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Parents press council to demand release and action on special-education audit
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Summary
Parents and advocates urged the council to press the Jersey City Board of Education to release part two of a special-education review, commission a programmatic audit, and hire a permanent director with an independent national search, citing alleged fiscal errors and program failures affecting thousands of students.
Parents and community advocates used the public-comment period at the Jersey City council meeting to demand transparency and accountability after auditors documented problems in the district's special-education operations.
Speakers representing Parents United and other parent groups said the agreed-upon procedures report (delivered in 2024) documented overpayments, unsupported invoices and errors in the district's state-aid applications for 2022 and 2023. "The report documented overpayments, unsupported invoices, and errors in the district's 2022, 2023 state aid application," Danielle Walker told the council, adding that those errors could mean the district "received the wrong amount of funding."
Parents asked the council to press the Board of Education to release part two of the review and to commission a full, programmatic special-education audit comparable to a prior 2018 outside review. Jessica Taub, a Ward B parent, requested three steps: immediate release of the second audit section with a public timeline, a comprehensive independent program audit, and a national search for a permanent director of special education.
Council members expressed support and said they would explore available avenues to help, including resurrecting a previous council'Board of Education committee to engage on budgeting and oversight. Corporation counsel and the business administrator, however, noted limits to the council's formal legal authority to compel the school board to undertake a programmatic audit; they offered to help explore options for formal requests, joint committees, or public-pressure strategies.
Advocates said the issue is urgent: the district spends well above state median per pupil and parents reported students missing services. Walker said federal IDEA protections mean that failures in programming represent violations of students' rights.
Next steps: Parents were urged to attend the Board of Education's next meeting (April 30) where budget and aid issues will be discussed. Council members said they will follow up with staff and consider committee-based approaches to push for transparency and corrective action.
