Guttenberg (N.J.) BOE Leased Office From Official's Mother's Estate

HUDSON TV EXCLUSIVE

GUTTENBERG, N.J. — For more than a decade, the Guttenberg Board of Education has leased school office space at 312 69th Street—down the block from the Anna L. Klein School at 301 69th Street—from Rose Raffaele and, following her October 2019 death, the Estate of Rose Raffaele, whom longtime School Business Administrator and current Superintendent Jolene Mantineo identifies on her annual New Jersey School Ethics Commission disclosure filings as her “Deceased Parent” and “deceased mother,” according to 102 pages of public records obtained by Hudson TV under the Open Public Records Act (OPRA).

The district’s OPRA production shows $154,380.00 in rent purchase orders issued to the Estate of Rose Raffaele from July 2020 through November 2026 alone—including $21,420.00 paid during the 2020–2021 school year after the prior lease expired without a board-approved extension. In a written OPRA response on Monday, Oct. 26, 2026 at 3:55 p.m. EDT, current Business Administrator Nicole Fundora confirmed that “No record exists” of any board resolution or minutes authorizing the 2020–2021 lease payments, and stated that the district still does not have a copy of the Hudson County Executive County Superintendent facilities approval cited in the board’s lease resolutions. Superintendent Mantineo and Board President Angela Travelli did not respond to Hudson TV’s written request for comment by the Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. EDT deadline.

1. What the School Ethics Filings and State Audits Disclose

For eight consecutive fiscal years—from FY2018 through FY2025—the Related Party Transactions note in the Guttenberg School District’s Annual Comprehensive Financial Reports (ACFRs), filed with the New Jersey Department of Education, disclosed that the board was renting office space from “a family member of the Business Administrator” (FY2018–FY2020) and later “the estate of a family member of the Business Administrator” (FY2021–FY2025). The annual audits never named the family member, the estate, or the street address of the leased property.

Throughout that period, the district’s Roster of Officials in each ACFR identified Jolene Mantineo as the district’s Business Administrator/Board Secretary (and in FY2022–FY2025 as Assistant Superintendent/Business Administrator/Board Secretary). According to the district’s website, Mantineo was appointed School Business Administrator in 1989 and held the role for 37 years before becoming Superintendent, with former board trustee Nicole Fundora becoming School Business Administrator in September 2025.

In response to Hudson TV’s Oct. 17, 2026 OPRA request, the district produced Mantineo’s annual School Ethics Commission Personal/Relative and Financial Disclosure Statements (`N.J.S.A. 18A:12-25` and `18A:12-26`) for calendar years 2021 through 2026 (`OPRA.pdf`, pages 1–57). On Question 2 of the Relative Disclosure Statement—which asks, “Are you or a relative a party to a contract with the local school district or charter school with which you hold office or are employed?”—Mantineo answered “Yes” every year:

The filings do not identify who serves as executor of the Estate of Rose Raffaele or who receives the rental income paid by the school board.

2. Lease History and the Contradictory 2020–2021 Audit Notes

The leases and board resolutions produced by the district (`OPRA.pdf`, pages 58–83) show that the board has leased 312 69th Street since at least May 8, 2013, when Clause 17 of each lease states a $1,466.00 security deposit was paid under the first lease agreement. Each resolution produced by the district carries the letterhead of Office of the Business Administrator — Jolene Mantineo, authorizes and directs the Board Secretary/Business Administrator and Board President (or Vice President) to execute the lease with Rose Raffaele or the Estate of Rose Raffaele, and is certified at the bottom by Jolene Mantineo as Board Secretary.

Two discrepancies stand out in the district’s official financial reports:

1. The unapproved 2020–2021 lease year: In the district’s FY2020 audit (Note 19, ), auditors reported that “The District exercised a one-year renewal option … The one-year extension runs from July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2021 at a cost of $21,420.” One year later, in the FY2021 audit (Note 20, ), auditors wrote the opposite: “The District did not approve an extension of the rental agreement for office space with the estate of a family member of the Business Administrator. However, the Board continued to pay the same agreed upon monthly rent from the lease agreement that had expired on June 30, 2020. Total rental payments amounted to $21,420.” When Hudson TV asked for any board action authorizing those FY2021 payments, Business Administrator Nicole Fundora confirmed in writing on Oct. 26, 2026: “No record exists.”
2. The FY2024 audit’s “no price increase” description vs. the signed 2024 lease: Note 18 of the FY2024 ACFR () stated that the June 2024 lease for July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025 cost $25,200 “with a renewal option and no price increase for fiscal years ending June 30, 2026 and June 30, 2027.” However, Clause 18 of the signed June 19, 2024 lease (`OPRA.pdf`, ) explicitly increases the rent to $27,600.00 for 2025–2026 and $30,000.00 for 2026–2027—and the district’s purchase orders (`PO 26-00049` and `PO 27-00121`) paid those higher amounts.

