Principals only get 20% of parking fees to abuse, the rest goes to the county. Don't forget they get half of the vending machine money too! No accountability for these funds.

Why don't you ask Gatehouse about the hypnotist that was hired to entertain the staff on a teacher work day at the school.

The worst part of this (to me anyway) isn't even the money. It's the waste of time and the loss of the sense of mission. The mission becomes keeping people happy through appeals to their baser instincts. Why not appeal to their higher motivations for becoming educators? Why not help them to do a better job with the money? It's almost an insult to do this. Ask the teachers what they REALLY want that will help them with their jobs. I guarantee you that the first thing won't be a massage (and if it is, we really are in a mess and maybe we are).

I doubt any of the actual educators (teachers) see much of this money.

what is bad Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The worst part of this (to me anyway) isn't even
> the money. It's the waste of time and the loss of
> the sense of mission. The mission becomes keeping
> people happy through appeals to their baser
> instincts. Why not appeal to their higher
> motivations for becoming educators? Why not help
> them to do a better job with the money? It's
> almost an insult to do this. Ask the teachers
> what they REALLY want that will help them with
> their jobs. I guarantee you that the first thing
> won't be a massage (and if it is, we really are in
> a mess and maybe we are).

I asked to see justification for thousands of dollars of charges at Lake Braddock that weren't itemized. Here it is.

Good times.

Have at it.
Attachments:

disgusto Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I doubt any of the actual educators (teachers)
> see much of this money.
>
> what is bad Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > The worst part of this (to me anyway) isn't
> even
> > the money. It's the waste of time and the loss
> of
> > the sense of mission. The mission becomes
> keeping
> > people happy through appeals to their baser
> > instincts. Why not appeal to their higher
> > motivations for becoming educators? Why not
> help
> > them to do a better job with the money? It's
> > almost an insult to do this. Ask the teachers
> > what they REALLY want that will help them with
> > their jobs. I guarantee you that the first
> thing
> > won't be a massage (and if it is, we really are



> in
> > a mess and maybe we are).


Actually, this is the only way to do something for the staff. It's called team building and taking care of staff who have not seen a salary increase for almost five years. If you think morale is bad now. Throw a doughnut and cup of coffee on the first day back and see what happens. In the big picture, the cost of treating 200 people like professionals is very little.

what is bad Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The worst part of this (to me anyway) isn't even
> the money. It's the waste of time and the loss of
> the sense of mission. The mission becomes keeping
> people happy through appeals to their baser
> instincts. Why not appeal to their higher
> motivations for becoming educators? Why not help
> them to do a better job with the money? It's
> almost an insult to do this. Ask the teachers
> what they REALLY want that will help them with
> their jobs. I guarantee you that the first thing
> won't be a massage (and if it is, we really are in
> a mess and maybe we are).



You ARE really in a mess. That is why I am doing this. There are some major problems here. Nothing that can't be fixed, but this is a disaster.

OK I know people don't want my opinion, but here it is anyway. Identify waste, fraud, and abuse. Like this kind of stuff. Stop it. NOW. Channel the time into things that help what is going on in the classroom. I don't think a soire on the Eastern Shore does much for the teacher in the classroom. They didn't get to go on the Sunset Cruise. Put the wasted money to work paying staff and providing them with the materials they need and want.

Thank you for what you all do for the children.

You say "Thank you what you all do for the children," yet you are bitching/grinding your ax about the shirts, meals, etc. that admin teams are providing teachers as morale builders in a time of crap raises. I agree SOME of the expenses for admin retreat stuff is questionable, but ease off on the spending on teachers. They deserve it. You are not the martyr you fancy yourself to be either.

"It's called team building and taking care of staff who have not seen a salary increase for almost five years. If you think morale is bad now. Throw a doughnut and cup of coffee on the first day back and see what happens. In the big picture, the cost of treating 200 people like professionals is very little."

