Education Policy and Funding Oversight

New Jersey Assemblywoman Dawn Fantasia and two other state lawmakers have asked U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon to open a federal investigation into Newark Public Schools over what they call $287 million in unaccounted‑for federal COVID relief funds. Fantasia told Fox News the district showed a “pattern of adults behaving badly,” citing roughly 14,000 students who allegedly never received promised tutoring and a $1.4 million literacy‑consultant contract she says produced no work and coincided with falling reading scores elsewhere. Recent 2025 New Jersey Student Learning Assessment results show only 34% of Newark students passing English language arts and 21% passing math, far below state averages, fueling concerns that federal recovery dollars did little to improve outcomes. Newark Public Schools denied the accusations in a statement, calling itself “one of the largest and most effective public school districts in the nation” with its “fiscal house in order” and accusing Fantasia of a political attack. The clash spotlights growing scrutiny of how big‑city districts used billions in federal pandemic aid as test scores stagnate, and whether the Biden and Trump administrations’ loose oversight of relief funds let waste or fraud flourish in the name of learning recovery.