Recently I did a post about BSO Lt. Col. Ricky Frey making nearly $320,000 off of a popular state retirement scam for government officials that basically allows triple dipping and opulent take-home pay at the expense of taxpayers. All government officials have to do is pretend to retire, start collecting what amounts to a double pension, and then get rehired by the public body.
It's a brilliant, if obscene, practice, and I don't think any public agency has the Broward County School Board beat when it comes to cashing in on it. I received a document from a source that lists all the board employees who have retired from the school district, began collecting both a hefty pension and hefty Deferred Retirement Option Program (DROP) stipends, and then come back as contracted employees to make as much as they were making in the first place or more.
And when they were rehired, they were basically given big fat salaries commensurate to what they were getting when they retired. One name on the list is Carolyn Eggelletion, the wife of Broward County Commissioner Josephus Eggelletion. She was making $109,865 when she "retired" in 2006. That's when she picked up a $248,616 lump sum payment for her participation in the DROP program. That's right, a quarter million dollars in her pocket. Then she came right back to the same job -- principal of Winston Park Elementary -- and today she's pulling a $114,637 salary plus a $51,714 annual pension, which comes to a total of about $166,000 a year. Yeah, retirement has been very good for the commissioner's wife.
In all, the "retirees" are pulling about $3.4 million in salary each year. I ask again: Where is the leadership? James Notter, excuse me, but what the fuck are you doing?
Keep in mind this is occurring as the School Board is laying off hundreds of teachers due to budget problems. How about the board first let the retirees go ahead and retire? That would save about, oh, about 56 teaching jobs.
After the jump, I'm listing the names and their salaries.
This list of school board "retirees" and their current salaries while receiving a pension and DROP funds:
Ronald Adderly, Int. AP -- $76,299
Lincoln Anderson, Teacher -- $77,100
Moses Barnes, Teacher -- $100,440
Jan Beal, Area Dir. -- $127,150
Keven Bente, Teacher-Adult Voc. -- $104,499
Daniel Boegli, Princ. -- $103,150
Mary Ann Butler Pearson, Teacher -- $78,300
John Congemi Asst. Princ. -- $92,171
Walter Cooper, AP-Adult Ed. -- $75,230
Carolyn Eggelletion, Principal -- $114,637
Marion Ann Fee, Principal -- $113,458
Joyce Croft Ferguson, Principal -- $122,307
Harry Giles, Teacher (Internal Susp.) -- $75,950
Hattie Giles, Guid. Couns. -- $75,950
Johnny Hardge, Tech., Behavioral Support -- $81,496
Eugene Harrison, Guid. Couns. -- $73,950
Brenda Hawkes, Dir. -- $105,374
Rayfield Henderson, Asst. Princ. -- $121,170
Robert Huber, Asst. Princ. -- $92,171
Ulysses Jackson, Spec. Assgn. Prince. -- $123,400
Calvin Lamar, Guid. Couns. -- $76,650
Peter Lido, ESOL teach. -- $73,950
Margaret Sharon Ludwig, Princ. -- $111,120
Cory Mimbs, Asst. Princ. -- $103,372
Drew Moore, Asst. Princ. -- $87,351
Charles Neely, Princ. -- $121,170
Phillip Sharron Patton, TCH-Helping Resource -- $73,950
Steven Pomerantz, TCH-Behavior Supp. -- $105,059
Cathy Powers, Teacher, Grade 2 -- $78,300
Helen Sapp, AP College Acad. Adm. -- $103,372
William Springer, Teacher Science -- $73.950
Linda Ann Walker, Interim AP Middle -- $72,687
Jill Wilson, Princ. -- $114,637
Cheri Zahn, Princ. -- $114,630
