HACKENSACK SCHOOLS AT RISK OF STATE MONITORING
DUE TO BOE’S FAILURE TO APPROVE SCHOOL BUDGET

Bergen County Superintendent Condemns BOE Presidents Lara Rodriguez’s Non-Compliance with State Laws and Regulations

HACKENSACK, NJ (April 4, 2019)–Hackensack Board of Education President Lara Rodriguez was issued a scathing letter on April 1, 2019, warning of the potential of state monitoring of the district from the New Jersey Department of Education. Joseph Zarra, Bergen County Interim Executive County Superintendent, condemned the Board’s violation of several state statutes and regulations in failing to approve its own annual school budget at its public hearing on March 26, 2019 and a subsequent emergency meeting on March 29, 2019.

Zarra’s letter, which was released on the district’s website on April 4, 2019, admonished Rodriguez that “failure of the Hackensack Board of Education to adhere to any New Jersey Statute and/or regulation is a serious matter.” The County Superintendent stated that under her leadership, Deputy Assistant Commissioner of Education Glenn Forney is considering sending a State Monitor to the Hackensack School District in light of the actions of the Trustees who failed to adhere to their responsibility of “financial accountability.”

At both budget meetings, five Trustees, including Vice President Timothy Hoffman, voted to approve the budget for Hackensack residents to vote on in the upcoming April 16 election. On March 28, Rodriguez said in a statement that she “made it clear” that she “cannot support the proposed budget,” positioning herself with Trustees politically aligned with Mayor John Labrosse and the city council who voted against the budget.

The mayor and council are currently backing Rodriguez in her current re-election bid.

Timothy Hoffman, Yvette Washington Irving, and Basim Ahmad — who are running for the Board of Education as the For Hackensack’s Future slate — have issued the following statements in response.

“The Hackensack school district is in need of stability and competent leadership, and what we saw last week was far from that,” Timothy Hoffman said. “For what appears to be election-season posturing, members of the Board voted against necessary resources for our students and staff, with complete disregard of the very serious consequences that would come from their actions,” he said.

“As a business owner with decades of experience in finance, I know a thing or two about budgets,” Yvette Washington Irving said. “I was impressed by the district’s budget to come in under the cap, while also expanding funding for special education and technology. I thought it was very fair, not only as a parent, but as a taxpayer. The Board has a responsibility to provide for students and staff in a responsible way, and it’s worrying to see that passing on that responsibility may have opened us up further trouble,” she said.

“Instead of voting against the school budget to make a political point, we need leaders who seek creative ways to add more revenue into our district, such as insisting our schools receive their fair share from the city’s development deals,” Basim Ahmad said. “That’s how you show your respect for students and taxpayers. It doesn’t benefit our schools to open the district to litigation and state monitoring.”

The Hackensack Board of Education election is April 16.