A former paraprofessional and after-school program director in Brooklyn was indicted for stealing more than $111,000 meant for kids and their extracurricular activities, independent investigators said on June 26.
Shalisha Jackson, a Department of Education (DOE) employee who worked at P.S. 146 at 610 Henry St. in Carroll Gardens, was arraigned on a list of charges by the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office, including grand larceny, petit larceny, forgery and criminal possession of a forged instrument.
According to a Special Commissioner of Investigation for the NYC School District (SCI) probe, Jackson, who worked for the DOE since 2008, spent six years taking cash meant for the school’s after-school program and put it into her personal bank account.
The investigation began in October 2022 after DOE officials found two suspicious checks from a different school – M.S. 681 in Brooklyn – that had been placed into Jackson’s personal bank account.
As investigators traced financial records, they found what prosecutors allege was a years-long scheme centered around P.S. 146’s after-school program. The investigation found unauthorized checks, parent payments and other funds that were supposed to support students were allegedly funneled into the defendant’s personal account instead.
Per the probe, about $135,121 was deposited into Jackson’s account via checks she wrote to herself from the program’s account and funds intended for the school programs. Only about $5,882 of that money was actually spent on legitimate program expenses.
“This case demonstrates the critical role independent oversight plays in protecting school resources,” Special Commissioner Anastasia Coleman said. “SCI’s investigation uncovered a years-long pattern of misconduct that allegedly diverted funds intended for students and exposed significant breakdowns in financial oversight.”
SCI investigators said that “significant failures in financial oversight allowed the misconduct to continue undetected for years.” As a result, SCI recommended reforms to strengthen fiscal controls, training requirements, and accountability measures for employees responsible for managing school funds.
The top count in Jackson’s case is second-degree grand larceny, a C felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison, a spokesperson for the Brooklyn DA’s office said.
Coleman thanked the DA’s office for taking legal action.
“We will continue aggressively investigating fraud, theft, and corruption to ensure that resources dedicated to our schools reach the children they are intended to serve, and we thank the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office for its work in pursuing this prosecution,” she said.
In the meantime, the DOE confirmed Jackson was terminated from her job.
“We expect all employees to be trustworthy stewards of their school communities and this matter was thoroughly investigated,” said Chyann Tull, a spokesperson for the department. “This individual is no longer employed with New York City Public Schools. We take all allegations of misconduct seriously and remain committed to making sure all resources are allocated towards student success.”