "professionals" who are supposed to be in public service are so adverse to serving the public![/b]

The "story" given by that Superintendent to justify his reason for cutting off an "Open Discussion" portion of the meeting, is just that! It is a lame excuse to interrupt the information stream, and has no basis in logical, legitimate or rational reasoning! His "story" is all wet!

Contract negotiations are done by the Board for the public - and the Board members decisions SHOULD HAVE unblocked, and unfiltered by e-mail "processing", input from the public! After all, that's what that "alternate form of input" is all about - it's a means to censure and surpress information from the public - no matter how self rightiously the request for e-mail or written input is made!

Incidentally! Where in hades was the School Board President during this fiasco? It is the President's job to conduct and moderate meetings! It is not within the authority of the Superintendent to do so! His comments and cutoff of free (and invited) public speech had no place or meaning in that meeting - other than being vocally ejaculated out of order by a hired hand to the District!

It was an excellent example of willful insertion of personal viewpoints by School Administrators who exceed their authority and take over meetings! This activity should be curtailed by BOEs.

Remember - the Superintendent had not asked for, and not been granted, permission by the President of the Board, to take the floor from the speaker on the floor! Or, don't they conduct meetings that follow Robert's Rules of Order in School District's?

Sheezzz! To many of the Superintendent's seem to consider themselves "Bosses" trying to run the Districts! What don't they teach them about being employees and about civil protocol in those Graduate courses they all seem to attend?

John and Jane Q. Public often have more adherence to the rules of public discourse than what's been exhibited by some School Superintendents lately!

Ed.

[techie]

Audit reveals school budget blunders

BY JULIET CHUNG
Newsday Staff Writer

January 4, 2007, 9:57 PM EST

By inaccurately projecting its proposed budget two years ago, the Seaford school district was forced to trim several sports programs and let go of several teachers after local voters rejected the proposed spending plan, according to an audit released yesterday by the state comptroller's office.

The audit found that the school district believed it had a $525,000 budget surplus when in fact it had a $2.6-million surplus.

The audit held the district's poor financial management practices partially responsible for the error; it noted officials failed to follow basic steps such as maintaining current bank balances and cash flow statements.

It also said the school board neglected to implement proper internal controls.

But the comptroller's office and the district also agreed yesterday that the district has already made headway in addressing the concerns laid out by the state. After the surplus was discovered in the summer of 2005 -- after the vote -- the treasurer was suspended and two board members resigned.

"I really believe that we won't see a recurrence of the guesstimates on the fund balance," said new district Superintendent Thomas Markle. He noted that Seaford's financial officers were reporting more frequently on district finances.

The audit found wide-ranging weaknesses in the financial management of the district that went beyond the budget misstep.

Internal controls were lacking in the office of the treasurer, who performed most financial duties with little to no oversight.

And there were ineffective competitive-bidding processes, the audit found. Between July 2004 and last January, the district paid almost $516,000 to providers of services including tutoring and driver's education without seeking proposals from competitors, according to the audit.

Jennifer Freeman, a comptroller's spokeswoman, said similar deficiencies led district officials to underestimate the surplus in the spring of 2005 as they were crafting budget proposals for 2005-06.

Voters rejected the school board's first two budget proposals, resulting in the board adopting a contingency budget of $44.2 million that cut several positions and programs.

District officials realized the error after they had adopted the contingency budget. State law prevented the district from proposing a third budget and from using the money to restore the programs and staff cut with the adoption of the contingency plan.

Instead, they used the money to lower the levy on taxpayers.

Had board members had an accurate estimate of the surplus, they presumably would have proposed a budget that stood a greater chance of passing, said Freeman.

Board of education President Bradley Kass said yesterday the district had already made strides in addressing the audit's concerns. The district hired a new treasurer and new assistant superintendent of business before the audit began and briefed them on the district's new guidelines, according to his written response in an appendix to the audit.

Copyright 2007 Newsday Inc.

How many of us knew about the $500,000. raises and bonuses before the vote? I bet there would have been even MORE protests about "cuts for the kids" IMHO

[techie]

Are we making our children too good for Universities?


For college hopefuls, a rise in rejection
BY DAVE MARCUS
[e-mail]

April 28, 2007, 8:59 PM EDT

When he applied to college last fall, Matthew DiGirolamo played the odds.

The Northport High School senior set his sights on three Ivy League schools: Brown, Dartmouth and Harvard. He applied early to Harvard because early applicants have a higher acceptance rate than regular applicants. Harvard's early admissions program is also nonbinding, so anyone who gets in can hold out for admissions and financial aid offers from other schools.

Guidance counselors say any college should covet DiGirolamo. An Eagle Scout and senior class president who wants to study physics, he plays clarinet in the marching band and maintains an "A" average in the rigorous International Baccalaureate program. He earns money doing magic shows.

Four weeks ago, he signed onto Web sites to look for news.

