Sunday, August 30, 2009

Sherwin Collette: Two days at a conference equals five days in London hotel at MCPS expense

Back in March 2009, MCPS reported that they paid for a two night hotel stay for Chief Technology Officer Sherwin Collette to attend the ITIE Symposium in London in October 2008.

Mr. Collette, you might recall, is one of the masterminds behind the Promethean Board project.

Conference documents show that Mr. Collette did two presentations at the ITIE Symposium, sponsored by Promethean, on October 6, 2008.

But documents obtained by the Parents' Coalition reveal that MCPS actually paid $1,422 for a five day, four night stay ($355 per night) at the Millennium Gloucester Hotel in London so that Mr. Collette could attend the two day conference and present on one day. Airfare to London was another $947, also paid by MCPS.

Cost to taxpayers: $2,368.84


Plus meals and other incidentals that cost an undisclosed amount.

Collette Promethean Conference Expenses

2 comments:

  1. This trip took place during a hiring freeze. So students were not being supplied with teachers, but travel to London was fine?

    ~~~
    Gazette Sept. 17, 2008:

    The Montgomery County public school system, already besieged by a slumping economy, has frozen hiring for the second straight year, school leaders said Wednesday.

    All vacant classroom teacher and counselor positions will be filled by long-term substitutes; lunch-hour aide positions will be filled on a part-time basis; and some staff positions, including paraeducators, will remain frozen, among other things...

    http://www.gazette.net/stories/09172008/polinew170235_32503.shtml

    ReplyDelete
  2. Also, please note that the trip was originally paid for by Promethean and then MCPS reimbursed Promethean for the costs shown. As the article states, it is not known how food and incidentals were paid or who paid for them for the 5 day/4 night trip.

    ReplyDelete

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