Lakeland Board to Review Finances after Trustee Revelation
The Lakeland Board of Education plans to review the district’s “financial controls” following a published report that one of its trustees allegedly violated state law by exceeding a $750 annual earnings limit while serving on the board.
According to an article in The Journal News, Trustee Steve Rosen earned about $23,000 since 2008, receiving more than $750 eight of the 10 years he has served through his role as president of the Shrub Oak Athletic Club (SOAC).
On the district’s website, the Board of Education issued a statement Friday, praising Rosen’s contributions on the board and with the SOAC.
“Steve Rosen is known to be a tireless and dedicated youth volunteer in the school community,” the board stated. “He is also an important and contributory member of this Board of Education.”
Rosen declined to comment on the article when reached Friday, but noted he had received a lot of support from the community through phone calls, emails and text messages.
In its statement, the Board of Education said it would be meeting with attorneys to “work out an action plan to repair the situation regarding the payments to Board member Steve Rosen in excess of the $750 annual earnings cap applicable to school board members during many of his 10 years of public service on the Board.”
“The Board will review its fiduciary duties in addressing this matter and will also review the financial controls that allowed this situation to occur without the knowledge of the Board members,” the board stated.
In 2016, Rosen, who resides in Mohegan Lake and works in sales, was reelected to another three-year term.
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