Brown: Denied.

Harvard: Denied.

Dartmouth: Denied.

DiGirolamo finds himself in good company. The Northport guidance department's tally tells the story. Yale: six applied, one accepted. Harvard: eight applied, one wait-listed. Brown: 12 applied, one accepted.

As many Long Island students have learned, this has been the toughest season ever for entrance to America's top colleges, according to admissions deans, campus Web sites and scholars who track enrollment trends. Applications rose 8 percent at Prince.ton, 7.5 percent at Cornell, and 7.3 percent at Columbia. Duke, another favorite of Long Islanders, accepted only 43 percent of the 1,381 valedictorians who applied.

The trend also plays out at campuses not typically seen as elite, as applications jumped at Long Island favorites such as Muhlenberg College (up 8 percent), University of Delaware (4.5 percent) and SUNY New Paltz (4 percent).

"When a student or parent asks us why they were not chosen, it's becoming increasingly difficult to say what they did not offer," said Lee Stetson, dean of admissions at the University of Pennsylvania, where applications rose by 11 percent. He reminds students that this year, Penn could take only one in 10 from the pool of regular applicants.

"The competition is incredible," said Frank Sansanelli, guidance counselor at Kennedy High School in Bellmore, where eight of nine University of Pennsylvania applicants were rejected, and all seven applicants to Washington University in St. Louis wait-listed.

Since admissions decisions were announced in the past month, irate parents have been calling principals and guidance counselors in several Long Island communities. They want to know why they pay some of the highest school taxes in the country, then find out that their children have been rebuffed by first-, second- and third-choice schools.

Bobbie Jodre, Locust Valley's director of guidance, was enjoying her Passover seder this month when a parent called to complain about college rejections. "Every year there's always someone disappointed, but this really was a brutal year," she said.

Experts cite five forces behind the apparent rise in rejections:

The population bulge. In 1990, 2.5 million students graduated from high school nationwide. That number rose steadily to 3.2 million this spring and will continue to rise until 2013, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

The desire to qualify for good jobs. In 1970, 52 percent of high school graduates went directly to college, compared with nearly 70 percent today, says the U.S. Census Bureau.

Students making themselves irresistible. They're packing in advanced placement courses, sports and internships. "Eighty percent of our applicants are qualified, but we can take just 20 percent," said Tommy Bruce, a vice president of Cornell.

Competition from overseas. The number of sterling applications from China and India is surging.

A quickening trend in multiple applications. Students are applying to more colleges than ever before. An admissions process that was fairly predictable 20 years ago has grown chaotic. In 2005, 17 percent of applicants applied to seven or more colleges, up from just 2 percent in 1967, according to a UCLA survey.

Eileen Connolly, Kennedy's assistant principal, said one student applied to 25 schools this year -- and that was down from another student's 34 applications to medical programs last year. (Both chose from many acceptances.)

Coping with rejection

As for Northport's DiGirolamo, he was so devastated by his Ivy League shutout that at first he didn't appreciate the acceptance letters from Boston College, Holy Cross, Tufts and other backups. "I tried to brush off the rejections, because I knew admissions was going to be rough this year," DiGirolamo said. "But this was a blow to me and all of my friends who have been trying hard."

Almost every high school has outstanding scholars who didn't make the brand-name cut. Mineola High administrators are upset that their salutatorian, an outstanding science student, was rejected by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. "Unbelievable," said Principal Ed Escobar.

As MIT goes, so go other colleges lower in the pecking order. Guidance counselors are consoling students about rejections from Colgate, James Madison University and the University of Miami, which used to welcome Long Islanders in large numbers but have all become more selective in recent years.

Ben Urso, president of the student council at Lindenhurst High, felt he did everything right. He earned college credits in high school and was also one of two people representing Long Island on the state student council last year. He applied early to Binghamton University, but the school was so overwhelmed with early applications that it had to delay some decisions until spring.

This month, Binghamton announced that it had accepted 38 percent of applicants -- down from 43 percent last year. Binghamton offered Urso admission for the spring of 2008.

Urso's disappointment is tempered by the experiences of friends who were rejected or wait-listed at Marist College, SUNY New Paltz and other schools. His classmate, Meaghan Johansen, ranked fourth in Lindenhurst's class of '07, will spend the fall semester at the University of California, San Diego because she got a spring semester admission to the University of Southern California.

Mario Payes, ranked fourth in Brentwood's senior class, was rejected from Cornell and wait-listed at Penn (he will go to Brooklyn PolyTech).

Guidance counselors see one positive effect: Long Island students are considering lesser-known SUNY campuses as well as Southern and Midwestern colleges.

Vanderbilt University, in Nashville, Tenn., which stepped up recruiting in the Northeast, is flooded with applications. "Long Island kids are not just latching on to the first school they see -- they're really searching," said Douglas Christiansen, dean of admissions.

