This is a letter to the editor from a paper in McHenry County, that was emailed to me. One man's POV on school board conferences. (May be seen at: http://www.nwherald.com/articles/2008/11/19/opinion/letters/doc4923ed1f7f70d289859069.txt )
Many professions have associations for workers with similar jobs to share ideas and successes. The government “public” school industry takes this concept to an incredible (and costly) level.
School boards, administrators, business officials, principals, public relations officials, nurses, science teachers, psychologists, transportation directors, special education administrators, superintendents, social workers, food service managers – to name a few – all have “associations.” For a partial list, visit www.chrisjenner.org/SchoolAssociations.htm.
Many of these associations maintain legislative agendas, some of which promote more and more revenue, while very few drive for responsible spending or improved student achievement.
The annual climax of school associations in Illinois is November 21-23. More than 12,000 school people swarm over three downtown Chicago hotels, all courtesy of Illinois taxpayers. No fewer than nine seminars are offered on how to raise taxes. More than 250 vendors will tout their architectural, financial, and legal services; carpets, roofs, bleachers, etc.
A handful will offer products and services actually related to learning.
Ask your local school officials what’s spent on this “conference” and how the improvement in our schools is measured. What did your public school district’s architects, accountants, and lawyers spend entertaining their “clients” – with what’s ultimately public money?
37 comments:
It seems to me that conferences such as this one would be a good way for people in our district to network and exchange ideas with other districts. But aren't there some things our district can do to minimize costs in these tough economic times?
For example, there is no reason for the district to pay for hotel stays for a conference in Chicago! Many of my neighbors commute downtown to & from work daily on the Metra--D131 administrators can take the train home at night after the conference.
Providing meals for administrators on the district's dime seems reasonable to me, but there should be guidelines. Meal receipts should be turned in to the district's financial office, just as required when a teacher or secretary travels on district business.
And now that this district's checkbook is posted online, you can bet that taxpayers are going to be watching how every dollar is spent. This conference is a golden opportunity for administrators in D131 to prove that they can be responsible & trustworthy with our money!
There are policies in place for this and is on the districts website. Just went and looked up some. So far the only one that states when the policy was adopted is on Telephone Conferences. I have a question on policy 280.03 for the mileage part of it. Last time I read it I thought that there was something about travel expenses within a certain radius. What I am referring to is Chicago. Such as no staying overnight and using their own vehicles and using the train due to the fact that this is close to Aurora. It does not say when this policy was adopted so cannot tell if it has been changed since last year. One thing I do know is that if they do stay overnight, they are reimbursed for single occupancy only and not their spouses or anyone else not on the school board. Hope someone else goes and checks on the policies other than me. It says somewhere in the policies that when a policy is adopted it should be dated. Also, do not expect to see what is spent on these on the district's checkbook. Remember they do not break things down to well. Also found it interesting when reading the policies that the public is to be given 15 minutes at the beginning of the meeting to speak and also 15 minutes at the end to speak at the meetings.
This district has not had telephone conferences that I know of so how could they change it on there. If they did we need to be able to access this and see it since anything that is changed at a board meeting should be open to the public to hear.
I think it is irresponsible for a district that just asked for money from the community to do this and when they post it on the website they better break it down and see who we are paying for. Since they live so close to Chicago they should not stay there. I know where I work they used to pay for those things but now that money is tight they can't but we don't have the option to ask taxpayers for more money. You see so many government agencies cutting back on things but not this district and it is time they did. Remember we have another chance to change this with the next election to get new board members to make sure our money is being spent the way it should be.
It would help if this community would start going to the board meetings to here and see what is going on. The second meeting of the month is when the most information is given, but one has to stay after the awards of whatever is done and do not listen to whomever when they say after the awards is given, if anyone wants to leave they can as what happens next is boring or whatever. It is the "boring" that you want to stay to listen to.
