...All expenditures must be clearly documented with an original itemized receipt. All restaurant receipts must be annotated with the names of the meeting participants and purpose of the meeting...From page 36 of the Montgomery County Board of Education Handbook.
Is this Board of Education rule being followed by Board members when they submit their expense reports?
See Parents' Coalition Press Release on Board of Education member expense reports.
Every "must" in the Handbook should be replaced "shall".
ReplyDeleteAnswer: NO. "business dinner" is NOT an explanation.
ReplyDeleteAnd was the "business meeting" at College Park's Buffalo Wild Wings to talk with a MoCo "constituent"?
DeleteIt's convenient that everyone seems to meet at meal times. I'm sorry, but my school goes without basic education supplies (e.g., centrifuges in high school science classrooms) because there are insufficient funds from the school district. If the PTA didn't fund-raise to pay for these supplies, our students' educations would be compromised. And MCPS leadership charges thousands of dollars to meals at local restaurants? They can't meet before or after lunch? It's obscene.
ReplyDeleteBecause the bell times recommendation is due to be made on June 17th, I've been reaching out to all of them. Our supporters have been asking where all the Board of Education members stand on this issue. I couldn't help myself - so I talked to Phil about this one. He said that the policy governing expenses was created to enable those without means to run for the Board of Education. That is almost an exact quote. $96K in allowable expenses so that "poor people" would be able to serve as easily as wealthy people.
ReplyDeleteI believe that all of us, regardless of socioeconomic status, believe that public education dollars should be invested in our children. That is the point. And I believe that if we are called to serve, we're called to serve. The dollars aren't the driving factor. I'm not running for the Board of Education because of the salary or the credit cards and the opportunity to eat lunch with people, I'm doing so to serve the people. I would do so without recompense or credit cards. It's about the kids.
Merry Eisner-Heidorn
Merry,
DeleteAre you referring to Phil Kauffman?
Mr. Kauffman is so far off on this that it is laughable. Expenses for Board of Education members are authorized by Maryland Statute. The expenses are through the Montgomery County Council, as per the Maryland Statute. A number of Boards of Education across the state allow for expenses for Board of Education members. None of them mention the outside income of the members.
Merry,
DeleteCurrently, not one single Board of Education member has an outside job. So, is "Phil" saying that they are all free to eat as much as they like with their MCPS AMEX cards because they are unemployed?
Meanwhile, students are charged illegal fees to attend classes - EVEN POOR STUDENTS?
BOE members get fed while students pay?
Perhaps the problem is that we pay the BOE members for a part time job, and they expect full time perks. But even those of us with full time jobs don't go out to eat as much as the BOE.
DeleteSo apparently, we must go to the state legislature to reign in the free lunches -- good to know. After the great recession, MCPS laid off a great many school-based staff. Yet, we pay $96,000 for meetings that are held in restaurants during mealtimes. I didn't realize that free eating was formally part of the BOE and top staffs' job description.
ReplyDeleteYou can also go straight to the Montgomery County Council:
Deletehttp://parentscoalitionmc.blogspot.com/2014/05/county-council-provides-for-travel-and.html
Janis (and everyone):
ReplyDeleteIt's an absurdity that Phil Kauffman, as current Board of Education President, attempted to defend the credit cards. There is no such thing as good use of credit card by public school officials - because members of the board of education should be thinking about the welfare of our children. How can eating a nice meal at a restaurant be about the children? I don't care WHAT you're talking about .... you're filling your belly with dollars that are better spent elsewhere. That's true whether the position is part-time or full-time.
If the members of the Board of Education - or any of our elected officials -- are no longer inclined to serve, but are blinded by the need for recompense, they should go find a job. This is about serving the needs of our children. They need us now to get the best possible public school education.
Merry Eisner-Heidorn
Maybe if they stopped with all these lunches we could get out of the cell tower microwave the kids with wifi business?
ReplyDelete