Overpayment investigation continues

Though some of the details are still being parsed out, the Rockville Centre Board of Education is continuing its investigation into how 44 teachers were overpaid almost $250,000 over three years.

John H. Gross, a lawyer with Ingerman Smith LLP (the district’s law firm), spoke at the Board of Education meeting on Oct. 7. Ingerman Smith is investigating how the overpayment happened and what steps can be taken to make sure it doesn’t happen again.

“The investigation centers on how and why this happened, since the language in the contracts didn’t change between 1999 and 2011,” Gross said.

Gross explained that the error came when someone erroneously applied the teachers’ contractual pay increases twice — meaning that, instead of a 2.5 percent raise, for example, the teachers received 5 percent.

Some of the teachers who received the extra money currently work for the district, while others are retirees.

In addition to its own investigation, Ingerman Smith has hired an outside forensic accounting firm to look at the district’s accounts.

Gross said that it will most likely be a month or more before the investigation is concluded. Until then, the district can’t negotiate with the teachers’ union about how the money will be repaid. However, the retirees can’t bargain with the union, Gross explained, since they’re not considered members anymore.