--- In AsburyPark@yahoogroups.com, "dfsavgny" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
>
A few year back the board tried to send Dr Lewis and the Board
President to England for the same conference. I believe the County
stopped it.
A new outrage in the Abbotts
> Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 02/1/07
> Post Comment
> Former Gov. Brendan T. Byrne once quipped that when he dies,
> he "would like to be buried in Hudson County so I can remain active
> in politics." He should consider getting a job with either the
Camden
> or Newark school district. Then he could keep collecting a paycheck
> long after his demise.
>
> Audits of spending by four of the state's poorest school districts,
> released Tuesday by the state Department of Education, revealed a
> disturbing level of what Education Commissioner Lucille E. Davy
> termed "opportunities for questionable activity." Auditors found
that
> Camden paid more than $330,000 to employees who had been dead for
> years, even decades. Newark also spent $310,000 in payroll for 28
> dead employees. Who cashed the checks?
>
> Gov. Corzine should tell Davy to turn over the findings to the U.S.
> Attorney's Office. Audits for the state's other 27 Abbott districts
> are planned for this spring. Why wait? Davy should send out the
> auditors now, and start with Asbury Park, which has the highest per-
> pupil costs among them.
>
> Just as egregious as the wasteful spending were reactions from
> officials of the audited districts. Camden said its new
administrator
> hasn't had enough time to study the report. Judging from the
> personnel records, they should check his pulse, too. Six of the
> posthumously compensated staffers had termination dates two to 32
> years after they died. Thirty-two years? Can't blame that on direct
> deposit.
>
> Newark objected to auditors calling some of their expenses
> questionable. This from a district that spent $1,795 on a jukebox,
> shelled out $29,995 for a Jeep Grand Cherokee with leather interior
> and navigation screen for the superintendent, and paid salaries to
28
> dead people.
>
> Jersey City had $558,000 in questionable spending, including $2,385
> for an administrator to attend the Oxford Roundtable in England.
City
> officials blamed auditors for not interacting with school personnel
> before issuing the criticism. Sorry, but listening to spin during
an
> audit doesn't make it more effective.
>
> David Sciarra, executive director of the Education Law Center that
> has fought for more funding for these districts, called for a
review
> of the state education department. Isn't that shooting the
messenger?
>
> Davy said each district will be asked to develop a plan to correct
> deficiencies. That's not enough. New Jersey taxpayers have shoveled
> billions of dollars into those districts. Administrators and
> employees responsible for any dollar spent on non-educational items
> should be held accountable publicly for their misuse of public
> money.
>
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