NEW ROCHELLE, NY — The daughter of a woman working in the Civil Service Department of the City School District of New Rochelle submitted dozens of time sheets to the District claiming hours that she did not work, based on records obtained by Talk of the Sound including time sheets obtained under a Freedom of Information request.
Based on a review of these records, Talk of the Sound conservatively estimates that over the past 14 months Amanda Umbro was credited for working at least 400 hours that she did not work. At a wage of about $18.50 per hour she would have been paid close to $7,500 worth of time — and possibly much more. The amount may be larger because Amanda Umbro was employed by the District for at least a year prior to the time period of the records obtained by Talk of the Sound.
A comparison of time sheets and attendance records covering the period from the beginning of the 2013-14 fiscal year (July 1, 2013) until the payroll period before she became a full-time employee of the District (September 15, 2014) indicate that Amanda Umbro routinely called-in sick, took time off, came in late or left early.
Umbro was late to work at least 16 times, often up to 1 to 3 hours late, took at least 39 days off and left early at least 29 times, often up to 3 hours early – a total of at least 84 times in a little over a year’s time. In one three month stretch, from February 1, 2014 to April 30, 2014 she took the day off or left early at least 22 times.
From time to time she accurately reported not working those hours but for the vast majority of the dates, she submitted timesheets claiming that she had worked hours that she had not worked.
The timesheets themselves raise numerous questions beyond Umbro being paid for hours not worked.
Under District policy, Temporary/Hourly Employees are not eligible for overtime, sick days, personal days or benefits yet Umbro was paid overtime (1.5x) and double time (2x) during several pay periods when she was a Temporary/Hourly Employee.
T/H Employees are required to submit a time sheet twice a month and forward that timesheet to the Civil Service Personnel Office at City Hall. Time sheets are reviewed and processed for submission to payroll by Kathy Umbro, a long-time Personnel Assistant working in the Civil Service Department, who is the mother of Amanda Umbro.
A timesheet cannot be accepted unless all required signatures are provided — the employee signature and that of the IMMEDIATE Supervisor, and/or Principal of the School buildings (the word IMMEDIATE is in “all caps” on the timesheet form).
The IMMEDIATE Supervisor of grounds workers in the Buildings and Grounds Department is V. James Bonanno, a working-foreman in the Buildings and Grounds Department.
The timesheets reviewed by Talk of the Sound shows that Bonanno was the signatory on just four of the timesheets and the sole signatory just once. Gallagher co-signed the other three with Bonanno. Her final part-time timesheet was signed by Phil Rosetti, a member of the grounds crew working under Bonanno, not a supervisor and not Amanda Umbro’s supervisor.
The bulk of the timesheets were either not signed at all or signed by John Gallagher who was not Amanda Umbro’s IMMEDIATE Supervisor. Gallagher, an Aramark consultant who held the title of Director of Buildings & Grounds in New Rochelle for many years until he was removed by Aramark, largely based on reporting by Talk of the Sound. Numerous sources have told Talk of the Sound of a close personal relationship between John Gallagher and Kathy Umbro.
Much of this information was made known to the District over the summer yet Umbro was selected for a full-time position as a laborer making more than $40,000 a year plus medical and other benefits.
Board of Education Regular Meeting Oct 07, 2014
RESOLUTION NO. 15-95-6
TEMPORARY APPOINTMENT – ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICESRESOLVED, that the temporary appointment of Amanda Umbro, Laborer (replacing Edward Jones, reassigned), Grade 5, Step 1, $40,903 per annum, be and hereby is approved effective September 16, 2014.
More on this appointment to full-time Laborer in an upcoming story.
