The following is based on a true story.
LONG ISLAND, NY 2002
Thank you all parents and town advocates alike
for joining us on this very special evening.
We're here tonight to kick off our most ambitious school year yet.
We've won numbers and votes,
there's no simpler way for me to put it.
Our children are getting smarter.
Harvard, two. Dartmouth, two.
Yale, three. UPenn, seven.
Care about the community...
Community, parents, administrators, teachers...
Wall Street Journal this week issued a list
that me and my fellow trustees await all year long,
ranking the top public schools in America,
based on SATs and college acceptance rates.
And Roslyn is four.
Now I'd like to bring out the man responsible.
In his 10 years here, he's revamped our educational system,
from Pre-K all the way through high school.
Please join me in welcoming to the stage
our district superintendent and my friend, Frank Tassone!
BAD EDUCATION
Morning.
Hi there!
Go, Bulldogs!
- Have we heard about Mr. Kopple? - Wife had twins, last night.
Send over flowers and maybe an edible arrangement.
- Can we get these things out? - They're nice for morale.
They'd be even nicer if they were shaped like ones.
A wise woman once said
it's not having what you want, it's wanting what you got.
Mrs. Gluckin, I barely recognize you anymore,
with your new name, new office, new job title...
Same pay, same paperwork.
July and august are all settled up, expenses booked and archived.
- Perfect. There's something else... - Safety gates are all taken care of.
I'm meeting with city hall later, to go over strategy.
Geez! Someone's had their coffee.
Dr. Tassone? Did you want your flight to the Vegas conference Friday
out of JFK or Newark?
Whatever's cheaper works fine.
Mary Ann, could you grab my diet smoothie?
Sure, but there's one more thing.
Carol Schweitzer's been camped out in the conference room since 6:30.
Says it's urgent she speaks with you.
Chad Schweitzer's the son. I'll take care of it, thanks.
- Good luck! - Stop it!
Do us all a favor. If he's not out of there in an hour, call 911.
I'm banging down doors until somebody here takes me seriously.
That Militzok, she plays favorites.
She wouldn't even let him take a bathroom break during the test!
And he has a hyperactive bladder. Chad, honey, tell him.
- I have a note here from his doctor. - Mrs. Schweitzer, just calm down.
No one will listen to me! I don't know what else I'm supposed to do.
He is just as gifted as everyone else in his year.
I'm scared! Because if he doesn't get into OMNI...
And he starts to think of himself as less than...
No, I will talk to Ms. Militzok. I will straighten this whole thing out.
- You will? - Yes!
And we'll just schedule a make-up test for Chad.
- With ample bathroom time. - Thank you. Dr. Tassone.
No need to thank me. Chad's a smart kid, with the world ahead of him
and it's our job to give him the runway.
Thank you.
It's funny. When I was your age, I didn't place into fast track math.
- Really? - I couldn't nail my times tables.
I thought my world was ending, but I caught up.
You know what? Now I set the math curriculum.
"Thank you, Mr. Tassone, for being a great superintendent."
SNOW DAY MAGIC WAND
Can I help you with something?
No, it's okay. I'm just here for Mrs. Cremona.
She's not here, but I'm more than happy to answer any questions.
- Really? - Yeah.
- I don't want to bother you. - No, come on in.
I'm doing spreadsheets. Come in, take a seat.
- I don't think we've met. - It's Rachel.
- You're Neil's little sister. - Yeah. Wow, good memory!
Hope he's been keeping himself out of trouble over at Northwestern.
Yeah, he loves it. He's doing bio-chem.
- They have great journalism too. - Yes, they do.
I have to write an article about the SkyWalk proposal in the new budget.
I just need a pull quote from administration.
Yeah. A sound bite. Nice!
We've been asking high schoolers how we can make their day easier.
So we came up with the idea of SkyWalk,
a bridge to link the school from end to end.
It's a huge undertaking for us.
We can't wait to break ground once the plan's approved next May.
Great! That's all I need, thank you so much.
- That's it? No follow-ups? - No, it's just a puff piece.
They save the real stories for seniors.
Rachel, it's only a puff piece if you let it be a puff piece.
That's what they'd tell you over at Northwestern.
A real journalist can turn any assignment into a story.
Are you busy? Just couple of colleagues want to convey thanks.
Rachel Bhargava, staff writer for the Hilltop Beacon.
Bob Spicer, school board president.
You're in my daughter Becca's year, right?
- Say hi to your dad for me. - Nice to meet you, Rachel.
And if you want to follow-up, just set a time with Mary Ann.
I'll be keeping an eye out for your byline.
The demand's insane. Skyrocketing!
We're seeing three bedrooms go for over a million in Roslyn Heights.
You just don't see these kinds of numbers in Syosset or Jericho.
But those towns are a further commute from the city.
- Not Manhasset. Not Great Neck. - It's the public schools.
The better the school system, the higher the price tag on the homes.
Our firm's sold nine separate lots in the area
since the report in the Journal came out.
And here's a little something, from all of us.
- Keep up the good work! - Thanks, everyone.
Do you mind if we get a little something for my office?
I really appreciate you all coming in today. Thank you.
Thank you.
Let's let him get back to work.
Really appreciate it. Thank you so much.
I can't eat these.
