By TAMARA HARTMAN

Middle school students in School District 29 quietly learned pre-engineering in their new robotic technology labs this week as headlines shouted allegations that previous attempts to get them computers had been used as opportunities to profit by their former superintendent.

But despite an ongoing investigation into the dealings of former Superintendent Celestine Miller and the Queens District Attorney’s current presentation of his findings before a grand jury hearing, the current School Board President told the PRESS that his board stands by Miller who stood by their district.

Recently elected School
Board President Nat Washington said of Miller "I
will stand by her," adding that he has received calls from board and community members who are "shocked and dismayed that there is another cloud hanging over the district."

Washington, who has known Miller for about twelve years since his children went to her school where he was the Parent Association President, said he believes the investigation is part of an attempt to "destroy her and her reputation," however he was unclear as to the source of the attempt.

He added that Miller has called him to say "she was sorry about the things being said about her are being put on the district," and he stressed that she "loves the district . . . she has been a friend to the district and we will not turn our back on her in her time of need."

Miller could not be reached by the PRESS for comment on the allegations.

However, former Board of Education President Carol Gresser told the PRESS that she had found Miller’s education style "impressive." Gresser said that as a principal, Miller was known for the hard work and discipline that characterized her district 29 school and a superintendent during Gresser’s term as president, "I assume she ran the district the same way. She seemed very well connected to her schools."

However, Gresser added that she was not aware of the contract details then or now and could not comment on the activities described in the current allegations.

Miller is the subject of a joint investigation by the Board of Education Department of Special Investigations and the Queens’ District Attorney’s office. According to published reports, the investigation stems from allegations that Miller received large sums of cash in kickbacks and real estate opportunities in turn for pushing through School District computer contracts to benefit a developer and his associates.

The developer, identified as Thomas Theodore Kontogiannis, is reportedly the owner of the building where School Board 29 has its offices. The same building also houses the offices of attorney Raymond Shain, who allegedly was involved in the contracts, and attorney Ira Cooper who is representing Miller.

Investigators believe that a tie between Kontogiannis and Miller goes back to a $150,000 rehabilitation contract given to the developer allegedly without it going through the bidding process.

From there, investigators are focusing on three computer contracts, ranging from $1.2 million to $2.9 million. Allegations claim that Kontogiannis, Miller and Shain subverted the legal bidding process to get the contracts awarded to an associate of Kontogiannis and told the Board of Education and the contracts were moving ahead before bids were accepted by the board because of their emergency nature.

Finally, the investigation is looking into one house on Anderson Road in Jamaica and four other houses which Miller allegedly bought from Kontogiannis between 1996 and 1997 without any money down or any financing. The first home allegedly realized a $32,000 profit when Miller sold it, which she kept in return for the computer contracts, investigators charge.

Frank Mosco, Web Wide World president, reportedly went to the authorities when his computer bid did not win the District 29 contracts, and that complaint has lead to a two year investigation which is now being presented before a Queens grand jury for consideration.

Board 29’s District Administrator Michael Johnson told the PRESS this week that parents can be sure the district is focusing on the computer needs of their children. Johnson was appointed to the District in February of 2000 and in July of 2000 the District began a project to put a Scan-Tech Robotic Technology lab in each of the District’s five middle school. Those labs are now up and running in all of those schools, teaching "applied science and technical programs, pre-engineering and computer construction" to summer students in their bridge program between fifth and sixth grades, to specialized class programs, and for the use of the general teaching population.

As for the elementary schools, Johnson said that Adrian Robertson joined the District at the end of August as a "technical coordinator" to visit each elementary school, evaluate the status of their computer capability and what is needed to bring them up to appropriate levels for today’s lessons. Johnson told the PRESS that Robertson was "brilliant" and had created the video conferencing lab and internet systems for the private Science Skills Center High School in Brooklyn where Johnson had worked before excepting the District appointment by Chancellor Harold Levy.

— David Harris contributed to this story

By HECTOR FLORES

Although Federal Election Commission data shows that US House Representative Gregory Meeks, from New York’s 6th congessional district in St. Albans has failed to disclose his pre-primary financial records, Meeks’ campaign officials deny any wrong doing and insist that failure to file was attributed to human error.

On Sept. 1, the FEC mailed Meeks’ campaign treasurer, Charles Reeve, a letter informing him that the congressman’s offices had failed to enter Meeks’ required pre-primary cam-paign
finances for the period of July 1st through Aug. 23.

Candace Sandy, a spokeperson for the Congressman told the
PRESS that the treasurer
did not file with the FEC because Meeks was running unopposed on the Democratic primary ticket, that there was no need to to file a pre-primary report.

"It is not that Meeks is refusing to disclose his finances," Sandy said. "The treasurer made a mistake and the commission informed us of the mistake. We are in the process of exchanging the proper information and filing. Will this happen again? We most certaintly doubt it."

According to Kelly Huff, a FEC spokesperson, all political candidates who register with the commission must disclose all campaign donations and expenditures.

"When a candidate fails to file, we inform them of the situation and give them an opportunity to set their records straight," Huff said.

Huff explained that candidates who do not submit financial reports face a possible monetary penalty, but she did not disclose the amount of that penalty.

To date, there are two types of yearly registrations for candidates, non-election year registration and an election year registration.

In a non-elction year, candidates must file quarterly reports disclosing all financial information from Jan1. to March 31, April 1. to June 30, July 1 to Sept. 30, and Oct. 1. to Dec. 31.

In an election year, two more filing dates are added — the pre-primary and the pre-general election.

The pre-primary covers the first day of the current reporting period through the 20th day after the primary election. This report is due 12 days before the primary election.

The second filing date, pre-general election, covers the first day of the current reporting period through the 20th day after the general election. This filing is due 30 days after the general election.

On Oct. 3 Sandy told the Press that Meeks’ financial records have been updated.

By HECTOR FLORES

A Jamaica resident sat down to a not-so-happy meal when she was stung by a bee after biting into an breakfast sandwich at a McDonald’s Sutphin Boulevard and Archer Avenue, sources said.

According to news sources, on Friday Sept. 28, Shakela Brinson arrived at the McDonalds and ordered an Egg McMuffin.

The woman began to feel a sharp pain in her throat and was rushed to the Park Health Center located on Rockaway Blvd in South Ozone Park, one doctor there said.

At the center, doctors noticed a blood clot type injury in her throat just before she was rushed to Jamaica Hospital where it was reported that she arrived bleeding from the mouth.

According to Michael Hinck, a Jamaica Hospital spokesperson, the woman was treated for a bee sting and released the following day from the hospital’s emergency room.