Newark schools refund state aid for Fun Day

💲 Event used government educational aid

💲Department of Education investigation demands refund

💲Superintendent Roger Leon called it a learning experience

NEWARK — The multibillion-dollar school district in New Jersey’s largest city will reimburse the state for money it spent on a “fun day” for Board of Education staff and administrators.

The June 1 event for 275 adults and 140 children at the Forest Lodge in Warren Township cost $43,813, according to the state Department of Education’s Office of Fiscal Accountability and Compliance. The district received $33,000 in state aid.

The district justified the cost by saying it supported the district’s strategic plan for the next ten years. In June, district officials told New Jersey 101.5 that the event served a “valuable purpose” of promoting employee wellness, fitness and morale.

According to OFAC, the district paid for a DJ, four inflatable carnival booths, a police officer and a rescue team on standby. There was an egg toss contest, a corn hole tournament, a scavenger hunt, a limbo contest, a hula hoop contest and relay races. Photos from the event also included volleyball, basketball and a climbing wall.

“The activities held during Fun Day were largely recreational and focused on leisure, competition and entertainment. No educational lectures, training seminars, or other follow-up discussions were conducted to evaluate or reflect on the results of team-building exercises,” OFAC said in a letter to Principal Roger Leon. “The event did not reveal a clear connection to the district’s strategic objections or organizational development.”

The Newark school district, which serves more than 57,000 students, has a budget of $1.5 billion and is expected to receive $1.25 billion in state aid next year.

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Guide for future Fun Day events

The Newark Board of Education voted at its Nov. 24 meeting to comply with an OFAC order and reimburse the state $33,000 after finding a “lack of educational or professional development content” as most activities were conducted by staff at the Lodge were managed.

During the meeting, Leon tried to see the positive in OFAC’s findings and thanked them for providing guidance for future “fun” events.

“We appreciate the team at OFAC for giving us guidance on how we could actually host Fun Day this year and what they would expect from our selection of a range of activities,” Leon said.

The panel’s attorney, Brenda Liss, said the panel did not admit any violation in adopting the resolution to repay the state aid and does not believe there was a violation.

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Other counties are struggling while Newark is celebrating

The event drew criticism from Republican lawmakers who pointed to districts like Jackson struggling with cuts in state education aid.

“The Newark School District rebukes the more than 150 school districts facing education-damaging cuts this year, as well as their own students who need air conditioning,” said State Sen. Declan O’Scanlon, R-Monmoth.

Several schools in Newark are over 100 years old and do not have central air conditioning, PIX 11 reported

Previous reports by Rick Rickman were used in this report

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