Bad Education (2019) Movie Script
1
Well, thank you,
thank you all,
parents and town
advocates alike,
for joining us on
this very special evening.
We're here tonight to kick off
our most ambitious
school year yet.
We've run the numbers,
and folks,
there's no simpler way
for me to put it.
Our children
are getting smarter.
Harvard, two.
Dartmouth, two.
Yale, three.
U Penn, seven.
Thank you.
And my fellow trustees
who wait all year long
ranking the top
public schools in America
based on SATs and college
acceptance rates.
And Roslyn is four...
And now, I'd like to bring out
the man responsible.
- Congratulations.
- Thank you.
In his ten years here,
he's revamped
our education system.
From pre-K all the way
to high school.
Please join me in welcoming
to the stage
our district superintendent
and my friend,
Frank Tassone.
Good morning.
Hey there, good morning.
Go Bulldogs.
Have we heard about
Mr. Kopple?
- Wife had twins.
- Twins!
- Late last night.
- Nice. Send over flowers
and maybe an edible arrangement.
Can we, can we get
these things out of here?
- Oh, they're nice for morale.
- Yeah, it'd be even nicer
if they were shaped like ones.
- You know, Dr. Tassone...
- Hey.
A wise woman once said
it's not having what you want.
- It's wanting what you got.
- Mrs. Gluckin.
I barely recognize you anymore
what with the new name,
new office, new job title.
The same pay, same paperwork.
July and August
are all settled up.
- Expenses booked and archived.
- Perfect.
And something else I wanted
to talk to you about...
Safety gates
are all taken care of.
I'm meeting with City Hall
later today to go over strategy.
Jeez, someone's
had their coffee.
- Yeah.
- Uh, Dr. Tassone?
- Yeah.
- Uh, did you want your flight
to the Vegas conference Friday
out of JFK or Newark?
Thanks, J.
Whatever's cheaper works fine.
And, uh, Mary Ann,
is there any way
you'd be able to grab
my diet smoothie?
- I was running late.
- Oh, sure.
- Uh, but there's one more thing.
Uh-huh.
Carol Schweitzer's
been camped up
in the conference room
since 6:30.
Says it's urgent
she speaks with you.
Okay, okay. Um...
- Chad.
- Chad, Chad Schweitzer's...
okay, I'll take care of it.
- Thanks.
- Good luck.
Stop it.
Do us all a favor.
If he's not out of there
in an hour, call 911.
And I am banging down doors
until somebody here
takes me seriously.
All right?
That Militzok,
she plays favorites, okay?
She wouldn't even let him
take a bathroom break
during the test, and he has
a hyperactive bladder.
Chad, honey, tell him how you...
you know what, I have a note
here from his doctor, okay?
Ms. Schweitzer,
just, just calm down.
- Let's, let's just...
- No one will listen to me.
All right, I don't know
what else I'm supposed to do.
Chad, he is just as gifted
as everyone else in his year.
- Absolutely.
- And...
I'm scared, Dr. Tassone,
because if he
doesn't get into OMNI...
and he starts to think
of himself as less than...
No, no, no, no, no, no, no.
No, I will talk
to Ms. Militzok.
I will straighten
this whole thing out.
- You will?
- Yes.
And, and we'll just set
a make-up test for Chad.
All right, with ample
bathroom time.
Thank you, Dr. Tassone.
I can't tell you how much
I appreciate that.
There's no need to thank me,
all right?
Chad's a smart kid with
the world ahead of him,
and it's our job
to give him the runway.
Thank you.
It's funny.
You know, Chad,
when I was your age,
I didn't even place
into fast track math.
- Really?
- No.
I couldn't nail my times tables.
And at the time,
I thought my world was ending.
But I caught up.
You know what?
Now I set the math curriculum.
Can I help you with something?
Oh, no, it's okay.
I'm just here
for Mrs. Cremona.
- Or Gluckin.
- Ooh, she's not here,
but I'm more than happy
to answer any questions if...
- Really? That would...
- Mm-hmm, yeah.
I don't wanna bother you
if you're busy, but...
No, come on in, bother me.
I'm doing spreadsheets.
Come, come in.
Take a seat.
Uh...
I don't think we've
had a chance to meet.
- It's Rachel.
- Rachel, right.
Neil's little sister.
Yeah.
Wow, good memory.
I hope he's keeping out of
trouble over at Northwestern.
Yeah, he loves it.
He's doing bio-chem.
Ah, well, they have
great journalism there, too.
Yes, they do.
Um...
okay, so they just, they
want me to write an article
about the SkyWalk proposal
in the new budget.
And I just need a pull quote
from administration.
Yeah, oh, okay.
A sound bite, nice.
Um...
We've been asking high schoolers
how we can make
their day easier,
so we came up with this idea,
the SkyWalk.
Um, a bridge, to link the
school from end to end.
And um, it's a
huge undertaking for us.
And we can't wait
to break ground
once the plans
are approved next May.
Great, that's all I need.
Thank you so much.
That's it?
No, no follow-ups?
No, it's just a puff piece.
They save the real
stories for seniors.
Rachel.
It's only a puff piece
if you let it be a puff piece.
Oh, uh...
That's what they'll tell you
over at Northwestern.
All right?
A real journalist
can turn any assignment
into a story.
Are you busy? Just a couple of
colleagues want to convey thanks.
Rachel Bhargava, staff writer
for the "Hilltop Beacon."
Uh, this is Bob Spicer,
school board president.
- Hi. Oh, you're, uh...
- Hey.
You're in my daughter,
Becca's year, right?
- Mm-hmm.
- Say hi to your dad for me.
Nice to meet you, Rachel.
And if you want to
follow up, just set a time
with Mary Ann, okay?
And, uh, I'll be keeping
an eye out for your byline.
The demand is insane.
It's skyrocketing.
We're seeing three bedrooms go
for over a million in Roslyn Heights.
Yeah, you just don't
see those kinds of numbers
in Syosset or Jericho.
Right, but those towns are
a further commute from the city.
Not Manhasset, not Great Neck.
It's the public schools.
The better the school system,
the higher the price tag
on the homes, period.
Our firm has sold nine
separate lots in that area
since the report in
that journal came out.
And, uh,
here's a little something
- you know, from all of us.
- Okay.
Oh, wow.
Really, that's, oh, wow.
- Keep up the good work.
- Well, thanks, everyone.
- Dr. Tassone?
- Oh, yeah.
- Do you mind if we get a little...
- Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- Something for my office.
- Great.
- I really appreciate you...
- Scoot in, scoot in, Will.
- Coming in today.
- Mm-hmm.
Thank you, okay.
- Okay, thank you.
- Okay.
- All right?
- Yeah, let's let him...
- Let him get back to work.
- Thank you.
- No, I really appreciate it.
- Yeah.
- Thank you so much.
- Thank you.
Okay.
I can't eat these.
Just, if you put them out
for everybody to pick at,
that'd be great.
They were out of the flax seed.
That's okay, that's okay.
Thanks.
How much do you
figure a guy like Bob
makes at his regular job?
- Bob Spicer, you mean?
- Mm-hmm.
Oh...
high sixes a year, minimum.
Maybe seven figures
in this market.
- Why?
- Oh, forget it.
You look tired.
You might wanna go home early,
get some rest.
I gotta run Dickens.
Maybe I'll try and bow out and
get a headstart and early
prep for Vegas this weekend.
- I wouldn't bail on book club.
- Why?
Those women adore you,
and each one talks
to two dozen more.
The next budget vote's
only nine months away.
- Right, our SkyWalk.
- Yeah, the SkyWalk is big.
Gets us to first.
That's all that matters.
This new diet is kicking my ass.
What is that, even?
It's got charcoal in it
or something like that.
Yeah, coal.
I would kill somebody
for a carb right now.
I don't know
where you could find one.
You are such a bitch.
Oh, would you like a bite?
- I hate pastrami on rye.
- You want a bite.
- I hate pastrami on rye.
- Yeah, I know you hate it.
Open up.
- Fucking so good.
- Right?
Come on, you can eat more.
You got... come on,
one more bite.
- I will kill you.
- I won't tell anyone.
I'm not gonna tell anyone.
You're a growing boy.
Come on.
Eat the fuckin' sandwich.
Let's get started.
Should we get started, everyone?
Uh, what do we all think
of "Martin Chuzzlewit"?
Okay.
Um...
You know, Frank, the culture
is not for everyone.
Eh, I thought we
wound up having a
really good
discussion, ultimately.
Um...
Frank, can I ask you
a personal question?
Sure.
It's just that...
Jonah's...
you know, having a really
hard time with the separation.
Yeah.
You know, Ms. Schlacter,
uh, told me that he's opened up
a little bit in Banana Splits?
- Right, yeah, oh, my God.
- Yeah.
- Thank you for getting him in.
- No, of course.
It has been
so hard on us, and...
- Yeah.
- You have been...
such a tremendous help.
Oh, Sharon, of course.
Anytime, anytime.
Yeah, and...
Um...
- Frank, I'm sorry.
- No, no, no, no, no.
You want what's best
for your son.
That's nothing to be ashamed of.
Uh, no, it makes you strong.
It's, um...
I...
you know, I think
at the end of the day,
her memory is still very fresh.
Ay-yi-yi-yi-yi.
Somehow, I'm not surprised.
Jenny screwed up
some paperwork earlier.
I'm saving her ass.
Jenny's got a good aunt.
How did Dickens go?
Well, it was Sharon Katz's
place this week.
And...
- I knew it.
- I, I think maybe
I shouldn't have offered
to wash up.
That poor woman.
She's nowhere near your type.
She's not, she's not.
- Jamieson.
- Uh, Honors English.
- Loves Nietzsche.
- Very good.
- Yep.
- Uh, DiGennaro?
Oh, DiGennaro.
Uh...
Social studies,
- ninth grade global hist...
- Ah!
- Oh, American history.
- Uh-huh.
Uh, coaches Little League, too.
- Mm-hmm.
- Yes.
Well, these are too easy.
Oh, here's a toughie.
Uh-huh.
Todhunter.
Oh, shit.
Todhunter, Todhunter...
Mr. Todhunter.
How's that bowling league
shaping up this season?
Oh, uh, we're ahead.
But we've got our big match
against Jericho on Sunday.
Jericho, mm.
I think you'll crush them.
Thank you for putting this on.
-This is so nice.
-Oh, of course. My pleasure.
- Oh, Frank!
- The least I could do.
- Yeah, excuse me.
- Hey, Frank.
- Hey.
- So, um...
hey, are you getting
pumped for Vegas?
'Cause, uh,
I got my bags packed.
- I'm ready to go.
- Yeah.
It'll be good to get away
from the wife
for a few days too, huh?
- Right?
- Right.
A few days, yeah.
You want to know how many bids
we got from contractors?
Mm-hmm, for
the SkyWalk construction.
You explored several options,
right?
- I think we had four or five.
- Okay.
From which firms, exactly?
Hang-hang on a sec.
What's this article
you're supposed to be writing?
Oh, it's a piece on the SkyWalk.
And the student paper
wanted a deep dive
into construction specs?
They're giving me free reign,
more or less.
I guess I'm just looking
for an interesting way in.
- Oh, okay, Ruth.
- Rachel.
Rachel, so let me give you
a great angle for your story.
- Okay.
- You wanna write this down
- or are you...
- I'm taping.
Oh.
Okay.
The SkyWalk is a great project.
It'll be the first SkyWalk
on all of Long Island,
and yet one more reason
Roslyn schools
put Jericho and Syosset
to shame.
And it'll look great
and make all our lives easier.
Thank you, the end.
Good night and good luck.
What else can I help you with?
Do you have the bids handy?
Or are they not on you?
No, they're not on me.
They're locked in the basement,
lost in the annals of history.
Well, I have next period free.
- Do you?
- Mm-hmm.
All right.
Good luck finding 'em.
Do you need somethin'?
Just a couple of photocopies.
Okay.
- So you're a sophomore?
- Junior.
My son Jake is actually in the
second grade over at Bellmore.
You know, not too far from here.
- South Shore, you know.
- Mm.
Oh, it's an old building.
We get leaks every so often.
It usually stops after,
like, a minute.
We need a hard eight here.
We need boxcars.
We need boxcars,
Lenny, we need boxcars.
I know what
you're all thinking.
At first glance, these numbers
might seem prohibitive
but I'm here to tell you
that with some vision,
they can dovetail
quite amicably.
As we can see,
the added benefits
to such a program
are remunerative.
I'd love for you to see
what we're doing out there
- if you're ever on Long Island.
- Yeah, I think,
I think we're on the East Coast
in November, December.
- So I'll...
- Well, we're there.
- Good, good, good, good.
- Okay.
And listen, stop by and have
a drink before you leave.
- All right?
- That was terrific.
- Thank you.
- Take care.
Great.
All right.
What can I get ya?
Uh, just a club soda with lime.
And can I see
your food menu, please?
And...
Kyle.
Kyle Contreras.
Plandome High
maybe 15 years ago, right?
Yeah, I used to
teach English there.
Dr. Tassone.
Frank.
Frank.
I would think that
you would forget
about us the minute
we got out of there.
Oh, no,
you'd be surprised.
I mean, some things
I wish I could forget.
Yeah.
You know somethin'
I wish I could forget?
Would be Lippman's hair piece.
Do you remember
that thing that...
- With the, with
the double swoop?
Oh, my God, Lippman's
hair piece, Christ.
So, what do you, what do you...
Are you teaching English
at the new place?
No, I'm, I'm administrative now.
Like a principal?
No, like
superintendent of schools.
Look at that.
You love saying that.
You love that.
Superintendent of schools.
- With the head, too.
- I've done it for 12 years.
I mean, look, it's great.
It does have its trade-offs,
like anything.
I really miss being back
in the classroom
sometimes with my students,
you know.
How about you?
You, um, you still writing?
Short stories, science fiction,
right?
I remember you used
to carry around
that beat-up copy
of "Dune" everywhere.
Yeah, I mostly
just wrote that stuff
to get out of your book reports.