I'm not sure I understand this post. All you have to do is give a donut and some coffee to the teachers and they will feel better? This is called "team building"? Well, I have nothing against coffee and donuts for teachers, but I'm not sure that they will suddenly feel like it compensates for five years of no salary increase.

I also agree that the admin. is benefiting the most from this parking money (in terms of the restaurant meals, hotels, golf outings, etc.). The teachers know about this and do think that they least they can get in these circumstances is a coffee or a Chipotle burrito.

""It's called team building and taking care of staff who have not seen a salary increase for almost five years."


Meanwhile teachers are spending their own money on supplies for their classrooms. But they get a donut.

I am talking about having enough teachers and supplies in the classroom, NOT spending $12,000 on BBQ and having $3000 meetings with "working" steak dinners at luxury resorts. The money is going in the wrong direction.

Parents and teachers are constantly told increasing class sizes and cutting programs is the answer to money problems. Looking at what has been going on, think again. There is probably more from other accounts.

Maybe there should be a contest to submit suggestions for how to cut fraud, waste, and abuse. Have all the staff and whoever else turn in suggestions. I have seen several examples here, such as indiscriminate replacement of computer equipment.

"There is probably more from other accounts."


I think that one of the problems is that money is "earmarked" for certain things like "technology" and must be spent that way. I am not 100% sure about this, but this is what people are told. For example, "you're getting a SMART Board whether you want it or not because the money has to be spent that way." Or, "yes, we have money, but it must be spent on "professional development" (which could be interpreted as "team building" I suppose). People will rationalize things in ways that get out of hand. Yes, it needs to be tightened up, but I'm sure some things have been legitimate.

eagle eye Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmadison?!


I read the audit from 2012. How did over $2000 get issued to multiple staff members (including twice to the principal) for travel without any conference information or preapproval or travel request forms? The audit also says "upon returning from the conferences, no receipts or proof of purchases were given to the finance technician to reconcile the cash advances. For the eight cash advances it could not be determined where three of the conferences were held; therefore, it is unknown if a cash advance was appropriate or not. For the five stating a location, only one qualified for a cash advance, but the wrong amount was given."
How can there be that many instances of people "forgetting" to account for trip cash in one school. Were these people issued checks or cash? Somebody has to issue the checks or cash. How could anybody give cash to somebody just because they say they need it? Is the principal issuing cash to themself (they control the school bank accounts) and then "forgetting" to report what they have used it for?
This sounds very fishy.

Have been following this thread for sometime- it is my guilty pleasure! I'm a long-time FCPS employee. Not an administrator. Have often been amazed at some schools that appear to live large. My particular school is not one of these. Can shed some light on cash advances. Anyone who requests a cash advance has got to sign some documentation and upon return must provide a receipt for every single dime spent. The receipts must be itemized. They may not include charges for any liquor. Also if the person is buying something for the use of students such as club members they must cover the taxes if they have not received a tax exempt code. I know that all the receipts are checked when what the audit is done at the school every year. That's why it's puzzling to me how the large expenses at resorts were not questioned unless they did comply with the procedures. I happen to know people at the school where the massages were offered on a work day. Let's shed some light on that. They certainly were not full-body massages. The administration hired a person to come in with a massage chair and people had their neck and shoulders kneaded. Gross! I think this thread gets off-track when people center on the massages as well as public employees not deserving perks. I know that government workers and people working the Pentagon often get treats at meetings. So let's stop that discussion as to whether anyone is worth a burrito. I think it is useful however to point out that some administrative teams are living large at the expense of others and that sets a rotten example.

^If anyone is getting "treats" at the Pentagon (on government money), that needs to be checked out. I am pretty sure those "treats" are things that the employees chip in on. Those are the federal rules and they are pretty strictly enforced. Also, saying that other people are doing it does not make it "right" for FCPS to do.

" I think it is useful however to point out that some administrative teams are living large at the expense of others and that sets a rotten example."


Correction: Some are living large at the expense of taxpayers and students (and the community at large) and that sets an unethical example.


