CARROLL GARDENS — The Department of Education is suing the former custodian of The Carroll School for failing to return over $50,000 in funds, court documents said.
A complaint filed by the DOE in August said that Rocco Storz, the 55-year-old former custodian of the school at 330 Smith St., failed to document expenditures or received excess funds totaling $52,666.02.
"We use a variety of means to ensure that money owed to the City is recovered, including, as is the case here, lawsuits,” said a representative of the New York City Law Department.
The DOE performed an audit of the custodian’s budget between July 2003 and December 2010 and learned that over $50,000 advanced to Storz to purchase supplies, was unaccounted for under his watch, the representative said.
A school custodian holds a managerial position and receives DOE funds to operate the physical plant of the school building, hire employees and purchase supplies. The DOE routinely audits custodians.
The department reached out to Storz on several occasions to tell him that the extra money would have to be returned. Storz was sent a final notice of the past due balance in January 2011, the complaint states.
When approached, however, Storz, a resident of Staten Island, said he didn’t know about the complaint filed against him.
“I don’t know anything about a lawsuit,” Storz said.
Many parents of students at the school, also known as P.S. 58, said that it was a shame for any public school to lose money, especially The Carroll School.
“It’s horrible that the school lost all that money,” said Anthony Camarda, a parent of a student at the school. “This school is definitely the best one in the area.
"They have so many great extracurricular activities and programs. It’s a big loss just to lose a dollar.”
