Aneesha Jacko, principal of P.S. 35 Nathaniel Woodhull in Hollis, Queens, is under investigation for allegedly misusing taxpayer money to benefit her personal network, including former Roc-A-Fella Records co-founder Damon Dash and his wife, Raquel Horn. Whistleblowers allege Jacko has spent tens of thousands of public dollars on purchases and contracts linked to her friends, while promoting their brands throughout the school.
Records show Jacko used school funds to buy roughly 500 copies of Horn’s Dusko Goes to Sea at $14.95 each, following similar bulk purchases of Horn’s first book, Dusko Goes to Space. She also paid Dash’s company, Poppington LLC, $10,000 in March 2022 for T-shirts, a purchase Dash later claimed was sold “at cost.” In addition, Jacko authorized $49,100 in payments to education consultant Dennis McKesey’s firm, In Our Best Interest LLC, and $61,000 to Sussman Education Inc. for more than 1,200 books authored by her friend Brianna Greenspan. Staffers say Jacko even spent school funds to buy about 100 copies of fellow Delta Sigma Theta member A. McClarty’s Reaching for the Stars for fourth graders.
The principal also installed a large mural in the school lobby that features the titles and logos of books and brands tied to Dash, Horn, Greenspan, McClarty, and McKesey, which critics say amounts to taxpayer-funded advertising. “This is free advertisement for your friends with taxpayer dollars,” one staff member said.
The Special Commissioner of Investigation has been reviewing complaints against Jacko for more than three years. A 2022 report found that she improperly authorized $10,500 in overtime for a favored teacher. While Jacko has not been charged, the probe remains open. Dash has defended her actions, calling the scrutiny “racist” and saying, “She’s a Black woman trying to help kids read.”
Despite the controversy, Department of Education officials have declined to comment, while faculty members say they fear retaliation for speaking out.