Coffee for all staff (as a one time thing)---yes. Expensive meals and outings for "certain staff"---no. Is that so hard to figure out? It makes you wonder about their judgement on other issues that are probably way more important in the grand scheme. No wonder they keep shuffling them around.

thanks Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> ""It's called team building and taking care of
> staff who have not seen a salary increase for
> almost five years."
>
>
> Meanwhile teachers are spending their own money on
> supplies for their classrooms. But they get a
> donut.

This is the way I see it. I've been in a lot of these high schools and I see many little things that a small amount of money would fix. Peeling paint, cracking walls, broken fixtures, landscaping issues, and numerous other cosmetic, supply and storage shortages/problems. With these large amounts of money coming through I wonder why none of it is being applied to such things. Or maybe it is and we are not seeing or understanding it.

"This is the way I see it. I've been in a lot of these high schools and I see many little things that a small amount of money would fix. Peeling paint, cracking walls, broken fixtures, landscaping issues, and numerous other cosmetic, supply and storage shortages/problems. With these large amounts of money coming through I wonder why none of it is being applied to such things. Or maybe it is and we are not seeing or understanding it."


^This. This is what is causing morale problems. It's hard to understand the surplus and the "goodies" when anyone can look around and see these issues. Obviously they can't all be taken care of, but why is there so much money to be had for "extras" when there are clearly more basic issues that are not being taken care of. Nero is fiddling while Rome is burning.

Guilty pleasure Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Have been following this thread for sometime- it
> is my guilty pleasure! I'm a long-time FCPS
> employee. Not an administrator. Have often been
> amazed at some schools that appear to live large.
> My particular school is not one of these. Can shed
> some light on cash advances. Anyone who requests a
> cash advance has got to sign some documentation
> and upon return must provide a receipt for every
> single dime spent. The receipts must be itemized.
> They may not include charges for any liquor. Also
> if the person is buying something for the use of
> students such as club members they must cover the
> taxes if they have not received a tax exempt code.
> I know that all the receipts are checked when what
> the audit is done at the school every year. That's
> why it's puzzling to me how the large expenses at
> resorts were not questioned unless they did comply
> with the procedures. I happen to know people at
> the school where the massages were offered on a
> work day. Let's shed some light on that. They
> certainly were not full-body massages. The
> administration hired a person to come in with a
> massage chair and people had their neck and
> shoulders kneaded. Gross! I think this thread gets
> off-track when people center on the massages as
> well as public employees not deserving perks. I
> know that government workers and people working
> the Pentagon often get treats at meetings. So
> let's stop that discussion as to whether anyone is
> worth a burrito. I think it is useful however to
> point out that some administrative teams are
> living large at the expense of others and that
> sets a rotten example.


The audit says that there weren't any supporting receipts for the eight cash advances. It sounds like the audit closed and this was still being fixed. Even the preliminary cash procedures were not in place. HOW did these people all get their cash? Who can release cash? Can a finance tech alone issue cash? I thought a principal had to sign all checks and approve release of funds. This is just strange. It is right there in the audit. If there were eight instances on just this audit, what about all the other years....

I don't care what was massaged or how it was done. The whole thing sounds ridiculous. I don't think there are any taxpayer funded massages at the Pentagon unless there is a chiropractor or physical therapist in the medical unit or there is some hanky panky going on during duty hours.

A point of clarification.

There are two "pots" of money available to schools.

The largest pot of money is the appropriated money. This is the money the School Board allocates to each school for staffing and supplies.

There are also local school activity funds at each school. These are primarily student-generated funds, but donations, retained fees, etc. are also included.

There are state and FCPS regulations regarding the expenditure of all funds.

What you are complaining about is an account within local school activity funds.

Schools are not permitted to use their local school money to "buy" additional staff/teachers for their schools.