The Oyster Bay approach

Not all high schools are reeling from rejections. At Oyster Bay High, pennants on the walls show acceptances from the University of Chicago, Duke, Cornell and Penn.

Oyster Bay Schools Superintendent Phyllis Harrington credits the success to a more demanding curriculum, a revitalized guidance department and energy from scores of students who have left private schools to try Oyster Bay. "Our message is that if you come to this high school, you are going to graduate and you are going to college."

Oyster Bay's director of guidance, Gwyeth Smith Jr., said students are adjusting their strategies as the competition heightens. For example, many decided not to apply to Yale after last year, when it set an Ivy League record by accepting just 8.9 percent of applicants.

Other schools discovered

Counselors are busy assuring students that second- and third-choice colleges often work out for the best. In Bellmore, Sansanelli keeps a collection of two dozen coffee mugs from Cortland, Gettysburg, the University of Rhode Island and other colleges -- all sent by students who hadn't initially planned to go to those schools but ended up loving them.

That's the message from Lana Castor, a 2006 graduate of Jericho High. Brokenhearted when Penn rejected her early application, she tried to impress her second choice, Cornell. After Cornell put her on the waiting list last spring, she decided to enroll at her last-choice college, the University of Michigan.

"I cannot imagine going anywhere else or being happier than I am here at Michigan," said Castor, who eventually got an acceptance letter from Cornell. "So many people, especially on Long Island, get so caught up in this game of which school is ranked higher. I've realized that the college experience is what you make of it."

DiGirolamo agrees. He was fixated on Ivy League schools because of their prestige, their professors' clout and the networking possibilities. He didn't give much thought to Tufts.

But last week he and his parents attended classes at Tufts and decided their search was over. Before leaving, they stocked up on T-shirts, caps and decals that had nothing to do with Dartmouth, Brown or Harvard.

Copyright 2007 Newsday Inc.

[Go Plainedge!]

The moral of the story......

Sometimes the "popluar choice" isn't always the best choice.

[techie]

In the school-aid shell game, you pay
Raymond J. Keating

May 7, 2007

The people in charge of public school financing on Long Island often resemble the Old Testament Israelites wandering in the desert.

In Chapter 16 of the Book of Exodus, the Israelites grumbled to Moses about not having enough to eat. The Lord provided bread, or manna, from heaven.

Many of our state legislators and public school board members view state education aid as manna from heaven. This has significant implications, including when residents vote on school budgets May 15. It also has implications for school boards across Nassau and Suffolk.

Consider what I heard while briefly attending a meet-the-candidates night for the Center Moriches and East Moriches school boards last Monday. Each candidate seemed to agree that more money from the state was just great for schools and taxpayers. Some gave credit to state Sen. Kenneth LaValle (R-Port Jefferson) for bringing home the school-aid bacon.

Similar praise has been doled out across Long Island. After a state budget agreement was reached early last month, various public school officials voiced pleasure with state aid levels for the 2007-08 school year. All eight Long Island Republican state senators were showered with kudos for squeezing out more aid dollars in negotiations with Gov. Eliot Spitzer.

In the current school year, state aid to Long Island schools jumped by better than 7 percent, and the increase will top 10 percent next year.

Perhaps it's time for legislators and school board members to go back to school to learn that state aid is not manna from heaven. State aid comes from state taxpayers. So Long Island taxpayers are supposed to feel better because more school spending is financed through their state taxes, rather than their local taxes. Are these people kidding?

Besides, money from the state does not reduce local school property taxes, and that goes for the STAR property tax relief program as well.

Without caps on local school taxes and spending, more state aid and STAR funds perversely encourage schools to spend even more.

Long Island families have not experienced substantive school property tax relief due to more state education spending. And the same goes for the proposed school budgets up on May 15.

In Nassau, while the number of students for 2007-08 is expected to slightly decline, spending would still rise by 5.8 percent and property taxes by 4.2 percent. In Suffolk, school spending would increase by 6.3 percent, with taxes up by 5.3 percent, while the number of students barely inches higher by 0.13 percent.

Also, keep in mind that the big spending increases on education in recent state budgets will hit taxpayers hardest when the economy takes a downturn and the amount of sales tax receipts drops. As the flow of revenue to the government slows, lawmakers will start rooting around for additional resources. That means still higher taxes.

Indeed, state legislators and school board members don't like to mention that state aid and STAR dollars come from us. It's a shell game. As public school spending marches higher, more money is found under the local property tax shell, the state tax shell, or both.

And little of this is about educating children. We passed adequate spending levels for a proper education long ago. It's about taking more from the taxpayers to hand over to public school teachers and administrators, who already rank among the highest compensated in the nation.

When it comes to dollars for public schools, state legislators and school boards are not lost in a desert. Instead, they are awash in money. Think about that when you vote May 15, and when state legislators come up for re-election next year. It's not manna from heaven. It's your money.

Copyright 2007 Newsday Inc.