This is a learning opportunity for our board members to hone their skills, share ideas, discuss common concerns among school districts and learn from other districts successes and mistakes. It's a joint conference which saves on cost and encourages collaboration among administrators and board members.
The previous writer failed to mention some of these other learning opportunities for board members and administrators.
"Both first-timers and veterans can find a full agenda sure to meet their needs. The conference offers:
* three general sessions with renown speakers;
* more than 115 different panel sessions;
* 27 small group discussions in a Saturday afternoon "Carousel of Panels" and eight Sunday morning "Coffee and Conversation" roundtables;
* more than 290 exhibits of school equipment and services;
* a juried exhibition of 25 school construction and renovation projects;
* conference bookstore and nine author signings;
* a delegate assembly where districts can vote on 20 IASB policy resolutions;
* two-day workshop for secretaries;
* eight pre-conference workshops for board members;
* three pre-conference workshops for school administrators;
* two pre-conference workshops for school business officials;
* seminar on school law for school attorneys; and
* tours of five Chicago public schools " IASB website
Board members are unpaid, untrained public servants who devote countless hours to their community. Attending an annual conference is not a waste of resources, but rather a good investment.
Board members may be unpaid, but administrators definitely are not--in fact, many would say they're OVERpaid.
By all means, our School Board and administrators should feel free to attend the annual conference in Chicago. But they have no business staying overnight and charging the district for hotel rooms. We will be watching carefully every dollar spent!
When they go they also take husbands, granddaughter, and family members on our dime. Remember that they will probably stay overnight also and if one reads the policy we pay for the board member only. Also, there is no reason for them to stay overnight. If they wish to do this, it should be on their dime not ours. Also, I think a report should be givena to the community of what they learned and how it will benefit them. This way hopefully we will know if we are getting our moneies worth. If one works for a company and goes to something like this, the company makes sure what they went to is used on the job or they can give the moeny back that was paid for them to go and in some cases they have lost their jobs.
I would very much like to be a part of the "good investment" 131 makes in the training offered at these worthwhile conferences.
Someone has to "just say no" once in a while, to this spending.
Another board member & administrator chose to go to Florida for a conference and mini opportunities since, and are also attending in Chicago. I decided I would be one to say no. What if ALL board members and Admin chose to go to both events?
An opportunity is coming to go to California in the Spring. Maybe that would be a better place for all of us to go. It offers all those wonderful things 10:18 am mentioned.
How would my community feel about making a good investment and allow me to attend a joint conference in Califonia?
(more to come...)
When they went to Florida they also took Lisa Morales in case there was a problem with the travel arrangements. She took her husband with her, but not sure if she took her child. I believe Mrs. Wells took her granddaughter. The superintendant went and so did his wife and this is our money paying for it. Now the question is-What did we get for our hard earned dollars?
These things might be good but generally these are just a networking tool. I have not seen any improvement in the district except they did the magnet school without getting the board permission first. Our middle schools and the high school has been on the watch list how long? Will they learn anything there to help them get them off that list.
My question would be are these conference's tax deductible for board members and administrators. If so I think there should be a policy of the number the district pays. If you truly want to advance yourself then you can pay for some of it since its in Chicago.
This district got their bailout from the taxpayers and as a taxpayer I feel just like I do and I think many others as we watch how the auto makers want a bailout and how we see they went to Congress in their private jets and the congressmen made a statement about it and how they weren't doing anything to cut down cost is the same for the district. This district should be looking ahead because just because they got the referendum doesn't mean they will get all that money when you stop and think of all the foreclosures in the district and people losing their jobs so they better start tightening their belts to make sure they can keep their promise to the kids.
Great topic Rayanne,
I am a member of several professional organizations because of my profession so I have the opportunity to attend many, many conferences also. As a rule of thumb my company will pay for whatever I can justify as a manager and can get approved in my annual budget. But to be fiscally responsible I only attend one seminar a year and usually take one other person from my department with me. I try to attend the seminar that is going to be most beneficial to improving our department or company. This year I chose a seminar in St. Louis vs. California because both were very similar and we could drive instead of fly and save on airfare. We are also EXPECTED to come back and share what we have learned.