No, come on, come on.
There was that really good one
about the, um,
about the alien colony.
I talked about it in your rec
for Stony Brook, right?
Yeah, yeah, for Stony Brook.
Sorry, I, um...
I burnt out at Stony Brook.
After a few years, I...
moved out here.
Um...
I was dancing
up until very recently.
Dancing?
Thank you.
So does your wife come
with you on these things, or...
- Oh, um...
- Is she back in New York?
No, no, no, my wife passed away.
Oh.
- I'm sorry.
- No, no, it's...
it's fine.
It was a long time ago.
Um, it was before
I had you, even.
Hm.
How's the food?
Shit.
You wanna try somewhere else?
I thought you were here
for two days.
Uh, just for the weekend, yeah.
A lot of suits for a weekend.
Well, you never know
what might come up these...
Right.
That was always your thing,
wasn't it?
Even when you were
an English teacher,
you were always
the guy in the suits.
What's wrong with a suit?
I don't know, it's just...
it's a little sad.
Just a little sad.
I think they put some bottles
in the, uh...
in the bar fridge,
I'm not sure why.
You're allowed to make
eye contact, Frank.
Hey.
No, I'm not.
Right.
Dad!
I got dinner.
Anything happen today?
I spoke to the
assistant superintendent.
For an article.
The woman who runs
all the business.
Hm.
Wonder if they're looking to
hire anybody in development.
You're overqualified.
Late night, Ms. Gluckin?
Jesus, Eddie,
you scared the shit out of me.
Got any fun plans
for the weekend?
Yeah, no, all I want is
to spend some quiet time
at home with my kids.
- You know.
- All right.
Have a good time.
- See you next week.
- Yeah, good night, Eddie.
- Sorry about scare...
- That's all right.
He's...
Okay, first of all,
they're too small.
Oh, girls, have you met
my niece, Jenny Aquila?
She's working with me over
at Roslyn, district clerk.
- Oh.
- Isn't this place beautiful?
- I mean...
- So gorgeous.
Howard must be making out like
a bandit with those Chevys.
He's been consulting
a little on the side.
I'm proud of him.
We're planning a big remodel
once the season's through, actually.
Oh, wow.
Who's your contractor?
- Ma, help!
- Jim Boy's gonna do it.
Big goose down.
I can't... Ah!
Are you sure Jimmy's ready
to take on a project this size?
Yeah, it'll be good for him.
Get his mind going
on somethin' new.
- Aunt Pam.
- Yeah?
Uh, can I talk to you
inside just for a sec?
Sure.
All right, Jen.
What's going on?
Uh, honestly...
I feel bad even
bringing it up, but, um...
- Jake's birthday is comin' up.
- Oh!
And he's been asking for
the Sony PlayStation.
- Video game system.
- Yeah.
And how all his friends have it
and how he feels left out.
- Aw.
- You know, um,
money's been tight,
and I was just thinking since
Howard's been doin'
so well and all...
I'd pay you back
as soon as I'm able.
Just put it on the card.
Amber, sweetie, do you mind
giving your cousin Jenny
and me a minute?
Thank you.
But I was wondering if maybe
you could just lend me
the money from your personal...
Don't worry about it.
It'll all be reconciled
at the end of the month.
I've been doing this
a long time.
It's, it's just,
he wants that PlayStation
so much, you know?
Just put the receipt on my desk
first thing Monday morning
and don't give it
another thought.
Now if you'll excuse me,
I have to play host.
I don't get this.
What is this?
It's the SkyWalk piece
you wanted.
No, this is two pages
of contractor bids,
building materials,
and zoning ordinances
in brutal detail.
Yeah, it's journalism.
Our readers are 15.
You realize we have to submit
every issue to Bressler
before we go to print.
And Dr. Tassone,
and Pam Cremona.
Pam Gluckin.
It's Gluckin now.
Look, we're not
the "New York Times," right?
We're an extracurricular.
We are a club
designed to get us all
into good colleges.
We have a certain finesse to the
way we approach stories here.
A je ne sais quoi, if you will.
But don't worry, though.
You're gonna get the hang of it.
Sir.
Could I ask, uh,
how many of our stores
have you visited today?
Uh...
a couple.
The ones in Farmingdale
and Islip
didn't have what
I was looking for.
I mean, you know,
we actually offer
free ship-to service for
our high-value customers.
You think I'm high-value?
I mean, reasonably, yeah.
So where's this stuff going?
- Oh, shit.
- Yeah, no, no.
- I'll get him.
No, he's right here. Motherfucking shit.
No, he's... no worries.
Honey, come on,
you know how they feel
- about the phones on the course.
- It's Larry, for you.
- My cousin.
- Larry, for me?
- Mm.
- What?
Okay, just tell him
I'll call him after 18.
He says it's about the school.
Larry from...
the mattress firm?
No, he's over
at Ace Hardware now.
So this kid, he gives
my guy a home address.
In Westhampton.
Full 50 miles outside of Roslyn.
And it's a home address.
You know?
So I say to myself, I say,
"What's a Roslyn
school's contractor
"doing buying supplies
all the way out
in Selden for, anyway?"
No, we wouldn't, we wouldn't.
We get our materials
wholesale, anyway.
We, we put out bids.
Tool chest, shower heads.
That's home improvement.
- That's not school stuff.
- That's right, right.
- It doesn't add up, Bob.
- Who is this James McCarden
and why does he have
a Roslyn expense card?
I don't know.
I don't even know a McCarden.
There is no McCarden at Roslyn.
Oh, hang on, honey,
wasn't Pam Cremona
or Gluckin or whatever she is,
wasn't her first husband
a McCarden?
Come on.
No way.
Pam Gluckin, of all people?
She's gonna have a house
on Dune Road?
- What should we say?
- No, there's nothing to say.
- The receipts say everything.
- Yeah, okay.
- But we need to...
- Okay, she's right behind you.
Hi, Pam.
And, uh, I want to thank you all
for volunteering time
out of your day
to speak with me.
I would just
love to hear from each
of you what you hope
to achieve in the sixth grade.
Yeah, let's start
with you, Heather.
I wanna get all A's and become
a cardiothoracic surgeon
like my mom.
Great, uh,
but just for the purposes
of today...
if you could just...
- Come.
- What?
- Quick.
- Uh...
One second.
Okay, I'll be back.
We're vulnerable here.
She stole $30,000
in taxpayer money
and that's just between
the Ace Hardware.
Who knows who else
got an expense card?
I'm telling you,
it's our moral responsibility
to report this to the town.
We have to.
No, this is a criminal matter.
We've got to call the police,
the FBI.
Okay, that was
our legal counsel.
They do recommend we report.
Great, okay, well then,
that settles it.
I'm gonna call the mayor.
Frank, you wanna be
on that call?
Um...
I'm sorry, I'm sorry.
Go get him,
get him a glass of water.
I should have caught this.
I should have checked.
Pam's been here
longer than I have.
I didn't even think.
No, no, no, no, Frank.
It's... it's not your fault.
She built up a decade's worth
of trust with all of us.
We were asleep at the wheel.
Thank you.
But before we go any further,
we need to,
we need to know
what we're dealing with.
I have Phil in my office
getting a firm number.
Phil, our auditor?
The man should be fired.
He's the one person who should
have caught wind of this.
- Prick.
- Okay.
We can't jump the gun here.
Not when there's this much
at stake, all right?
- Can we...
- Okay.
We'll give him an hour.
- That's... But then, after that...
- Right.
- We start making calls.
- Right.
How could Jim Boy
be so careless,
going around like that?
I'm pulling him off the
remodel, that's for sure.
Just gonna have to hire on
a real contractor.
- A professional.
- Yeah, Pam?
No, no, no.
Frank's gonna fix this.
He knows how important
I am to this school.
I'm the one who keeps
the lights on here, you know?
- He'll tell 'em.
- Do you think anybody
could ever find out
about the PlayStation?
No, I told you
I took care of that.
You have nothing
to worry about there.
That's good.
It's just, um...
I, uh...
I might have also done a little
early Christmas shopping
over the weekend, too.
See, I wasn't gonna mention
until after the holiday
because I bought you something,
and I didn't,
I didn't wanna spoil it.
I swear, I swear,
I was gonna reimburse it all.
How much?
Not much, you know.
Just like, um...
maybe...
$1,600 at Lord & Taylor and...
another 12 at Macy's.
Frank's gonna fix this.
Give me good news, Phil.
There's no way.
There's, there's no way.
There's check warrants
that are missing.
Purchase orders.
I took her word for it.
She would tell me one thing,
she'd say don't worry about it,
and I believed her like the
fucking idiot schmuck I am.
Oh, I never even think
to check up, to validate.
I'm gonna lose my job.
I'm gonna lose our firm.
- We're dead, they'll kill us.
- Hey, hey, no, no, no...
Nobody's killing anybody.
Phil, look me in the eye.
Look me in the eye.
You're running the show here.
Say it after me.
"I am running the show."
- I am running the show.
- Good.
Pull it together.
How much did
you find concretely?
Uh...
Two hundred twenty-three.
Concretely, but that's
just the obvious stuff.
- Who knows what else is buried...
- $223,000.
Okay, okay.
That's our number.
- What are you talking about?
- That's the number
we go back
to the board with, 223.
No, you're not hearing me.
That might just be
the tip of the iceberg.
- Well, you don't know that.
- Frank.
The receipts are gone.
They're in the bin
of a shredder, probably.
She could have misplaced them.
I mean, there's a very
real scenario here
where all the other expenses
are legit, right?
- Maybe, I don't know.
- Okay, Phil, Phil.
She's not some
criminal mastermind.
All right, Pam is our friend,
and she has made
a stupid mistake.
But what...
but what about
the state comptroller?
Hevesi could barge
into this office
at any given moment,
conduct an outside audit.
Has he ever done that once
in your 30 years of experience?
Exactly.
Just...
give me a number, and...
I'll take care of the board.
Okay, okay, everyone.
So, the, uh...
the sum total is $250,000.
- What?
- Jesus, are you kidding me?
- That woman has a set of balls on her.
- We can just...
- When I get my chance.
- You never will.
She's gonna be Nassau PD's
for the taking.
- And that shitbird son of hers.
- No, no, no, no, no.
- No, no, no, Bob.
- Okay, all right, let's do this right.
- Put the phone away, Bob.
- And why should he?
Because we will lose everything.
What do you mean, Frank?
Once word gets out about Pam,
we're inviting
"The Times," "Newsday,"
and every other paper
in the tri-state area
- to our front door.
- With all due respect,
screw the papers.
This is a very real crime here.
A theft of taxpayer money.
Judy, you've served
on the school board
for how long, seven years?
- Eight, proudly,
- Okay, and in eight years,
how many times
has our budget been passed
by taxpayers without incident?
- Eight.
- Right.
So what happens
when our next budget goes up
for approval in May?
The budget that
we've worked all year on.
The stimulus that
gets us the SkyWalk.
That gets us to first.
What happens?
I get what he's saying.
I mean, how's it going to look?
A school employee
is able to take
hundreds of thousands of dollars
from the coffer
without anyone noticing.
Why would we pump more money
into the school system?
Right, if a scandal
this seismic breaks,
I mean, our budget
is torpedoed, done.
We are right back to square one.
I don't know,
you can't pay the teachers.
Maybe they start migrating out.
Whoa, this can't affect
the colleges, huh?
I think we'd have to expect
that admissions
at top-tier schools
would view us
under a radically
different lens, yeah.
No, wait, what, what,
why would they ever?
If they smell trouble,
then they...
I don't know, they might decide
to lay off Roslyn kids for a while.
"Yeses" can become
"nos" overnight.
I've-I've heard of that
happening before.
I have.
So anyway, let's just...
let's tease this out, okay?
We don't perform,
we go down in the rankings.
And then our sister schools nose
us out of the top ten, top hundred.
Syosset and Jericho,
those sons of bitches.
And that's when
we start seeing
property values
adversely affected.
He's right.
Of course he is.
As far as real estate,
especially Long Island,
a town is only as good as its...
Public school system.
After everything
we've worked for, huh?
Years that it's taken to,
to, to get this far.
These are our kids
we're talking about.
I can think of one other option.
Frank.
Everything's gonna be okay, Pam.
We're, we're gonna get you
home to your family real soon.
We're good, close the door.
The board is very aware
of how hard you worked
for the schools,
for Roslyn, for their kids.
They know what an asset
you've been, and, um...
that is why they see this
for-for what it is.
A lapse in judgment.
And in light of that,
they're opting
not to press charges
or involve the police.
Thank you, thank you.
All of you.
So you'll make full
restitution to the school
at the sum of $250,000.
250, full...
Full restitution, of course.
I'll, I'll make it happen.
And then you'll finish out
the work week
and resign quietly.
Wait.
- What?
- Okay.
Tomorrow morning,
you'll surrender
your administrators license
to the board
and you'll sign
an NDA committing...
Frank, Frank, I don't...
I don't understand what's happening.
I don't understand this.
Why are you...
You stole from the schools, Pam.
From, from the taxpayers.
From, from the kids
we're supposed to serve.
I mean, this...
kind of behavior goes beyond
the bounds of immoral.
It, it's, it's cruel, it's...
It's heinous.
It's, it's sociopathic, even.
Sociopathic, what?
The shameless self-interest.
The, the, the unstable personality.
The parade
of rotten marriages, it...
Frank.
Look, you need help, Pam.
Real medical help.
You're a sick woman.
We're concerned about you, Pam.
Um...
I am...
I'm a sick woman.
I'm...
I'm ashamed of my actions.
I'm ashamed of myself. I'm...
There's no excuse for it.
Well, the sociopathy.
- Yeah, Bob, the...
- Yeah.
Okay.
We'll make all the arrangements
first thing tomorrow morning.
Yeah, of course.
Good night, all.
Well, that went better
than I thought.
You saved our ass, Frank.
- Oh, God, yeah.
- Thank you.
Yeah.
What the hell was that?
I... can you hear me?
Frank?
Okay.
I'm just, I'm just trying to...
