Comsewogue Budget Mystery: Money Talks

Hi There, Port Jeff! I’m Mike Balsamo – I’m an avid writer, journalist, and the newest member of the Local Voices Blogger Team at Port Jeff Patch!

This year’s budget vote for the Comsewogue School District has been the talk of the town, and with an impending re-vote scheduled for June 19, the fate of a district I hold dear to my heart, remains unclear. The district has put out mailers and board members have turned to social media to sway voters, but I decided to do a little research for myself, and I found some intriguing stuff. There is a back-story though, so here we go:

At a Board Meeting on March 30, 2009, the Comsewogue Board of Education voted, 4-Yes, 2-No, 1-Absent, to abolish the position of District Administrator for Operations, the individual who was paid as a School District Administrator to supervise the maintenance and custodial staff. The board’s decision was citing administrative restructuring aimed at “achieving cost savings.”  I completely understood the district’s position. In the economic times we faced, and continue to face, cost-cutting measures are a necessity, and we should prioritize with those which are non-instructional. Unfortunately, as a result of the Board’s determination, Mr. Montgomery Granger, the then District Administrator for Operations’ employment in that position was terminated, close of business, June 30, 2009. When carrying the motion to abolish the position, the Board Member stated that the decision was not an easy one, but brought about by the tough economic times.

This is where it gets very interesting! As I get back to present day, while I’ve been reviewing the Board of Education’s Adopted Budget, Issued April 24, 2012, I stumbled upon an intrigue. The budget allocates $100,292 to the position of District Administrator for Operations. Remember those inquiring minds – they still want to know, so I did some more digging. Just 9 short months after voting to abolish the position, and terminate someone who held it for years, the Board of Education voted on January 4, 2010 to appoint Stephanie Popky, as the District’s Plant Facilities Manager. Ms. Popky’s responsibilities seem very identical to the abolished position of District Administrator for Operations.

I haven’t been elected to represent our community on the Board of Elections, but I do know it seems pretty ridiculous to vote to abolish a position, use it to encourage people to vote in favor of the Budget and Tax Levy, and then manipulate them by firing someone, then hiring someone else, and giving them a fancy title, all for a job the Board told all of us, is not “necessary.”

It all comes down to the money, right? Well, here are the facts:

1. In 2009, Montgomery Granger was paid $135,658.00.
2. The Board Eliminated The Position June 30, 2009.
3. In 2010 (that’s after June 30, 2009), Montgomery Granger was paid $53,418.00, according to state records.
4. In 2010, Stephanie Popky was also paid for the same position, after it was abolished – that’s another $66,609.00

Then, the 2011-2012 budget, notes the same budget line for “District Administrator for Operations.” The amount allocated was $98,325.00…and now, the 2012-2013 Budget indicates a proposal of $100,292.00 for the same position, which was abolished in 2009.

Inquiring minds still want to know! Why would you tell everyone that you were abolishing a position to save all that money, if you never actually did? Why abolish a position and fire someone, to only hire someone else for it nine months later? Why were two people paid for the same job, during the same year, after the job wasn’t supposed to exist in the first place? Why bother changing their title? Why wasn’t the budget line ever changed? Is this some type of cover-up? Why were we lied to?

If over $100,000 is just floating around for a position that shouldn’t exist, we might just need someone else drafting these budgets, huh?  

I’ve reached out to the district for comment. Until then, I eagerly await what they could say about this one.