Tougher rules eyed on hiring, donations in Abbot districts Tuesday, October 03, 2006 • BY DUNSTAN McNICHOL • Star-Ledger Staff Newark and 30 other school districts that share $4 billion in court-ordered school aid each year would have until Dec. 1 to adopt restrictions on hiring relatives and taking campaign contributions from contractors, under regulations under consideration by the state Department of Education. The regulations, which could be formally enacted as early as this week, would apply to the 31 school districts covered by the state Supreme Court's Abbott vs. Burke school funding decisions. The proposed rules would require boards of education in those districts to adopt resolutions prohibiting "pay-to-play" campaign contributions from professionals and business owners seeking contracts with the district. Separately, the regulations would require the boards to draft and receive state approval for policies regarding the hiring and supervision of relatives. State officials declined to discuss the regulations until they have been adopted. Others involved in the Abbott case welcomed the new regulations, but said they do not go far enough toward eliminating all potential conflicts. "I'll reserve my praise until I find out it really is not just eyewash," said Assemblyman Joseph Malone (R-Burlington), a frequent critic of spending by the Abbott districts. "This particular policy may memorialize some loopholes." David Sciarra, the attorney who has pressed the Abbott case as executive director of the Education Law Center in Newark, said he still hopes the new regulations will include additional restrictions to prohibit Abbott school officials and school board members from seeking or serving in elected office. "They're precisely the kind of regulations we need in place to ensure our urban districts are operating in the most effective and efficient way possible, but they don't go far enough," said Sciarra. "We think the commissioner needs to take another step to ban any school board member from seeking or holding public office." Heather Taylor, spokeswoman for the Citizen's Campaign, a grassroots reform effort, applauded the proposed regulations as "a good step in the right direction," but also suggested they could be stronger. Spending in the Abbott districts has become an increasingly contentious issue as the court-mandated payments have taken a larger and larger share of state education aid. This year, of $7.3 billion in total school aid, the state budget allocates $4.2 billion to the 31 Abbott districts, state budget documents show. Since 2002, total aid to the Abbott districts has increased by an average of 6 percent per year, while aid to the rest of the state's districts has grown by only 1 percent annually. Under language now routinely included in each year's state budget, the education commissioner is given authority to draft regulations governing the programs funded with the state aid. The regulations currently under consideration would require each Abbott district board of education to adopt regulations that would at least ban campaign contributions from contractors holding jobs worth at least $29,000. Perry Lattiboudere, counsel for Newark schools, said the district's purchasing department earlier this year had begun imposing contribution restrictions on contractors. He said the board will take formal action to adopt those restrictions if the state regulations require them. Dunstan McNichol covers state government issues. He may be reached at dmcnichol@starledger.com or (609) 989-0341. © 2006 The Star-Ledger. Used by NJ.com with permission.