3. Missing County Superintendent Approvals and $32,850 in “BOE Office Renovations”

Every lease resolution adopted by the Guttenberg Board of Education in the production (`SR-14-147` on April 15, 2015; `R-17-384` on June 13, 2018; `R-20-352` on June 23, 2021; and `June 19-24-12.04` on June 19, 2024) contains an explicit recital stating:

“WHEREAS, the County Executive Superintendent has approved the premises for school office space.”

When the district’s Oct. 23 OPRA response contained no correspondence or approvals from the Hudson County Executive County Superintendent of Schools, Hudson TV sent a follow-up inquiry that afternoon asking the district either to produce the approvals recited in the resolutions or confirm in writing if no such record exists. On Monday, Oct. 26, 2026 at 3:55 p.m. EDT, Business Administrator Nicole Fundora replied:

“Good afternoon,

1. No record exists.
2. We have contacted the Office of the Hudson County Executive County Superintendent to request a copy of the approval. As of today, we have not received a response.

Thank you,”

In addition, in response to Item 6 of Hudson TV’s OPRA request—which sought “Invoices and purchase orders for repairs, maintenance or improvements at 312 69th Street from January 1, 2024 to the present”—the district produced two closed purchase orders (`OPRA.pdf`, pages 101–102) to Lorenzo Constructin Corp. (Vendor L0117, 6121 Buchanan Place, West New York, N.J.) charged to capital construction account 12-000-400-450-00- CONSTRUCTION SERVICES:

• PO 26-00227 (ordered Sept. 8, 2025; paid Dec. 11, 2025 by Check 6542, Invoice 6652): $25,800.00 for BOE office Renovations.
• PO 26-00537 (ordered Jan. 5, 2026; paid Jan. 8, 2026 by Check 6623, Invoices 6651 for $5,600.00 and 6747 for $1,450.00): $7,050.00 for BOE office Renovations.

While the district produced both purchase orders (`$32,850.00` combined) in response to the request for improvements at 312 69th Street, the purchase-order printouts themselves say BOE office Renovations without specifying the street address or scope of work.

4. Seven Unanswered Questions Sent to Superintendent Mantineo and the Board

On Friday, Oct. 23, 2026 at 12:11 p.m. EDT, Hudson TV sent a detailed written request for comment to Superintendent Jolene Mantineo (`jmantineo@alkschool.org`) and Board Secretary Karen Huebsch (`khuebsch@alkschool.org`, for Board President Angela Travelli and the board trustees) with a deadline of Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. EDT, asking:

1. Who are the current owners or beneficiaries of the Estate of Rose Raffaele, and do Mantineo or any members of her family receive any of the rent?
2. What role, if any, did Mantineo play in recommending, negotiating, approving, or signing the leases and extensions?
3. Did she recuse herself from those decisions, and is there a written record of that recusal?
4. On her School Ethics disclosure forms, she answered “No” to Question 3 (whether a relative receives compensation from or has an interest in a business that contracts with the district)—how does the estate’s lease fit with that answer?
5. Why did the district pay $1,785.00 a month ($21,420.00 total) from July 2020 through June 2021 with no board approval on file?
6. Were the two Lorenzo Construction “BOE office Renovations” purchase orders ($25,800.00 in September 2025 and $7,050.00 in January 2026) for work at 312 69th Street, and if so, who approved paying for improvements to a privately owned leased property?
7. Did the board evaluate other office space options before renewing the lease at $25,200.00, $27,600.00, and $30,000.00 per year?

Neither Superintendent Mantineo nor Board President Travelli responded by the Tuesday, Oct. 27 at 5:00 p.m. EDT deadline. The public records do not establish whether Mantineo receives proceeds from the estate or whether the School Ethics Commission has ever reviewed the lease arrangement, and Hudson TV will update this report if Mantineo, the Board of Education, or the Executive County Superintendent responds.

Guttenberg and Hudson County residents who want to examine how local school and municipal spending affects their property tax bills can check whether their property is over-assessed with GardenState.ai’s Property Tax Appeal tool and calculate school and municipal budget impacts with the Tax Shock calculator.

Hudson TV asks: Should New Jersey school boards be barred from leasing private property from the family or estate of a sitting district administrator without a public competitive solicitation and posted state approval? Share your take in the comments.

Have a tip or public records about Guttenberg or another Hudson County school district? Email info@hudsontv.com.