Taxpayer dollars should be used to benefit students, schools, and education-not to settle personal grievances. Yet, over the past year, we’ve seen an alarming pattern of wasteful spending and legal maneuvers that serve no educational purpose.
At the center of this issue are Board Vice President Jean Barrett and Board President Donna Carey, who have repeatedly attempted to weaponize legal resources for their own personal and political purposes. Their actions have not only diverted taxpayer money away from education but have also undermined public trust in the Board of Education.
A Misuse of Board Resources
One of the most blatant examples of taxpayer waste came when Jean Barrett pressured the Board’s legal counsel to take action against a fellow board member-without any legitimate legal basis.
Jean Barrett’s email to the board attorney:
“With the majority of the board in agreement, I would like to request a ‘cease and desist’ notice to be given to Mr. Van Ginnigan as soon as possible, and have him stop the use of the website immediately.”
This raises serious concerns:
- Why was Barrett making demands as if the board had already voted on this?
- Why was board legal counsel being involved in what was essentially a personal or campaign-related dispute?
- How much money was wasted entertaining this baseless request?
Backtracking When Caught
After sending this request, Barrett realized she had overstepped-but instead of taking responsibility, she quickly tried to backpedal:
“My asking for a cease and desist was asked with the understanding that it would have to be a majority decision by the board, something that would have to be asked of each board member.”
But by then, the damage was done-she had already misrepresented the situation as if the board had approved action before any discussion even took place.
Donna Carey’s Escalation: A Costly Ethics Complaint
If Barrett’s attempt to misuse board legal resources wasn’t bad enough, Donna Carey escalated this behavior by filing an ethics complaint against a fellow board member-again, at the taxpayers’ expense.
- Barrett attempted to force a legal cease and desist order, using board attorneys to address a personal grievance.
- Carey followed up by filing a politically motivated ethics complaint, once again using taxpayer-funded legal processes.
- Both actions wasted public resources-money that could have been spent on students, teachers, and school improvements.
The True Cost of This Misuse
How much taxpayer money was wasted on these unnecessary legal actions?
- Reviewing frivolous legal claims
- Responding to ethics complaints without merit
- Distracting from actual board responsibilities
The real victims here are Hardyston taxpayers and students, who are watching their education funds be misused to serve personal vendettas.
A Pattern of Waste and Distraction
This isn’t the first time board members have diverted public money for their own benefit, and unless they are held accountable, it won’t be the last.
- Weaponizing board resources to pursue personal grievances
- Using legal action as a means of silencing opposition
- Refusing to take responsibility for unnecessary spending
If board leadership truly believed in fiscal responsibility, they would stop wasting money on personal and political agendas and instead focus on supporting students, teachers, and taxpayers.
We Kept the Receipts - Stay Tuned
Taxpayers deserve transparency. Where is your money going? Is it being used to help your child’s education, or is it being burned on unnecessary legal battles that have nothing to do with improving our schools?
We have plenty more receipts, and we’ll be sharing them soon. Stay tuned.