Newark Schools Spent $566K on Underused Gym, Audit Finds

Newark Public Schools spent $566,000 on an "administrative gym" that is used by an average of only seven people per day, according to a recent state audit. This finding comes at a time when less than half of the district's students are reading at grade level and an even smaller percentage are proficient in math.

The audit, conducted by State Auditor David Kaschak, identified the gym as one of several questionable expenses within the district. The facility, located in the basement of the district's leased headquarters building, opened in November 2024. It cost $300,000 to construct without board approval or competitive bidding. Additionally, the district hired a full-time personal trainer for the gym, incurring costs of $82,800 for the 2024-2025 academic year and $86,940 in the previous school year. Sign-in sheets over several months last year showed an average of only seven users, all of whom were district administrators.

State Auditor Kaschak has referred "certain matters" uncovered during the audit to the state Attorney General's office for potential criminal investigation. The audit also highlighted other expenditures, including $2.5 million for an unfinished school district museum and over $700,000 for three "Senior Day" class trips that lacked documented educational purposes.

Further findings revealed that district officials overstated student enrollment by 128 students in both 2023 and 2024, leading to approximately $6.7 million in excess state aid. Newark Public Schools serves over 41,000 students across 65 schools and employs 7,000 staff members. The district relies heavily on state funding, receiving an average of 81% of its general funds from the state during the audit period.

Superintendent Roger León, who earns $330,000 annually, defended the district's spending. District officials stated that all employees have access to the facility and that the costs were covered by "wellness benefit funds" through the staff health program, asserting that taxpayers did not directly fund the gym. The audit also noted that 10 active employees had not completed required criminal background checks, with one case dating back 27 years.

Newark's public school system was under state control for 25 years due to mismanagement and poor performance before local control was restored in 2020. In response to the audit's findings, Newark school officials called the criminal referral "gratuitous and irresponsible" and maintained that the report did not indicate any intentional wrongdoing. State Assemblywoman Dawn Fantasia criticized the situation, stating that the report's release did not resolve the underlying issues, while student academic performance remains a significant concern, with only about one-third of students in grades 3-9 passing the state English Language Arts test and just 17.7% passing the math assessment in spring 2025.