"Six [cash] advances were provided without preapproval from the principal and two were provided to the principal without preapproval from the cluster assistant superintendent [which is required]. All eight cash advances lacked the proper travel request forms and conference information which would indicate where the conferences were being held and if they provided any meals." Did these people just come up with an amount and get cash? Who released the cash or check and how were these amounts computed? This is fishy. My agency would never allow this.

interested reader Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> A point of clarification.
>
> There are two "pots" of money available to
> schools.
>
> The largest pot of money is the appropriated
> money. This is the money the School Board
> allocates to each school for staffing and
> supplies.
>
> There are also local school activity funds at each
> school. These are primarily student-generated
> funds, but donations, retained fees, etc. are also
> included.
>
> There are state and FCPS regulations regarding the
> expenditure of all funds.
>
> What you are complaining about is an account
> within local school activity funds.
>
> Schools are not permitted to use their local
> school money to "buy" additional staff/teachers
> for their schools.

Valid points, but it is still govt money, is it not?
If they can't think of something more educational to do with this money than buying 400 donuts and going to the Country Clubs then maybe they need to quit collecting it.

Dear Interested Reader-


When I pointed out that the $100,000 that Oakton spent on restaurants over 3-4 years could have paid two teachers, I was giving some perspective. That is one heck of a lot of money.

Langley DID use ECA money to pay for choral accompaniment at $40 at hour. See pages 1-4 on the attachment. Total of $8610 on this transfer form. That is staff and that is direct classroom support. I don't know if Central considers this appropriate but I would certainly rather see this than two or three Admins. It is very hard if not impossible to lead a chorus and play piano at the same time all the time. I noticed the big number on an older ECA and asked for the supporting documents.
Attachments:

the facts Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Dear Interested Reader-
>
>
> When I pointed out that the $100,000 that Oakton
> spent on restaurants over 3-4 years could have
> paid two teachers, I was giving some perspective.
> That is one heck of a lot of money.
>
> Langley DID use ECA money to pay for choral
> accompaniment at $40 at hour. See pages 1-4 on the
> attachment. Total of $8610 on this transfer form.
> That is staff and that is direct classroom
> support. I don't know if Central considers this
> appropriate but I would certainly rather see this
> than two or three Admins. It is very hard if not
> impossible to lead a chorus and play piano at the
> same time all the time. I noticed the big number
> on an older ECA and asked for the supporting
> documents.


Standing ovation. Bravo.

I am not disagreeing with you that a lot of money was spent on restaurants in your example.

I was trying to clarify for the average citizen that there are different sources of funding for the schools.

A few more points.

The information you ask for in a FOIA request is compiled by staff at the specific school, not someone at Gatehouse. Someone at Gatehouse forwards the request to the school and the school sends the records to that person at Gatehouse. Pulling the requested records has to be done in addition to the normal duties of supporting teachers and students, probably after the completion of normal work duties, resulting in overtime costs.

As you know, 85% of fees are not kept at the school level. They are remitted to the school system. But what accounts do they go to and how is that money spent? Schools are told the money goes to the "general fund", but are never told just what that means. For example, wouldn't it make sense that 85% of the parking fees go towards purchasing or maintaining buses?

A school only gets half of the profits from vending machines; the other half goes to Food and Nutrition Services, who stock the machines and collect the monies in those machines. Teachers and staff use the vending machines too, not just students. Why shouldn't a portion of vending machine profits be available for the benefit of staff and be put into the ECA account?

The account you are focusing on has had different names over the years. Perhaps it should go back to being called a "discretionary account", but regardless of what it is called, there are regulations and guidelines that pertain to how the account can be funded and how the funds can be used.

Teachers work untold hours off contract. There has been virtually no increase in take-home pay for 5-7 years (and for many there has been a decrease in take home pay). To begrudge reasonably priced meals a couple times a year, or donuts and bagels given as treats a few times a year to a group of public servants and dedicated professionals is abhorrent.

When scrutinizing what has been spent on food, one needs to look at how many people were fed. For example, on the surface $1200 for pizza looks extravagant. But if it is a secondary school with 400 staff members, that amounts to $3 a person, which is reasonable. However, if it was for a group of 50 it would not be.

