Retired But Still Paid
School Psychologist Got $120G in Snafu

By HOWARD MEGDAL

A School Psychologist earned more than $120,000 when the Department of Education continued to pay him for more than two years after his retirement, according to a Sept. 21 report by the Special Commissioner of Investigation.

Major Seabury, who had been part of the District 19 Clinical Staff in Brooklyn, wrote a letter to the Bronx District Attorney's Office in December 2005, claiming that DOE had given him more than $100,000 as a "tax-free gift" and he suspected that the reason was to launder the money.

Jammed Himself Up

Special Commissioner of Investigation Richard J. Condon said that the letter was likely a pre-emptive defense by Mr. Seabury, but that the information contained in the letter prompted the probe.

Mr. Seabury retired in June 2003, but wasn't removed from the payroll until January 2005. During that time, Mr. Condon said, Mr. Seabury regularly withdrew funds from that account, and was clearly aware of the DOE money coming to him.

The report said that Mr. Seabury's claims of a tax-free gift were "simply not credible," and recommended that he be placed on DOE's ineligible list and compelled to return the more-than $120,000. The SCI also criticized the department's follow-through on retirement processing, saying that "although resignation letters are regularly requested by a school's Principal and payroll secretary, these letters and their resignation information are often not received, followed-up on, or successfully transferred from the individual school to the Regional Operations Center or the DOE payroll department." He recommended that DOE "develop a simple and uniform method for removing employees from payroll," adding that it was apparent "Mr. Seabury had fallen through the cracks."

DOE: Never Again

DOE spokeswoman Margie Feinberg said in response to the report, "We appreciate the Special Commissioner's recommendations, and are enhancing our interoffice communication procedures so that an incident like this doesn't happen again."

Mr. Condon referred the matter to the city's Office for Legal Services, the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office, and the State Department of Education.