It looks like Raucci was a well kept secret. It appears that he was allowed to handle everything, but no one knew?

My only issue with this is the amount of time that has gone by, with no one knowing any more than they did 7 months ago. I believe that Raucci has plenty to say....if they let him. He clearly did not act in a vacuum. Unfortunately, and I hope I'm wrong, but Raucci may end up taking the fall for ALL involved.

Secret? I think he was invisible. Nobody ever saw this guy. They don't know who he was even if ran their School Bored campaign. New trial date LATE FEB 2010. The sooner the better. He's got many tales to tell.

I agree----MANY tales to tell.....all on the backs of the taxpayers......a machine with so much gunk build-up in the engine that it will
require the complete disassembly of all parts........

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SCHENECTADY
Legal notice error will cost $4M
Five years’ worth of transportation aid must be repaid
BY MICHAEL GOOT Gazette Reporter

    The Schenectady City School District will have to pay back an estimated $4 million in transportation aid over the next several years because of mistakes in the legal notices of two contracts six years ago.
    At issue were two legal notices Schenectady school officials published in The Daily Gazette on Aug. 4 and Aug. 18 of 2003. The district was bidding for transportation services but did not include in the legal notice a description of the criteria that would be used to award the bid.
    State Education Department spokeswoman Jane Briggs said the state can only award aid for approved contracts, so it must recoup aid already sent to Schenectady.
    “It will be deducted from the district’s future general state aid payment(s),” she said in a statement.
    Briggs said she was not sure about the total amount of aid repayment. Ely said the district received about $4 million in transportation aid during the period from 2003-04 to 2007-08. The district will not have to pay back all of the money at once, according to the superintendent.
    “It occurred over time, so it would be taken back over time,” he said.
    When the Education Department discovered the problem, it gave Schenectady school officials time to respond to their questions and advised them in March 2008 that they would not be getting the aid. ...................>>>>........................>>>>.......................http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r01103&AppName=1

I gotta put this up here. Just for fun.   The Gazette had an editorial but I can't find it here.

Loved it ... well done Pat.

She's just soooo clever! I guess we better all hang on to our wallets next year, huh?

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Schenectady school board: The hits just keep on coming

    Gee whiz! I miss but one Schenectady school board meeting while traveling, and two serious problems arise.
    In addition to my prior litany of sins including anti-democracy, nepotism and conduct unbecoming, we now can include censorship and million-dollar incompetence [the return of $4 million in state transportation aid because of a clerical error, Gazette, Nov. 5]!
    The heavily redacted report [on the handling of Steve Raucci] is Exhibit A for censorship. Its release is a sham at best and a grave affront to the public at worst.
    As a result, I have two questions: 1) Who actually did the redacting? Who said, “start here and end here”? 2) When, precisely, will the unredacted report be released to the public, since they bought and paid for it?
    These questions were asked at the last school board meeting and were completely ignored. So much for responsiveness to the district's citizens. Actually, I suspect I know when the report will be released: after May's school board election.
    On the incompetence issue, I'm not referring to individual incompetence. Rather, it is systemic organizational and leadership failure.
    What further scandals lurk in the district’s closet?

    WILLIAM MCCOLL
    Schenectady

http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r00706&AppName=1

{TU} 11/23/09-Lauren Stanforth--DiNapoli: Schenectady Schools Has No Record of OT!

  The City School District has NO documentation that former facilities supervisor {The Mad Bomber} worked the hours which he was paid more than $50,00 in overtime in 2007-8, according to an audit released by State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli this morning.

  The audit says the District is "lacking supporting documentation for what {his} duties entailed and verification the hours were actually worked", according to a press released announcing the audits findings.

They had it all over channel 6 tonight. Ely said that they never had to document ot for anyone!

Quoted from bumblethru

They had it all over channel 6 tonight. Ely said that they never had to document ot for anyone!

National healthcare wont have to document everytime we are denied'care' yet pay in taxes......

Quoted Text

SCHENECTADY
Audit blasts school district
Comptroller slams Raucci overtime
BY MICHAEL GOOT Gazette Reporter

    The state Comptroller’s Office blasted the Schenectady City School District in an audit released Monday for allowing former facilities director Steven Raucci to collect more than $50,000 in unverified overtime.
    Raucci made a total of $129,364 in 2008. Superintendent Eric Ely said previously that Raucci was the district’s energy management program monitor and had to work nights and weekends to turn off appliances and check power use. Raucci, 61, is currently in jail pending trial on a 26-count indictment for allegedly planting explosive devices at the homes of his enemies as part of a pattern of intimidation. He retired in March shortly after his arrest.
    The audit by Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli said that Raucci’s “ap- proved time sheets did not clearly state the overtime hours that were allocated to each responsibility, and the district did not have additional supporting documentation detailing the duties that he performed during these hours.”
    It went on to say that “although the employee’s supervisor approved the time sheets, he could not verify the specified hours claimed were actually worked.”
    The audit also faults the district for poor oversight of financial matters including documentation of overtime and calculation of payroll and for not following purchasing procedures. In addition, it said the district did not have an internal audit performed in a timely manner as required by state law.
    Auditors reviewed 26 time sheets and said that Raucci worked at least 36 hours of overtime during each two-week period. Raucci’s direct superior, Assistant Superintendent for Business Michael San Angelo, initialed the approval on the time sheets. However, Raucci did not document the reasons for overtime.
    “In fact, of the 26 time sheets reviewed, two did not document the reason for overtime coverage at all, and 19 included overtime hours worked that were consolidated into one number, but were attributable to both duties,” according to the audit. ......................>>>>...............>>>>...............http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r00103&AppName=1

Mrs. Beasley is still shaking over the conduct of the mad bomber.  But he apparently is smarter than the Mr. Ely.  No documentation--wow I wish I was young enough to go back to work.

Wow, wonder if this guy had any dealings with the SCSD .. this just doesn't happen every day.

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COLONIE -- Detectives and uniformed police officers are swarming the yard of a Garling Drive home where a truck exploded this morning.

     
Authorities are not saying whether anyone was in the pickup when it blew up shortly after 7 a.m.

Neighbors were getting into their own cars when the sound of a loud explosion rocked the quiet street. In the driveway of 24 Garling Drive, a truck was engulfed in flames and shattered glass fell to the ground, a witness said.

Read more: http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=870240#ixzz0XsazyUNh

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Raucci worked at least 36 hours of overtime during each two-week period

Wow, this guy worked an extra 2-3 hours a day turning off light switches and made an extra $50K/Year ??

How do average people get a job like that?