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| CONTACT: | Press
Office (518) 474-4015 |
FOR RELEASE: |
Immediately June 1, 2004 |
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Hevesi To Audit Roslyn School DistrictAs allegations widen regarding embezzlement of school funds by a now-retired district official, State Comptroller Alan G. Hevesi said today that his office would audit the Roslyn School District. “We have determined that there is a need for us to look at what occurred in Roslyn in order to address widespread public concerns, establish that the school district has systems in place to prevent such problems from recurring, and ensure that this situation does not have a negative impact on the community’s schoolchildren,” Hevesi said. “The school board has just severed ties with its auditing firm and its legal advisors. Local taxpayers are increasingly confused about the entire matter and troubled by indications that the alleged malfeasance of the individual involved may be far worse than was initially revealed.” Hevesi said that his staff has been in close contact with the office of Nassau County District Attorney Denis Dillon, which is already investigating the matter, and that the DA has indicated that his office will cooperate with auditors from the Office of the State Comptroller (OSC). Auditors from OSC’s Local Government Services and Economic Development division will coordinate their efforts with personnel from the Comptroller’s Division of Investigations and from the DA’s office, Hevesi noted. According to news reports, the Roslyn Board of Education earlier this year revealed that it learned in 2002 that then-Assistant Superintendent for Business and Finance Pamela Gluckin had misappropriated school district funds. The Board did not advise the public of its findings at that time, and allowed Gluckin to retire after she repaid about $250,000. Recent reports indicate that there may be millions of dollars in questionable expenditures and suggest that Gluckin may have allegedly misappropriated far more than was originally thought. The School Board President said that the school district will sue its external auditing firm for malpractice, hire new auditors and conduct its own investigation. On May 18, Roslyn voters rejected the district’s proposed budget for the first time in more than two decades. The audit of the Roslyn School is expected to commence in the coming weeks, Hevesi said.
Albany Phone: (518) 474-4015 Fax:(518)
473-8940 |
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