A New York City high school superintendent has been fined $5,000 for self-dealing, after her husband's company, which had secured $1.5 million in contracts with the Department of Education (DOE) since 2023, conducted business within the school districts she oversees. Queens South High School Superintendent Josephine Van Ess was found to have violated conflict-of-interest guidelines when her husband Edward Van Ess’s company, Excellence in Every Thread, and its subsidiary, The Modern Day Man, obtained purchase orders totaling $32,525.16 from three DOE schools in Districts 27 and 28 in 2024.
Under city guidelines, ownership of Excellence in Every Thread, held 50% by Edward Van Ess and 50% by fashion designer Ilbert Sanchez, is imputed to Josephine Van Ess. The company provides mentoring services for young boys, which includes the sale of custom suits.
In June 2023, following an agreement brokered by then-Schools Chancellor David Banks with the city’s Conflicts of Interest Board (COIB), Van Ess was permitted to retain her stake in the company on the condition that it would not conduct business in Queens school districts 27, 28, and 29, areas under her supervision. The COIB concluded that Van Ess subsequently breached this agreement.
Critics argue that the $5,000 fine is a lenient penalty, with some DOE officials stating that the penalty is disproportionately low given the circumstances. "There are more and more administrators engaging in self-dealing, self-promotion, and various types of waste, fraud and abuse… the penalty here is disproportionately low," one DOE official commented. The official also called for a comprehensive audit of the city's contracting processes.
The DOE has stated it is taking appropriate steps to ensure future compliance with ethics requirements. The department declined to specify which schools within Van Ess's district engaged in business with Excellence in Every Thread or if the company would continue to work with the DOE. Van Ess herself declined to comment on the matter.
This incident occurs amidst ongoing scrutiny of DOE procurement practices, following a separate contracting scandal involving former Chancellor Kamar Samuels. Samuels was found to have signed a $180,000 contract with an unapproved vendor in 2023 and allegedly attempted to conceal the payment structure. A subsequent probe by the Special Commissioner of Inquiry (SCI) placed blame on Samuels' deputy, Mariela Graham, recommending her dismissal, though Samuels reportedly offered her a promotion instead.