A Third Letter to the Roslyn Community

(The following is the full text of a second letter, which was sent to all residents in the Roslyn School District last Friday, regarding the embezzlement of district funds. It was signed by all seven members of the Roslyn Board of Education and myself. As always, residents with questions, comments or concerns about this important matter may call my office at 625-6303.)

Dear School District Resident:

This is our third letter to the community in an ongoing effort to keep you informed about the embezzlement issue. Since our last letter, we have become aware of many rumors that have been circulating throughout the community. We would like to dispel some of these rumors and answer some of the more frequently asked questions from residents.

Rumor: The district has not taken action to recover the stolen money.

Fact: The district received $250,000 in restitution in 2002. We notified the insurance company of the additional loss that was recently uncovered. Civil action is under way against Pam Gluckin, the former assistant superintendent, to recover any additional stolen money, and our attorneys have been in court several times in regard to this matter, most recently on May 7. And we are cooperating fully with the criminal investigation, which entails forensic auditing techniques that are being applied at the request, and under the direction, of the Nassau County District Attorney.

Rumor: Much more than $1 million was stolen.

Fact: Based on our knowledge of the auditor's work to date, it is our best estimate that the total amount of the theft could be $1 million. However, the Nassau County District Attorney's office is in the midst of its criminal investigation and has not yet determined the precise amount of the embezzlement, which appears to have taken place over a period of several years.

Rumor: The Board could have prevented the former Assistant Superintendent from receiving her pension.

Fact: The Board has no control over the New York State Teachers Retirement System (TRS). According to TRS, New York State does not have a forfeiture provision in the pension system. It is also not true that the school district is paying her pension. All employee pensions are paid directly by the state retirement system, which is an independent agency.

Rumor: The Board made an agreement with Pamela Gluckin to keep the matter quiet.

Fact: The Board did not enter into any agreement with the former Assistant Superintendent for Business who stole the money.

Rumor: The Board has withheld the name of the attorney who advised them that it was not required to report the theft to law enforcement authorities.

Fact: The criminal attorney who gave the Board this advice was Thomas Hession of Hession and Bekoff in Mineola. Mr. Hession is a former Nassau County assistant district attorney.

Rumor: The Board does not want community oversight of the district's finances.

Fact: The Board is very interested in the idea of establishing some form of financial oversight committee, and is grateful to those residents who have offered their ideas and their willingness to serve on such a body. One of the first tasks of our newly appointed Assistant Superintendent for Business, Anthony Annunziato, who joins the district on June 1, will be to present a plan to the Board which will include measures designed to rebuild the community's confidence in the school district's fiscal management in the aftermath of this divisive episode. He will present a full report at a public Board of Education meeting.

Rumor: The district's taxpayers will be responsible for additional costs related to this investigation.

Fact: The Board of Education is making every effort to recover all of its costs related to this matter as part of the civil litigation against the former Assistant Superintendent for Business. As of the date of this letter, approximately $58,000 has been incurred in the special investigation for legal, auditing and communications expenses.

The past few months have been extremely challenging for all of us. We have unequivocally stated that we know we made a mistake in not disclosing this matter when it was first uncovered. With the knowledge we have today, we would have chosen a different course of action in 2002. We cannot change the past; but we will use this knowledge to choose a different course of action in the future. Therefore, we pledge to do everything that we can to earn back the community's trust.

Sincerely yours,

Dr. Frank A. Tassone, Superintendent of Schools

William Costigan, School Board President

Michael Barkan, School Board Vice President

Karen Bodner, School Board Trustee

Maryann Combs, School Board Trustee

Ronna Niederman, School Board Trustee

Pat Schissel, School Board Trustee

Ellen Seigel, School Board Trustee.