I'm trying to wrap
my head around this.
Hey.
I wasn't sure
you were gonna call.
Is everything okay?
Yeah, sorry, I, um...
just wanted to hear your voice.
- Where is he?
- Pam.
- Where is he?
- Pam, just...
- Just sit down for a second.
- No, I wanna talk to Jimmy.
- Where is he?
- Just sit down for a little bit.
Is he in this room?
No, he's in his bedroom, isn't he?
- Just...
- Don't touch me.
- Don't touch me!
- All right!
Hey, Ma.
Hi, Ma?
Hi, Ma?
- Hey, Aunt Pam!
- Get outta my house, Jimmy!
- Pam!
- I don't want you here anymore.
- Get the hell out!
- Pam.
- I don't wanna see your face anymore.
- Pam, stop it.
- Stop it, you don't mean it.
- Hey, what's going on?
You don't mean it.
She doesn't mean it, Jim.
- She doesn't mean one word of it.
What's going on?
Your mother lost her job today.
Yeah, not my job, Howard.
My career.
I don't get it, can't you
just get a different job
at another school?
They're taking my license.
Mom, what did you do?
I took money from them.
Yeah, I stole.
We all did.
Okay, look, just go back
to your rooms, please.
- Yeah.
- Please let me talk to your mother.
Your car, your clothes.
This house, the other houses.
- What are you talking about?
- You didn't want state school.
You wanted private college.
I wanted you
to be happy with me.
Pam, Pam, listen.
It's okay.
We'll get you a job down
at the dealership, okay?
Yeah, yeah, they're looking for
a new girl at the front desk.
- Like a secretary?
- No, no.
Not, not as...
Not like a secretary.
You'll find something.
I'm just saying...
- I have degrees.
- I know.
I went to school for years
to get degrees.
I drove the bus.
I did the steno pool.
- I did everything I had to.
- Listen to me, Pam.
- Listen to me.
- I'm gonna be sick.
You are the smartest woman
I have ever known.
We're gonna get through this
and you're gonna
land on your feet, you will.
Come here.
- Howard.
- I know.
- Howard.
- I know.
I know.
Hi, Mrs. Gluckin.
Uh, I was just wondering.
Could I get the key
to the basement again?
I just want to look up
a few more things.
What's this for, Rachel?
Just for some stuff
I wanted to verify.
I can answer your questions.
Uh, okay, well...
I did the math,
and it looks like the SkyWalk
is gonna end up costing
around eight million dollars.
- Seven-five, sure.
- Right.
It just seems like
a lot of our resources
to be spending on cosmetics.
Cosmetics?
People love the SkyWalk.
"The Beacon" loves the SkyWalk.
There was that nice poll
you guys did.
Right.
But the ceilings at the
high school are still leaking.
I mean, some of the classrooms
had to get shut down.
Sounds like you
should bring that up
with your student government.
There was also the pizza oven.
- What?
- I saw a line item
in the expense reports
for a pizza oven.
But then I asked Paula
in the cafeteria
and she said she knew
nothing about it.
Just stop it.
I am sorry to be the one
to tell you this,
but no one is keeping
anything from you, okay?
On the contrary,
we come in here every day
at the crack of dawn
because we care.
We care about providing you
with a proper quality education
because we're good people.
Because we want you
to have a good life.
Okay?
Okay.
Okay.
The individual purchase orders
are still public record, though.
Here you go.
- Thank you.
- Mm-hmm.
Oh, and Rachel.
You were right about
that pizza oven.
It didn't go to the high school
because we bought it
for the middle school.
Yeah, they have pizza
for days down there.
Go get yourself a slice.
Morning.
- Hi.
- Oh, hey, Rachel.
Dr. Tassone, Pam Gluckin's
in a bit of a state.
Yeah, I have a very
busy morning.
Just tell her I can't.
Good morning.
Frank, Frank, Frank!
Fra...
I'm sorry, Dr. Tassone's
very busy this morning.
Get out of my way, Mary Ann.
- Pam, Pam.
- Please.
You know what?
It's fine.
Everything's fine.
My exit interview for him.
- Hey.
- Hey, Dr. Tassone.
Uh, Mary Ann said
you wanted to see me?
Yes, yes.
Uh, take a seat.
Just close the door
behind you there.
So, I think maybe
it is time that we talked
about your value
in this workplace.
I, uh...
- This isn't...
- No, rest assured,
we all want you to succeed here.
Which is...
Which is why we would like
to transition you
to our special utilities
department.
Oh.
Sir, um...
you know, I just thought I was
a really good fit up here.
Oh, yeah, no, no, no.
We're just doing some shuffling
and we could really use
an extra hand down there.
Okay?
What about Pam's old job?
You know, I thought maybe, uh,
you know, like a manager,
maybe I could be...
Maybe I could be right for that.
Yeah, well, actually,
Philip Metzger's
gonna be stepping in as
the interim business manager.
- Phil the auditor?
- Yeah, yeah.
I mean, until we can find a more
permanent replacement for Pam.
But...
we're pretty excited about him.
I think that I should, uh...
think, um...
I know what you all did to Pam.
And I could,
you know, I could...
maybe tell people.
- Sorry, hold on a second.
- I'm so sorry to interrupt.
I just noticed that necklace
you have on.
How it really
complements your eyes.
- Thank you.
- It's, uh,
yeah, that's,
that's new, isn't it?
I don't think I've seen you
wearing it around before.
Yeah, I thought so.
Yeah. I've got...
I got sort of an eye for
these things, I don't know.
So, um, what do you think?
Is that... is that a Macy's
purchase or are we talking
Lord & Taylor collection?
Special utilities, you said?
Yeah, I think so.
Okay, thanks, Jen.
Mary Ann, can I get a cup
of that new coffee in here?
Oh, Rocco, you're so annoying.
Get out of the way.
Go.
- Mom!
- This is she.
No.
Wait, what?
Yeah, thank you.
Please don't call here again.
- Who was that?
- That was a student.
They want to donate
the fashion show proceeds
to help pay for
my medical expenses.
- But you're not sick.
- Don't eat that.
We're returning them.
Pam, what the hell is going on?
Okay, uh...
first off, we want
to take a moment
to acknowledge Pamela Gluckin.
Uh, our hearts go out to her
and her entire family
and we wish her a safe
and speedy recovery, yeah.
Okay, all right, now.
Onto the fun stuff.
Look at these numbers, folks.
These are the best
early decision numbers
that we've ever seen.
Yeah.
Give yourselves
a round of applause.
I'll have a blue
Christmas
Without you
I'll be so blue
Just thinking about you
Decorations of red
On a green Christmas tree
Won't be the same, dear
If you're not here with me
And when those blue
Snowflakes start falling
That's when those blue
Memories start falling
You'll be doing all right
With your
Christmas of white
But I'll
Have a blue
Seven.
Blue, blue, blue Christmas
Six.
Five.
Hey, Rachel, um,
where's the article
on the
Cancer Benefit Fashion Show?
I'll get that to you tomorrow.
But we go to print tomorrow.
Okay, I'll have it tonight.
Look, if you wanna be
a part of the paper,
you gotta be a part
of the paper.
Look, I'm gonna be late.
Rachel. Rachel!
- Shit.
- Oh, my God.
- Sorry, shit.
- Seriously?
What is this?
It's just a personal project.
None of your business.
Look, I'm sorry
for being a hard-ass.
I know you're going through
a lot at home.
What's that supposed to mean?
You know, just everything
with your dad.
Yeah, what about him?
I mean, the parents
talk to each other.
I know that some shit
happened at work.
You don't know anything.
Ow.
Fuck, Rachel.
Rach?
- Dinner.
- Okay.
What's all this?
Uh, research.
These are invoices
from the school district.
The school district invoiced
over a million dollars
in lab equipment?
And that's just one supplier.
You thought about
calling this company?
Oh, God, I'm gonna
miss my flight.
Not if you stay another day.
You know I can't do that.
You could get a job here.
There are schools
in Clark County.
Sure, but good ones?
Was Roslyn any good before you?
Hi, is this Champion Products
in Uniondale?
- Yes, it is.
- Hi, my name is Rachel.
I was just hoping to ask you
about a series of charges.
Okay, yes, yes. Thank you
for verifying, Felice.
You've been a huge help.
- Yeah.
- Thank you, bye-bye.
That's right.
Yeah, I can hold.
Bellmore Fine Auto,
this is Howard.
Uh, I'm sorry.
Bellmore Fine Auto?
I had this number listed
as an H.G. Consulting.
Hi.
What's the matter?
Oh, nothing,
I'm just, just tired.
I'll take those invoices.
Next up is WordPower Tech.
Now, they billed
the school district $800,000
but no one has any idea
who they are.
And they're consistent.
They've billed every year
for the past ten.
Yeah, the company's registered
to Thomas Tuggiero
with an address in Manhattan.
I tried calling but the number
is disconnected.
We're gonna leave that one
a question mark for right now
because the next one I've got
is Porto Office Supplies.
Now, I can't find any...
What, did you forget your key?
Oh.
Hello.
Can I help you with something?
Is this...
Uh, I'm...
I'm canvassing.
For who?
Oh, um, it's...
I'm, I have the wrong apartment.
You're back.
I'm back.
Hey, thanks.
Hey, what's for dinner?
Salmon.
What's the matter?
Oh, it's just work.
Sorry.
The salmon's a little dry.
It's great.
I can tell when you're lying.
A little dry, maybe.
The couscous, though,
is a small masterpiece.
Oh, well, thank you very much.
How was Omaha?
Mm, dull.
Dull as all hell.
So...
So I'm sitting there sandwiched
between Doug and Joe
and there's no A/C
in the conference center
so you can imagine
the smell while they...
- Oh, God.
- Talked for hours
about STEM programs
and state aid.
It was, oh, yeah.
- It was, it was a riot.
- Oh, sounds like a nightmare.
Maybe I'll come along next time.
As a buffer.
I would never
subject you to that.
Okay, you have documents
to back this up?
Years' worth of supposed
payments to vendors
and confirmation
they were never received.
Some of these companies,
they don't even exist.
Well, no, you don't know that.
I mean, you know
that for sure, right?
WordPower Tech.
They've billed the district
almost a million dollars
and no one knows anything.
- Because it isn't anything.
- Okay.
It is a private apartment
on the upper East Side.
- Yes, but that doesn't...
- And our superintendent
- has the key.
- necessarily mean that it's fake.
Come on, Nick,
you know what this is.
If he hasn't reported this,
it's fraud.
He's writing my college
recommendation letter.
Fuck, fuck, god damn it.
What are we even
talking about right now?
Are you sure?
Are you sure, sure, sure
you actually wanna do this?
Mind if I join you?
Don't ever let a doctor find out
you have high
cholesterol, Rachel.
They'll make you do
the most horrible things.
So.
About yesterday.
Yeah, uh...
- That was...
- What were you doing there?
I'm not upset.
But it is very important
that you be honest.
I was following up
on the listed address
for a school contractor.
Why were you doing that?
It's public record.
Anyone could take the time...
I didn't ask you
if it was public record.
I... I just asked you why.
It's for something I'm writing.
I think you have real potential.
- Dr. Tassone...
- No, I'm serious.
I, I read all your bylines.
You've come such a long way
since past September.
Your confidence,
strength of ability.
- Thank you.
- No, you have a tremendous
future ahead of you,
Rachel, you do.
But...
You're still young, too.
Which is why
you need to know,
and I mean this,
if you go public...
with something you
don't fully understand,
it'll, it'll come back
on you hard.
I don't know, I...
I guess it's our fault, mainly.
We try to create
a safe environment
for students to...
challenge, take risks,
make mistakes, grow.
But this mistake,
if you make it,
we will not
be able to protect you.
Not me, not your teachers.
Because it'll change everything.
And a lot of innocent people
will get hurt.
Right?
I mean, these kinds of inquiries
are, are... are like
setting off a grenade.
There's fallout in the pursuit.
In the frenzy.
There's collateral damage.
Right...
You must know all about that.
It's not perfect, but it works.
What we have here works.
I hope we can keep it that way.
- All right, let's get into it.
- Uh, Rachel.
Hey, Rachel.
Rachel, are you still with us?
Yeah, yeah, I'm here.
- Sorry.
- All right.
Question number four,
what is the symbol
for potassium?
Anybody?
Yeah.
Hey, Frank.
I've been doing some more
digging over the past week.
I'm... concerned...
with what I found.
Okay, come in.
Look, now we don't
have receipts,
but some of these vendors,
they're...
this Pam thing isn't
a question of $250,000
like we'd initially thought.
Well, okay, uh,
do you have any sense
of what the number might be?
I mean, are we talking 500?
Are we talking a million?
I mean, Phil, work with me.
I can't do anything but just...
I don't know, I don't know.
You don't... okay, fine.
So...
figure it out, all right?
Work your numbers magic
and then,
let's the two of us deal
with it from there, okay?
Thanks, Phil.
Well, there's something else.
Yeah, yeah.
A flight to London, Heathrow,
over winter break...
- billed to...
- Yeah, that's me.
That flight was for me,
for the Pell Conference.
You knew about the Pell.
First class, Concorde jet.
We, well, yeah.
I mean, look.
I don't book the flights.
That's always been Jenny's job.
- But look, even if I had...
- The charge is for two seats.
Two seats side by side in first.
It's $5,000 each way per ticket.
It's $20,000.
Yeah, well, that sounds
like a mistake.
You know, I called the airline.
Who's Kyle Contreras?
Wow.
Wow.
Okay, okay.
So that's how you wanna play it.
What, no.
I'm not playing...
I mean, the audacity.
Coming from the man
who spent six months
falsifying our records
to mask his own negligence
of fiduciary duty to the school.
Wait a second, that's not what,
that's not what's going on.
No, no?
Pam didn't
have to happen, right?
You could have prevented that.
You're the auditor.
The people here
pay you for what?
So you can go off
and do your community theater
instead of taking care of
our school's books?
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Oh, I can
point fingers too, Phil.
Right, but I think we both agree
that that wouldn't be a very
productive use of our time.
