NEWARK, N.J. – A $700,000 Newark Public Schools contract with a prominent funeral director is drawing fire from a New Jersey lawmaker who is questioning why the district is spending state-supported education dollars on a hospitality and leadership program run by someone whose publicly listed degrees are in mortuary science, divinity and pastoral counseling.
While Newark is spending nearly a million dollars on padding a celebrity funeral director’s bank account, schools across New Jersey that are funding Newark, continue to go underfunded.
Assemblywoman Dawn Fantasia, a Republican from Sussex County, blasted the deal after an NJ Spotlight News investigation detailed the three-year contract awarded to Carolyn Whigham, owner and director of Whigham Funeral Home in Newark. Her funeral home has handled services for prominent figures including Whitney Houston, Sarah Vaughan, Rep. Donald Payne Jr. and Amiri Baraka.
The contract, approved 9-0 by the Newark Board of Education, runs through June 20, 2029 and could be renewed for another two years. Whigham’s program, “Developing Next-Level Awareness,” covers hospitality, tourism, food service, event management, entrepreneurship and workplace leadership for students and staff.
Fantasia Questions Whigham’s Background for the Work
“ARE YOU SITTING DOWN???” Fantasia wrote in a social media post before describing the arrangement as a “$700,000 taxpayer-funded contract.”
Her criticism centered on the disconnect she sees between Whigham’s professional background and the work taxpayers are buying.
Fantasia noted that Whigham’s publicly available biography lists degrees in mortuary science, divinity and pastoral counseling, while NJ Spotlight News reported finding no listed teaching expertise or leadership experience in hotels, restaurants or tourism.
Neither Whigham nor Newark Public Schools answered NJ Spotlight’s questions about her relevant credentials, according to the investigation.
The contract is not, however, a $700,000 payment for a single class or year. It is a three-year award worth up to $700,000, and the district selected Whigham through a competitive procurement process.
- Whigham proposed three-hour student sessions for groups of 25 at $2,500 per class.
- Teacher training is priced at $2,500 for a half day and $4,500 for a full day.
- The program is not a state-approved career and technical education pathway and does not award an industry-recognized credential.
Fantasia said the pricing only added to her concerns.
“We don’t need to pay $700K to know we’re getting taken to the cleaners,” she wrote.
What is Newark Public Schools paying Carolyn Whigham to provide?
Her proposal calls for student and staff programming involving hospitality, food service, tourism, event management, hotel operations, entrepreneurship and leadership skills. District evaluators also cited soft skills including empathy, conflict resolution and guest communication.
Whigham Had Previous Ties to Newark School Leadership
Whigham was not an unknown vendor entering the district for the first time.
According to the NJ Spotlight investigation, Whigham previously hosted a Newark school board retreat and operated a summer program for Newark teenagers at her Warren County property.
There is also a more personal connection. Whigham Funeral Home handled funeral arrangements for Newark Superintendent Roger León’s mother, Edith León, in 2023, according to an obituary reviewed by NJ Spotlight.
León was among the administrators who later recommended Whigham’s proposal.
State Says Program Is Not an Approved Career Pathway
The New Jersey Department of Education confirmed that Whigham’s program is not an approved career and technical education pathway leading to a high-skill, high-wage or in-demand occupation.
It also does not provide students with an industry-recognized credential.
That matters because Whigham is not being hired to operate the type of state-approved vocational program that generally requires credentialed CTE instructors. The program functions more like vendor-provided enrichment, career exploration and professional development.
There is another question hanging over the contract: Newark Vocational High School already offers hospitality and tourism programming that includes event planning, leadership and industry soft skills.
Whigham plans to begin at at least five schools — Newark Vocational High School, Arts High School, West Side High School, Eagle Academy and Newark School of Global Studies.
How much of Newark Public Schools’ budget comes from state taxpayers?
Newark Public Schools has a roughly $1.67 billion budget for 2026-27, according to NJ Spotlight News, with more than 80% funded by state taxpayers. That makes the district’s spending decisions an issue beyond Newark itself.
Fantasia seized on that point, arguing that lawmakers representing other parts of New Jersey should care about how Newark spends its education funding.
The unanswered question isn’t whether Whigham is permitted to provide an enrichment program without conventional hospitality credentials. The state says this is not a credentialed CTE pathway.
The larger question is what Newark students and teachers will receive for as much as $700,000, how the district measured Whigham’s qualifications against competing vendors and whether the program adds something Newark schools don’t already offer.
Sources: NJ Spotlight News investigation republished by Chalkbeat Newark, Newark Public Schools procurement and program reporting; Dawn Fantasia public social media statement
