Paterson spent $47K on superintendent’s office

Decision to buy furniture made without Newell

PATERSON – The city school district purchased $47,232 in furniture for the two-room office suite of the district’s new superintendent, Laurie Newell, public records show.

District officials said the decision to buy the new furniture was made before Newell started work in Paterson last July. Officials said the last time the district bought furniture for the superintendent’s office was in the 1990s.

“I don’t think it’s anything out of the ordinary,” said Paterson Board of Education President Manny Martinez. “It’s furniture for the superintendent’s office. I don’t see how this is news.”

The school board’s vice president, Kenneth Simmons, said the decision to buy new furniture was made without Newell.

“I know that conversation happened prior to her coming,” Simmons said.

District spokesman Dan Juan said the business administration office moved ahead on the furniture at the recommendation of the facilities department. “It was based on the condition of the furnishings that have been in the superintendent’s office since the mid’90’s,” Juan said.

Paterson Press obtained the purchase orders for the furniture through public records requests. The items bought included a pedestal desk for $2,913, an executive credenza for $2,433, a storage credenza for $3,489, a knee-space credenza for $3,165, three bookcases for $2,060 apiece, a circular oak table for $1,667, and a rectangular conference table for $1,182.

Included in the price were about $10,000 in delivery charges, according to the purchase orders.

The district has not yet paid the supplier, Indiana Furniture Industries, because some items arrived damaged, officials said. The district is awaiting the replacement furniture before it pays the bill, officials said.