Bosses at Newark Public Schools – where less than half of students read at grade level and even fewer are proficient in math – shelled out $566,000 on an “administrative gym” that averages just seven visitors per day, a staggering new audit revealed.
New Jersey’s largest public school district is coming under intense scrutiny after the swanky exercise space was listed among a slew of questionable expenses found by State Auditor David Kaschak.
Kaschak also revealed that he referred “certain matters” uncovered during the audit to the state Attorney General’s office for criminal investigation.
Not only did the district dole out $300,000 on the gym’s construction without getting board approval or competitive bidding, administrators hired a full-time personal trainer to man the barely-used space – to the tune of $82,800 in the 2024-2025 academic year and $86,940 last school year, according a 36-page state audit…