American Express cards are the method of choice for Montgomery County Public Schools employees to treat themselves to taxpayer-financed restaurant lunches, dinners, and catered get-togethers.
The Parents Coalition has uncovered the fact that with every purchase made by MCPS employees using these cards, a rebate accrues.
Over the last two years, these rebates have amounted to tidy sums. According to a letter from Katherine D. Harrison, Acting Director of Public Information, for calendar year 2008, the rebate amount to MCPS was $15,784. For calendar year 2009, the rebate amount was $13,550. The total rebate for the two calendar years was $29,334.
Show me the money! I realize that almost thirty thousand dollars is chump change in MCPS-land...but where did it go? What did MCPS spend thirty thousand dollars on? Lemme guess: security cameras? payment on rent-to-own electronic whiteboards? litigation against special education children and families?
Doesn't the County Council have to appropriate rebates that come in to MCPS? Did MCPS report this "found money" to the County Council or did they just go ahead and spend it? Inquiring minds want to know.
In any event, the whole idea of letting public employees use publicly-financed credit cards to treat themselves to lunches and dinners is a CLUNKER. And the fact that MCPS gets "cash back" for these transactions that goes unreported, unaccounted for, and un-appropriated makes this "purchasing card program" even worse.
probably against parents of special needs children yes the civil rights and liberties just don't matter to MCPS
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