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Resident alleges missing school computers, urges further investigation
Summary
Kathy Fabel, a former Northern Valley Regional High School board member, told the council she has documented missing school technology, alleged poor inventory controls and questioned recent large purchases and disposals of Apple devices; councilors described audits and standard 4-year laptop cycles in response.
Kathy Fabel of 14 Serial Court addressed the council during public comment and detailed a multi-year concern about the Northern Valley Regional High School district’s handling of technology inventory. Fabel said she served two terms on the regional board, pulled records, and believes the district has an “unbelievable surplus” of Apple devices and has not maintained a complete forensic inventory.
Fabel alleged that the district bought devices that were not tracked, that devices were donated or liquidated without serial-number tracking, and that at least one batch of purchases totaled about $511,000 while recent sales returned roughly $140,000. She said she raised the issue with detectives and the attorney general’s office in past years and provided the council with a timeline and records she said document the problem.
Council members and others in the meeting asked clarifying questions. Councilor Norte described the district’s 1-to-1 laptop program and said the board approved recent sales; he reported that the board had approved the sale of 740 units for $140,886 and discussed expected resale values by cohort. Councilors emphasized that municipal authority over the regional board is limited and noted that audits and law-enforcement reviews had occurred in the past; those officials represented differing interpretations of the available records.
