Roslyn Scandal Widens

This is the scandal that never ends.

What started as a hushed-up theft of $250,000, blossomed to an admitted $1 million--which turned into $4 million, which in turn grew to $8 million.

And the new total is, ding, ding--- $11.5 million.

$11.5 million dollars stolen from one school district of about 3,000 kids. According to Newsday,

Top Roslyn school officials and their friends and family siphoned off more than $11 million of district money in an elaborate scheme involving far more people and far more extravagant spending than had been suspected, a state report has found.

Those implicated allegedly made mortgage payments on six different homes -- including two in Florida -- paid off personal loans, bankrolled vacations to the Caribbean, leased luxury cars and shelled out thousands of dollars at Tiffany's, Nordstrom's, Sharper Image, Coach and Rolex.

I've written about this extensively. Quick snapshot-- the Superintendent, Assistant Superintendent & the accounts payable manager of one of Long Island's premiere school districts got caught with their hands in the cookie jar, with literally millions of dollars siphoned from the district over a ten year period. The fallout has included the high school principal, the head of the buildings department, the district's accountants, and on and on.

Two Board members also received special "perqs", including cell phones, computers, reimbursement of questionable expenses, etc.

Of the original 7-person Board, one resigned immediately; one chose not to run for re-election; one was defeated; one of the two with the perqs resigned.

That still leaves three members of the asleep-at-the-switch Board serving this troubled District.

I've asked why the Commissioner of Education hasn't removed them;--not my table was the inane response. Although he takes tough stands with minority districts, the Commissioner has let white, affluent Roslyn alone.

In January, after the Board announced it was receiving a legal opinion about whether they could remove her (something I gave them for free many months ago!), the second perq-member announced she would resign "as soon as her health insurance was in place".

She is apparently still on the Board. How long does it take to get new health insurance, and why is the District waiting?

So, my two questions for this morning:

1-- why hasn't the Board removed Pat Schlissel, the recalcitrant Board member? and

2- why hasn't the DA indicted these two Board members? They took funds to which they were not entitled. If someone took $100 from the cafeteria cash register, you know they'd be arrested. Why not these two?

And the fallout continues. We now have another budget season upon us. The stink of scandal from Roslyn will again undoubtedly affect the school budget votes throughout Long Island, as many honest educators try to fend off cynical voters who assume that if it happened in Roslyn, it must be happening all over.