- But...
- Phil.
Are you gonna do your job,
or do I have to call Hevesi
in here himself
to come and do it for you?
Because I will call him
right now.
I will deal with it.
I'm sorry that I brought it up.
I shouldn't have.
Yeah, damn right
you shouldn't have.
You won't hear about it again.
Good.
Get out of here.
Hey, Dad, can I
ask you something?
And you don't have to answer
if you don't want to.
Yeah, you can ask me anything.
Um...
I mean, I know what you had
said at, at the time,
when, um,
all that stuff was happening.
The insider trading.
Did you really not know?
Are you asking me
if I was a part of it?
No, I wasn't.
Not at any point in time,
I promise you.
But, uh...
You gotta understand,
those were guys
that I had come up with
my entire career.
Guys whose kids you and Neil
played with on the weekends.
Guys with families.
They were good people.
And it was all gonna
even out in the long run.
So who cares?
I didn't say anything.
I could have.
But I didn't.
And that's something
I live with.
Morning.
Morning.
Bob...
you had me serve
as the public face
of this district, an image
that reflects prosperity.
Okay, I know it might look bad
all laid out like that
but try and see this
from my point of view.
This is me doing the job
I was hired for.
A wrinkled suit.
Yeah, okay, that's one thing.
This is something else entirely.
No, no, no,
my employment contract
has a clause that allows me
full discretion
on all charges
necessary and proper
- to the discharge of my duties.
- I know that.
I wrote your
employment contract.
The key word there was
"discretion."
- Bob, you're not hearing me.
- I'm hearing fine.
You spent $30,000
on dry cleaning.
Over a number of years,
yes, I did,
and I will pay it all back.
Right, but I did it for
the good of the school.
No, you just...
You wanted to look pretty.
Come on, Frank.
It's practically,
it's an open secret
nowadays with the way
you're carrying on.
The flashy suits, the cologne.
The shit that you're
doing to your face.
They laugh at you.
You were my guy.
I brought you in.
I defended you.
Now, I'm compromised now.
We all are.
Because of, of...
What did you people do to us?
Okay, okay.
So we were at dinner
however many years ago.
Uh, it was nowhere fancy.
It was...
a pizza place on Bell Boulevard.
Two Greek salads
and a fountain drink.
And I fucked up, I used
the wrong card by accident.
It's for $20.
And I said, I'd even it
all out on Monday.
I'd reimburse the school
out of pocket.
Whatever we had to do, you know.
Monday came and went.
Nobody said anything.
Nobody, nobody cared.
On Tuesday,
it was a 60 cent bagel.
Bob, if...
if I wanted the money...
I would have gone
to Wall Street.
I'd be living in a big house
in the country estates
like you, but...
I wanted to make a difference.
Right?
I did, we did, look.
We're number four.
I got us all the way
to number four.
Right, and I did it on
a glorified teacher's salary
while you and everyone else
made millions
off the district.
I got us to number four,
and I will get us to number one.
The board, we convened
an emergency session.
We're gonna
make a public statement
to the town about the way
we handled Pam in November.
What?
Come on, no.
- No, yes, that's how it has to be.
- No, no.
Not now, no.
Not until the budget vote
goes through.
It's a few days away.
Bob, it's...
Bob.
I can still get Becca
into Harvard.
I hope you find peace, Frank.
Why are we
hearing about this...
Please...
from our children
and not from you?
We know you're...
Where the hell's our money?
We know you're upset.
We know you're angry.
But we cannot...
We simply cannot afford
to hold
our school's budget hostage
to place a filibuster
on your children's education.
This is collusion
at the highest level.
We demand resignations.
This is not productive.
No, no, no, no, I understand
where this is coming from.
But I will answer
each of your questions.
First, please just let me
read this statement
that I prepared.
You all should be in prison!
Enough!
Mary Ann,
what the hell's going on?
Mary Ann?
Hevesi called this morning.
Frank, you said
he would never call.
Frank.
Hi, Dr. Tassone.
Oh, we're so glad
we could catch you.
Uh, Ms. Schweitzer, uh, Carol,
now's really not the best time.
Please, please, we just need
one minute of your attention.
Chad has something that he would
really like to share with you.
All right, please, why don't
you just take a moment,
all right, and hear him out.
Of course.
Of course I will.
- Yeah?
- Okay.
Good afternoon, Dr. Tassone.
How was your weekend?
Good, I hope.
I'd like to talk to you today
about the OMNI program
that you are running.
Wait, I thought we already discussed
the subject of OMNI last fall.
Oh, yeah, no, Militzok
gave him the make-up test
but she made it harder
to spite him.
And no third grader
could pass that test.
All right, well, I guess I'll
just have to look into it.
Chad, why don't you just
finish reading for Dr. Tassone?
- Okay.
- Uh-huh.
I very much hope that
you will still consider me
for this amazing program.
I believe I am very bright
and could benefit
from learning
thusly at an ack...
- Ack...
- Okay, sound that out.
- Acc...
- Acc...
- Accelerated?
- Mm-hmm, that's right.
Dr. Tassone.
You hear what Dr. Tassone said?
Okay, all right, start again from
the beginning of the paragraph.
Good afternoon, Dr. Tassone.
How was your weekend?
-Good, I hope.
-Oh, no, no, let's, let's skip
to that trouble sentence
there, Chad.
That's okay.
All right, yeah, take your time.
From...
I believe I am very bright
and could benefit
from learning thusly
at an ack...
- Accelerated.
- "Ackselated"?
Accelerated.
- "Arrelicated"?
- Ac-celerated.
Okay.
Do you like race cars, Chad?
Yeah?
Okay.
Let's say you're in a racecar.
All right, here,
you don't need that.
You're in a racecar.
First place at the Indy 500
with, with all the sponsorships
in the world.
The wind is in your hair
and you're feeling just great,
and all of a sudden,
you feel this thing behind you
digging into your fender,
and you look
into the mirror, right.
And there's this hook.
There's a hook in your fender
dug in real good,
and it's connected to a...
A long metal rope
and at the end of that rope
is, well, it's a massive
five-ton cinder block.
Okay, Chad?
All right?
So your job is driving.
You're Dale Earnhardt
and here's this cinder block,
and all the other cars
are soaring past you and
you've gone from
first to last place
and you keep thinking
to yourself, "What the hell
do I have to do to
get this thing off my back?"
Well, I'll tell you, Chad.
It's real simple.
You just put your foot
on the gas real hard
and you accelerate,
you accelerate so fast
that rope snaps in two,
the cinder block explodes,
and just say it with me, Chad.
Accelerate.
Accelerate. Accelerate.
- Accelerate?
- Yes.
- Okay.
- Yes.
What, what
is your problem, huh?
My problem?
My problem is you.
Carol, it's, it's,
it's the people who
who trot their poor children out
like racehorses at Belmont.
- Excuse me?
- Who derive some perverse joy
out of treating us like
low-level service reps.
- Okay...
- I mean, do you remember
the teachers who sat with you,
who held you by the hand,
- who taught you to add.
- No.
And subtract,
or showed you Gatsby,
Salinger for the first time.
"Mockingbird," even.
Do, do their names escape you?
- Are their faces a blur?
- Okay.
No, you listen to me!
You don't wanna see us as people
because that is not
convenient for you.
You just
leave us behind at will.
Never think about us again.
All right, you might forget,
but we don't.
We never forget, ever.
What's wrong with him?
You know what, I don't know.
I don't think anything's wrong.
We're gonna get some food
and we're gonna go home, okay?
- Mm-hmm.
- All right.
You should be ashamed
of yourself.
Two beach front homes
in Florida and the Hamptons.
Five Yamaha Jet-Skis.
Luxury cars.
Vacations to Brazil,
Puerto Rico, Hawaii.
Electronics,
jewelry and artwork.
- Dog food.
- Is my lawyer here yet?
You're going away
for a long time, Pam.
And not just you. We've got enough
here to indict the whole family.
- Don't you talk about them.
- And poor Jim especially.
Just gettin' back
on his feet and all.
You have any idea what
the job market looks like
these days for ex-cons?
You know...
it may not be too late
for you to save them.
Save your son.
What are you doing here?
I wanted to see you.
You don't have work?
I quit.
- When?
- Today.
I just...
just got on a plane
and now I'm here.
And I... I'm not leaving again.
We are one
We are one
We are one
Lordy don't leave me
All by myself
Lordy don't leave me
All by myself
Lordy don't leave me
All by myself
Dance.
- Dance with me, Frank.
- No, no.
A little move.
A little move, come on.
Come on.
Please.
There we go.
Drink down, drink down.
I'm a force of heaven
Okay.
What?
I'm a force of heaven
Lordy don't leave me
All by myself
- Shake it up, shake it.
- No.
Lordy don't leave me
All by myself
Come on!
Lordy don't leave me
All by myself
Just a little.
What about this?
Down, down
With the ground
Lordy don't leave me
All by myself
Lordy don't leave me
All by myself
They don't need to watch.
Lordy don't leave me
All by myself
Whoa, in this world
Whoa, in this world
Hey.
Hey.
There's $30,000 in the
top drawer of the dresser.
- What?
- Okay, if you're careful,
you can make it last a year.
- What are you talking about?
- What you've got in you
is so special that you
can't ever, ever let anyone
take it away from you
or exploit it.
What the hell...
You really, you really...
- is happening right now?
- You don't want me here.
You're under arrest
for a warrant
out of the state of New York.
Please step out of the car.
Frank, what the hell
is happening right now?
Sir, I need your hands
on the dash.
Frank, what the hell
is happening right now?
You don't know me.
- Frank!
- Okay, I'm no good.
Hands on the dash now!
- All this time I've been lying to you
and everyone else.
I'm a liar.
Now!
- Put your hands on the dash now.
Do what... Frank,
do what they say, now.
- Get out of the car.
- I'm sorry.
- No, no, no.
- Out of the car.
Frank!
- No, sir, stand back, sir, stop.
- Frank!
He's not doing anything.
Leave him alone.
Frank, Frank!
Frank, Frank, Frank!
We printed,
uh, pamphlets for
the school district.
Handbooks and such.
- We?
- Uh, me.
WordPower was just me.
No partners.
I only ask because it looks like
half your corporation's earnings
were transferred over
to one Francis A. Tassone.
You can't make me.
No, you, you can't...
make me testify
against my spouse.
Spouse?
We're domestic partners.
We've been together 33 years.
We're entitled
to federal protections.
Are you legally wed?
You know something?
Everybody we spoke to
said Tassone
did talk about a spouse, a wife.
But that she'd been dead
for some time.
Thirty-odd years or something.
You remember that, uh,
bridal photo he had on his desk.
- We ever get a name on her?
- Stop it.
Stop what?
I mean, you must
have seen it, too.
I'm sure you were over
by his office all the time
what with that $800,000 job
you were doing for the school.
Okay.
Um...
let's try another avenue.
Were you aware...
that your partner...
closed on a property in Nevada
earlier this year
with another man?
He's a dancer.
A terrible thing
happened here.
And it's not just the money.
It's about trust in our schools.
The integrity
of our institutions.
I don't know how we ever
recover from this.
It was never the same between
the parents and teachers.
They treated us differently
after that.
Like we knew.
Like we had any idea at all.
Of course we wish we would have
found out about this earlier.
You know,
when things are going well,
who wants to go huntin'
for problems?
He went out of his way.
If we ever needed
anything from him
he was there with a smile.
So we were all happy.
So we didn't ask questions.
So you have this,
this liar and his boyfriend
trotting around in the city
in God knows what.
He just pulled the wool
over our eyes.
You know, what can I say?
It's sick, it is.
You think back over
the smaller moments,
over the years
where he just seemed...
I don't know, he just
seemed so real.
So real.
Oh, thanks.
- No, I know.
- I know you do.
The outgoing seniors.
They're going to the Ivy League
in unprecedented numbers.
It was the first year on record
that we had admission offers
from each school
going up!
And what changed?
What makes our
little public school
so different from all the others
like ours on Long Island?
Let alone
in the country at large.
At the end of the day,
I think it boils down
to integrity.
Integrity in our faculty,
in our classrooms
and curriculum,
and our approach
to a broad-minded,
hands-on education.
That's all the stuff
that gets thrown around
all the time, sure.
But never in my career
have I seen such passion
for all these factors.
And then, paired with
the willingness to think big.
You know why you're here.
You know what this means
for our town.
But I'm gonna tell you
about one man who's a hero
without whom none of this
would be possible.
You don't get
to number one overnight.
It takes years of hard work.
And this is really a man
who knows what it means
to work together.
Before Frank Tassone...
There was no community service.
There was no public outreach.
There was no SkyWalk.
This is a man who has given
the school so much.
Magnificent.
- Congratulations.
- Ladies and gentlemen,
please join me
in welcoming the man
who whipped
our kids' schools into shape
and got us all the way
to number one!
You did it, Frank.
Number one,
number one, number one!
I know you think that
I shouldn't still love you
Or tell you that
But if I didn't say it
Well I'd still have felt it
Where's the sense in that?
I promise I'm not trying
To make your life harder
Or return to where we were
But I will go down
with this ship
And I won't put my hands up
And surrender
There will be no white flag
Above my door
I'm in love
And always will be
I know I left
too much mess and
Destruction to
come back again
And I caused nothing
but trouble
I understand if you
Can't talk to me again
And if you live
by the rules
Of it's over
Then I'm sure
that that makes sense
But I will go down
with this ship
And I won't put my hands up
And surrender
There will be no white flag
Above my door
I'm in love
And always will be
And when we meet
Which I'm sure we will
All that was there
Will be there still
I'll let it pass
And hold my tongue
And you will think
That I've moved on
I will go down
with this ship
And I won't put my hands up
And surrender
There will be no white flag
Above my door
I'm in love
And always will be
I will go down
with this ship
And I won't put my hands up
And surrender
There will be no white flag
Above my door
I'm in love
And always will be
I will go down
with this ship
And I won't put my hands up
And surrender
There will be no white flag
Above my door
I'm in love
And always will be
Well, thank you,
thank you all,
parents and town
advocates alike,
for joining us on
this very special evening.