Take them out somewhere for people to pick at.
- They were out of the flaxseed. - That's okay. Thanks.
How much do you figure a guy like Bob makes at his regular job?
Bob Spicer, you mean?
High sixes a year, minimum. Maybe seven figures in this market. Why?
Forget it.
You look tired. You might want to go home early, get some rest.
I've gotta run Dickens. Maybe I'll try and bow out,
get a head start on prep for Vegas this weekend.
I wouldn't bail on book club.
Those women adore you, and each one talks to two dozen more.
That next budget vote's only nine months away.
- Right, our SkyWalk. - The SkyWalk is big, gets us to first.
That's all that matters.
- This diet's kicking my ass. - What is that even?
- It's got charcoal in it or something. - Yeah, coal.
I would kill somebody for a carb right now.
I don't know where you could find one.
- You are such a bitch! - Would you like a bite?
- I hate pastrami on rye. - Open up.
- It's so good! - Right?
Come on, you can eat more.
- One more bite. - I will kill you!
I'm not gonna tell anyone.
You're a growing boy.
Eat the fucking sandwich.
Should we get started?
What do we all think of Martin Chuzzlewit?
Ok...
The culture's not for everyone.
I thought we wound up having a good discussion, ultimately.
- Can I ask you a personal question? - Sure.
It's just that... Jonah's having a really hard time with the separation.
Mrs. Schlacter told me he's opening up a little bit in Banana Splits.
- Right. Thank you forgetting him... - Of course.
It has been so hard on us and...
You have been such a tremendous help!
Of course, anytime.
Frank, I'm sorry.
You want what's best for your son, that's nothing to be ashamed of.
It makes you strong. It's...
I think, at the end of the day, her memory's still very fresh.
Somehow I'm not surprised.
Jenny screwed up some paperwork, I'm saving her ass.
Jenny's got a good aunt.
How did Dickens go?
It was Sharon Katz's place this week.
I knew it.
Maybe I shouldn't have offered to wash up.
That poor woman. She's nowhere near your type.
She's not...
- Jamieson. - Honors English. Loves Nietzsche?
Very good. Di Gennaro?
Di Gennaro... Social studies. Ninth grade global histo...
American history.
She coaches little league, too.
These are too easy. Here's a toughie.
- Todd Hunter. - Shit!
Todd Hunter...
Mr. Todd Hunter! How's that bowling league shaping up this season?
We're ahead. But we've got our big match against Jericho on Sunday.
Jericho... I think you'll crush them.
Thank you for putting this on.
My pleasure, the least I can do. Excuse me.
Are you getting pumped for Vegas? I got my bags packed, I'm ready to go.
Yeah, be good to get away from the wife for a few days too.
Right!
You want to know how many bids we got from contractors?
For the SkyWalk construction. You explored several options, right?
I think we had four or five.
From which firms, exactly?
What's this article you're supposed to be writing?
It's a piece on the SkyWalk.
And the student paper wanted a deep dive into construction specs?
They're giving me free rein more or less.
I guess I'm just looking for an interesting way in.
- Okay, Ruth. - Rachel.
So let me give you a great angle for your story.
- You want to write this down? - I'm taping.
The SkyWalk is a great project.
It'll be the first SkyWalk in all of Long Island
and one more reason Roslyn schools puts Jericho and Syosset to shame.
And it will look great and make all our lives easier.
Thank you. The end. Good night. And good luck.
What else can I help you with?
Do you have the bids handy?
They're locked in the basement. Lost in the annals of history.
I have next period free.
Do you?
All right.
Good luck finding them!
ARCHIVE
- Do you need something? - Just a couple of photocopies.
Okay.
- So are you a sophomore? - Junior.
My son Jake is actually in the second grade over at Bellmore.
Not too far from here. South Shore, you know...
It's an old building. We get leaks every so often.
Usually stops after like a minute.
Throw them. We need boxcars.
I know what you're all thinking.
At first glance, these numbers might seem prohibitive,
but I'm here to tell you that with some vision,
they can dovetail quite amicably.
As we can see, the added benefits to such a program are remunerative.
Love for you to see what we're doing, if you're ever on Long Island.
I think we're on the East coast in November, December.
Good!
Stop by and have a drink before you leave, all right?
Thank you, take care.
What can I get you?
Just a club soda with lime. Can I see your food menu, please?
Kyle.
Kyle Contreras.
Plandome High, maybe fifteen years ago. Right?
I used to teach English there.
- Dr. Tassone. - Frank.
Frank.
I would think that you would forget us the minute we got out of there.
No, you'd be surprised. Something I wish I could forget, but...
You know something I wish I could forget? Lippman's hair piece.
Do you remember that thing? That with... with the double swoop.
My god, Lippy's hair piece!
- Are you teaching English at the...? - No, I'm administrative now.
- Like a principal? - No, like superintendent of schools.
You love saying that! Superintendent of schools!
I've done it for 12 years.
It's great, it does have its trade-offs like anything.
I really miss being back in the classroom, with my students.
How about you? Are you still writing?
Short stories science fiction, right?
I remember you used to carry around that beat up copy of Dune everywhere.
Yeah, I mostly just wrote that stuff to get out of your book reports.
There was that really good one about the the alien colony.
