By:Nick Buglione
Earlier this month, Comptroller Alan Hevesi announced that he would take another look at the district's books, almost two years after his office audited East Meadow, in response to the recent fiscal improprieties discovered in the Roslyn and William Floyd school districts.
This audit will cover only administrative spending, such as meals, credit card use and travel expenses, said David Neustadt, a spokesman for Hevesi. "That's what they'd likely look at," Neustadt said.
The East Meadow district's assistant superintendent, Leon Campo, said the comptroller's office has yet to sit down with district officials to discuss the audit's parameters. "We did receive a letter, but it didn't say a lot," Campo said, noting that it only informed him of the names of the personnel who will perform the examination and that they would set up a meeting with the school district in the near future. "I think it's going to be soon, and when we hear, we will keep you informed."
Campo also noted that the district welcomes the audit, and that the administration runs a tight fiscal operation, despite East Meadow's multi-million-dollar budget, one of the largest on Long Island. "I think only good can come from an audit," Campo said. "They conducted the last audit in the most professional way, and I expect they'll do the same."
In September 2002, the comptroller initiated an audit of the district for the 2001-02 school year, after receiving numerous complaints from concerned residents about the district's financial practices. The examination did not yield any substantial improprieties, aside from the district's inappropriate spending of $8,200 on meals and about $1,500 on unauthorized side trips and airline tickets for spouses to attend conferences.
East Meadow officials believe the relatively minor findings vindicated the district of all allegations of financial mismanagement, while critics in the community feared that it only scratched the surface.
Campo said that he believed the district was being unfairly targeted for an audit because of complaints from a vocal minority that has it in for East Meadow school administrators. "We have an ongoing issue here, with some people who are still not satisfied because they don't like the answer," he said. "That's not the way it should work."
Helen Meittinis, a Salisbury civic leader who also works for the school district, concurred. "I agree with the audits, because people have to be accountable," she said. "But I think it's a waste of taxpayer dollars to be going back to the same place, especially when it's for vendettas. East Meadow just got audited."
While residents' complaints factored into the comptroller's decision to audit East Meadow again, it wasn't the only reason, Neustadt said. "That was certainly part of the selection process," he said. "But it was also based on other sources of information and our own knowledge of those districts and where we thought it would be a good idea to take a look."
District critics have complained in the past of what they call a lack of communication among the school board, the administration and the community. Steve Jacobs, who ran for the board in May but lost to Debbie Kirsh, said there seems to be "an atmosphere of secrecy and holding back information."
Robert Zafonte, president of the East Meadow Civic Association, says the district has spurned his attempts to obtain, under the Freedom of Information Act, copies of the superintendent's contract and the school board's annual evaluation of him. Campo, who also serves as the district's freedom of information officer, said that's not the case, and that the district is for "full disclosure."
"I know that [the administration has its] own agenda on who's on their side and who's not on their side," Jacobs said. "Really, it's just a simple thing. The superintendent said after the first audit that they would change the way they do business. Now, we'll find out if they did."
"If there's nothing to hide, what's the concern?" said Charles Carter, a parent and East Meadow civic activist. "Things might be totally on the up and up, and I'd like to see them prove that."
