Thursday, March 6, 2008

Fine Is Levied for Nepotism by Queens Principal by Sarah Garland - The New York Sun

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A man accused of using corporal punishment and intimidating a teacher while serving as principal of a Queens middle school has admitted new charges of nepotism and bucking the city's competitive bidding process, according to documents released by the city yesterday.

The city's Conflict of Interest Board found that Anthony Aldorasi, who headed I.S. 141, helped his sister get a job with a tutoring company that provides services to the Department of Education. He also awarded a contract for electrical repairs at the school to one of his tenants in a private building that he owns, without going through the city contracting process, according to the documents. Mr. Aldorasi admitted the latest charges and agreed to pay fines totaling $4,500, according to the papers.

He was fined $6,000 earlier in the school year in a separate investigation into charges that he used corporal punishment against his students and intimidated a teacher, a spokeswoman for the Department of Education, Marge Feinberg, said.

In that case, the Department of Education sought his termination. As a tenured principal who has served as an educator in District 30 for 26 years and as a principal at I.S. 141 since 2001, he was able to appeal the charges and keep his job and his $136,000 salary.

The arbitration decision also required that Mr. Aldorasi be offered a principal assignment in District 30. Ms. Feinberg said the education department decided yesterday to reassign Mr. Aldorasi to the Queens Integrated Service Center temporarily, where he will perform administrative duties.

She said that, under the agreement Mr. Aldorasi signed with the Conflict of Interest Board, the latest charges could not be held against him. Mr. Aldorasi could not be reached for comment.