Twenty Republican members of the General Assembly sent a letter to state authorities this week urging them to reject a Newark Public Schools’ $500 million lease agreement that follows years of taxpayer waste in New Jersey’s highest-funded school district. Newark’s Board of Education approved the 30-year lease proposal for a building owned by a politically connected developer at a meeting on March 25 and sent it to the Education Department, the Comptroller, and the Local Finance Board for state authorization. 

“If you allow this agreement to proceed, you will cement New Jerseyans’ distrust in government and put future school funding for 1.3 million students in jeopardy,” the lawmakers wrote. 

The costly lease agreement is in line with Newark Public Schools historic and rampant misuse of taxpayer dollars, the Republicans say. They cite the superintendent’s $44,000 staff “Fun Day,” as well as overnight travel and entertainment for board members and administrators to places like Hawaii, as examples of publicly-funded waste. 

“When state taxpayers outside of Newark pay for 83% of the school district’s budget, they expect a certain level of accountability, transparency, and academic performance. Newark is missing the mark on all fronts,” they wrote. 

The district’s budget for this coming year is $1.67 billion with $1.38 billion of that coming from taxpayers outside of Newark. The state is increasing funding for the district by $60.5 million while 70% of students continue to struggle to read on grade level and 80% fail to meet math standards. 

“Taxpayer dollars belong in the classroom supporting instruction, not wasted on exorbitantly expensive and politically connected contracts,” they continued. “Spending $1.4 million a month to lease a building that is owned by a donor to Newark Mayor Ras Baraka’s failed gubernatorial campaign warrants critical inspection, especially when Newark school board members refused to publicly reveal the developer’s identity.”

The lawmakers are critical of the unusually high cost of the school building lease, saying both the $500 million proposal and the district’s current $300 million lease for the Newark School of Architecture and Interior Design exceed the cost of constructing the most expensive school ever built by the state – the $284 million Perth Amboy High School. Additionally, the Schools Development Authority has built nine new schools in the district in the last 20 years, allowing Newark to open a new building almost every other year.  

The multi-million-dollar agreement is being considered at a time when “other schools across the state are forced to cut programs, fire teachers, and sell property to stay afloat,” the Republican members argue.

“Reject Newark’s latest $500 million debacle when the plan arrives at your office. It is your responsibility to ensure that officials at Newark Public Schools stop wasting taxpayer dollars and start properly educating students. The buck stops with you,” they wrote.