I talked about that in your rec. For Stony Brook, right?
Yeah, for Stony Brook.
Sorry, I burnt out at Stony Brook.
After a few years, I moved out here.
I was dancing up until very recently.
Dancing?
Thank you.
So does your wife come with you on these things?
- She back in New York? - No, my wife passed away.
- I'm sorry. - It's fine, it was a long time ago.
It was before I had you even.
- How's the food? - Shit.
Want to try somewhere else?
- Thought you were here for two days. - Just for the weekend.
- A lot of suits for a weekend. - You never know what might come up.
Right. That was always your thing, wasn't it?
Even when you were an English teacher,
you were always the guy in the suits.
- What's wrong with a suit? - I don't know, it's just...
A little sad. Just a little sad.
I think they put some bottles in the bar fridge, I'm not sure...
You're allowed to make eye contact, Frank.
- No. I'm not... - Right.
Dad!
I got dinner!
Anything happen today?
I spoke to the assistant superintendent for an article.
The woman who runs all the business.
Wonder if they're looking to hire anybody in development.
You're overqualified.
THE SHARPER IMAGE ROOSEVELT FIELD
- Late night, Ms. Gluckin? - You scared the shit out of me!
Got any fun plans for the weekend?
All I want is to spend some quiet time at home with my kids.
Have a good time! See you next week!
- Sorry about scaring you. - That's all right.
First of all, they're too small.
Have you met my niece Jenny Acquila? She's working with me over at Roslyn.
- Isn't this place beautiful? - So gorgeous.
Howard must be making out like a bandit with those Chevys.
He's been consulting a little on the side. I'm proud of him.
I'm planning a big remodel once the season's through actually.
- Who's your contractor? - Jim Boy's gonna do it.
Are you sure Jimmy's ready to take on a project this size?
Yeah, it'll be good for him. Get his mind going on something new.
Aunt Pam? Could I talk to you inside just for a sec?
What's going on?
Honestly... I feel bad even bringing it up, but...
Jake's birthday is coming up.
And he's been asking for this Sony Playstation.
Video game system.
All his friends have it and he feels left out...
Money's been tight.
And I was just thinking since Howard's been doing so well...
I pay you back as soon as I'm able.
Just put it on the card.
Amber, sweetie, do you mind giving your cousin Jenny and me a minute?
Thank you.
I was wondering if you could lend me the money from your personal...
It'll all be reconciled at the end of the month. I'm doing this a long time.
He wants that Play Station so much.
Put the receipt on the desk Monday morning, don't give it another thought.
Now if you'll excuse me... I have to play host.
- I don't get this. What is this? - It's the SkyWalk piece you wanted.
No, this is two pages of contractor bids,
building materials and zoning ordinances.
- Yeah, it's journalism. - Our readers are fifteen.
We have to submit every issue to Bressler before we go to print.
- And Dr. Tassone and Pam Cremona... - Pam Gluckin.
We're not The New York Times. We're an extracurricular.
We are a club designed to get us all into good colleges.
We have a certain finesse to the way we approach stories here.
But don't worry, you're going to get the hang of it.
RECORD-SETTING SKYWALK PROVES A COSTLY UNDERTAKING
STUDENTS EXCITED FOR UPCOMING SKYWALK
JAMES D MCCARDEN ROSLYN PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Sir, could I ask how many of our stores have you visited today?
A couple.
The ones in Farmingdale and Islip didn't have what I was looking for.
We actually offer free ship-to service for our high value customers.
- You think I'm high value? - I mean reasonably. Yeah.
So where's the stuff going?
Shit!
I'll get him, he's right here.
Honey, you know how they feel about the phones.
- It's Larry, for you. My cousin. - For me?
- Tell him I'll call him after 18. - He says it's about the school.
- Larry from the mattress firm? - He's over at Ace Hardware now.
This kid gives my guy a home address. In Westhampton.
Full fifty miles outside of Roslyn and it's a home address.
So I say to myself, what's a Roslyn Schools contractor
doing buying supplies all the way out in Selden?
No, we wouldn't. We get our materials wholesale anyway.
We put out bids.
Tool chests? Shower heads? This is home improvement.
- That's not school stuff. - That's right, doesn't add up.
Who's this James McCarden and why does he have a Roslyn expense card?
I don't know. There is no McCarden at Roslyn.
Hang on, honey. Wasn't Pam Cremona, Gluckin or whatever she is?
Wasn't her first husband a McCarden?
Come on, no way!
Pam Gluckin of all people, she's gonna have a house on Dune Road?
She's right behind you.
Hi, Pam.
I want to thank you all
for volunteering time out of your day to speak with me.
I would love to hear from each of you
what you hope to achieve from the 6th grade.
Let's start with you, Heather.
I want to get all As and become a cardiothoracic surgeon, like my mom.
Great! But just for the purposes of today, if you could just...
Come! Quick!
One second. I'll be back.
She stole $30,000 of taxpayer money
and that's just between the Ace Hardware.
Who knows who else got an expense card?
It's our moral responsibility to report this to the town.
This is a criminal matter. We've gotta call the police, the FBI...
That was our legal counsel. They do recommend we report.
Okay, well then, that sounds... I'm gonna call the mayor.
Frank, you want to be on that call?
Go get him a glass of water!
