Complete Coverage: Double-dipping superintendents -- Newsday.com

August 20, 2008

State revokes pension of prominent Garden City lawyer

State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli has revoked the pension of a private attorney from a politically prominent Garden City law firm, along with those of two upstate attorneys, bringing to 28 the number of people who have lost pensions or pension credits since the office launched a statewide investigation in April, DiNapoli's office announced Wednesday.

August 20, 2008

LI officials still join ranks of double-dippers

The job: chief administrative officer of the Village of Garden City.

July 15, 2008

Cuomo expands state probe of public payrolls

In another expansion of the state's investigation, New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo's office has sent out approximately 200 letters statewide -- about 100 of them on Long Island -- to professionals on public payrolls whose employment arrangements raised "red flags" to investigators because they may be improper, state officials said Tuesday.

July 10, 2008

State Education Department to track double-dippers

The state Education Department will now, for the first time, track all retired school administrators who collect pensions and return to work in the schools, officials said Thursday.

June 4, 2008

LI lawyer to pay $60G to settle pension issue

A Long Island attorney has agreed to pay $60,000 to settle claims he improperly received health and pension benefits by being listed as an employee of two Nassau school districts, State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo announced yesterday.

May 28, 2008

LI lawmakers seek education commissioner's resignation

All nine state senators from Long Island called for state Education Commissioner Richard Mills' resignation Wednesday in the wake of revelations about the department's failure to monitor a waiver system that has allowed scores of school administrators to collect both six-figure pensions and salaries.

May 22, 2008

Schools' practice of paycheck and pension suspended

As a hearing convened by state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo to discuss pension abuse opened Thursday, state Education Commissioner Richard Mills announced that the practice of retired school officials getting both their state pensions and paychecks in interim appointments would be suspended for two months.

May 24, 2008

State education chief vows to fix waiver system

State Education Commissioner Richard Mills said he takes full responsibility for the failure of the waiver system - which has allowed hundreds of retired school employees to return to work and collect lucrative pensions plus salaries - and he intends to fix it.

May 23, 2008

Cuomo free with comments on pension abuses

By far the most common public response from top law enforcement officials to a question about a matter being probed is: "No comment - it's under investigation."

May 23, 2008

Schools' practice of paycheck and pension suspended

As a hearing convened by state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo to discuss pension abuse opened yesterday, state Education Commissioner Richard Mills announced that the practice of retired school officials getting both their state pensions and paychecks in interim appointments would be suspended for two months.

May 22, 2008

Cuomo to host hearings today on double-dipping

After serving as the interim superintendent of Roslyn for two years, David Helme did not have to look far for another job. A retiree collecting a yearly pension of $105,829.68, he now is earning an additional $153,621 salary as the interim principal of Searingtown Elementary School in the Herricks school district.

May 14, 2008

Cuomo targets all Long Island school "double-dippers"

State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo began subpoenaing the records of all 124 school districts on Long Island late yesterday, seeking information on the practice of "double-dipping" by administrators who received state pensions and were then hired for lucrative interim positions.

May 11, 2008

School official retires one day, is rehired the next

After retiring as an assistant school superintendent in Commack on Jan. 1 of this year, Ronald Grotsky could look forward to a generous public pension as a reward for his nearly 40 years of service - $100,682 a year.

May 11, 2008

Long-distance superintendent

Compared to double-dipping school superintendents whose combined salaries and pensions exceed a quarter-million dollars, Bob Feger's compensation is modest.

May 6, 2008

Ex-Roslyn school officials collect pensions in prison

Frank Tassone earns $1.05 a day working as a porter at the Mid-State Correctional Facility in Oneida. Cleaning toilets and shower stalls, he is far from his comfortable days as the superintendent of the Roslyn school district, where he enjoyed lavish meals on the taxpayers, gambling junkets and frequent conferences in such playgrounds as Las Vegas.