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Trustees flag rising attorney fees and unequal pay; one trustee urges tally of board-attorney usage
Summary
Trustees praised a $16,796.90 PTA donation but questioned legal spending and teacher pay. One trustee contrasted prior $223,000 annual attorney spending with current-year totals and urged a usage tally; another urged attention to teacher wages and housing affordability in the district.
Trustees thanked the Forest PTA for a $16,796.90 donation to the school and applauded community support. The meeting then pivoted to concerns about district expenses: one trustee reviewed attorney spending history and said, "For the entire year, we spent $223,000 for his attorney's fee," and said current-year spending with the new attorney is about $210,000 to date. Several trustees asked for a monthly tally of who and why the board attorney is being used so the board can understand cost drivers and potential savings.
Separately, trustees raised concerns about teacher compensation and affordability in Fair Lawn: a trustee argued that many beginning teachers could not afford to live in the community and urged the board to consider how wages align with local housing costs. Trustees asked administration to provide data and suggested committees examine salary and contracting patterns that may be driving legal work and costs.