I should've checked. Pam has been here longer than I have.
- I didn't even think... - No, it's not your fault.
She built up decades worth of trust with all of us.
We were asleep at the wheel.
Thank you.
But before we go any further, we need to know what we're dealing with.
I have Phil in my office, getting a firm number.
Our auditor? The man should be fired!
He's the one who should've caught wind of this.
We can't jump the gun here, not when there's this much at stake.
- Can we? - Okay.
We'll give him an hour. But then after that...
- We start making calls. - Right.
How could Jim Boy be so careless going around like that?
I'm pulling off the remodel, that's for sure.
Just gonna have to hire on a real contractor. Professional.
- Aunt Pam... - Frank's gonna fix this.
He knows how important I am to this school.
I'm the one who keeps the lights on here. He'll tell them.
Do you think anybody could ever find out about the Play Station?
No! I told you I took care of that. You have nothing to worry about there.
That's good. It's just...
I might have also done a little early Christmas shopping, on weekend.
I wasn't going to mention it until after the holiday,
'cause I bought you something.
I didn't want to spoil it. I swear I was gonna reimburse it all.
- How much? - Not much.
Maybe 1600 at Lord & Taylorbrbr/and another 12 at Macy's.
Frank's gonna fix this.
- Give me good news, Phil. - There's no way.
There's check warrants that are missing, purchase orders...
I took her word for it.
She would tell me one thing, she'd say don't worry about it.
And I believed her like the fucking idiot I am!
I never even think to check up, to validate!
I'm going to lose my job, I'm going to lose our firm! They'll kill us!
Nobody's killing anybody! Look me in the eye!
You're running the show here.
Say it after me: I am running the show.
- I am running the show. - Good!
Hold it together. How much did you find, concretely?
223. But that's just the obvious stuff, who knows...
223 000.
- That's our number. - What are you talking about?
That's the number we go back to the board with. 223.
No, that might just be the tip of the iceberg.
You don't know that.
The receipts are gone. In the bin of a shredder probably.
She could've misplaced them. There's a real scenario here,
where all the other expenses are legit, right?
Maybe, I don't know.
She's not some criminal mastermind.
Pam is our friend and she has made a stupid mistake.
But what about the state controller?
Havesi could barge into this office at any given moment, conduct an audit...
Has he ever done that once in your 30 years of experience?
Exactly.
Give me a number and I'll take care of the board.
Everyone...
The sum total is 250 000 dollars.
What?! 250 000?!
The woman has a set of balls on her. When I get my chance...
You never will, she's going to be Nassau PD's for the taking.
And that shitbird son of hers!
Please put the phone away, Bob.
- Why should he? - Because we will lose everything.
What do you mean, Frank?
Once word gets out about Pam, we're inviting The Times, Newsday
and every other paper to our front door.
With all respect, screw the papers! This is a very real crime here.
You've served on the school board for how long? 7 years?
Eight, proudly.
And how many times has that budget been passed without incident?
- Eight. - Right.
So what happens when our budget goes up for approval in May?
The budget that we've worked all year on.
The stimulus that gets us the SkyWalk. What happens?
I get what he's saying. I mean how's it going to look?
A school employee is able to take hundreds of thousands of dollars
without anyone noticing?!
Why would we pump more money into our school system?
If a scandal this size breaks out, our budget is torpedoed.
We are right back to square one.
You can't pay the teachers. they start migrating out!
This can't affect the colleges.
I think we'd have to expect that admissions at top-tier schools
would view us under a radically different lens.
- Why would they ever? - If they smell trouble then they'd...
They might decide to lay off Roslyn kids for a while.
Yesses can become "nos" overnight. It happened before.
Let's tease this out, okay?
We don't perform, we go down in the rankings.
And then our sister schools nose us out of the top ten...
Syosset and Jericho, those bitches!
And we start seeing property values adversely affected.
He's right. Of course he is.
As far as real estate, especially Long Island...
- A town's only as good as its... - Public school system.
After everything we've worked for, years that it's taken to get this far.
These are our kids we're talking about.
I can think of one other option.
Everything's gonna be okay, Pam.
We're gonna get you home to your family, real soon.
We're good? Close the door.
The board is very aware of how hard you've worked
for Roslyn and for the kids.
They know what an asset you've been
and that is why they see this for what it is, a lapse in judgment.
And in light of that, they're opting
not to press charges or involve the police.
Thank you, all of you!
You'll make full restitution to the school at the sum of 250 000 dollars.
Of course, I'll make it happen.
And you'll finish out the work week and resign quietly.
What?
Tomorrow morning, you'll surrender your administrator's license
and you'll sign an NDA committing...
I don't understand. What's happening?
You stole from the schools, from the taxpayers,
from the kids we're supposed to serve!
This kind of behavior goes beyond the bounds of immoral.
It's cruel, it's heinous, it's sociopathic even.
Sociopathic? What?!
The shameless self-interest,
the unstable personality, the parade of rotten marriages...
You need help, Pam.
Real medical help. You're a sick woman.
We're concerned about you, Pam.
I'm a sick woman...
I'm ashamed of my actions.
I'm ashamed of myself, there's no excuse for it!
- The sociopathy. - Yeah...
We'll make all the arrangements first thing tomorrow morning.
