by Cedric ‘BIG CED’ Thornton
November 4, 2025
Aneesha Jacko reportedly bought hundreds of books by Damon Dash’s wife, Rachel Horn.
New York City principal Aneesha Jacko is under investigation for allegedly misusing taxpayer funds, including buying hundreds and hundreds of books written by her friends, one of whom is married to a hip-hop icon.
Jacko, the principal at PS 35 Nathaniel Woodhull in Queens, who has been at the school since October 2020, is under investigation, Jason Brooks, a spokesman for the Special Commissioner of Investigation confirmed to the New York Post.
Brooks acknowledged that the office has been exploring complaints about Jacko’s spending for three years. However, “the case is still open, and therefore the SCI cannot comment,” he said.
Sources told the Post that Jacko used school funds to purchase approximately 500 copies of the paperback Dusko Goes to Sea. The book was written by Raquel Horn, the wife of Roc-a-Fella Records cofounder Damon Dash , who was at the school in February. (The book retails for $14.95.)
Three years ago, the school also purchased the first Dusko book, Dusko Goes to Space.
“There’s a budget for them to buy books. So why is it a problem?” Dash asked when he was contacted by the Post.
“I think it’s a racist thing that she’s even being looked at and scrutinized,” he added. “It’s just because she’s a Black woman who has good reading scores for her kids and gets more for her money. She’s trying to help these kids learn how to read.”
Jacko also authorized a $10,000 payment to Poppington LLC, Dash’s apparel company, on March 9, 2022, for T-shirts, according to records reviewed by The Post.
Other purchases are under scrutiny, include a payment of $26,877 to Young Faces Smiling, a non-profit by her friend, A. McClarty. She also bought about 100 copies of her book Reaching for the Stars: 10 Secret Steps to Connecting with Celebrities and Building Your Brand.
Jacko, the Post reports, also ordered 1,285 books by another friend, Brianna Greenspan: 435 copies of Everything is Right About You; 200 copies of I Am the Best Me; and 630 copies of The Miracle Morning Art of Affirmations, a $20 coloring book; and 35 copies in Spanish.
The principal also used school funds to pay Sussman Education Inc., which publishes those books, $61,000 in early 2022, records show.
Officials have stated that Jacko is not accused of any criminal wrongdoing.
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