We're here tonight to kick off
our most ambitious
school year yet.
We've run the numbers,
and folks,
there's no simpler way
for me to put it.
Our children
are getting smarter.
Harvard, two.
Dartmouth, two.
Yale, three.
U Penn, seven.
Thank you.
And my fellow trustees
who wait all year long
ranking the top
public schools in America
based on SATs and college
acceptance rates.
And Roslyn is four...
And now, I'd like to bring out
the man responsible.
- Congratulations.
- Thank you.
In his ten years here,
he's revamped
our education system.
From pre-K all the way
to high school.
Please join me in welcoming
to the stage
our district superintendent
and my friend,
Frank Tassone.
Good morning.
Hey there, good morning.
Go Bulldogs.
Have we heard about
Mr. Kopple?
- Wife had twins.
- Twins!
- Late last night.
- Nice. Send over flowers
and maybe an edible arrangement.
Can we, can we get
these things out of here?
- Oh, they're nice for morale.
- Yeah, it'd be even nicer
if they were shaped like ones.
- You know, Dr. Tassone...
- Hey.
A wise woman once said
it's not having what you want.
- It's wanting what you got.
- Mrs. Gluckin.
I barely recognize you anymore
what with the new name,
new office, new job title.
The same pay, same paperwork.
July and August
are all settled up.
- Expenses booked and archived.
- Perfect.
And something else I wanted
to talk to you about...
Safety gates
are all taken care of.
I'm meeting with City Hall
later today to go over strategy.
Jeez, someone's
had their coffee.
- Yeah.
- Uh, Dr. Tassone?
- Yeah.
- Uh, did you want your flight
to the Vegas conference Friday
out of JFK or Newark?
Thanks, J.
Whatever's cheaper works fine.
And, uh, Mary Ann,
is there any way
you'd be able to grab
my diet smoothie?
- I was running late.
- Oh, sure.
- Uh, but there's one more thing.
Uh-huh.
Carol Schweitzer's
been camped up
in the conference room
since 6:30.
Says it's urgent
she speaks with you.
Okay, okay. Um...
- Chad.
- Chad, Chad Schweitzer's...
okay, I'll take care of it.
- Thanks.
- Good luck.
Stop it.
Do us all a favor.
If he's not out of there
in an hour, call 911.
And I am banging down doors
until somebody here
takes me seriously.
All right?
That Militzok,
she plays favorites, okay?
She wouldn't even let him
take a bathroom break
during the test, and he has
a hyperactive bladder.
Chad, honey, tell him how you...
you know what, I have a note
here from his doctor, okay?
Ms. Schweitzer,
just, just calm down.
- Let's, let's just...
- No one will listen to me.
All right, I don't know
what else I'm supposed to do.
Chad, he is just as gifted
as everyone else in his year.
- Absolutely.
- And...
I'm scared, Dr. Tassone,
because if he
doesn't get into OMNI...
and he starts to think
of himself as less than...
No, no, no, no, no, no, no.
No, I will talk
to Ms. Militzok.
I will straighten
this whole thing out.
- You will?
- Yes.
And, and we'll just set
a make-up test for Chad.
All right, with ample
bathroom time.
Thank you, Dr. Tassone.
I can't tell you how much
I appreciate that.
There's no need to thank me,
all right?
Chad's a smart kid with
the world ahead of him,
and it's our job
to give him the runway.
Thank you.
It's funny.
You know, Chad,
when I was your age,
I didn't even place
into fast track math.
- Really?
- No.
I couldn't nail my times tables.
And at the time,
I thought my world was ending.
But I caught up.
You know what?
Now I set the math curriculum.
Can I help you with something?
Oh, no, it's okay.
I'm just here
for Mrs. Cremona.
- Or Gluckin.
- Ooh, she's not here,
but I'm more than happy
to answer any questions if...
- Really? That would...
- Mm-hmm, yeah.
I don't wanna bother you
if you're busy, but...
No, come on in, bother me.
I'm doing spreadsheets.
Come, come in.
Take a seat.
Uh...
I don't think we've
had a chance to meet.
- It's Rachel.
- Rachel, right.
Neil's little sister.
Yeah.
Wow, good memory.
I hope he's keeping out of
trouble over at Northwestern.
Yeah, he loves it.
He's doing bio-chem.
Ah, well, they have
great journalism there, too.
Yes, they do.
Um...
okay, so they just, they
want me to write an article
about the SkyWalk proposal
in the new budget.
And I just need a pull quote
from administration.
Yeah, oh, okay.
A sound bite, nice.
Um...
We've been asking high schoolers
how we can make
their day easier,
so we came up with this idea,
the SkyWalk.
Um, a bridge, to link the
school from end to end.
And um, it's a
huge undertaking for us.
And we can't wait
to break ground
once the plans
are approved next May.
Great, that's all I need.
Thank you so much.
That's it?
No, no follow-ups?
No, it's just a puff piece.
They save the real
stories for seniors.
Rachel.
It's only a puff piece
if you let it be a puff piece.
Oh, uh...
That's what they'll tell you
over at Northwestern.
All right?
A real journalist
can turn any assignment
into a story.
Are you busy? Just a couple of
colleagues want to convey thanks.
Rachel Bhargava, staff writer
for the "Hilltop Beacon."
Uh, this is Bob Spicer,
school board president.
- Hi. Oh, you're, uh...
- Hey.
You're in my daughter,
Becca's year, right?
- Mm-hmm.
- Say hi to your dad for me.
Nice to meet you, Rachel.
And if you want to
follow up, just set a time
with Mary Ann, okay?
And, uh, I'll be keeping
an eye out for your byline.
The demand is insane.
It's skyrocketing.
We're seeing three bedrooms go
for over a million in Roslyn Heights.
Yeah, you just don't
see those kinds of numbers
in Syosset or Jericho.
Right, but those towns are
a further commute from the city.
Not Manhasset, not Great Neck.
It's the public schools.
The better the school system,
the higher the price tag
on the homes, period.
Our firm has sold nine
separate lots in that area
since the report in
that journal came out.
And, uh,
here's a little something
- you know, from all of us.
- Okay.
Oh, wow.
Really, that's, oh, wow.
- Keep up the good work.
- Well, thanks, everyone.
- Dr. Tassone?
- Oh, yeah.
- Do you mind if we get a little...
- Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- Something for my office.
- Great.
- I really appreciate you...
- Scoot in, scoot in, Will.
- Coming in today.
- Mm-hmm.
Thank you, okay.
- Okay, thank you.
- Okay.
- All right?
- Yeah, let's let him...
- Let him get back to work.
- Thank you.
- No, I really appreciate it.
- Yeah.
- Thank you so much.
- Thank you.
Okay.
I can't eat these.
Just, if you put them out
for everybody to pick at,
that'd be great.
They were out of the flax seed.
That's okay, that's okay.
Thanks.
How much do you
figure a guy like Bob
makes at his regular job?
- Bob Spicer, you mean?
- Mm-hmm.
Oh...
high sixes a year, minimum.
Maybe seven figures
in this market.
- Why?
- Oh, forget it.
You look tired.
You might wanna go home early,
get some rest.
I gotta run Dickens.
Maybe I'll try and bow out and
get a headstart and early
prep for Vegas this weekend.
- I wouldn't bail on book club.
- Why?
Those women adore you,
and each one talks
to two dozen more.
The next budget vote's
only nine months away.
- Right, our SkyWalk.
- Yeah, the SkyWalk is big.
Gets us to first.
That's all that matters.
This new diet is kicking my ass.
What is that, even?
It's got charcoal in it
or something like that.
Yeah, coal.
I would kill somebody
for a carb right now.
I don't know
where you could find one.
You are such a bitch.
Oh, would you like a bite?
- I hate pastrami on rye.
- You want a bite.
- I hate pastrami on rye.
- Yeah, I know you hate it.
Open up.
- Fucking so good.
- Right?
Come on, you can eat more.
You got... come on,
one more bite.
- I will kill you.
- I won't tell anyone.
I'm not gonna tell anyone.
You're a growing boy.
Come on.
Eat the fuckin' sandwich.
Let's get started.
Should we get started, everyone?
Uh, what do we all think
of "Martin Chuzzlewit"?
Okay.
Um...
You know, Frank, the culture
is not for everyone.
Eh, I thought we
wound up having a
really good
discussion, ultimately.
Um...
Frank, can I ask you
a personal question?
Sure.
It's just that...
Jonah's...
you know, having a really
hard time with the separation.
Yeah.
You know, Ms. Schlacter,
uh, told me that he's opened up
a little bit in Banana Splits?
- Right, yeah, oh, my God.
- Yeah.
- Thank you for getting him in.
- No, of course.
It has been
so hard on us, and...
- Yeah.
- You have been...
such a tremendous help.
Oh, Sharon, of course.
Anytime, anytime.
Yeah, and...
Um...
- Frank, I'm sorry.
- No, no, no, no, no.
You want what's best
for your son.
That's nothing to be ashamed of.
Uh, no, it makes you strong.
It's, um...
I...
you know, I think
at the end of the day,
her memory is still very fresh.
Ay-yi-yi-yi-yi.
Somehow, I'm not surprised.
Jenny screwed up
some paperwork earlier.
I'm saving her ass.
Jenny's got a good aunt.
How did Dickens go?
Well, it was Sharon Katz's
place this week.
And...
- I knew it.
- I, I think maybe
I shouldn't have offered
to wash up.
That poor woman.
She's nowhere near your type.
She's not, she's not.
- Jamieson.
- Uh, Honors English.
- Loves Nietzsche.
- Very good.
- Yep.
- Uh, DiGennaro?
Oh, DiGennaro.
Uh...
Social studies,
- ninth grade global hist...
- Ah!
- Oh, American history.
- Uh-huh.
Uh, coaches Little League, too.
- Mm-hmm.
- Yes.
Well, these are too easy.
Oh, here's a toughie.
Uh-huh.
Todhunter.
Oh, shit.
Todhunter, Todhunter...
Mr. Todhunter.
How's that bowling league
shaping up this season?
Oh, uh, we're ahead.
But we've got our big match
against Jericho on Sunday.
Jericho, mm.
I think you'll crush them.
Thank you for putting this on.
-This is so nice.
-Oh, of course. My pleasure.
- Oh, Frank!
- The least I could do.
- Yeah, excuse me.
- Hey, Frank.
- Hey.
- So, um...
hey, are you getting
pumped for Vegas?
'Cause, uh,
I got my bags packed.
- I'm ready to go.
- Yeah.
It'll be good to get away
from the wife
for a few days too, huh?
- Right?
- Right.
A few days, yeah.
You want to know how many bids
we got from contractors?
Mm-hmm, for
the SkyWalk construction.
You explored several options,
right?
- I think we had four or five.
- Okay.
From which firms, exactly?
Hang-hang on a sec.
What's this article
you're supposed to be writing?
Oh, it's a piece on the SkyWalk.
And the student paper
wanted a deep dive
into construction specs?
They're giving me free reign,
more or less.
I guess I'm just looking
for an interesting way in.
- Oh, okay, Ruth.
- Rachel.
Rachel, so let me give you
a great angle for your story.
- Okay.
- You wanna write this down
- or are you...
- I'm taping.
Oh.
Okay.
The SkyWalk is a great project.
It'll be the first SkyWalk
on all of Long Island,
and yet one more reason
Roslyn schools
put Jericho and Syosset
to shame.
And it'll look great
and make all our lives easier.
Thank you, the end.
Good night and good luck.
What else can I help you with?
Do you have the bids handy?
Or are they not on you?
No, they're not on me.
They're locked in the basement,
lost in the annals of history.
Well, I have next period free.
- Do you?
- Mm-hmm.
All right.
Good luck finding 'em.
Do you need somethin'?
Just a couple of photocopies.
Okay.
- So you're a sophomore?
- Junior.
My son Jake is actually in the
second grade over at Bellmore.
You know, not too far from here.
- South Shore, you know.
- Mm.
Oh, it's an old building.
We get leaks every so often.
It usually stops after,
like, a minute.
We need a hard eight here.
We need boxcars.
We need boxcars,
Lenny, we need boxcars.
I know what
you're all thinking.
At first glance, these numbers
might seem prohibitive
but I'm here to tell you
that with some vision,
they can dovetail
quite amicably.
As we can see,
the added benefits
to such a program
are remunerative.
I'd love for you to see
what we're doing out there
- if you're ever on Long Island.
- Yeah, I think,
I think we're on the East Coast
in November, December.
- So I'll...
- Well, we're there.
- Good, good, good, good.
- Okay.
And listen, stop by and have
a drink before you leave.
- All right?
- That was terrific.
- Thank you.
- Take care.
Great.
All right.
What can I get ya?
Uh, just a club soda with lime.
And can I see
your food menu, please?
And...
Kyle.
Kyle Contreras.
Plandome High
maybe 15 years ago, right?
Yeah, I used to
teach English there.
Dr. Tassone.
Frank.
Frank.
I would think that
you would forget
about us the minute
we got out of there.
Oh, no,
you'd be surprised.
I mean, some things
I wish I could forget.
Yeah.
You know somethin'
I wish I could forget?
Would be Lippman's hair piece.
Do you remember
that thing that...
- With the, with
the double swoop?
Oh, my God, Lippman's
hair piece, Christ.
So, what do you, what do you...
Are you teaching English
at the new place?
No, I'm, I'm administrative now.
Like a principal?
No, like
superintendent of schools.
Look at that.
You love saying that.
You love that.
Superintendent of schools.
- With the head, too.
- I've done it for 12 years.
I mean, look, it's great.
It does have its trade-offs,
like anything.
I really miss being back
in the classroom
sometimes with my students,
you know.
How about you?
You, um, you still writing?
Short stories, science fiction,
right?
I remember you used
to carry around
that beat-up copy
of "Dune" everywhere.
Yeah, I mostly
just wrote that stuff
to get out of your book reports.
No, come on, come on.
