TRENTON – State Senator Raymond J. Lesniak issued the following statement today regarding his bill, S-1983, which would require an attorney to refund fees to a school district when the State Department of Education (DOE) has reduced a school district’s State aid because it has determined that taxpayer funds were spent on non-allowable services. Senator Lesniak said his bill, which was unanimously approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee, is intended to address a situation in Elizabeth, in which school district funds were spent on litigation which was determined to be a misuse of public resources:
“The Elizabeth Board of Education has a history of abusing its authority and using tax dollars for political purposes. On September 19, 2006 the Commissioner of the Department of Education determined the Elizabeth BOE expended $88,373 in State funds for political advertising. That decision was upheld by Administrative Law Judge Jesse H. Strauss on May 22, 2007 and by the Appellate Division on August 18, 2009.