Millions Wasted By Schools Construction Corp
Criminal charges may arise from SCC mess:
The inspector general, whose analysis prompted sweeping reforms at the state Schools Construction Corp., told lawmakers yesterday it is possible criminal charges will be pursued against individuals or firms responsible for millions of dollars in questionable spending.
Inspector General Mary Jane Cooper has been reviewing the $8.6 billion initiative to rebuild public schools for almost a year, following a report in The Star-Ledger that detailed massive cost over-runs, change orders and professional fees that added hundreds of millions of dollars to the cost of the state school projects.
For instance, Cooper noted one episode in which SCC staffers had apparently created misleading documents to boost payments to a private company by up to $3.4 million. She highlighted another instance in which millions of dollars had been wasted on rushed orders for temporary classroom trailers that ended up sitting, unused, in a field for a year.
The SCC, which was authorized to spend up to $6 billion on a court-ordered overhaul of hundreds of decrepit public school buildings in 31 “Abbott” communities and $2.6 billion subsidizing construction elsewhere, has spent all that money with hundreds of schools left to be built.
New Jersey Government: New Jersey Taxes: New Jersey Corruption
The inspector general, whose analysis prompted sweeping reforms at the state Schools Construction Corp., told lawmakers yesterday it is possible criminal charges will be pursued against individuals or firms responsible for millions of dollars in questionable spending.
Inspector General Mary Jane Cooper has been reviewing the $8.6 billion initiative to rebuild public schools for almost a year, following a report in The Star-Ledger that detailed massive cost over-runs, change orders and professional fees that added hundreds of millions of dollars to the cost of the state school projects.
For instance, Cooper noted one episode in which SCC staffers had apparently created misleading documents to boost payments to a private company by up to $3.4 million. She highlighted another instance in which millions of dollars had been wasted on rushed orders for temporary classroom trailers that ended up sitting, unused, in a field for a year.
The SCC, which was authorized to spend up to $6 billion on a court-ordered overhaul of hundreds of decrepit public school buildings in 31 “Abbott” communities and $2.6 billion subsidizing construction elsewhere, has spent all that money with hundreds of schools left to be built.
New Jersey Government: New Jersey Taxes: New Jersey Corruption