No doubt some schools could and should be less extravagant in their expenditures from this account. And it seems that there are some principals who have used poor judgement in how those funds have been spent.

what is bad Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The worst part of this (to me anyway) isn't even
> the money. It's the waste of time and the loss of
> the sense of mission. The mission becomes keeping
> people happy through appeals to their baser
> instincts. Why not appeal to their higher
> motivations for becoming educators? Why not help
> them to do a better job with the money? It's
> almost an insult to do this. Ask the teachers
> what they REALLY want that will help them with
> their jobs. I guarantee you that the first thing
> won't be a massage (and if it is, we really are in
> a mess and maybe we are).

Here's what I would prefer to backrubs and T-shirts: #1: an appropriate raise. #2. more teachers so we can actually spend more time/energy per student. #3. Less educational reform hoops so we can focus on actual teaching.

" Pulling the requested records has to be done in addition to the normal duties of supporting teachers and students, probably after the completion of normal work duties, resulting in overtime costs."


I have never ever heard of overtime in FCPS. Is this even a possibility?

I also would not think that these computerized records would be hard to "pull". They should have these records pretty much at a few keystrokes and be able to send them to Gatehouse electronically. The rest of the world transfers records very quickly these days.

Dear Interested Reader-

If people don't like dealing with FOIA then I suggest cleaning up what they are doing so that there is less reason to FOIA. The other option is to go into a private school. If you want sympathy, you are barking up the wrong tree. This is a mess of a situation and I will FOIA whatever I think is appropriate.

There is something about using vending machine profits from machines in staff lounges to go into a staff account. I will find it when I have time.

I have seen no regulations or guidelines about how this fund can be used other than "whatever the principal feels is appropriate" as well as the general "in the interest of the student body etc. etc. etc." in the beginning of the 5810. As far as I can tell, local meals for staff are not covered. If you are working outside of school hours, and don't receive a salary supplement, you are to be paid $11.50 and then you make your own arrangements. Either that, or you get mileage. If you are on non-local travel, you get GSA per diem. The travel regulations specify no meals on the county charge cards. Somebody needs to make a decision about all these $4000 meals, admins, etc. I know all about the cost of catered parties and pizza for 300. So, somebody with a lot of clout needs to evaluate the local and state laws and ethical considerations and put out something very specific in writing. Changing the name of the fund is not the answer.

The gifts and flowers are supposed to be bought out of a staff fund. That is made very clear. This isn't a staff fund.

Everybody who works on salary has problems with work outside of specific hours. That is no excuse to spent $12,000 on BBQ unless things are specifically written that way to protect the Administration.

Yes, anyone who is a US-19 and below is entitled to overtime pay according to FLSA laws.

None of the records being requested are computerized.

All the records being requested are hand written and in files maintained at each school (purchase orders, receipts,etc.). You can see in previous posts that the records are hand-written. These are the records that are audited yearly.

The accounting system used by schools is computerized.

Dear the facts,

I am not complaining, nor asking for sympathy. I am simply telling you how a FOIA request is handled.

Private school? No thanks! Can only imagine what goes on there where there are no financial regulations in place.

It would be ideal if the portion of staff vending machine profits went to the staff. However, when the monies are collected by Food Services, the money is not separated and accounted for by machine location within a school building; all the money gets put into one money bag. So all the school gets is an email with a lump sum listed as the school's share. More detail in the reporting of vending machine profits would be most welcome.

Not every school has a staff account. Some schools have a social committee which collects and maintains money in a separate bank account. Joining the social committee is optional.

Regulation 5810 is currently being revised and has been for over a year.

I am in agreement with you that there needs to be more specifics as to how funds in this account may spent, and vague language clarified. Requests for more specific guidelines have been made for some time. Perhaps now they will be coming sooner rather than later!

FOIA away, it is your right. The school system is pushing transparency, and that is the way it should be.