There was that really good one
about the, um,
about the alien colony.
I talked about it in your rec
for Stony Brook, right?
Yeah, yeah, for Stony Brook.
Sorry, I, um...
I burnt out at Stony Brook.
After a few years, I...
moved out here.
Um...
I was dancing
up until very recently.
Dancing?
Thank you.
So does your wife come
with you on these things, or...
- Oh, um...
- Is she back in New York?
No, no, no, my wife passed away.
Oh.
- I'm sorry.
- No, no, it's...
it's fine.
It was a long time ago.
Um, it was before
I had you, even.
Hm.
How's the food?
Shit.
You wanna try somewhere else?
I thought you were here
for two days.
Uh, just for the weekend, yeah.
A lot of suits for a weekend.
Well, you never know
what might come up these...
Right.
That was always your thing,
wasn't it?
Even when you were
an English teacher,
you were always
the guy in the suits.
What's wrong with a suit?
I don't know, it's just...
it's a little sad.
Just a little sad.
I think they put some bottles
in the, uh...
in the bar fridge,
I'm not sure why.
You're allowed to make
eye contact, Frank.
Hey.
No, I'm not.
Right.
Dad!
I got dinner.
Anything happen today?
I spoke to the
assistant superintendent.
For an article.
The woman who runs
all the business.
Hm.
Wonder if they're looking to
hire anybody in development.
You're overqualified.
Late night, Ms. Gluckin?
Jesus, Eddie,
you scared the shit out of me.
Got any fun plans
for the weekend?
Yeah, no, all I want is
to spend some quiet time
at home with my kids.
- You know.
- All right.
Have a good time.
- See you next week.
- Yeah, good night, Eddie.
- Sorry about scare...
- That's all right.
He's...
Okay, first of all,
they're too small.
Oh, girls, have you met
my niece, Jenny Aquila?
She's working with me over
at Roslyn, district clerk.
- Oh.
- Isn't this place beautiful?
- I mean...
- So gorgeous.
Howard must be making out like
a bandit with those Chevys.
He's been consulting
a little on the side.
I'm proud of him.
We're planning a big remodel
once the season's through, actually.
Oh, wow.
Who's your contractor?
- Ma, help!
- Jim Boy's gonna do it.
Big goose down.
I can't... Ah!
Are you sure Jimmy's ready
to take on a project this size?
Yeah, it'll be good for him.
Get his mind going
on somethin' new.
- Aunt Pam.
- Yeah?
Uh, can I talk to you
inside just for a sec?
Sure.
All right, Jen.
What's going on?
Uh, honestly...
I feel bad even
bringing it up, but, um...
- Jake's birthday is comin' up.
- Oh!
And he's been asking for
the Sony PlayStation.
- Video game system.
- Yeah.
And how all his friends have it
and how he feels left out.
- Aw.
- You know, um,
money's been tight,
and I was just thinking since
Howard's been doin'
so well and all...
I'd pay you back
as soon as I'm able.
Just put it on the card.
Amber, sweetie, do you mind
giving your cousin Jenny
and me a minute?
Thank you.
But I was wondering if maybe
you could just lend me
the money from your personal...
Don't worry about it.
It'll all be reconciled
at the end of the month.
I've been doing this
a long time.
It's, it's just,
he wants that PlayStation
so much, you know?
Just put the receipt on my desk
first thing Monday morning
and don't give it
another thought.
Now if you'll excuse me,
I have to play host.
I don't get this.
What is this?
It's the SkyWalk piece
you wanted.
No, this is two pages
of contractor bids,
building materials,
and zoning ordinances
in brutal detail.
Yeah, it's journalism.
Our readers are 15.
You realize we have to submit
every issue to Bressler
before we go to print.
And Dr. Tassone,
and Pam Cremona.
Pam Gluckin.
It's Gluckin now.
Look, we're not
the "New York Times," right?
We're an extracurricular.
We are a club
designed to get us all
into good colleges.
We have a certain finesse to the
way we approach stories here.
A je ne sais quoi, if you will.
But don't worry, though.
You're gonna get the hang of it.
Sir.
Could I ask, uh,
how many of our stores
have you visited today?
Uh...
a couple.
The ones in Farmingdale
and Islip
didn't have what
I was looking for.
I mean, you know,
we actually offer
free ship-to service for
our high-value customers.
You think I'm high-value?
I mean, reasonably, yeah.
So where's this stuff going?
- Oh, shit.
- Yeah, no, no.
- I'll get him.
No, he's right here. Motherfucking shit.
No, he's... no worries.
Honey, come on,
you know how they feel
- about the phones on the course.
- It's Larry, for you.
- My cousin.
- Larry, for me?
- Mm.
- What?
Okay, just tell him
I'll call him after 18.
He says it's about the school.
Larry from...
the mattress firm?
No, he's over
at Ace Hardware now.
So this kid, he gives
my guy a home address.
In Westhampton.
Full 50 miles outside of Roslyn.
And it's a home address.
You know?
So I say to myself, I say,
"What's a Roslyn
school's contractor
"doing buying supplies
all the way out
in Selden for, anyway?"
No, we wouldn't, we wouldn't.
We get our materials
wholesale, anyway.
We, we put out bids.
Tool chest, shower heads.
That's home improvement.
- That's not school stuff.
- That's right, right.
- It doesn't add up, Bob.
- Who is this James McCarden
and why does he have
a Roslyn expense card?
I don't know.
I don't even know a McCarden.
There is no McCarden at Roslyn.
Oh, hang on, honey,
wasn't Pam Cremona
or Gluckin or whatever she is,
wasn't her first husband
a McCarden?
Come on.
No way.
Pam Gluckin, of all people?
She's gonna have a house
on Dune Road?
- What should we say?
- No, there's nothing to say.
- The receipts say everything.
- Yeah, okay.
- But we need to...
- Okay, she's right behind you.
Hi, Pam.
And, uh, I want to thank you all
for volunteering time
out of your day
to speak with me.
I would just
love to hear from each
of you what you hope
to achieve in the sixth grade.
Yeah, let's start
with you, Heather.
I wanna get all A's and become
a cardiothoracic surgeon
like my mom.
Great, uh,
but just for the purposes
of today...
if you could just...
- Come.
- What?
- Quick.
- Uh...
One second.
Okay, I'll be back.
We're vulnerable here.
She stole $30,000
in taxpayer money
and that's just between
the Ace Hardware.
Who knows who else
got an expense card?
I'm telling you,
it's our moral responsibility
to report this to the town.
We have to.
No, this is a criminal matter.
We've got to call the police,
the FBI.
Okay, that was
our legal counsel.
They do recommend we report.
Great, okay, well then,
that settles it.
I'm gonna call the mayor.
Frank, you wanna be
on that call?
Um...
I'm sorry, I'm sorry.
Go get him,
get him a glass of water.
I should have caught this.
I should have checked.
Pam's been here
longer than I have.
I didn't even think.
No, no, no, no, Frank.
It's... it's not your fault.
She built up a decade's worth
of trust with all of us.
We were asleep at the wheel.
Thank you.
But before we go any further,
we need to,
we need to know
what we're dealing with.
I have Phil in my office
getting a firm number.
Phil, our auditor?
The man should be fired.
He's the one person who should
have caught wind of this.
- Prick.
- Okay.
We can't jump the gun here.
Not when there's this much
at stake, all right?
- Can we...
- Okay.
We'll give him an hour.
- That's... But then, after that...
- Right.
- We start making calls.
- Right.
How could Jim Boy
be so careless,
going around like that?
I'm pulling him off the
remodel, that's for sure.
Just gonna have to hire on
a real contractor.
- A professional.
- Yeah, Pam?
No, no, no.
Frank's gonna fix this.
He knows how important
I am to this school.
I'm the one who keeps
the lights on here, you know?
- He'll tell 'em.
- Do you think anybody
could ever find out
about the PlayStation?
No, I told you
I took care of that.
You have nothing
to worry about there.
That's good.
It's just, um...
I, uh...
I might have also done a little
early Christmas shopping
over the weekend, too.
See, I wasn't gonna mention
until after the holiday
because I bought you something,
and I didn't,
I didn't wanna spoil it.
I swear, I swear,
I was gonna reimburse it all.
How much?
Not much, you know.
Just like, um...
maybe...
$1,600 at Lord & Taylor and...
another 12 at Macy's.
Frank's gonna fix this.
Give me good news, Phil.
There's no way.
There's, there's no way.
There's check warrants
that are missing.
Purchase orders.
I took her word for it.
She would tell me one thing,
she'd say don't worry about it,
and I believed her like the
fucking idiot schmuck I am.
Oh, I never even think
to check up, to validate.
I'm gonna lose my job.
I'm gonna lose our firm.
- We're dead, they'll kill us.
- Hey, hey, no, no, no...
Nobody's killing anybody.
Phil, look me in the eye.
Look me in the eye.
You're running the show here.
Say it after me.
"I am running the show."
- I am running the show.
- Good.
Pull it together.
How much did
you find concretely?
Uh...
Two hundred twenty-three.
Concretely, but that's
just the obvious stuff.
- Who knows what else is buried...
- $223,000.
Okay, okay.
That's our number.
- What are you talking about?
- That's the number
we go back
to the board with, 223.
No, you're not hearing me.
That might just be
the tip of the iceberg.
- Well, you don't know that.
- Frank.
The receipts are gone.
They're in the bin
of a shredder, probably.
She could have misplaced them.
I mean, there's a very
real scenario here
where all the other expenses
are legit, right?
- Maybe, I don't know.
- Okay, Phil, Phil.
She's not some
criminal mastermind.
All right, Pam is our friend,
and she has made
a stupid mistake.
But what...
but what about
the state comptroller?
Hevesi could barge
into this office
at any given moment,
conduct an outside audit.
Has he ever done that once
in your 30 years of experience?
Exactly.
Just...
give me a number, and...
I'll take care of the board.
Okay, okay, everyone.
So, the, uh...
the sum total is $250,000.
- What?
- Jesus, are you kidding me?
- That woman has a set of balls on her.
- We can just...
- When I get my chance.
- You never will.
She's gonna be Nassau PD's
for the taking.
- And that shitbird son of hers.
- No, no, no, no, no.
- No, no, no, Bob.
- Okay, all right, let's do this right.
- Put the phone away, Bob.
- And why should he?
Because we will lose everything.
What do you mean, Frank?
Once word gets out about Pam,
we're inviting
"The Times," "Newsday,"
and every other paper
in the tri-state area
- to our front door.
- With all due respect,
screw the papers.
This is a very real crime here.
A theft of taxpayer money.
Judy, you've served
on the school board
for how long, seven years?
- Eight, proudly,
- Okay, and in eight years,
how many times
has our budget been passed
by taxpayers without incident?
- Eight.
- Right.
So what happens
when our next budget goes up
for approval in May?
The budget that
we've worked all year on.
The stimulus that
gets us the SkyWalk.
That gets us to first.
What happens?
I get what he's saying.
I mean, how's it going to look?
A school employee
is able to take
hundreds of thousands of dollars
from the coffer
without anyone noticing.
Why would we pump more money
into the school system?
Right, if a scandal
this seismic breaks,
I mean, our budget
is torpedoed, done.
We are right back to square one.
I don't know,
you can't pay the teachers.
Maybe they start migrating out.
Whoa, this can't affect
the colleges, huh?
I think we'd have to expect
that admissions
at top-tier schools
would view us
under a radically
different lens, yeah.
No, wait, what, what,
why would they ever?
If they smell trouble,
then they...
I don't know, they might decide
to lay off Roslyn kids for a while.
"Yeses" can become
"nos" overnight.
I've-I've heard of that
happening before.
I have.
So anyway, let's just...
let's tease this out, okay?
We don't perform,
we go down in the rankings.
And then our sister schools nose
us out of the top ten, top hundred.
Syosset and Jericho,
those sons of bitches.
And that's when
we start seeing
property values
adversely affected.
He's right.
Of course he is.
As far as real estate,
especially Long Island,
a town is only as good as its...
Public school system.
After everything
we've worked for, huh?
Years that it's taken to,
to, to get this far.
These are our kids
we're talking about.
I can think of one other option.
Frank.
Everything's gonna be okay, Pam.
We're, we're gonna get you
home to your family real soon.
We're good, close the door.
The board is very aware
of how hard you worked
for the schools,
for Roslyn, for their kids.
They know what an asset
you've been, and, um...
that is why they see this
for-for what it is.
A lapse in judgment.
And in light of that,
they're opting
not to press charges
or involve the police.
Thank you, thank you.
All of you.
So you'll make full
restitution to the school
at the sum of $250,000.
250, full...
Full restitution, of course.
I'll, I'll make it happen.
And then you'll finish out
the work week
and resign quietly.
Wait.
- What?
- Okay.
Tomorrow morning,
you'll surrender
your administrators license
to the board
and you'll sign
an NDA committing...
Frank, Frank, I don't...
I don't understand what's happening.
I don't understand this.
Why are you...
You stole from the schools, Pam.
From, from the taxpayers.
From, from the kids
we're supposed to serve.
I mean, this...
kind of behavior goes beyond
the bounds of immoral.
It, it's, it's cruel, it's...
It's heinous.
It's, it's sociopathic, even.
Sociopathic, what?
The shameless self-interest.
The, the, the unstable personality.
The parade
of rotten marriages, it...
Frank.
Look, you need help, Pam.
Real medical help.
You're a sick woman.
We're concerned about you, Pam.
Um...
I am...
I'm a sick woman.
I'm...
I'm ashamed of my actions.
I'm ashamed of myself. I'm...
There's no excuse for it.
Well, the sociopathy.
- Yeah, Bob, the...
- Yeah.
Okay.
We'll make all the arrangements
first thing tomorrow morning.
Yeah, of course.
Good night, all.
Well, that went better
than I thought.
You saved our ass, Frank.
- Oh, God, yeah.
- Thank you.
Yeah.
What the hell was that?
I... can you hear me?
Frank?
Okay.
I'm just, I'm just trying to...
I'm trying to wrap
my head around this.