I believe there are benefits to be gained by seminars including the networking opportunities but I also see a lot of opportunities for abuse.
This is from the Beacon Openline.
Referendum OK no blessing
I was reading the Letters to the Editor and I saw Jerome Roberts' letter, and I want to say don't thank property owners in the school district -- thank all the non-property owners who did not understand or who don't care about the ones who pay the tax increase to give you a raise. I am willing to bet, Superintendent, that the East Side School District will continue to do nothing to improve educational standards for our children. So do all the taxpayers a favor and put their hard-earned money to use, and stop lining your pockets with it.
It is time for Roberts to start pulling in the money strings for all non educational spending. Has this district even took into account what is going on in this country money wise? We can't keep going on as always because that is how it is done and take a stand to make change in this district. I believe there are a few on the board that whats this but for the others it's let's let the Superintendent run our district and not follow board policies.
The postings here are good, but what help is it when no one goes to the meetings to see just exactly what is going on? Know this statement will get the same replys as always. Talked to many people I know before the referendum and was amazed that many did not even know that there was going to be one. Some of these people have children in school. Cannot blame this passing on ones who do not pay taxes. A few that worked on this last time to not get it to pass tried this time. Can't do it by ourselves. How many of the rest of this community talked to their neighbors, family, friends, people they saw when they were out shopping or whatever, talked to people to explain why this should not pass? How many REALLY read what it said on the ballot? Put the blame where it belongs, and that is on this community. Do not include me as I did the above in trying not to get this to pass. Does not anyone wonder, other than me, what it cost the district to go to that school or whatever they went to, to do the referendum the way they did it? Don't fool yourselves, they paid to find out how to do it this way.
I have had the opportunity to discuss conference and seminar travel with board members from other districts. Last conference I attended (last year) I spoke with a member from Gurnee. She told me they discussed who would attend the confrerence, which meetings they would go to, they were expected to report what they learned at the next board meeting, AND they were commuting to chicago, not staying over. They were not going to attend the buffets, cocktail hours, or dinners sponsored by company's that wanted district business. Another board member from Joliet told me, she was staying and was sharing a room with another board member. They chose 2 board members, 2 adminstrators, and one principle to attend. All attendees were expected to present what they learned to the board.
Things are constantly changing and we as a community could certainly benefit from learning how another district accomplished certain things or how they funded certain necessities. Learning should alwasy be ongoing, as things change very quickly. We should also learn to utilize our resources wisely.
As far as policies go and your concerns surrounding them, you should direct your concerns to the board directly. This is board business. YOu can direct your questions and concerns to us thru the website. YOu can email us directly. Ms. Wells and Ms. Carlson are the chairpersons for that committee but you can certainly include all board members with your questions. We welcome the community's input!
Now that the conference is over, does anyone know who from our district attended, and especially whether they stayed overnight at a hotel at taxpayer expense?
Those who did attend should be expected to give the community a summary of what they learned. We are watching closely how our money is spent, holding administrators accountable for using the referendum funds as promised--"FOR OUR CHILDREN".
How will anyone know who went, whether they stayed overnight, went to and of the buffets, etc., if they do not go to the meetings? Not everthing makes it in the board bits, if the board bits get posted. Will anyone be willing to write the board to find out this information. I used to post at times what went on at the meetings, but do not do that anymore. If I decide to write to find out about this weekend I will not share the information. Most of the board will not care if some are watching as they know that no one stays for the entire board meetings, except for a few. I, as one of the few who goes when I can, am tired of the lack participation of the community.
I would love to go to the board meetings,but I work on Monday nights. Not everyone works a 9 to 5, Monday-Friday job--and in this economy, a lot of us are picking up extra hours when we can and are happy to have employment. Why should we be penalized or criticized for not being able to attend a Monday night meeting? Many school districts are videotaping meetings and making them available online. But that would involve a certain amount of consideration and respect for the public, something sorely lacking in D131.
