FRHSD Responds to State Comptroller Report

Written by Anastasia Millicker

Freehold Regional High School District (FRHSD) officials said they have taken measures to amend legal service practices criticized in a state comptroller’s report last month.     

While discussion of the report was not on the Board of Education’s agenda during its meeting Tuesday, the governing body began by addressing the report after being moved by public criticism.

“The report reflects circumstances that happened almost three years ago and does not retain a review of the past two or three years,” said Heshy Moses, president of the FRHSD Board of Education, citing past district problems. 

The district previously had to address a Breyer State University incident, in which former FRHSD Superintendent H. James Wasser received a doctorate from the unaccredited school. He was forced to return the pay raise he received due to the doctorate.

Moses said the board was proactive in asking the commission to analyze their legal service practices.

The report, which addressed the 2010-2011 school year, found $493,414 on outside legal costs, all of which was paid to the law firm of Schwartz, Simon, Edelstein & Celso LLC as its board attorney. An analysis of those payments in the report identified deficiencies and cited better practices to lead to more cost-effective legal services.

“Two years ago, we decided to go to Trenton to invite OSC [Office of the State Comptroller] to come into our district. This would be akin to going to the IRS before filing your taxes to see if you are compliant,” Moses said. “It is just unheard of.”

Sean Boyce, Board Secretary and Assistant Superintendent for Business Administration, said that five deficiencies noted in the report have been addressed.

Previously, the Board Attorney submitted bills that were non-descriptive and block-billed, making it impossible to determine whether the billed tasks should have been covered under the retainer. 

This has been rectified with $750 flat fees for board meetings and each bill being clarified and task-specific, Boyce said.

The report also found the district permitted its Board Attorney to exceed agreed upon caps on legal costs without documented authorization. Boyce said the board no longer has annual caps in their legal service.

“It’s difficult to project a legal manner,” he said, adding the scope of the board’s legal services cannot be predetermined from past years.

Marlboro resident Jim Sage said the report showed lax control by public officials that could jeopardize state funding toward education.

“My only regret is that the report did not go back any further,” Sage said, adding that the report came out “a little too little too late.”

Moses said he was disheartened to see the public’s misunderstanding of the report, and that there is no further investigation or review of the district is necessary at this time.