Hey.
I wasn't sure
you were gonna call.
Is everything okay?
Yeah, sorry, I, um...
just wanted to hear your voice.
- Where is he?
- Pam.
- Where is he?
- Pam, just...
- Just sit down for a second.
- No, I wanna talk to Jimmy.
- Where is he?
- Just sit down for a little bit.
Is he in this room?
No, he's in his bedroom, isn't he?
- Just...
- Don't touch me.
- Don't touch me!
- All right!
Hey, Ma.
Hi, Ma?
Hi, Ma?
- Hey, Aunt Pam!
- Get outta my house, Jimmy!
- Pam!
- I don't want you here anymore.
- Get the hell out!
- Pam.
- I don't wanna see your face anymore.
- Pam, stop it.
- Stop it, you don't mean it.
- Hey, what's going on?
You don't mean it.
She doesn't mean it, Jim.
- She doesn't mean one word of it.
What's going on?
Your mother lost her job today.
Yeah, not my job, Howard.
My career.
I don't get it, can't you
just get a different job
at another school?
They're taking my license.
Mom, what did you do?
I took money from them.
Yeah, I stole.
We all did.
Okay, look, just go back
to your rooms, please.
- Yeah.
- Please let me talk to your mother.
Your car, your clothes.
This house, the other houses.
- What are you talking about?
- You didn't want state school.
You wanted private college.
I wanted you
to be happy with me.
Pam, Pam, listen.
It's okay.
We'll get you a job down
at the dealership, okay?
Yeah, yeah, they're looking for
a new girl at the front desk.
- Like a secretary?
- No, no.
Not, not as...
Not like a secretary.
You'll find something.
I'm just saying...
- I have degrees.
- I know.
I went to school for years
to get degrees.
I drove the bus.
I did the steno pool.
- I did everything I had to.
- Listen to me, Pam.
- Listen to me.
- I'm gonna be sick.
You are the smartest woman
I have ever known.
We're gonna get through this
and you're gonna
land on your feet, you will.
Come here.
- Howard.
- I know.
- Howard.
- I know.
I know.
Hi, Mrs. Gluckin.
Uh, I was just wondering.
Could I get the key
to the basement again?
I just want to look up
a few more things.
What's this for, Rachel?
Just for some stuff
I wanted to verify.
I can answer your questions.
Uh, okay, well...
I did the math,
and it looks like the SkyWalk
is gonna end up costing
around eight million dollars.
- Seven-five, sure.
- Right.
It just seems like
a lot of our resources
to be spending on cosmetics.
Cosmetics?
People love the SkyWalk.
"The Beacon" loves the SkyWalk.
There was that nice poll
you guys did.
Right.
But the ceilings at the
high school are still leaking.
I mean, some of the classrooms
had to get shut down.
Sounds like you
should bring that up
with your student government.
There was also the pizza oven.
- What?
- I saw a line item
in the expense reports
for a pizza oven.
But then I asked Paula
in the cafeteria
and she said she knew
nothing about it.
Just stop it.
I am sorry to be the one
to tell you this,
but no one is keeping
anything from you, okay?
On the contrary,
we come in here every day
at the crack of dawn
because we care.
We care about providing you
with a proper quality education
because we're good people.
Because we want you
to have a good life.
Okay?
Okay.
Okay.
The individual purchase orders
are still public record, though.
Here you go.
- Thank you.
- Mm-hmm.
Oh, and Rachel.
You were right about
that pizza oven.
It didn't go to the high school
because we bought it
for the middle school.
Yeah, they have pizza
for days down there.
Go get yourself a slice.
Morning.
- Hi.
- Oh, hey, Rachel.
Dr. Tassone, Pam Gluckin's
in a bit of a state.
Yeah, I have a very
busy morning.
Just tell her I can't.
Good morning.
Frank, Frank, Frank!
Fra...
I'm sorry, Dr. Tassone's
very busy this morning.
Get out of my way, Mary Ann.
- Pam, Pam.
- Please.
You know what?
It's fine.
Everything's fine.
My exit interview for him.
- Hey.
- Hey, Dr. Tassone.
Uh, Mary Ann said
you wanted to see me?
Yes, yes.
Uh, take a seat.
Just close the door
behind you there.
So, I think maybe
it is time that we talked
about your value
in this workplace.
I, uh...
- This isn't...
- No, rest assured,
we all want you to succeed here.
Which is...
Which is why we would like
to transition you
to our special utilities
department.
Oh.
Sir, um...
you know, I just thought I was
a really good fit up here.
Oh, yeah, no, no, no.
We're just doing some shuffling
and we could really use
an extra hand down there.
Okay?
What about Pam's old job?
You know, I thought maybe, uh,
you know, like a manager,
maybe I could be...
Maybe I could be right for that.
Yeah, well, actually,
Philip Metzger's
gonna be stepping in as
the interim business manager.
- Phil the auditor?
- Yeah, yeah.
I mean, until we can find a more
permanent replacement for Pam.
But...
we're pretty excited about him.
I think that I should, uh...
think, um...
I know what you all did to Pam.
And I could,
you know, I could...
maybe tell people.
- Sorry, hold on a second.
- I'm so sorry to interrupt.
I just noticed that necklace
you have on.
How it really
complements your eyes.
- Thank you.
- It's, uh,
yeah, that's,
that's new, isn't it?
I don't think I've seen you
wearing it around before.
Yeah, I thought so.
Yeah. I've got...
I got sort of an eye for
these things, I don't know.
So, um, what do you think?
Is that... is that a Macy's
purchase or are we talking
Lord & Taylor collection?
Special utilities, you said?
Yeah, I think so.
Okay, thanks, Jen.
Mary Ann, can I get a cup
of that new coffee in here?
Oh, Rocco, you're so annoying.
Get out of the way.
Go.
- Mom!
- This is she.
No.
Wait, what?
Yeah, thank you.
Please don't call here again.
- Who was that?
- That was a student.
They want to donate
the fashion show proceeds
to help pay for
my medical expenses.
- But you're not sick.
- Don't eat that.
We're returning them.
Pam, what the hell is going on?
Okay, uh...
first off, we want
to take a moment
to acknowledge Pamela Gluckin.
Uh, our hearts go out to her
and her entire family
and we wish her a safe
and speedy recovery, yeah.
Okay, all right, now.
Onto the fun stuff.
Look at these numbers, folks.
These are the best
early decision numbers
that we've ever seen.
Yeah.
Give yourselves
a round of applause.
I'll have a blue
Christmas
Without you
I'll be so blue
Just thinking about you
Decorations of red
On a green Christmas tree
Won't be the same, dear
If you're not here with me
And when those blue
Snowflakes start falling
That's when those blue
Memories start falling
You'll be doing all right
With your
Christmas of white
But I'll
Have a blue
Seven.
Blue, blue, blue Christmas
Six.
Five.
Hey, Rachel, um,
where's the article
on the
Cancer Benefit Fashion Show?
I'll get that to you tomorrow.
But we go to print tomorrow.
Okay, I'll have it tonight.
Look, if you wanna be
a part of the paper,
you gotta be a part
of the paper.
Look, I'm gonna be late.
Rachel. Rachel!
- Shit.
- Oh, my God.
- Sorry, shit.
- Seriously?
What is this?
It's just a personal project.
None of your business.
Look, I'm sorry
for being a hard-ass.
I know you're going through
a lot at home.
What's that supposed to mean?
You know, just everything
with your dad.
Yeah, what about him?
I mean, the parents
talk to each other.
I know that some shit
happened at work.
You don't know anything.
Ow.
Fuck, Rachel.
Rach?
- Dinner.
- Okay.
What's all this?
Uh, research.
These are invoices
from the school district.
The school district invoiced
over a million dollars
in lab equipment?
And that's just one supplier.
You thought about
calling this company?
Oh, God, I'm gonna
miss my flight.
Not if you stay another day.
You know I can't do that.
You could get a job here.
There are schools
in Clark County.
Sure, but good ones?
Was Roslyn any good before you?
Hi, is this Champion Products
in Uniondale?
- Yes, it is.
- Hi, my name is Rachel.
I was just hoping to ask you
about a series of charges.
Okay, yes, yes. Thank you
for verifying, Felice.
You've been a huge help.
- Yeah.
- Thank you, bye-bye.
That's right.
Yeah, I can hold.
Bellmore Fine Auto,
this is Howard.
Uh, I'm sorry.
Bellmore Fine Auto?
I had this number listed
as an H.G. Consulting.
Hi.
What's the matter?
Oh, nothing,
I'm just, just tired.
I'll take those invoices.
Next up is WordPower Tech.
Now, they billed
the school district $800,000
but no one has any idea
who they are.
And they're consistent.
They've billed every year
for the past ten.
Yeah, the company's registered
to Thomas Tuggiero
with an address in Manhattan.
I tried calling but the number
is disconnected.
We're gonna leave that one
a question mark for right now
because the next one I've got
is Porto Office Supplies.
Now, I can't find any...
What, did you forget your key?
Oh.
Hello.
Can I help you with something?
Is this...
Uh, I'm...
I'm canvassing.
For who?
Oh, um, it's...
I'm, I have the wrong apartment.
You're back.
I'm back.
Hey, thanks.
Hey, what's for dinner?
Salmon.
What's the matter?
Oh, it's just work.
Sorry.
The salmon's a little dry.
It's great.
I can tell when you're lying.
A little dry, maybe.
The couscous, though,
is a small masterpiece.
Oh, well, thank you very much.
How was Omaha?
Mm, dull.
Dull as all hell.
So...
So I'm sitting there sandwiched
between Doug and Joe
and there's no A/C
in the conference center
so you can imagine
the smell while they...
- Oh, God.
- Talked for hours
about STEM programs
and state aid.
It was, oh, yeah.
- It was, it was a riot.
- Oh, sounds like a nightmare.
Maybe I'll come along next time.
As a buffer.
I would never
subject you to that.
Okay, you have documents
to back this up?
Years' worth of supposed
payments to vendors
and confirmation
they were never received.
Some of these companies,
they don't even exist.
Well, no, you don't know that.
I mean, you know
that for sure, right?
WordPower Tech.
They've billed the district
almost a million dollars
and no one knows anything.
- Because it isn't anything.
- Okay.
It is a private apartment
on the upper East Side.
- Yes, but that doesn't...
- And our superintendent
- has the key.
- necessarily mean that it's fake.
Come on, Nick,
you know what this is.
If he hasn't reported this,
it's fraud.
He's writing my college
recommendation letter.
Fuck, fuck, god damn it.
What are we even
talking about right now?
Are you sure?
Are you sure, sure, sure
you actually wanna do this?
Mind if I join you?
Don't ever let a doctor find out
you have high
cholesterol, Rachel.
They'll make you do
the most horrible things.
So.
About yesterday.
Yeah, uh...
- That was...
- What were you doing there?
I'm not upset.
But it is very important
that you be honest.
I was following up
on the listed address
for a school contractor.
Why were you doing that?
It's public record.
Anyone could take the time...
I didn't ask you
if it was public record.
I... I just asked you why.
It's for something I'm writing.
I think you have real potential.
- Dr. Tassone...
- No, I'm serious.
I, I read all your bylines.
You've come such a long way
since past September.
Your confidence,
strength of ability.
- Thank you.
- No, you have a tremendous
future ahead of you,
Rachel, you do.
But...
You're still young, too.
Which is why
you need to know,
and I mean this,
if you go public...
with something you
don't fully understand,
it'll, it'll come back
on you hard.
I don't know, I...
I guess it's our fault, mainly.
We try to create
a safe environment
for students to...
challenge, take risks,
make mistakes, grow.
But this mistake,
if you make it,
we will not
be able to protect you.
Not me, not your teachers.
Because it'll change everything.
And a lot of innocent people
will get hurt.
Right?
I mean, these kinds of inquiries
are, are... are like
setting off a grenade.
There's fallout in the pursuit.
In the frenzy.
There's collateral damage.
Right...
You must know all about that.
It's not perfect, but it works.
What we have here works.
I hope we can keep it that way.
- All right, let's get into it.
- Uh, Rachel.
Hey, Rachel.
Rachel, are you still with us?
Yeah, yeah, I'm here.
- Sorry.
- All right.
Question number four,
what is the symbol
for potassium?
Anybody?
Yeah.
Hey, Frank.
I've been doing some more
digging over the past week.
I'm... concerned...
with what I found.
Okay, come in.
Look, now we don't
have receipts,
but some of these vendors,
they're...
this Pam thing isn't
a question of $250,000
like we'd initially thought.
Well, okay, uh,
do you have any sense
of what the number might be?
I mean, are we talking 500?
Are we talking a million?
I mean, Phil, work with me.
I can't do anything but just...
I don't know, I don't know.
You don't... okay, fine.
So...
figure it out, all right?
Work your numbers magic
and then,
let's the two of us deal
with it from there, okay?
Thanks, Phil.
Well, there's something else.
Yeah, yeah.
A flight to London, Heathrow,
over winter break...
- billed to...
- Yeah, that's me.
That flight was for me,
for the Pell Conference.
You knew about the Pell.
First class, Concorde jet.
We, well, yeah.
I mean, look.
I don't book the flights.
That's always been Jenny's job.
- But look, even if I had...
- The charge is for two seats.
Two seats side by side in first.
It's $5,000 each way per ticket.
It's $20,000.
Yeah, well, that sounds
like a mistake.
You know, I called the airline.
Who's Kyle Contreras?
Wow.
Wow.
Okay, okay.
So that's how you wanna play it.
What, no.
I'm not playing...
I mean, the audacity.
Coming from the man
who spent six months
falsifying our records
to mask his own negligence
of fiduciary duty to the school.
Wait a second, that's not what,
that's not what's going on.
No, no?
Pam didn't
have to happen, right?
You could have prevented that.
You're the auditor.
The people here
pay you for what?
So you can go off
and do your community theater
instead of taking care of
our school's books?
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Oh, I can
point fingers too, Phil.
Right, but I think we both agree
that that wouldn't be a very
productive use of our time.