I did my time at Robinson and walked a free man in the class of 1992. It was either my Senior Year or Junior Year the parking pass fees became a major issue. We had a huge group of students walk out at lunch and protest in the parking lot to the point where one of the local News Channels sent out a camara crew that filmed it but was reminded they couldent come on the property with out an approval. Surely some of the people on here recall it.

Dear Interested Reader-

I am staying out of overtime discussions. It isn't a blanket permission to empty out the ECA account on parties. Don't pull that on me. You obviously work for the school system. Every single meeting, collaboration Wednesday, etc. doesn't have to be a party. You people work for the government.

Reg 5810 page 31 ECA money can be used for meals for staff on travel paid out of ECA funds and some other limits. This obviously is a very limited provision and is supposed to be used very, very carefully. This is NOT a blank check to throw a $4000 party 2-4 times a year and make great big Santini and Corner Bakery runs twice a week, take 10 Admin people out to dinner at Artie's, etc. The GSA per diem rates would have to be looked at depending on the trip. Common sense also has to be factored in. This also needs to be looked at in relation to 5310 page 3 mileage or $11.50 for a meal as long as you are not receiving salary supplement. Coaches, music teachers, yearbook sponsors, and lots of other staff receive the supplement. So, no meal supplement for them. This is current.

Reg 5810 page 37 Gifts to staff is discouraged and is only supposed to be under exceptional circumstances. Bereavement and retirement gifts and flowers, etc., are supposed to be bought out of a staff/faculty account. See Sunshine Fund (brand new Reg. 5120). That is a staff/faculty account and the funds are supposed to be separate from the school accounts, but there is a conflict between the 5810 and the 5120. The 5810 is an older version and needs to be updated badly. Beach towels, beach bags, coasters, and you might be able to even put meals in here, etc. are gifts. You also need to look at some of the clothing that is being bought. Many, many thousands are being spent at some of the schools. We love your staff but the rules are the rules. I ran a government agency Sunshine Fund for years. It is even written that participation is voluntary. When I ran my fund we voted and decided that if you elected not to participate it was with the understanding that if something happened to you that you did not receive anything. That was your choice. You are probably talking $10-$20 a staff member per year to keep this running. So, skip Starbucks a few days.

There is a lot more than a little luncheon twice a year and a few boxes of bagels going on. There are regular runs and deliveries amounting to tens of thousands of dollars at some of these schools. This escalates very quickly. YOU ARE TRYING TO FEED HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE. You can't afford that and you don't have to do that. The ECA is NOT a staff/faculty account. "Contingency" means an unexpected educational need. I don't consider dinner at Morton's to fall into that category. I also don't consider a Sunset Cruise, a "working" steak dinner at the Hollywood Casino, Admins, etc. etc. an educational emergency. Nobody else I know does either.

I suggest you computerize the records/scan things in/whatever. If you just put generic notations in the accounting data you are asking for FOIA. NO WHINING. You might as well give up complaining about FOIA. I taught the whole school system and your lawyers what public records were. I know what my rights are and I pay all my fees.

I have caught stuff your auditors (both internal and external) miss more than once, so nice try on that.

If you want to continue to spend thousands of dollars on parties, Admins, swanky restaurants, etc. etc. etc. you need to set up a Staff Party Account or something and have some very specific guidelines. No pity parties. No whining. GET IT IN WRITING. Update your regulations. NOW.

And tell whoever totally screwed up the cash advances at Madison to get it together before somebody gets arrested. Somebody else is really interested in this.

Look at the bright side- Your staff should have a lot more time to do their jobs if they don't party so much. Going Dutch is what the rest of the government peons do, and that is what most of you all are.

Blunt is my middle name. Have a nice evening and thank you for your hard work.

I have been a teacher for FCPS for almost 20 years. I wish the administration would spend this money on paper (we run out at least once a year and have to wait weeks for copy paper) and working copiers (one working copier for 200 staff members is not acceptable).