Of course.
Good night.
That went better than I thought.
You saved our ass, Frank.
What the hell was that? Can you hear me?
Frank?
I'm just trying to wrap my head around this.
What was...
I wasn't sure you were going to call.
Is everything okay?
Yeah... Sorry, I just wanted to hear your voice.
Where is he?
- Just sit down for a second. - I want to talk to him, where is he?
He's in his bedroom, isn't he? Don't touch me!
Hi, ma.
Hi, ma?!
Get out of my house! I don't want you here anymore! Get the hell out!
I don't want to see your face anymore!
Stop it! You don't mean it!
- She doesn't mean one word of it. - What's going on?
- Your mother lost her job today. - Not my job, my career!
I don't get it. Can't you just get a different job, at another school?
They're taking my license.
What did you do, mom?
I took money from them.
Yeah, I stole. We all did.
Just go back to your rooms. Let me talk to your mother.
Your cars, your clothes... This house, the other houses.
You didn't want state school, you wanted private college.
I wanted you to be happy with me.
Pam, listen, it's okay. We'll get you a job down at the dealership, okay?
They're looking for a new girl at the front desk.
Like a secretary?!
No, not like a secretary. You'll find something.
I have degrees! I went to school for years, to get degrees!
I drove the bus, I did the steno pool, I did everything I had to do.
- Listen to me, Pam! - I'm going to be sick!
You are the smartest woman I have ever known.
We're going to get through this and you will land on your feet!
Come here!
- Howard... - I know.
I know.
Hi, Mrs. Gluckin!
I was wondering, can I get the key to the basement again?
I just want to look up a few more things.
- What's this for, Rachel? - For some stuff I wanted to verify.
I can answer your questions.
I did the math.
Looks like the SkyWalk is going to end up costing around 8 million dollars.
Seven-five, sure.
It seems like a lot of our resources to be spending on cosmetics.
Cosmetics? People love the SkyWalk.
The Beacon loves the SkyWalk, there was that poll you guys did.
Right. But the ceilings at the high school are still leaking.
Some of the classrooms had to get shut down.
Sounds like you should bring that up with your student government.
- There was also a pizza oven. - What?
I saw a line item in the expense reports for a pizza oven.
But then I asked Paula in the cafeteria and she knew nothing...
Just stop it!
I am sorry to be the one to tell you this,
but no one is keeping anything from you, okay?
On the contrary, we come in here every day, at the crack of dawn,
because we care.
We care about providing you with the proper quality education,
because we are good people.
Because we want you to have a good life. Okay?
Okay.
The individual purchase orders are still public record though.
- Here you go. - Thank you.
You were right about that pizza oven. It didn't go to the high school.
Because we bought it for the middle school.
They have pizza for days down there, go get yourself a slice.
Good morning! Hey, Rachel!
Dr. Tassone, Pamela Gluckin's in a bit of a state.
I have a very busy morning, just tell her I can't.
- Dr. Tassone's very busy. - Get out of my way, please.
You know what, it's fine.
Everything's fine.
My exit interview. For him.
- Mary Ann said you wanted to see me. - Yes...
Take a seat. Just close the door, behind you there.
I think maybe it is time that we talked about your value in this workplace.
I... This isn't?
No, rest assured we all want you to succeed here.
Which is why we would like to transition you
to our special utilities department.
Sure... I just thought I was a really good fit up here.
No, we're just doing some shuffling
and we can really use an extra hand down there.
What about Pam's old job?
I thought maybe like a manager... Maybe I could be right for that.
Philip Metzger's gonna be stepping in as the interim business manager.
- Phil, the auditor? - Yeah.
I mean until we can find a more permanent replacement for Pam.
We're pretty excited about him.
I think that I should...
I know what you all did to Pam.
And I could... Maybe tell... people.
I'm so sorry to interrupt,
I just noticed that the necklace you have on really compliments your eyes.
Thank you.
That's new, isn't it? Don't think I've seen you wearing it around before.
Yeah, I thought so. I've got sort of an eye for these things.
Is that a Macy's purchase or are we talking Lord and Taylor collection?
- Special utilities, you said? - Yeah, I think so.
Thanks, Jen.
"I'm not the sociopath here".
Mary Ann, can I get a cup of that new coffee in here?
Rocco, you're so annoying! Get out of the way!
- Mom! - This is she.
No! What?
Please, don't call here again!
- Who was that? - A student.
They want to donate the fashion show proceeds,
to help pay for my medical expenses.
- But you're not sick. - Don't eat, we're returning them.
What the hell is going on?
First off we want to take a moment to acknowledge Pamela Gluckin.
Our hearts go out to her and her entire family.
We wish her a safe and speedy recovery.
All right, now, on to the fun stuff. Look at these numbers, folks.
These are the best early decision numbers that we've ever seen.
Give yourselves a round of applause.
Six... Five...
Rachel, where's the article on the cancer benefit fashion show?
I'll get that to you tomorrow.
- But we go to print tomorrow. - Okay, you'll have it tonight.
If you want to be a part of the paper, you gotta be a part of the paper.
I'm gonna be late.
Oh, my god! Seriously?
What is this?
It's just a personal project. None of your business.
I'm sorry for being a hard ass, I know you're going through a lot at home.
