The Paterson School Board split their vote last week, arriving at a 4-3 decision to spend $280K for board members to participate in a team-building program offered by the Center for the Reform of School Systems, a Texas-based organization with a “vision of a better America and built on a tradition of meaningful reforms designed to help school districts reach higher levels of performance.”

The organization is run by Don McAdams, a former Houston school board member, who recently coached members of the Plano, TX school board to “avoid split votes and to meet at a private home to get to know each other, and hope no citizens showed up.”

The Paterson school board vote split because some members complained that the resolution agreeing to the fee did not specify who would attend, for how long, where the sessions would be held, and whether the $280K includes travel to Texas, according to the Alternative Press. One board member noted that three members’ seats are up every year, so it’s unclear how the district will benefit. Another noted that New Jersey School Boards Association offers free board training.