(05/22/08) FARMINDALE ? A capacity crowd attended state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo?s public hearing Thursday about school double-dipping.

Double-dipping, a practice many critics say is widespread on Long Island, is the term used to describe school officials who retire from one district with a pension, then take a job at another district at full salary.

Cuomo has launched an investigation into the practice and heard suggestions from a panel of experts at SUNY Farmingdale. One of those experts is Suffolk District Attorney Thomas Spota, who wants tougher laws in place to curb what he calls ?outrageous abuse.?

Some critics believe the state Department of Education may actually be contributing to the double-dipping problem. Those critics say the DOE has issued hundreds of waivers that allow school officials to double dip.Moments after Cuomo opened the public hearing, the state education commissioner announced he would suspend applications for those waivers for 60 days. Some lawmakers say that?s not enough and are calling for reform.

New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo