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Here’s a test for the mayoral candidates: Who will promise to crack down on corruption in the public schools by beefing up the Special Commissioner of Investigation?
As The Post’s Susan Edelman reports, complaints of misconduct by city school employees have “skyrocketed” — but the SCI probes an ever-smaller share of them.
Last year, it was just 484 investigations, against a record 11,874 complaints, a pathetic 4% rate and down from 7.2% in 2019.
Then again, the SCI’s budget is just $6.3 million to monitor the $39 billion Department of Education budget — and the watchdog hasn’t seen a budget increase in five years, so it’s losing ground to inflation.
Plus, even when SCI finds proof of wrongdoing, DOE functionaries settle things as quietly as possible, often with sweetheart deals that spare wrongdoers any real punishment — not only keeping them on the payroll but preserving their vacations, holidays and pensions.
“The system actually encourages corruption, because if you’re caught, nothing happens,” thunders City Councilman Robert Holden (D-Queens), echoing the sentiments of DOE whistleblowers and many parents; he’s hoping for a federal probe of the DOE.
The SCI handles cases of sexual and/or inappropriate conduct as well as financial wrongdoing; leaving the watchdog underfunded only enables the pervs and the thieves.
As City Councilwoman Gale Brewer, who’s urged City Hall to steer more funding to the SCI, remarks: “I assume that people don’t want to be investigated.”
Once again, the interests of children get sacrificed to those of the adult special interests milking the schools.
If none of the mayoral candidates care to seize this issue, we hope Holden can get his fellow son of Queens interested.