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.
The department found that the event did not meet the required goals for the use of public funds and violated multiple state laws.
The Newark public school district was ordered to refund $33,649.07 to the state. The Newark Board of Education approved the payment but said that the board was not admitting any wrongdoing.
The Newark Board of Education unanimously voted to pass a resolution requiring the return of the funds.
The move follows an Oct. 25 letter to Newark Public School Superintendent Roger León from the New Jersey Department of Education’s Office of Accountability and Compliance, which raised concerns over the event.
What was meant to be a morale-boosting celebration for the district’s top administrators and their families became a scandal, exposing how careless spending of public funds can have serious repercussions.
The “Staff Fun Day” was intended to “promote team building” and “enhance a positive organizational culture,” but it fell short of any valid purpose according to the New Jersey Department of Education.
Activities featured during the event included, among others, a hula hoop contest, trivia games, a “social media photo booth” and an inflatable axe-throwing tournament.
A review conducted by the state found the activities lacked educational or professional content and were not facilitated by district staff, so it did not meet the requirements for the use of public funds.
These findings placed Newark Public Schools in violation of multiple state statutes regarding the use of public funds, according to the letter.
A state investigation has revealed that the district’s lavish event, costing a staggering $50,238.50, violated multiple state laws on how taxpayer money can be spent.
The Newark Board of Education will return more than $33,000 in state aid — potentially leaving a gaping hole in the district’s already struggling budget.
“The event lacked an educational or professional development component and did not demonstrate a clear connection to the district’s strategic objectives or organizational development,” the letter read. “As a result, the costs associated with this event are not eligible for State aid.”
Held at Forest Lodge, an upscale wedding venue in Warren, the event was intended to celebrate and reward Newark’s central office staff and their children.
The invoice, which first came to light through a report by TAPinto Newark, paints a picture of an extravagant day filled with DJs, carnival booths, inflatable activities, and even a police officer and a rescue squad on standby — all for a hefty price tag.
But amidst the celebration, a more concerning story was unfolding: the district had spent taxpayer dollars on a non-educational “fun day” that didn’t align with any official district goals.
State auditors quickly took notice when news of the event broke, prompting an investigation by the New Jersey Department of Education.
The investigation confirmed what many had already suspected: this event was far removed from any legitimate educational or professional development activity, which state law mandates for public spending.
With no educational content, no leadership-led facilitation, and no alignment with the district’s strategic plan, it’s clear that this “fun day” was nothing more than a lavish, wasteful expenditure of public funds.
But the questionable spending doesn’t stop there.
The invoice even reveals a bar service with two domestic beers and one imported beer on tap, a line item that violates state rules prohibiting the use of taxpayer dollars to cover alcoholic beverages.
Though district leaders, including Superintendent Roger León, have publicly denied the event involved alcohol, the invoice itself tells a different story.
When confronted about the discrepancy, León’s phone connection mysteriously “dropped.”
“If they want to have fun at the end of a school year that’s fine,” said one parent. “Just don’t use our taxes for it.”
“The cost of the event — over $50,000 for just 415 attendees — is shocking, especially given that the Newark public school district has long struggled with budget shortfalls,” said another city resident.
The district relies heavily on state aid, which comprises over 82% of its budget.
With the district now ordered to return over $33,000 in state aid, this decision could have serious consequences for Newark’s students, who are already dealing with the lingering effects of underfunding and the winding down of federal COVID relief money.
The district’s leadership, however, seems intent on downplaying the significance of the violation.
School Board President Hasani Council and Board Secretary Valerie Wilson have both attempted to deflect blame, with Council even suggesting that the majority of children at the event were district students.
However, this line of reasoning only adds insult to injury — it doesn’t address the fundamental issue of misusing public funds.
While the board has been quick to approve the return of the misused funds, they have not, however, admitted to any wrongdoing.
Board attorney Brenda Liss made it clear that she continues to disagree with the state’s findings and advised the board to accept the corrective actions without conceding to any violations.
In a district that serves thousands of Newark’s most vulnerable students, this continued deflection of accountability speaks volumes about the disconnect between the district’s leadership and the communities they serve.
At a time when public trust in government institutions is at an all-time low, the “Staff Fun Day” scandal underscores the dangers of unchecked spending.
If Newark Public Schools were truly committed to serving its students and educators, it would have ensured that any staff event directly supported their academic goals and strategic objectives, rather than splurging on a day of lavish, non-educational entertainment.
Instead, taxpayers are left to pick up the tab for a bureaucratic blunder that could have far-reaching consequences for the district’s already strained resources.
Moreover, the broader implications of this event should not be ignored. While private companies and non-profits regularly host staff outings to improve morale, this kind of spending is rare and controversial in the public sector.
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.
Teresa Segarra, the superintendent of Maria L. Varisco-Rogers Charter School, and her husband, Jose Segarra, the school business administrator, reportedly live in Coral Gables, Florida.
The wife and husband were paid $600,000 in combined compensation for running the small, taxpayer-funded Newark charter school but two of the state’s highest-paid educators do not appear to live full-time in New Jersey. The New Jersey First Act, which took effect in 2011, bars public employees—including police, public school teachers, and administrators— from living out of state.
Newark’s leadership should have taken a more prudent approach, ensuring any expenditure of public funds was in direct service of its educational mission, rather than a costly distraction. With taxpayers footing the bill, it’s clear that the district’s priorities have gone seriously off course. The only thing that was truly “fun” about this day was the lavish event itself — and that’s no cause for celebration.
Newark is one of three districts, along with Jersey City and Paterson, where public schools had been under state control, where the state Commissioner of Education intervened to disempower local elected or appointed officials.
On July 1, 2020, Newark reclaimed complete authority over its school system after a two-year transitional phase. During this period, the city’s elected school board had effective control but was still under state supervision and stringent regulations, concluding a prolonged period of state intervention that had removed power from the local community.