Jersey City school district slammed in financial audit; officials blame former business administrator

A 319-page financial audit for the 2023-23 school year revealed the worst fears of Jersey City school district officials — the accounting and bookkeeping for one of the largest districts in the state was an unmitigated disaster.

Auditors found the district overpaid vendors, failed to report contracts to the state and county, failed to track vacation and sick time liability, kept invalid purchase orders on the books — and arguably worst of all, mismanaged numerous accounts related to employee payroll deductions and withholding transactions that amounted to a net loss of $2,428,896.

District officials laid the blame for the fiscal mess — the audit had 17 red flags — on former Business Administrator Regina Robinson. In a letter to the Department of Education requesting state oversight of the district earlier this year, Fernandez said Robinson cost the district “millions of dollars in fines and unnecessary expenses.”