- What's that supposed to mean? - Just everything with your dad.
Yeah, what about him?
The parents talk to each other. I know that some shit happened at work.
You don't know anything.
Fuck!
- Rach? Dinner. - Okay.
What's all this?
Research. These are invoices from the school district.
The school district invoiced over a million dollars in lab equipment?
And that's just one supplier.
You thought about calling this company?
Oh, God! I'm going to miss my flight.
- Not if you stay another day. - You know I can't do that.
You could get a job here.
- There are schools in Clark County. - Sure. But good ones?
Was Roslyn any good before you?
Hi! Is this Champion Products, in Uniondale?
My name is Rachel...
You've been a huge help. Thank you, goodbye.
That's right. Yeah, I can hold.
Bellmore Fine Auto. This is Howard.
Bellmore Fine Auto? I had this number listed as an H.G. Consulting.
- What's the matter? - Nothing, I'm just tired.
I'll take those invoices.
Next up is Wordpower Tech.
They have billed the school district $800,000,
but no one has any idea who they are.
And they're consistent. They've billed every year, for the past ten.
The company's registered to Thomas Tuggiero,
with an address in Manhattan.
I tried calling, but the number is disconnected.
We're gonna leave that one a question mark for right now,
because the next one I've got is Portsville Office Supplies.
Did you forget your key?
Hello.
- Can I help you with something? - Is this...
- I'm canvassing. - For who?
It's... I have the wrong apartment.
You're back!
Thanks.
- What's for dinner? - Salmon.
- What's the matter? - It's just work. Sorry.
- The salmon's a little dry. - It's great.
I can tell when you're lying.
Little dry, maybe. The couscous is a small masterpiece.
Thank you very much.
- How was Omaha? - Dull as all hell.
So I'm sitting there, sandwiched between Doug and Joe.
And there's no AC in the conference center,
so you can imagine the smell while they...
Talked for hours about STEM programs and State Aid.
- It was a riot. - Sounds like a nightmare.
Maybe I'll come along next time.
As a buffer.
I would never subject you to that.
You have documents to back this up?
Years worth of supposed payments to vendors
and confirmation they were never received.
Some of these companies don't even exist.
You don't know that. I mean do you know that for sure?
WordPowerTech. They've billed the district almost a million dollars
and no one knows anything.
'Cause it is a private apartment in the Upper East Side.
- But that doesn't... - And our superintendent has the key!
Come on Nick, you know what this is. If he hasn't reported this, it's fraud.
He's writing my college recommendation letter.
Fuck! God damn it!
What are we even talking about right now?
Are you sure, sure, sure you actually want to do this?
Mind if I join you?
Don't ever let a doctor find out you have high cholesterol.
They'll make you do the most horrible things.
So... About yesterday...
- Yeah, that was... - What were you doing there?
I'm not upset. But it is very important that you be honest.
I was following up on the listed address for a school contractor.
Why were you doing that?
It's public record. Anyone could look.
I didn't ask you if it was public record, I just asked you why.
It's for something I'm writing.
- I think you have real potential. - Dr. Tassone...
No, I'm serious. I read all your bylines.
You've come such a long way since past September.
Your confidence, strength of ability... Know you have a tremendous future.
But you're still young. Which is why you need to know and I mean this.
If you go public with something that you don't fully understand,
it'll come back on you, hard!
I don't know... I guess it's our fault mainly.
We try to create a safe environment for students,
to challenge, take risks, make mistakes, grow.
But this mistake, if you make it, we will not be able to protect you.
Not me, not your teachers, because it'll change everything.
And a lot of innocent people will get hurt.
These kinds of inquiries are like setting off a grenade.
There's fallout in the pursuit, in the frenzy.
There's collateral damage. You must know all about that.
It's not perfect, but it works. What we have here works.
I hope we can keep it that way.
Rachel, are you still with us?
Yeah, I'm here. Sorry.
Question number four. What is the symbol for potassium?
Yeah?
Hey, Frank! I've been doing some more digging over the past week.
- I'm concerned with what I found. - Okay, come in.
You know we don't have receipts. But some of these vendors they're...
This Pam thing isn't a question of 250 000, like we'd initially thought.
Do you have any sense of what the number might be?
Are we talking five hundred? Are we talking millions?
- Phil, work with me. I can do... - I don't know.
Fine. Figure it out, all right? Work your numbers magic
and then let's the two of us deal with it from there, okay?
- Thanks, Phil. - There's something else.
A flight to London Heathrow, over winter break.
That flight was for me, for the Pell Conference.
First class, Concorde jet.
Yeah... I don't book the flights, that always been Jenny's job.
- Even if I had... - They charged us for two seats.
Two seats, side by side, in first.
Five thousand dollars each way, per ticket. 20 000 dollars!
That sounds like a mistake.
I called the airline...
Who's Kyle Contreras?
Okay...
- So that's how you want to play it? - No, I'm not playing.
I mean the audacity! Coming from the man
who spent six months falsifying our records, to mask his own negligence...
Wait a second, that's not what's going on.
No? Pam didn't have to happen!
You could've prevented that, you're the auditor!
The people here pay you so you can do your community theater
instead of taking care of our school's books?!
I can point fingers too, Phil. But I think we can both agree
that wouldn't be a very productive use of our time.
