Board member Rebecca Smondrowski spent $885 on her school-issued credit card for a three-night stay at the Washington Hilton to attend a conference in the District.
Smondrowski, who lives in Gaithersburg, about a 22-mile drive from the hotel, charged the school system for a stay at the hotel from Feb. 1 to Feb. 4. She and her husband, Kenneth, stayed at the hotel while she was attending a National School Board Association (NSBA) leadership conference, according to expense reports provided by the school system.
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
County Board of Education Member Spent Nearly $900 on Hotel Room in D.C. - Bethesda Beat
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From April 02, 2012:
ReplyDeleteThe Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County, MD blog authors contacted all of the candidates running in the Board of Education Primary race. There was only ONE candidate that NEVER responded to our request for information, and that was Ms. Smondrowski.
The District 2 BOE seat (currently held by Rebecca Smondrowski) is not on the ballot in this year's election.
DeleteSmondrowski loves living BIG and not paying. Her personal finances reflect this in a big way with multiple liens, judgments and foreclosures for EVREY property the Smondrowskis have owned in the past decade. It all comes up on Lexus-Nexus. How can we entrust a $2.3B school budget to someone who is so irresponsible with their own personal finances.
ReplyDeleteAccording to a Bethesda Magazine update, Smondrowski now denies that her husband, Ken, stayed in the hotel room with her. She now says that she "left him a key at the front desk," nothing more. In the upper right-hand corner, the hotel bill states "Adult/Child: 2/0" (i.e. TWO Adults). Who does she think she's trying to kid? Also, according to the Bethesda Magazine, she spent $46 on valet parking TWICE. Self-park at the Washington Hilton is $36 per night. The hotel receipt can be found at: http://www.bethesdamagazine.com/Screen%20Shot%202014-06-10%20at%209_58_12%20AM.png
ReplyDeleteI'm real confused... The 2014 NSBA Leadership Conference was held at the Washington Hilton February 1st and 2nd, 2014, WHY were there THREE room charges? Why not two or one (arrive in the morning of the first day and stay overnight) or none (drove in both days)??? And what's up with the hotel bill two line items that call out Kenneth Smondrowski by name in association with room 4115? The room charge and room tax line items read: "GUEST ROOM [XFR FR RM 4115 SMONDROWWSKI, KENNETH:RCPT A]" Did Rebecca Smondrowski's husband have his own personal room charges transferred to the BOE expense account???
ReplyDeleteI am incensed that this is all legal. Is this really the best use of our tax money? Frankly, the same type of stuff goes on with Maryland and National PTA - spending the members money on expensive hotel rooms and car rentals.
ReplyDeleteWhat is also disturbing is the way Ms. Smondrowski justifies it all - (paraphrasing) "I work hard for the children of Montgomery County" - like she thinks that justifies some perks? This is what is wrong with the thinking of our government officials. They think they are owed something! sorry, they are public servants, and as such are owed nothing besides a fair wage.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BbGvS9EXtw
DeleteSo maybe we need to ask for an audit of the MCCPTA as well? The National PTSA should be on Charity Navigator, right?
DeleteLove that song..... Maryland PTA is right out there wasting their member's money. The membership has no idea how National and Maryland PTA are spending and wasting their money.
DeleteInteresting that Barclay used the self-parking ($36) while Smondrowski used the valet ($46).
ReplyDeleteFor Rebecca Smondrowski (taxpayer) money is no object.
DeleteIf you are a MCPS parent or teacher interested in speaking with reporters about this topic send us an e-mail to:
ReplyDeletecontact - at - parentscoalitionmc.com
Why three nights in the hotel for a two-and-a-half-day conference (Sunday afternoon through Tuesday afternoon)? If you must stay at the hotel, then stay for two nights, and leave when the conference is over.
ReplyDeleteIf you plan to be there at the start I can almost see staying the night before, especially driving in DC rush traffic - but when it's over, Metro isn't THAT long a trip and it's a LOT less pricy than another night there! Heck, take Metro down that morning too - that's what I did years ago when MENC (Music Educators National Conference) was in DC; I was working in Baltimore County, paid for my own hotel room in Gaithersburg, my own parking at Shady Grove, and my own Metro fares too.
DeleteI'm starting to feel a bit hard done by, as by British friends say.
You are joking right? This conference started on a SUNDAY morning!
DeleteP.S. How is it that Ms. Smondrowski's car only stayed at the hotel 2 nights and she stayed 3?
Alarm clock malfunction?
DeleteAh yes - I had missed the Sunday, even though it was right there in front of me. Distracted Typing. *grin* In that case then, no excuse for a Saturday stay, not unless she's the one paying for it.
DeleteBREAKING NEWS: According the Washington Hilton, the room charge for the first night was split between Rebecca Smondrowski and Kenneth Smondrowski. Kenneth Smondrowski used his own credit card to secure exactly half the room charge for the first night and Rebecca Smondrowski used her MCPS-issued card for the other half. According to the Washington Hilton, upon the request of Rebecca Smondrowski, the Hilton TRANSFERRED Ken’s $132.25 ($115.50 room charge + $16.75 tax) balance to Rebecca’s MCPS-issued credit card. From that point on, all the room charges for Rebecca and Ken were charged exclusively to the MCPS-issued card.
ReplyDeleteFor anyone who does believe the above post (June 11, 1:01 PM), get a copy of the bill at http://www.bethesdamagazine.com/Screen%20Shot%202014-06-10%20at%209_58_12%20AM.png, call the Washington Hilton at 202-483-3000, ask for the front desk and have the front desk explain the line item charges on Rebecca Smondrowski's bill. I did and it's 100% true.
ReplyDeleteWhy? why? Because YOU voted for Rebecca Smondrowski. That is why. This is on the voters.
ReplyDeleteDidn't the Parent's Coalition endorse Smondrowski?
ReplyDeleteNope.
DeleteOne person in the Parents' Coalition supported her and she put that endorsement on the front page of her website.