- But...
- Phil.
Are you gonna do your job,
or do I have to call Hevesi
in here himself
to come and do it for you?
Because I will call him
right now.
I will deal with it.
I'm sorry that I brought it up.
I shouldn't have.
Yeah, damn right
you shouldn't have.
You won't hear about it again.
Good.
Get out of here.
Hey, Dad, can I
ask you something?
And you don't have to answer
if you don't want to.
Yeah, you can ask me anything.
Um...
I mean, I know what you had
said at, at the time,
when, um,
all that stuff was happening.
The insider trading.
Did you really not know?
Are you asking me
if I was a part of it?
No, I wasn't.
Not at any point in time,
I promise you.
But, uh...
You gotta understand,
those were guys
that I had come up with
my entire career.
Guys whose kids you and Neil
played with on the weekends.
Guys with families.
They were good people.
And it was all gonna
even out in the long run.
So who cares?
I didn't say anything.
I could have.
But I didn't.
And that's something
I live with.
Morning.
Morning.
Bob...
you had me serve
as the public face
of this district, an image
that reflects prosperity.
Okay, I know it might look bad
all laid out like that
but try and see this
from my point of view.
This is me doing the job
I was hired for.
A wrinkled suit.
Yeah, okay, that's one thing.
This is something else entirely.
No, no, no,
my employment contract
has a clause that allows me
full discretion
on all charges
necessary and proper
- to the discharge of my duties.
- I know that.
I wrote your
employment contract.
The key word there was
"discretion."
- Bob, you're not hearing me.
- I'm hearing fine.
You spent $30,000
on dry cleaning.
Over a number of years,
yes, I did,
and I will pay it all back.
Right, but I did it for
the good of the school.
No, you just...
You wanted to look pretty.
Come on, Frank.
It's practically,
it's an open secret
nowadays with the way
you're carrying on.
The flashy suits, the cologne.
The shit that you're
doing to your face.
They laugh at you.
You were my guy.
I brought you in.
I defended you.
Now, I'm compromised now.
We all are.
Because of, of...
What did you people do to us?
Okay, okay.
So we were at dinner
however many years ago.
Uh, it was nowhere fancy.
It was...
a pizza place on Bell Boulevard.
Two Greek salads
and a fountain drink.
And I fucked up, I used
the wrong card by accident.
It's for $20.
And I said, I'd even it
all out on Monday.
I'd reimburse the school
out of pocket.
Whatever we had to do, you know.
Monday came and went.
Nobody said anything.
Nobody, nobody cared.
On Tuesday,
it was a 60 cent bagel.
Bob, if...
if I wanted the money...
I would have gone
to Wall Street.
I'd be living in a big house
in the country estates
like you, but...
I wanted to make a difference.
Right?
I did, we did, look.
We're number four.
I got us all the way
to number four.
Right, and I did it on
a glorified teacher's salary
while you and everyone else
made millions
off the district.
I got us to number four,
and I will get us to number one.
The board, we convened
an emergency session.
We're gonna
make a public statement
to the town about the way
we handled Pam in November.
What?
Come on, no.
- No, yes, that's how it has to be.
- No, no.
Not now, no.
Not until the budget vote
goes through.
It's a few days away.
Bob, it's...
Bob.
I can still get Becca
into Harvard.
I hope you find peace, Frank.
Why are we
hearing about this...
Please...
from our children
and not from you?
We know you're...
Where the hell's our money?
We know you're upset.
We know you're angry.
But we cannot...
We simply cannot afford
to hold
our school's budget hostage
to place a filibuster
on your children's education.
This is collusion
at the highest level.
We demand resignations.
This is not productive.
No, no, no, no, I understand
where this is coming from.
But I will answer
each of your questions.
First, please just let me
read this statement
that I prepared.
You all should be in prison!
Enough!
Mary Ann,
what the hell's going on?
Mary Ann?
Hevesi called this morning.
Frank, you said
he would never call.
Frank.
Hi, Dr. Tassone.
Oh, we're so glad
we could catch you.
Uh, Ms. Schweitzer, uh, Carol,
now's really not the best time.
Please, please, we just need
one minute of your attention.
Chad has something that he would
really like to share with you.
All right, please, why don't
you just take a moment,
all right, and hear him out.
Of course.
Of course I will.
- Yeah?
- Okay.
Good afternoon, Dr. Tassone.
How was your weekend?
Good, I hope.
I'd like to talk to you today
about the OMNI program
that you are running.
Wait, I thought we already discussed
the subject of OMNI last fall.
Oh, yeah, no, Militzok
gave him the make-up test
but she made it harder
to spite him.
And no third grader
could pass that test.
All right, well, I guess I'll
just have to look into it.
Chad, why don't you just
finish reading for Dr. Tassone?
- Okay.
- Uh-huh.
I very much hope that
you will still consider me
for this amazing program.
I believe I am very bright
and could benefit
from learning
thusly at an ack...
- Ack...
- Okay, sound that out.
- Acc...
- Acc...
- Accelerated?
- Mm-hmm, that's right.
Dr. Tassone.
You hear what Dr. Tassone said?
Okay, all right, start again from
the beginning of the paragraph.
Good afternoon, Dr. Tassone.
How was your weekend?
-Good, I hope.
-Oh, no, no, let's, let's skip
to that trouble sentence
there, Chad.
That's okay.
All right, yeah, take your time.
From...
I believe I am very bright
and could benefit
from learning thusly
at an ack...
- Accelerated.
- "Ackselated"?
Accelerated.
- "Arrelicated"?
- Ac-celerated.
Okay.
Do you like race cars, Chad?
Yeah?
Okay.
Let's say you're in a racecar.
All right, here,
you don't need that.
You're in a racecar.
First place at the Indy 500
with, with all the sponsorships
in the world.
The wind is in your hair
and you're feeling just great,
and all of a sudden,
you feel this thing behind you
digging into your fender,
and you look
into the mirror, right.
And there's this hook.
There's a hook in your fender
dug in real good,
and it's connected to a...
A long metal rope
and at the end of that rope
is, well, it's a massive
five-ton cinder block.
Okay, Chad?
All right?
So your job is driving.
You're Dale Earnhardt
and here's this cinder block,
and all the other cars
are soaring past you and
you've gone from
first to last place
and you keep thinking
to yourself, "What the hell
do I have to do to
get this thing off my back?"
Well, I'll tell you, Chad.
It's real simple.
You just put your foot
on the gas real hard
and you accelerate,
you accelerate so fast
that rope snaps in two,
the cinder block explodes,
and just say it with me, Chad.
Accelerate.
Accelerate. Accelerate.
- Accelerate?
- Yes.
- Okay.
- Yes.
What, what
is your problem, huh?
My problem?
My problem is you.
Carol, it's, it's,
it's the people who
who trot their poor children out
like racehorses at Belmont.
- Excuse me?
- Who derive some perverse joy
out of treating us like
low-level service reps.
- Okay...
- I mean, do you remember
the teachers who sat with you,
who held you by the hand,
- who taught you to add.
- No.
And subtract,
or showed you Gatsby,
Salinger for the first time.
"Mockingbird," even.
Do, do their names escape you?
- Are their faces a blur?
- Okay.
No, you listen to me!
You don't wanna see us as people
because that is not
convenient for you.
You just
leave us behind at will.
Never think about us again.
All right, you might forget,
but we don't.
We never forget, ever.
What's wrong with him?
You know what, I don't know.
I don't think anything's wrong.
We're gonna get some food
and we're gonna go home, okay?
- Mm-hmm.
- All right.
You should be ashamed
of yourself.
Two beach front homes
in Florida and the Hamptons.
Five Yamaha Jet-Skis.
Luxury cars.
Vacations to Brazil,
Puerto Rico, Hawaii.
Electronics,
jewelry and artwork.
- Dog food.
- Is my lawyer here yet?
You're going away
for a long time, Pam.
And not just you. We've got enough
here to indict the whole family.
- Don't you talk about them.
- And poor Jim especially.
Just gettin' back
on his feet and all.
You have any idea what
the job market looks like
these days for ex-cons?
You know...
it may not be too late
for you to save them.
Save your son.
What are you doing here?
I wanted to see you.
You don't have work?
I quit.
- When?
- Today.
I just...
just got on a plane
and now I'm here.
And I... I'm not leaving again.
We are one
We are one
We are one
Lordy don't leave me
All by myself
Lordy don't leave me
All by myself
Lordy don't leave me
All by myself
Dance.
- Dance with me, Frank.
- No, no.
A little move.
A little move, come on.
Come on.
Please.
There we go.
Drink down, drink down.
I'm a force of heaven
Okay.
What?
I'm a force of heaven
Lordy don't leave me
All by myself
- Shake it up, shake it.
- No.
Lordy don't leave me
All by myself
Come on!
Lordy don't leave me
All by myself
Just a little.
What about this?
Down, down
With the ground
Lordy don't leave me
All by myself
Lordy don't leave me
All by myself
They don't need to watch.
Lordy don't leave me
All by myself
Whoa, in this world
Whoa, in this world
Hey.
Hey.
There's $30,000 in the
top drawer of the dresser.
- What?
- Okay, if you're careful,
you can make it last a year.
- What are you talking about?
- What you've got in you
is so special that you
can't ever, ever let anyone
take it away from you
or exploit it.
What the hell...
You really, you really...
- is happening right now?
- You don't want me here.
You're under arrest
for a warrant
out of the state of New York.
Please step out of the car.
Frank, what the hell
is happening right now?
Sir, I need your hands
on the dash.
Frank, what the hell
is happening right now?
You don't know me.
- Frank!
- Okay, I'm no good.
Hands on the dash now!
- All this time I've been lying to you
and everyone else.
I'm a liar.
Now!
- Put your hands on the dash now.
Do what... Frank,
do what they say, now.
- Get out of the car.
- I'm sorry.
- No, no, no.
- Out of the car.
Frank!
- No, sir, stand back, sir, stop.
- Frank!
He's not doing anything.
Leave him alone.
Frank, Frank!
Frank, Frank, Frank!
We printed,
uh, pamphlets for
the school district.
Handbooks and such.
- We?
- Uh, me.
WordPower was just me.
No partners.
I only ask because it looks like
half your corporation's earnings
were transferred over
to one Francis A. Tassone.
You can't make me.
No, you, you can't...
make me testify
against my spouse.
Spouse?
We're domestic partners.
We've been together 33 years.
We're entitled
to federal protections.
Are you legally wed?
You know something?
Everybody we spoke to
said Tassone
did talk about a spouse, a wife.
But that she'd been dead
for some time.
Thirty-odd years or something.
You remember that, uh,
bridal photo he had on his desk.
- We ever get a name on her?
- Stop it.
Stop what?
I mean, you must
have seen it, too.
I'm sure you were over
by his office all the time
what with that $800,000 job
you were doing for the school.
Okay.
Um...
let's try another avenue.
Were you aware...
that your partner...
closed on a property in Nevada
earlier this year
with another man?
He's a dancer.
A terrible thing
happened here.
And it's not just the money.
It's about trust in our schools.
The integrity
of our institutions.
I don't know how we ever
recover from this.
It was never the same between
the parents and teachers.
They treated us differently
after that.
Like we knew.
Like we had any idea at all.
Of course we wish we would have
found out about this earlier.
You know,
when things are going well,
who wants to go huntin'
for problems?
He went out of his way.
If we ever needed
anything from him
he was there with a smile.
So we were all happy.
So we didn't ask questions.
So you have this,
this liar and his boyfriend
trotting around in the city
in God knows what.
He just pulled the wool
over our eyes.
You know, what can I say?
It's sick, it is.
You think back over
the smaller moments,
over the years
where he just seemed...
I don't know, he just
seemed so real.
So real.
Oh, thanks.
- No, I know.
- I know you do.
The outgoing seniors.
They're going to the Ivy League
in unprecedented numbers.
It was the first year on record
that we had admission offers
from each school
going up!
And what changed?
What makes our
little public school
so different from all the others
like ours on Long Island?
Let alone
in the country at large.
At the end of the day,
I think it boils down
to integrity.
Integrity in our faculty,
in our classrooms
and curriculum,
and our approach
to a broad-minded,
hands-on education.
That's all the stuff
that gets thrown around
all the time, sure.
But never in my career
have I seen such passion
for all these factors.
And then, paired with
the willingness to think big.
You know why you're here.
You know what this means
for our town.
But I'm gonna tell you
about one man who's a hero
without whom none of this
would be possible.
You don't get
to number one overnight.
It takes years of hard work.
And this is really a man
who knows what it means
to work together.
Before Frank Tassone...
There was no community service.
There was no public outreach.
There was no SkyWalk.
This is a man who has given
the school so much.
Magnificent.
- Congratulations.
- Ladies and gentlemen,
please join me
in welcoming the man
who whipped
our kids' schools into shape
and got us all the way
to number one!
You did it, Frank.
Number one,
number one, number one!
I know you think that
I shouldn't still love you
Or tell you that
But if I didn't say it
Well I'd still have felt it
Where's the sense in that?
I promise I'm not trying
To make your life harder
Or return to where we were
But I will go down
with this ship
And I won't put my hands up
And surrender
There will be no white flag
Above my door
I'm in love
And always will be
I know I left
too much mess and
Destruction to
come back again
And I caused nothing
but trouble
I understand if you
Can't talk to me again
And if you live
by the rules
Of it's over
Then I'm sure
that that makes sense
But I will go down
with this ship
And I won't put my hands up
And surrender
There will be no white flag
Above my door
I'm in love
And always will be
And when we meet
Which I'm sure we will
All that was there
Will be there still
I'll let it pass
And hold my tongue
And you will think
That I've moved on
I will go down
with this ship
And I won't put my hands up
And surrender
There will be no white flag
Above my door
I'm in love
And always will be
I will go down
with this ship
And I won't put my hands up
And surrender
There will be no white flag
Above my door
I'm in love
And always will be
I will go down
with this ship
And I won't put my hands up
And surrender
There will be no white flag
Above my door
I'm in love
And always will be