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A longtime Ocean County school board attorney with an unusually high-paid contract cannot remain on the job, a judge ruled this month.
Michael Inzelbuch, Lakewood’s board of education attorney who has been paid more than $6 million by the district over the past seven years, was blocked from being rehired earlier this year by New Jersey education officials.
Inzelbuch was paid $600,000 annually, plus $475 per hour for any additional litigation services, according to the Asbury Park Press. And, since 2017, he has earned more than any other public school attorney in New Jersey, an investigation by the newspaper revealed.
The state Department of Education’s Office of Fiscal Accountability and Compliance issued a report on Feb. 25 alleging the district violated state regulations with Inzelbuch’s contract.
Lakewood’s legal expenses were higher than the statewide average, the office found. They also accused the district of violating regulations by paying Inzelbuch a flat rate without detailed invoices and failing to put the contract out for competitive bidding.
On July 1, Administrative Law Judge Susan Scarola sided with the state and ruled that Inzelbuch cannot remain under contract while the legal dispute over his reappointment plays out.
The school board had appealed the office’s decision to block the contract, sending the case to the state education commissioner.
Scarola denied the board’s request to keep Inzelbuch on during the appeal, finding the district failed to meet the legal standards for a temporary court order.
“The school board will not be ‘without legal representation’ after the contract expires,” Scarola wrote in her decision, noting that Lakewood has already approved other attorneys to serve the district. “An emergent relief order is not necessary to prevent irreparable harm.”
School officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.
Details of Inzelbuch’s unusually high salary came to light as the district grapples with ongoing financial troubles for the 2025-26 school year.
Lakewood students protest long term school funding problems outside the Trenton Thunder Stadium after they were not allowed to protest at the New Jersey State Board of Education less than a quarter mile away. Wednesday in Trenton, NJ. 5/17/17 (Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com) NJ Advance Media for NJ.comNJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Lakewood received a $65 million emergency loan from the state after warning it was at risk of not being able to pay teachers and staff this year. However, the loan wasn’t enough to cover all expenses, and in February, the district announced plans to sell an elementary school and two preschool sites to help reduce costs.
Scarola criticized Inzelbuch’s pay in her July 1 ruling, writing that Lakewood’s ongoing money issues were “exacerbated by the terms of the contract.”
The lack of state aid has been a long-standing issue in the district. In 2023, attorneys for public school parents argued in a New Jersey appeals court that Lakewood’s low-income, mostly Hispanic students were being denied the “thorough and efficient” education guaranteed by the state due to inadequate funding.
Lakewood Township also has one of the fastest-growing Orthodox Jewish communities in New Jersey. Its school district is unique in that all but 6,000 of its nearly 50,000 students attend private yeshivas.
As a result, more than half of the district’s budget is spent on transportation and special education services for private school students.
Inzelbuch initially served as the district’s attorney starting in 2003 tp 2012 and returned to the role in 2017. Much of the district’s past legal costs were tied to Inzelbuch’s former role as a private attorney, when he filed more than 80 lawsuits against the district on behalf of families seeking special education services.
At a board meeting following the February state report, Lakewood Board President Moshe Bender defended Inzelbuch’s contract, arguing that the state’s analysis didn’t account for the large number of private school students in the district.
“The legal services provided by Mr. Inzelbuch’s for the district relate to the non-public students on issues such as busing, special education and grants,” Bender said. “It is thus misleading, unfair and reductional for the report to exclude nearly 90% of the district students who are in non public schools from the calculation.”
The next Lakewood Board of Education meeting is scheduled for July 16.