By Jennifer Glickel
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN — New York did not receive money from the federal Race to the Top competition for education grants thanks in part to a long wish list of expensive office furniture, the New York Post reports.
The equipment list consisted of up to $200,000 worth of designer furniture for education officials, including 24 "executive chairs" costing $550 each, the paper said.
Three of the five judges that reviewed the state's application for the education grant lambasted it in written comments.
"There are projected expenses (e.g. $550 for executive chairs) that call into question NY's judgment on responsible stewardship of funds," the Post quoted one reviewer as writing.
The officials reportedly requested four computer stations costing $2,500 each and two bookcases at $3,000 a pop, according to the Post.
Education officials said that they are required by Albany to purchase from CorCraft, a furniture vendor whose pieces are made by New York prison inmates, the Post said.
