r/Newark

A sweeping state audit of Newark Public Schools released last week raised questions about millions of dollars in spending and alleged lax oversight in the state’s largest school district.

The audit found questionable spending that included $2.5 million for an unfinished school district museum and $566,000 to build an employee gym with a trainer that averaged just seven users a day.

The report also questioned more than $700,000 spent on three “Senior Day” class trips with no documented educational benefits.

Newark school officials slammed the audit, saying in a written response that the report did not identify “any intentional wrongdoing or violation.” The referral to the state Department of Criminal Justice was “gratuitous and irresponsible,” the district’s response said.