Monica Martinez's leave of absence extended by Brentwood School District
Legis. Monica Martinez celebrates being re-elected in Hauppauge on Nov. 3, 2015. Credit: Newsday/ Thomas A. Ferrara
The Brentwood Board of Education has extended Legis. Monica Martinez’s leave of absence as a middle school assistant principal, but only for one year — which will take her halfway through her second term in the elected post.
A district spokesman said the board voted unanimously to extend the leave from her $117,000-a-year job at the East Middle School, which will last until Dec. 31, 2016.
The spokesman added, however, that whether the board might limit future extensions “is still up for discussion.”
Martinez, who will make $100,000 next year as a county lawmaker, had to seek a waiver after she was first elected. She got one then that covered her whole first two-year term.
That was granted after the county’s board of ethics ruled Martinez could not collect salaries as both school administrator and lawmaker under Suffolk’s “double dipping” law.
That law prohibits public employees from collecting two taxpayer-funded salaries at the same time. The only positions exempted are public schoolteachers or public college professors.
Martinez did not immediately return calls for comment.
Sarra Sounds Off, Ep. 28: Baseball, Softball and Plays of the Week! On the latest episode of "Sarra Sounds Off," we check in with Matt Lindsay at Mount Sinai and their new baseball coach Eric Strovink, Chris Matias is with the Floral Park softball team and their star pitcher Chloe Zielinski and Jared Valluzzi has the plays of the week.
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