Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the School Technology Inventory topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Resident urges Old Tappan council to probe missing school computers and inventory practices
Summary
At the Feb. 2 meeting, resident and former board member Kathy Fable urged the borough to press Northern Valley Regional High School on alleged missing or untracked computers, saying the district purchased roughly $511,000 of devices and recently disposed of many for about $140,000.
Kathy Fable, a resident and two-term former member of the Northern Valley Regional High School board, told the Borough of Old Tappan Mayor and Council on Feb. 2 that the district's technology inventory has unresolved gaps and possible irregularities.
Fable said she discovered repeated inventory problems while serving on the board and that earlier efforts to complete a forensic inventory took years. "We spent $511,000 on computers, and we sold them for about $140,000 this week," she said during public comment, urging further scrutiny. She described past law-enforcement and state involvement; according to Fable, the county prosecutor's office and the state attorney general's office had considered the matter previously.
Council members asked clarifying questions during the exchange. One council member said the board had conducted audits and appeared "comfortable with the results," and another council member who had attended a school-board meeting reported the board approved the sale of 740 units to the highest responsible bidder and expected proceeds of $140,886.
Council members said the borough has no direct oversight authority over the board of education. Mayor and council members suggested the appropriate route is for residents to pursue audits and law-enforcement channels already engaged. The council did not take formal action at the Feb. 2 meeting on the allegations; the matter was raised during the public-comment portion of the meeting and recorded in the minutes.
Fable provided the council copies of supporting materials and told officials she had shared records with law enforcement and other mayors in the sending towns. Council members asked the clerk and staff to note the public record and suggested those concerned follow up with the school board and county authorities.
No determinations were made at the meeting about the claims; council members characterized the matter as previously investigated by external authorities and recommended residents pursue the school board and law-enforcement processes if they seek formal findings.
