The nonprofit says it continued to provide mentors for Jersey City students because it hadn't been told the district wanted to halt the program after on year.
The Jersey City public-school district owes Big Brothers Big Sisters of Essex, Hudson and Union Counties more than $400,000 in back payments for a mentorship program that began in 2011, the nonprofit alleges in a new lawsuit.
The group alleges school officials said they wanted Big Brothers Big Sisters to provide mentors for public-school students for a minimum of three years starting in 2011 at an annual cost of $232,012 -- but then halted the program after one year without telling the Newark-based nonprofit.
Big Brothers Big Sisters says in its 26-page lawsuit, which it plans to file this week in Essex County Superior Court, that the group continued to provide mentors well into 2014 because various district employees spent 2012 and 2013 leading the nonprofit to believe that the program was still alive.
Even though the group did not receive payments after 2011, Big Brothers Big Sisters says in the suit that it thought the unpaid invoices resulted from administrative errors. The group says it was stunned to find out in 2014 that school officials had decided in 2011 to halt the program after one year.
"Building a strong and vibrant mentoring program, one that leads to tangible results for the young people of Jersey City, takes years to build," Michele Williers, chief operating officer for Big Brothers Big Sisters, said in a statement. "Finding the perfect match between a child and a positive adult mentor and allowing that relationship to develop into one of trust and companionship is not something that can be done in a one-off year."
The initial contract, signed in 2010, was for one year, but Big Brothers Big Sisters says in its suit that school officials had said they envisioned the program lasting for another two years.
Vidya Gangadin, president of the school board, which is named as a defendant along with the district, referred all questions to district spokeswoman Maryann Dickar. Dickar told The Jersey Journal that Big Brothers Big Sisters "has been paid by the district for all services they provided under a contract that ended several years ago."
"The current dispute involves many thousands of dollars in payments sought by BBBS for services it allegedly provided by volunteers and others after a contract ended," Dickar said. "The district has hoped to resolve the dispute, however, settlement has not been reached."
Big Brothers Big Sisters is seeking more than $464,024 -- the annual sum it says it was promised for 2012 and 2013, plus an unspecified amount for work it did in part of 2014. The amount was intended to pay for background checks, teaching materials, recruitment, administrative costs and more, according to the lawsuit.
Dorothy Perry, 51, who lives on the West Side, told The Jersey Journal the program helped her son, Jaleel, when he was going through a rough time in his life. His older brother was shot and killed during a shootout in December 2009, and his father later died of cancer.
Without the mentorship program, which brought "big brother" Joel into his life, Jaleel "could have gone another way," Perry said.
"Having him made a big impact on his life," she said, adding that her son is now hoping to enroll in college.
Big Brothers Big Sisters say it has had to take out hundreds of thousands of dollars in loans to continue operating while it awaits payment from Jersey City's school district.
Terrence T. McDonald may be reached at tmcdonald@jjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @terrencemcd. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook.
