CORZINE'S EDUCATION CHIEF IGNORES EXAMPLES OF WASTED TAX DOLLARS SORELY NEEDED IN CLASSROOMS

EDUCATION COMMISSIONER LUCILLE DAVY REFUSES TO UPDATE TAXPAYERS ON HER PROMISED REVIEW OF WASTEFUL SCHOOL SPENDING

    Months after Assembly Republicans identified several examples of how wasteful spending continues in New Jersey's public school systems despite reforms touted by Governor Corzine, his Education Commissioner Lucille Davy has ignored requests by Assemblymen Alex DeCroce and Joe Malone to provide updates whether her department has taken action on any of the items discovered last spring.

    Using the Open Public Records Act, Assembly Republicans found several instances of waste including staff spending lavishly while attending conferences, a superintendent spending $10,000 per episode to film a monthly television show and $25,000 spent on flight lessons for eight students.

    Upon hearing the items in April, Davy said publicly, "I promise you, the issues you have raised, we will look at because some of the things I see here shout out to me, 'How does this happen?' given the rules we have in place."

    DeCroce, the Assembly Republican Leader, and Malone, the Assembly Republican Budget Officer, wrote to the commissioner twice this summer requesting an update, but received no response.

    "People are worried about whether they can keep their homes and put a modest meal on their table only to learn that school officials have been spending their tax dollars on trips throughout the country eating filet mignon, seafood dinners and staying at Four Seasons hotels,"  DeCroce, R-Morris and Passaic, said.

      "Last spring, I believed the commissioner was genuinely concerned about what we had found," DeCroce continued. "But Commissioner Davy's refusal to respond to our requests shows that her words were nothing but political theater and that she had no other interest than continuing Governor Corzine's pattern of ignoring problems with hopes they magically disappear.

    "New Jerseyans deserve more respect of their tax dollars," DeCroce added.

    DeCroce recently announced plans to introduce legislation creating an elected independent Auditor General whose office would consolidate the state's duplicative and diluted auditing and investigatory agencies. It would be empowered to recoup wasted tax dollars and punish those responsible.

    "Whether it's from a government agency or the media, there always seems to be a new account of how government is wasting money belonging to people who cannot afford to have their tax dollars thrown away," Malone, R-Burlington, Mercer, Monmouth and Ocean, said. "Supporting education remains a top priority for New Jersey, but every dollar wasted or used inefficiently steals resources from our classrooms at a time when most schools are scrounging to pay for books, paper and other necessities.

    "The state's taxpayers and school children deserve assurance that someone is watching the store and that - in Commissioner Davy's own words - education dollars are spent 'wisely and efficiently,'" Malone added.

    For a list of the wasteful spending identified by Assembly Republicans, visit www.njassemblyrepublicans.com and click on "Dept. of Education."

    Copies of the letters DeCroce and Malone sent to Commissioner Davy in August and September are attached.


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NEW JERSEY GENERAL ASSEMBLY
STATE HOUSE
PO BOX 098
TRENTON, NEW JERSEY 08625-0098
(609) 292-5339

August 14, 2009

Lucille E. Davy
Commissioner
New Jersey Department of Education
PO Box 500
Trenton, N.J. 08625-0500

Dear Commissioner Davy,

When you appeared before the Assembly Budget Committee in April, you said you were disturbed by some of the questionable spending by local school districts that our staff found through Open Public Records Act requests.

After learning about some of the examples - staff spending lavishly while attending conferences, a superintendent spending $10,000 per episode to film a monthly television show and $25,000 spent on flight lessons for eight students - you demonstrated concern and promised to look into them.

You said:

In our mind, part of our responsibility is to make sure that taxpayer dollars are used wisely and efficiently and it is certainly because we are not there watching every district's day-to-day expenditures, it is impossible for us to know whether they are making the right decisions. Locally, people need to be held accountable for these things too.

I promise you, the issues you have raised, we will look at because some of the things I see here shout out to me, "How does this happen?" given the rules we have in place.

Given your seemingly genuine concern that some items may be slipping through the spending rules your department has established, we trust that you have made time over the past four months to look into this matter.

We would like to know whether you have found the examples we highlighted last spring to be appropriate educational expenses,

or whether you took action in any case you found to be an improper use of taxpayer dollars that steals money from hard-working families throughout the state and deprives school children from resources that would be better utilized in the classroom.

There may be justifiable explanations for some of what we brought to your attention, but taken at face value, they seem to be unnecessary expenses. New Jersey taxpayers deserve to know whether their investment in New Jersey's public schools was

squandered in any way, or why the Commissioner of the Department of Education approves of these types of expenditures.

Similar expenses uncovered by the State Comptroller of $1.4 million spent by the Department of Human Services have made it more clear that we need to immediately end the wasting of taxpayer dollars at departments of Human Services, Education and every other aspect of New Jersey government.

We look forward to hearing from you on this matter that is important to the state's taxpayers and school children who should be assured that every dollar we can spend on education is spent "wisely and efficiently."

Sincerely:
                            
Alex DeCroce                        
Assembly Republican Leader            
26th Legislative District                

Joseph R. Malone
Assembly Republican Budget Officer
30th Legislative District


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NEW JERSEY GENERAL ASSEMBLY
STATE HOUSE
PO BOX 098
TRENTON, NEW JERSEY 08625-0098
(609) 292-5339

September 9, 2009

Lucille E. Davy
Commissioner
New Jersey Department of Education
PO Box 500
Trenton, N.J. 08625-0500

Dear Commissioner Davy,

We write again requesting an update of your review of the questionable spending by local school districts identified by our staff through Open Public Records Act requests.

After learning about some of the examples - staff spending lavishly while attending conferences, a superintendent spending $10,000 per episode to film a monthly television show and $25,000 spent on flight lessons for eight students - you demonstrated concern and promised to look into them.

Last month, we asked you for an update on the matter and have not received a response. We would like to know whether you consider all the examples we highlighted last spring to be appropriate educational expenses, or whether you took action in any case you found to be an improper use of taxpayer dollars.

As New Jersey schoolchildren have returned to school this week, there have been countless stories about sacrifices they have to make in the classroom because of the poor economy. We must remain even more vigilant about wasted tax dollars at this time.
    
Please provide us an account of what action, if any, your Department has taken since we met with you during the spring budget hearing. We expect a response by Sept. 16.

Sincerely:

Alex DeCroce                        
Assembly Republican Leader            
26th Legislative District                

Joseph R. Malone
Assembly Republican Budget Officer    
30th Legislative District