Garden State Times

Senator Declan O’Scanlon is considering legislation to ensure accountability for school districts misusing public funds. This initiative comes in response to reports of Hillside School District employing a federally convicted felon for an $80,000 no-show teaching position while the individual was still incarcerated.

“Hats off to Hillside School District for their progressive work-from-prison policy! Apparently, nothing says educational excellence like using public tax dollars to hire a prisoner for a no-show gig,” stated Sen. O’Scanlon. “If basic ethics aren’t enough to protect taxpayers from funding this kind of BS, then it’s clear we need bipartisan legislation to step in and set logical boundaries – or maybe just defund their state aid altogether.”

The Hillside School District receives $38 million in state aid, which accounts for over half of its budget.

Senator O’Scanlon also criticized the Newark School District, noting what he described as competition between the neighboring districts in misusing tax dollars.

“If wasting taxpayer dollars was a contest, Newark is certainly giving Hillside a run for their money,” Sen. O’Scanlon added. “When some schools must choose between funding courtesy bussing or after-school programs, it’s outrageous that Newark is abusing taxpayers’ dollars by sending staff on lavish trips to Hawaii and Puerto Rico, and hosting $50,000 parties, all while student academic performance suffers at home.”

For further comments from Sen. O’Scanlon, Chris Sivel, SRO Deputy Communications Director can be contacted at [email protected].