Newark schools must reimburse $33,000 in state aid for staff “Fun Day.”

The Newark Board of Education on Tuesday approved the return of more than $33,000 in state aid spent last June on a “fun day” for district employees and their children at a catering facility in a wooded area, after auditors of the Ministry of Education had concluded that the event did not meet standards of public spending.

“While the Fun Day activities promoted camaraderie, they did not meet the specific educational or organizational goals required of publicly funded events,” Jamar Purnsley, director of the department’s Office of Accountability and Compliance, wrote in a letter dated Oct. 25 to Newark Superintendent Roger León.

The June 1 event, officially titled “Central Office Staff Fun Day,” was held at the Forest Lodge in Warren Township, about 24 miles from Newark. Activities that day included basketball and volleyball games, egg toss competitions, a corn hole tournament, a scavenger hunt, a limbo competition, a trivia competition and a hula hoop competition. There was also a social media photo booth, cartoonists and a 10-minute opening speech from León.

Purnsley’s letter states that in attempting to justify the expense of the event, the district “claimed that the Fun Day event was intended to promote team building and reinforce a positive organizational culture consistent with the broader goals.” of the district to improve the climate.”

However, the accountability office said the fun day had little to no academic value and that the activities were led by Forest Lodge staff and not district officials or teachers.

“The activities held during Fun Day were largely recreational and focused on leisure, competition and entertainment,” the letter said. “There was no apparent involvement of district leadership in leading, overseeing or structuring the team building sessions in a way that linked them to the district’s goals.”

Ultimately, the state found that the event’s expenses violated state statutes NJAC 6A:23A-5.8(e)2, which governs fiscal accountability, efficiency, and budgeting, and NJSA 18A:11-12(a), which governs travel and excursions were planned.

Purnsley ordered the district to reimburse $33,649 of the Fun Day’s total cost of $43,813.

The reimbursement amounts to 76% of the event’s cost, a percentage that officials said is based on the portion of the county’s $1.5 billion 2024-25 budget funded by state aid. The state contributed $1.25 billion, or 83%, to Newark’s budget, although the district’s total spending and total state aid figures include $400 million allocated exclusively to the state’s publicly funded but independently operated charter schools Dedicated to Newark.

Although several wealthier school districts across New Jersey have had their state aid cut for 2024-25, Newark officials noted when passing the district budget in March that the $101 million in additional aid provided by Gov. Phil Murphy would make this happen were the first year in which the district received the full amount due under New Jersey’s education funding formula.

Purnsley’s letter last month also directed county officials to review and discuss the state’s findings during a public board meeting and approve a corrective action plan that addresses the issues cited by the state – leading to a discussion Tuesday night and unanimous approval of a resolution to refund money and initiate a corrective action plan.

The district also had the opportunity to appeal the state’s findings. However, León and the district’s attorney, General Counsel Brenda Liss, advised board members not to appeal, and they ultimately followed that advice.

Board member Crystal Williams questioned León and Liss about the matter, asking how the district could be charged with multiple violations, why the event lacked a sufficient professional development component and where the $33,000 in restitution money would come from.

“We need to make sure something like this doesn’t happen again,” Williams said.

County Business Administrator Valerie Wilson told Williams that the state had not yet requested payment and suggested it be deducted from future relief payments to the county.

At one point, Veraliz Santana, co-vice president of the board, asked, “Wait, so does this mean there won’t be a Fun Day in the future?”

But León hinted that there would be more fun to come and that the state had merely provided “guidance” on how to hold the event in the future.

Liss assured board members that agreeing to refund the money and implement a corrective action plan did not constitute an admission of wrongdoing.

“We are not asking the Board of Education to admit any violation,” Liss told members.

After the meeting, Board Chairman Hasani Council defended the value of Fun Day as a morale booster that would help retain valued employees. He also dismissed criticism of the event earlier this year that prompted the state to look into it.

“We will probably need to add some things depending on what was given back to us,” the council said. But he added: “Firstly, it wasn’t a party, it was a process of appreciation. And number two, this district has been underfunded for several years, and no one has complained that we were underfunded during those years.”