AMOROSO, WOOLLEY DEMAND ACCOUNTABILITY FOLLOWING ALLEGED MISCONDUCT BY SDA LEADERSHIP, LOOK FORWARD TO OUTCOME OF AG INQUIRY
OCEAN TOWNSHIP — Legislative District 11 General Assembly candidates Mike Amoroso and Matt Woolley are calling for accountability at the New Jersey Schools Development Authority. This follows recent reports of major cuts in funding to Monmouth County school districts. The candidates also demanded clarity regarding questionable hiring practices by CEO Lizette Delgado-Polanco, who maintains unwavering support from Gov. Phil Murphy.
The Office of the Attorney General is investigating allegations of unlawful hiring practices as the authority seeks additional funding from taxpayers.
“Scandal after scandal, the Schools Development Authority has continued to betray the public’s trust,” said Amoroso. “This is the same authority that could not confirm who approved the hiring of an accused rapist. The future of SDA leadership, and the organization as a whole, deserves serious reconsideration.”
According to the agency’s website, the SDA “is responsible for fully funding and managing the new construction, modernization and renovation of school facilities projects in 31 school districts known as the SDA Districts.” Three LD11 school districts – Asbury Park, Long Branch and Neptune Township – are under the jurisdiction of the SDA.
“It’s unfathomable that Governor Murphy continues to support a CEO who has been accused of blatant nepotism and whose organization is billions of dollars in debt without any sign of improvement,” Woolley continued. “Our schools and students are victims in this mess. Yet, Assemblywoman Downey and Assemblyman Houghtaling have been completely absent from calls for accountability.”
In Fiscal Year 2020 alone, Asbury Park will lose $3,426,828 in funding and Neptune Township will see cuts totaling $1,634,653 due to ramifications of Senate Bill 2, which was supported by Assembly members Downey and Houghtaling and signed into law by Governor Murphy in 2018. Mismanagement at the SDA will compound the financial devastation of this law as local districts, teachers and students will not receive the help they need.
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