QUEENS — Former city Schools Chancellor and Deputy Mayor Dennis Walcott, who is poised to become the new president and CEO of the Queens Library later this month, will work pro bono on the troubled public school system in Rockland County, until a replacement is found for his position, officials said.
Walcott, 64, has served as the state-appointed monitor of the East Ramapo School District since last August, following revelations that the local school board was diverting money from public schools to private yeshivas, according to published reports.
“I will be transitioning off from my Monitor's role and will work with the Commissioner and her staff to identify a replacement," said Walcott in a statement, referring to State Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia. "Until that time, I will be volunteering my time and once I start my new job will volunteer off hours.”
Walcott, a lifelong Queens resident, who served as chancellor of the city's Department of Education under Mayor Michael Bloomberg from 2011 to 2013, is expected to begin his new job at the Queens Library on March 14, after he is approved by the state Department of Education, the library said.
"Dennis Walcott has agreed to provide assistance, pro bono, as we transition to a new monitor in East Ramapo," Dennis Tompkins, a spokesman for the state DOE, said in a statement.
"The most important thing is finding the right person," Tompkins added. "Our goal remains providing the most opportunities and the best education possible for every student in East Ramapo."
According to published reports, the state paid Walcott and his team members nearly $180,000 for their work in East Ramapo through Dec. 31.
The state DOE has not confirmed that information.
Walcott will replace Thomas Galante, who served as the library's president and CEO for more than a decade, but was fired in December 2014 for his excessive spending habits.
Galante, who was making $392,000 a year, also came under fire when it was reported that he had been moonlighting as a consultant for a Long Island school district making an additional $150,000 a year.
The library has not disclosed Walcott's salary as of Wednesday afternoon.
