Did you happen to see
@DawnFantasia_NJ post about Newark Public Schools? They spent $566,000 on an employee gym that averaged 7 users a day & called the audit that found it “flying colors.” 🙄, they need a serious overhaul here
A state audit of New Jersey’s largest district flagged millions in questionable spending and referred “certain matters” to the Division of Criminal Justice. The district said the referral was “gratuitous” and that auditors found “nothing.”
What the report actually flagged:
- $566K to build and run a basement gym at district HQ. No formal board approval, incomplete bidding records, and a $280K trainer contract. Sign-in sheets: about 7 people a day, all from the admin building. The district says hundreds are members and it boosts attendance
- $2.5 million paid upfront for a museum and offices that were still unfinished a year past deadline. No competitive bidding, no required state approval, and a missed $750K preservation grant
- $6.65 million in excess state aid after enrollment was overstated by 128 students in two annual counts
- $712K on three “Senior Day” trips with carnival booths, rock walls, DJs, and karaoke and no documented educational agenda
- $1.14 million in catering over two years. Of the transactions auditors sampled, 57% lacked adequate documentation
- 10 active employees who had never completed required criminal background checks. Another 199 transferring staff had not updated clearances to work around children
- An estimated $18.7 million that could have been saved over two years in the state health plan, and legal costs $4.7 million above the statewide average
State aid is 88% of the general fund. The overall budget is about $1.7 billion. Auditors said most non-payroll spending was recorded properly and generally related to district programs and still listed problems in 10 areas. A follow-up review is set for 2028
Assemblyman Alex Sauickie: “Millions in excess aid, millions in missed savings and employees who never passed background checks, and Newark calls that nothing? If that’s nothing, taxpayers should be terrified of what something looks like.”
nj.com/education/2026/10/njs…