Just because someone brings a spouse doesn't mean the district is paying more. Most hotel rooms don't charge any more for 1 person than 2. I agree that vendors "wining and dining" needs to be watched. Having attended conferences similar to what this sounds like, I can attest that I often came back with great ideas and a renewed sense of purpose. It certainly is a great way to hear what is working and pick up ideas.
No most hotels charge for single or double these days. You can bet in Chicago they do since there was a lot going on this weekend. Also from what I hear they don't break down the the pay out how would anyone know. I do believe it is time for this district like others to limit who goes and that they share with others. As the district stated when they did the referendum why can't we be like other districts and it seems some do limit things like this. Also they date on the district polices when they came into effect not this district. Also some even put on when they change some policies with the dates they where changed. I have looked at our district policies and there is no date when they where put into effect it looks like they are just ones they took from somewhere else and can't even take the time to date them.
Yes, some people cannot attend school board meetings due to work, yes, some now might have to pick up extra hours to help make ends meet, some may be disabled, some might need a sitter. That stated, this community has how many people in it? Does the above statements refer to all of this community except for a few? NO, it does not! Also, if anyone else might want to know about things like this weekend, can they not write or email the board members? Can they not share what they have found out? Cannot some write or email the board members about video taping? I only penalize myself when I do not do something that I have the power to do on my own. I critize my self when I realize that I have not done all I can do.
4:46, it doesn't matter whether a hotel charges more for 2 people--the point is, this conference was in Chicago. Any of our administrators who attended had NO BUSINESS spending taxpayer money on hotel rooms, period!
Registration fees, meals, train tickets, cab fares, gas reimbursement would be reasonable expenses. Staying in a hotel on the district's dime (really, ours) is unacceptable when a conference is only 40 miles away!!
To 11/24 @ 9:28PM
Amen!
Found this in the Letters to the Editor in the Beacon today. It seems we are not the only community that thinks the school system should be changed.
St. Charles schools ignoring economic conditions
Management by Objectives from the 1950s became the failed mother of the team approach used in organizations today: Everyone wins and no one takes responsibility for the outcome.
School District 303 (Superintendent) Schlomann has adapted the process to curry favor with stakeholders for a massive tax increase he plans to renovate school buildings. Homeowners would see a hike of 6 percent in their property tax bill.
MBO manipulates those who "carry the load" into seeing "the big picture," thereby creating "buy-in" and "ownership." Whew! We get a lot for those big salaries. I say, "Don, we can't afford an increase during these depression conditions."
April is right around the corner and the buzz Schlomann wants to create is community support for a fat tax increase. No so fast. What we do know is that voters have repeatedly said, "No new taxes." Listen up, 303. Understand that those "no" votes are still out there, and no amount of spin is going to get us to pay more taxes.
Not so long ago, this same District 303 said it needed money for new schools because class size was getting to be a problem. Today, class size is off the table and the new mantra is "rebuild our sagging infrastructure." Last time, it was $86 million; now -- $300 million? I think we saw this movie before: "Give us the money and we will spend it."
There is a need for repairs to schools and it may be most efficient to rebuild rather than patch old buildings. What I am convinced of, however, is that our school system must be funded from sources other than property taxes. Sadly, I read nothing about any effort to find those sources.
Short of that, I expect District 303 needs to tighten its belt and begin to pare down the costs of public education to match up to the resources from a mightily sagging real estate tax base.
Mark Anderson
Great, now you can all TALK about changing the system together, and never really DO anything.
So, 7:49, specifically what have you done lately to "change the system"?
There has been a lot of talk about change but nothing gets done. There was A+Illinois but that got no where. The Senate is always talking about getting a committee but that never goes anywhere because there is no money in it from them. The school system is a money train for Administrators, Superintendent and some teachers so they have a large support group to stop any change that would effect their pocket book.
