The results of an election for an open seat on the Hempstead school board have been voided and the district must hold a revote within 60 days, the state education commissioner ruled Thursday after allegations of election fraud were raised by the district, including cast ballots found in a garbage bag.
The ruling from Commissioner Betty A. Rosa comes 10 days after the district’s attorney filed an appeal with the state to challenge the results, and on the same day that Newsday reported on the district’s findings of alleged misconduct.
Rosa’s order did not comment on the district’s allegations.
In a statement emailed by a district spokesman, the board said it “appreciates the Commissioner’s expeditious review of this matter.”
“The Board is committed to ensuring that the revote is conducted fairly, transparently, and in full compliance with all applicable legal requirements,” the statement…
PAYROLL & HR CONTROLS (PREVENTING “GHOST” SCHEMES)
Payroll fraud is often the hardest to detect because it “looks” like a normal business expense.
- Segregation of Duties (SoD): The person who adds new employees to the system must not be the same person who approves the monthly pay run.
- Mandatory Vacation Policy: Require all financial and HR staff to take 5–10 consecutive days of leave annually. Fraud often surfaces when the perpetrator isn’t there to “hide” the trail.
- Ghost Employee Audit: Perform a quarterly “Headcount Reconciliation” where managers must physically verify every name on their payroll list exists.
- Self-Pay Blocking: Ensure the payroll software has a hard-coded block preventing administrators from editing their own salary or bank details.