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The Board of Education announced in January that it was reviewing “what appeared to be discrepancies associated with the record of a particular employee." They later announced that the employee in question has been identified as Jesse Lubinsky,” the district’s Director of Technology and Innovation.
The investigation came following reports that Lubinsky was pulling double duty, working as a contractor for a private Google partner while on duty for the school district. Following those reports, the district launched an investigation that has been referred to the DA and state comptroller.
Lubinsky reportedly worked as a consultant for EdTechTeam while also being paid by the school district. According to a lohud report released Monday, Lubinsky has maintained his innocence and denied any wrongdoing.
“The consulting was done with the full knowledge, consent, and permission of the IUFSD, Lubinsky’s attorney reportedly wrote in court filings.
“Lubinsky did not hide any of his actions because there was nothing to hide. He did not falsify or hide anything about EdTechTeam or about IUFSD, he did not cause IUFSD to do business with any vendor and he didn’t take substantial time from his job to discharge his projects for the vendor.”
In an email to parents following Lubinsky’s resignation, Irvington Board of Education President Michael Hanna announced that the district was passing off the case to law enforcement authorities.
“Legal counsel for the Irvington UFSD Board of Education has conducted an initial review into certain discrepancies associated with the records of a specific district employee,” he wrote. “The Board has assessed this information and in recent weeks, brought it to the attention of the Westchester District Attorney and Office of the New York State Comptroller in a request for independent agency review.”
In an email to parents earlier this month, the Board of Education said that they would not be commenting further on the investigation, which may not be finalized for months.
“We fully recognize from our individual and collective conversations with school community members that some residents want more context about this matter,” the Board stated. “Like you, we care deeply about both the quality and reputation of our schools, and we know that many residents share these same values. At the same time, matters that concern a government inquiry and personal rights to privacy carry potential legal ramifications.”
On his website, Lubinsky wrote, "Jesse is the Director of Technology & Innovation and Chief Information Officer for the Irvington Union-Free School District in Irvington. Prior to entering education, he was a technology consultant for Fortune 500 companies specializing in network engineering and software development projects. In 2009, he was published in the book 'High-Tech Teaching Success!' by Prufrock Press. He was named one of BestCollegeRankings.org’s 100 Top Experts in #eLearning and #EdTech as well as a Top 100 K12 Tech Leader and Top 100 Most Social CIO by Extreme Networks."
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