Newark public schools superintendent’s ‘staff fun day’ squandered $33,000 in state aid

December 5, 2024

The “Superintendent’s Staff Fun Day” was an expensive lesson in fiscal responsibility — one that highlights the critical need for transparent and accountable spending in the public sector.

The event was held on June 1, 2024, for $43,813.90 at the Forest Lodge in Warren, New Jersey, and attended by 275 employees of the Newark Public Schools central office plus their children.

The ‘fun day’ was not for teachers, their aides, or school staff, who say they have endured one of the hardest years and called their new contract “a slap in the face.”

Coming out of a $1.7 billion budget ($1,682,896,365), the squandered cash seems like a drop in a bucket, but for the community that relies on 63 schools serving 40,423 students with nearly 3,000 classroom teachers, the incident is a debacle.

The New Jersey Department of Education’s Office of Fiscal Accountability and Compliance criticized the recreational event for lacking educational or professional content.

Rutgers policy expert Marc Pfeiffer highlighted that, in such circumstances, districts have alternative means of funding staff appreciation events — such as through independent foundations — rather than dipping into the public coffers for extravagance.

NJToday.com, December 4, 2024

Recent Posts

Planning Alumni Take Part in Landmark Greenway Project

Julia Wong (MCRP '19) pictured here with Governor Murphy and other stakeholders, broke ground on Phase 1 of the new Greenway in Newark, NJ. On a LinkedIn post, Wong wrote, "Thrilled to have broken ground on Phase 1 of the Greenway - New Jersey’s newest state park! 🌳...

NJSPL: Declining STEM Expertise in U.S. State Legislatures

2025 by the Numbers: A Decline in Science, Engineering, and Healthcare Expertise in U.S. State Legislatures New Jersey State Policy Lab The Scientists in State Politics Database is a detailed, publicly accessible inventory of state legislators across the United States...

Dan Kennedy (MCRP ’07): CRE Roadmap for Next Governor

As New Jersey prepares to elect its next governor, NAIOP NJ, the commercial real estate development association, has published a comprehensive roadmap for economic revitalization and sustainable development for the consideration of both candidates for governor. As a...

“Work Trends RU” Podcast with WorkingNation’s Jane Oates

This week's guest on the Heldrich Center's Work Trends RU podcast is Jane Oates, Senior Policy Advisor at WorkingNation. She and Dr. Carl Van Horn discuss WorkingNation’s mission, objectives, and accomplishments; the power of digital storytelling; the challenges of...

Zhang et al. Study Street-View Greenspace and Exercise

GPS-based street-view greenspace exposure and wearable assessed physical activity in a prospective cohort of US women Abstract Background Increasing evidence positively links greenspace and physical activity (PA). However, most studies use measures of greenspace, such...