Are you going to do your job or do I have to call Hevesi in here himself,
to come and do it for you? Because I will call him right now.
I will deal with it. I'm sorry that I brought it up, I shouldn't have.
Damn right you shouldn't have!
- You won't hear about it again. - Good! Get out of here!
Dad, can I ask you something?
You don't have to answer if you don't want to.
Yeah, you can ask me anything.
I know what you'd said at the time when all that stuff...
The insider trading.
Did you really not know?
Are you asking me if I was a part of it?
No, I wasn't. Not at any point in time, I promise you.
But... You gotta understand
those were guys I'd come up with my entire career,
guys with kids you and Neil played with on weekends.
Guys with families... They were good people
and it was all going to even out in the long run, so who cares.
I didn't say anything. I could've. But I didn't.
And that's something I live with.
Morning!
"Records Show Years of Dubious Expenses, Starting at the Top"
You have me serve as the public face of this district.
An image that reflects prosperity.
I know it might look bad all laid out like that,
but see this from my point of view. I was doing the job I was hired for.
A wrinkled suit, that's one thing. This is something else entirely.
My employment contract has a clause,
that allows me full discretion on all charges necessary and proper...
I know that! I wrote your employment contract.
The key word there was discretion.
- You're not hearing me. - I'm hearing fine!
You spent 30 000 dollars on dry cleaning!
Over a number of years, yes I did. And I will pay it all back.
- I did it for the good of the school. - No, you wanted to look pretty.
Come on, Frank! It's an open secret the way you're carrying on.
The flashy suits, the cologne... The shit that you do to your face!
They laugh at you!
You were my guy. I brought you in, I defended you.
I'm compromised now. We all are. Because of...
What did you people do to us?
Okay...
So we were at dinner, however many years ago.
It's nowhere fancy, it was a pizza place, on Bell Boulevard.
Two Greek salads and a fountain drink.
And I fucked up, I used the wrong card by accident.
It's for twenty dollars. I'd even it all out on Monday,
I said I'd reimburse the school out of pocket.
Monday came and went. Nobody said anything, nobody cared.
On Tuesday it was a sixty-cent bagel. Bob...
If I wanted the money, I would've gone to Wall Street.
I'd be living in a big house in Country Estates like you, but...
I wanted to make a difference.
I did. We did. Look.
We're number four. I got us all the way to number four.
I did it on a teacher's salary
while you and everyone else made millions off the district.
I got us to number four and I'll get us to number one.
The board convened an emergency session.
We'll make a statement about the way we handled Pam in November.
- What? Come on! No! - That's how it has to be.
No. Not now. No! Not until the budget vote goes through.
It's a few days away. Bob, it's... Bob!
I can still get back into Harvard.
I hope you find peace, Frank.
Why are we hearing about this from our kids and not from you?
We know you're upset. We know you're angry.
But we simply cannot afford to hold our school's budget hostage
to place a filibuster on your children's education.
This is collusion at the highest level. We demand resignations.
This is not productive.
I understand where this coming from. I will answer each of your questions.
First, please let me read this statement.
You all should be in prison!
Enough!
Mary Ann, what the hell's going on? Mary Ann?
Havesi called this morning. Frank, you said he'd never call.
Frank!
Hi, Dr. Tassone. I'm so glad we could catch you.
- Carol, now is not the best... - We just need one minute.
Chad has something he'd really like to share with you.
Please take a moment and hear him out.
Of course.
Of course I will.
Okay.
Good afternoon, Dr. Tassone. I'd like to talk about the OMNI program...
I thought we discussed this last fall.
Militzok gave him the make-up test, but she made it harder to spite him.
- No third grader could pass that. - Okay. I'll look into it...
- Chad, finish reading. - Okay.
I hope you'll still consider me for this amazing program.
I believe I am bright and could benefit from learning at an ack...
- Ack... - Sound that out.
- Accelerated? - That's right.
Hear what Dr. Tassone said?
Start again from the beginning of the paragraph.
- Good afternoon, Dr. Tassone... - Let's skip to that trouble sentence.
That's okay. Take your time. From...
I believe I am bright and could benefit from learning at an ac...
- Accelerated. - Ack-sellated?
- Arelagate? - Accelerated!
Okay.
Do you like race cars, Chad? Yeah? Okay.
Let's say you're in a race car, all right? You don't need that.
You're in a race car. First place at the Indy 500,
with all the sponsorships in the world.
The wind is in your hair and you're feeling great.
Suddenly, you feel something behind you, digging into your fender.
You look in the mirror, and there's a hook deep in your fender.
It's connected to a long metal rope
and at the end of that rope is a massive five ton cinder block.
Your job is driving. You're Dale Earnhardt and here's this cinderblock.
You've gone to last place and you keep thinking what to do.
It's simple. Put your foot on the gas real hard and you accelerate.
So fast, that rope snaps in two, the cinderblock explodes...
Say it with me, Chad. Accelerate. Accelerate. Accelerate!
- Accelerate? - Yes!
Yes.
- What is your problem? - My problem?
My problem is you, Carol.
The people who trot their kids out like racehorses at Belmont.
Excuse me?!
Who derive some perverse joy out of treating us like servants.
