In New York, where work rules stipulate that school custodians be paid up to $80,000 a year, one janitor relaxed on his 34-foot cabin cruiser on school time, another ran a real estate law practice, and others paid off personal loans and bills by hiring "ghost workers" and pocketing the balance of the salary. The same rules require that they only have to wash school windows, walls and furniture once a year and mop school buildings three times.

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