Waste of the Day: NYC Paid Embattled Consultant
Topline: A former New York City school superintendent was working for Brooklyn schools as a consultant as of this June, a year after his new employer in New Jersey sued him for alleged fraud and mismanagement, according to an investigation by independent reporter Susan B. Edelman.
Key facts: Thomas McBryde Jr. left his job as superintendent of Brooklyn’s District 19 — part of the larger NYC school district — in 2021, but his private McBryde Consulting Group was hired by the district in 2022.
He became superintendent of Hackensack Public Schools in New Jersey in 2024. He was unceremoniously placed on leave just one year later.
Hackensack schools alleged in a lawsuit that McBryde sent $250,000 in school funds to fictitious companies for work that was never performed. The district also claims he created new positions to hire “close personal friends,” even though the district could not afford their salaries.
Hackensack is seeking over $1.5 million in damages.
McBryde’s alleged misconduct in Hackensack was public knowledge, but the Brooklyn school district continued to pay him for consulting work. McBryde Consulting Group collected nearly $224,000 from District 19 since 2022, including more than $100,000 since he was sued for fraud, Edelman found.
District 19 often gave McBryde multiple payments of $5,000 or less on the same day, possibly in an effort to avoid laws requiring competitive bidding for all payments above $25,000, according to Edelman.
The New York City Department of Education declined to tell Edelman what work McBride performed as a consultant and why he continued to work for the city after being accused of fraud. It’s also unclear whether Hackensack knew McBryde was moonlighting as a consultant while working full-time as their superintendent.
McBryde did not return Edelman’s request for comment.
Background: McBryde was making a salary of $185,249 from New York City when he left his job in 2021, Open the Books’ payroll database shows. His job in Hackensack paid him $176,101 per year.
Lydia Singh, a business administrator for Hackensack schools that the district alleges participated in the fraud scheme, made $171,257 as of 2024.
Search all federal, state and local salaries and vendor spending with the world’s largest government spending database at OpenTheBooks.com.
Summary: McBryde’s alleged misconduct in Hackensack has not been proven to date, but there is still no excuse for New York City to employ a consultant accused of widespread fraud when countless others are available.
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