One specific thing we can do is to replace those old-guard School Board members who are running for re-election this spring. Thanks to this blog, we are aware of the recent conference in Chicago, and it should be fairly easy to find out from accounts payable posted online whether we taxpayers had to pay for unnecessary hotel stays last weekend. If any admins stayed overnight at our expense it will come out as an example of misusing money earmarked "for our children".
I have never seen a professional organization send a member to a educational meeting for multiple days that they didn't stay for the weekend. It doesn't matter how far away one travels. I can't believe what I here on this blog. You all need to understand that networking with members from other areas is a very good way of developing ways of dealing with problems specific to East Aurora's problems.
There is a lot more that goes on when the conference ends then you all would understand unless you had the opportunity to participate in one. From personal experience we all learn from the guy across from us at the coffee table after the conference. We wouldn't have this opportunity if we were not allowed to spend the night. There would be no extra communication if our members attending were thinking of getting back as soon as everything was done for the day. You get what you pay for!!!
10:10 p.m., I attended a professional conference this year in Chicago and was told by my company (insurance) that staying overnight would be my option and at my expense. My company has downsized its holiday party this year--instead of cocktails & dinner at Drury Lane we're having a catered lunch. Things are tighter financially for all of us now, and businesses are having to watch (and account for) every dollar spent.
Our administrators are no exception to this. The days of expecting taxpayers to pick up a hotel tab for a conference 40 miles away are over! If my company expects me to pay to stay overnight, why should I pay (through my taxes) for your hotel stay?
And a certain amount of what you call "networking" can be done online or by teleconference. So much information can be exchanged without having to leave the district, much less stay overnight at an expensive hotel.
Those of us who have to pay the bills in D131 are looking VERY carefully at how our money is spent.
131 has made a step forward posting there accounts, but they have lots of work to do to become transparent.
It's like a needle in a haystack trying to find those hotel bills.
Unlike West, East puts travel expenses under a blanket account for travel. Unlike West, they do not tell who is benefiting from the travel or who is staying in the hotels.
In the October check register (posted as 10/14/08) it lists the following:
HAMPTON INN & SUITES--Vendor Total: $4,344.64
It's pretty obvious to me that's a hotel bill. A big hotel bill!
If this was for a conference only 40 miles away, someone's got some "splainin" to do!
There the administration goes again:
MAKING CHOICES FOR ARROGANCE.
My guess wouid be the one from Oct. would be the one they went to in Sept. or Aug. where they took Lisa Morales in case something went wrong with the travel arrangements. Morales family went, someone from Wells family and Roberts family. Morales had no buisness going. Guess if something went wrong with travel arrangements the others are not capable of taking care of it. Next question would be-if something went wrong with travel arrangements, why could not Morales handle it from here as normally would be done. Has anyone heard what they learned there and how it has been applied? Since they just went to Chicago, that would not show up yet.
SO WHAT!?!
Yeah, "so what" if the administration helps themselves to thousands of $ that should go directly to our kids' education.
"So what" if most of us are having to cut back on business travel, and we have to foot the bill for unnecessary hotel stays for folks in the central office who act like they're entitled.
So what if they're making choices for arrogance? Some of us are fed up and calling it what it is: just plain wrong.
What is the National Geographic on the check register is it the magazine because if it is they are spending a lot of money on that and have they tried to see if they can get a discount rate.
To 12/3 @ 10:54AM
This is a question that you have to go before the board and ask. You also can send an email inquiry to Jay Augustine for the answer. This is where the community can get involved without going to the meetings.
To 12/2 @ 5:14PM
"SO WHAT" If they are taking Morales for the ignorant reason they did, then they could have taken me for the same reason with my family members and gone to Disney World. Also, the other ones that went could have taken you and yours as guests. It is my dime they are spending and if they are going to do something like this I want a cut of that pie. I sure know how to take care of travel arrangements.
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