Following a board meeting earlier in November which saw some criticism from the public surrounding the "under the table" hiring of a former school administrator, the Board of Education on Tuesday night approved the hiring of Joseph Singleton to a part-time position of financial analyst.

Board members Kathy Berezny and Angela DeVito voted against hiring Singleton, who previously served as interim superintendent and assistant superintendent of business in the district. Neither gave an explanation on their reasons during the meeting.

Earlier in the month, Superintendent Nancy Carney described Singleton as, "a very well-renown financial consultant who will be working under my direction on an as-needed basis." As the district works toward offering another bond referendum next spring, Singleton's skills will come in handy, Carney said.

Criticism on the hire came after a Sept. 28 resolution, adopted by the board, which gave Carney the authority to sign professional contracts not exceeding $100,000.

Assistant Superintendent of Personnel Joseph Ogeka said Singleton will be working on a per diem basis at a rate of $800 per day, and can earn a maximum of $48,000 from Nov. 8 through June 30, 2011. According to www.seethroughny.net, Singleton, who has been retired since 1995, was listed in the top 100 highest teacher's pension plans in the state in 2009. Records show his annual maximum benefits totaled $143,771.

Laurie Downs, a frequent school board meeting attendee and watchdog, had accused the board, and Carney "hir(ing) somebody, and keep(ing) it from everybody." On Wednesday, Carney called the omission on the Nov. 9 agenda an "oversight."

Board Dips into Unreserved Funds

Partly due to an overestimation in state aid, and partly due to an underestimation of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority payroll tax, the board approved nearly $850,000 to be taken from unallocated reserves on Tuesday night. The district previously held approximately four percent of its operating budget in reserves before the approvals.

"You never know what might come up," said Carney in an an interview on Wednesday. "We always try to give a certain portion of the the (unallocated fund) back to taxpayers, but we try to keep the fund balance healthy to keep the tax levy stable."

Michael Ivanoff, assistant superintendent of finance, said at Tuesday's meeting that the district will be refunded for the money allocated to pay the MTA Payroll Tax, which levies 34 cents on every $100 of payroll. In addition to $85,000 already set aside to pay the tax, Tuesday's allocation of $125,000 brings the district's payroll tax levy up to $210,000.

Downs, however, questioned after the meeting when and how the district would receive reimbursement.

"How are we supposed to get refunded by a state that has no money?" she asked.