Why are these people smiling? They are spending your money on a Junket to New Orleans!

BOE Staffer Roland Ikhide, Student Board of Education
member Justin Kim, and BOE member Rebecca Smondrowski

Justin Kim ‏@mocosmob  24m

Necessary selfie before our plane departure to New Orleans for the NSBA convention w @ikhide @RebeccaOnBoard pic.twitter.com/pAWYTfLG41

From Twitter we learn that today members of the Board of Education and their STAFF are on are a plane to New Orleans for a junket.  

The junket is the National School Boards Association (NSBA) convention where MCPS Board members and STAFF can meet Earvin "Magic" Johnson! 

No, that's not what you are supposed to think! You are supposed to think that this "conference" has some sort of higher meaning to the job of the elected Board of Education members and their STAFF.  (Staff needs to go, because why? We are 100% sure Staff have been on these trips many, many times before.  What purpose does it serve to continually send them on junkets?)  

The Student member of the BOE will be off the BOE in a few short weeks when his term ends.  Student members need to go on these trips because, why?

Add up the plane fare, registration fees, hotel, meals, limos to airport etc... times the total number of participants and you have the cost of this junket to students and classrooms.  

Teachers,  are you still using your own money to buy classroom supplies?  Don't complain about it! Your union prefers to fund junkets over classrooms.