Do you remember the teachers who sat with you,
who held you by the hand, who taught you to add, subtract,
showed you Gatsby, Salinger, or Mockingbird even?
Do their names escape you? Are their faces a blur?
You listen to me!
You don't want to see us as people because that is not convenient for you.
You just leave us behind at will, never think about us again.
And you might forget. But we don't forget. Ever.
- What's wrong with him? - I don't know. Probably nothing.
Let's get some food and go home.
You should be ashamed of yourself.
Two beach front homes in Florida and the Hamptons.
Five Yamaha jet-skis, luxury cars,
vacations to Brazil, Puerto Rico, Hawaii,
the electronics, jewelry and artwork...
- Dog food... - Is my lawyer here yet?
You're going away for a long time, Pam. Including your family.
Don't talk about them.
Poor Jim, especially, just getting back on his feet.
Any idea what the job market looks like these days for ex-cons?
You know, it may not be too late for you to save them.
Save your son.
What are you doing here?
Wanted to see you.
- You don't have work? - I quit.
- When? - Today.
Just got on a plane and now I'm here and I'm not leaving again.
Dance. Dance with me, Frank!
No.
Little move, come on.
Please.
There it is. Drink down!
- You like this? - Your floor!
Swing a little.
- A lot lower. Shake it up! - No.
Okay, do it your way.
Come on!
Here's a little...
SPECIAL UTILITIES
Keep the kids in the house, Lisa. They don't need to watch this.
Hey.
There's $ 30 000 in the top drawer of the dresser.
What?
- You could make it last a year. - What are you talking about?
What you've got in you is so special.
Don't ever let anyone take it away from you or exploit it.
What the hell...
- You really don't want me here. - What is happening?
You're under arrest on a warrant out of New York. Please, step out.
- Frank, what the hell is happening? - Sir, hands on the dash!
- Frank, what the hell is this?! - You don't know me. I'm no good.
I've been lying to you and everyone else. I'm a liar.
Put your hands on the dash. Do as they say. Now!
- Out of the car! - No...
Frank!
He's not doing anything. Leave him alone. Frank!
Frank!
We printed...
pamphlets for the school district, handbooks and such.
- We? - Me.
WordPower was just me.
No partners?
Because it looks like half your corporation's earnings
were transferred over to one Francis A. Tassone.
You can't make me.
No. You can't make me testify against my spouse.
Spouse?
We're domestic partners.
We've been together 33 years. We're entitled to federal protections.
Are you legally wed?
Everyone we spoke to said Tassone did talk about a spouse. A wife.
But that she'd been dead for 30 years.
Remember that bridal photo on his desk. We ever get a name?
Stop it.
Stop what? You must have seen it too.
I'm sure you went by his office what with that $ 800 000 job.
Okay.
Let's try another avenue.
Were you aware that your partner...
closed on a property in Nevada earlier this year? With another man.
He's a dancer.
A terrible thing happened here. It's not just the money,
it's about trust in our schools. The integrity of our institutions.
I don't know how we'll recover.
Is was never the same. Parents treated us differently after that.
Like we knew. Like we had any idea at all.
Of course we wish we'd have found out earlier.
When things are going well, who wants to hunt for problems?
He went out of his way.
If we needed anything he was there with a smile.
So we were all happy. So we didn't ask questions.
So you have this liar and his boyfriend
trotting around in the city in God knows what.
He pulled the wool over our eyes. It's sick.
You think back over the smaller moments over the years,
where he just seemed...
I don't know, he just seemed so real.
Thanks.
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
- I know. - I know you do.
With this award, I can't tell you how proud you should be of your children.
Seniors are going to the Ivy League in unprecedented numbers.
It was the first year of record
that we had admissions officers from these schools calling us.
And what changed? What makes our little public school
so different from all the others like it on Long Island?
Let alone the king of the country at large.
At the end of the day, I think it boils down to integrity.
Integrity in our classrooms and curriculum
and in our approach to broad minded, hands on education.
That's all the stuff that gets thrown around all this for sure.
But never in my career have I seen such passion for all these factors.
And then paired with a willingness to think big.
You know why we are here. You know what this means for our town.
But I want to tell you about the man who made all this possible.
You don't get to number one overnight. It takes years of work.
And this is a community that knows what it means to work with someone.
Before Frank Tassone, there was no math credit.
Before Frank Tassone, there was no foreign language expansion.
There was no community service. There was no public outreach.
There was no sky walk. This is a man who has given the school so much.
Magnificent. Congratulations!
Let's welcome the man who whipped our kids schools in to shape
and got us all the way to number one!
We did it, Frank.
Number one! Number one!
Frank Tassone was convicted of stealing $ 2.2 million
from the Roslyn school district and was sentenced to 4-12 years.
Pamela Gluckin pled guilty to embezzling $ 4.3 million,
testified against Tassone, and was sentenced to 3-9 years.
A total of $ 11 million was stolen from the Roslyn school district,
making it the largest school theft in American history.
The scandal was covered by The New York Times, Newsday
and every other paper in the tri-state area.
...but only after Roslyn's own student newspaper broke the story.
Due to an oversight in New York State pension law,
Frank Tassone is still entitled to $173,495.04 a year.
BAD EDUCATION Subtitling GRETE MÜLLER