Those two things would go a long way toward improving teacher morale. Lower class sizes and a raise would be great but parking fees won't cover that. Improving working conditions would be a lot more beneficial to teachers than cruises and expensive suites for admins. Most teachers have no idea of the kind of money admin is spending on dinners, hotels, and golf. As far as conferences that admins attend, those just result in more buzzwords for admins to use at meetings and a ton of busy work for the teachers with no benefit to students.

This is such a bullshit response from someone who has control over the money. absolutely this money could be spent for the classroom or for positions--total bs

interested reader Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> A point of clarification.
>
> There are two "pots" of money available to
> schools.
>
> The largest pot of money is the appropriated
> money. This is the money the School Board
> allocates to each school for staffing and
> supplies.
>
> There are also local school activity funds at each
> school. These are primarily student-generated
> funds, but donations, retained fees, etc. are also
> included.
>
> There are state and FCPS regulations regarding the
> expenditure of all funds.
>
> What you are complaining about is an account
> within local school activity funds.
>
> Schools are not permitted to use their local
> school money to "buy" additional staff/teachers
> for their schools.

Dear The Facts,

Please re-read my last two paragraphs. I am not arguing with you. You make valid points. What you have found going on in some schools IS cause for concern.

People need to be held accountable for poor decisions and expenditures they authorize and make.

The school board needs to quickly put in place stronger regulations and guidelines. And this needs to be a priority.

The majority of school system employees I know (teachers and school support staff) are hard-working public servants who believe in giving the taxpayers what they expect and pay for, a full day of work each day. They take pride in carrying out their job duties responsibly, and have high ethics. Your comment of "Your staff should have a lot more time to do their jobs if they don't party so much" is insulting to those employees. They do not deserve to be lumped into the same category as those who have made extravagant expenditures.

I believe the majority of your comments should be directed to those who have made the expenditures and to those at Gatehouse who make computerization decisions. They are they decision-makers in the system.

Your sensible comments are much appreciated! Although "the facts" has done a great deal of work on her own time and with her own dime to uncover questionable spending, her continual slams against teachers and other Fairfax County employees is intolerable as well as her scantimonious "holier than thou attitude." All the good work she may have done appears to be a mean spirited witchhunt and undermines her investigation. She is a fool to belittle and marginalize posters whom she thinks are FCPS employees as they know far more than she about practices at their schools and others. And unless she has actually worked for local, state, or national government to include the military she should not keep saying all of their snacks and luncheons and farewell gifts are from employee funded "sunshine funds" because they are not. It was refreshing to read the "interested reader" comments. Yes, the discretionary fund spending now called ECA needs to be reviewed. That is a solid fact.

Dear Thanks to Interested Reader,

Thank you.

Dear Interested Reader-

I have said over and over that I know your staff work hard and thanked them several times. Has anybody thought about the amount of time that is spent on organizing, ordering, picking up, enjoying, and distributing hundreds and thousands of meals/presents etc.? Yes-this needs to get straightened out. And it shouldn't wait for three or four years while a new regulation is being hammered out. I know how long it takes big ships to change course. Believe me. Come up with some preliminary guidelines and send out a memo. Stop the waste. And yes, I have a military background and have close contacts in the military and government sectors. Every single person I have talked with and shown these reports to is appalled. Some of them have children in FCPS. I will speak my mind and read your regulations and ask for information and answers if I darn well please.

It costs a fortune to feed, clothe, and provide presents for 300 people and that is why you don't do it with public money except for a rare occasion. This isn't the school system's problem. Buying copier paper IS.

I LOVED the Langley expenditure for the accompanist for the choruses. Finally, something that really helps the staff and children. The picture of a choirmaster trying to conduct and play piano at the same time, pulling a mature chorus through a big Requiem or Carmina Burana-you would either be directing with your hands and playing with your feet or vice versa. You would have quite a Dies Irae. Thank you, Langley, for setting an example for all.

I was curious how $6000 spent on imprinted merchandise looked. We bought six pack coolers and cups and some other stuff. Look at the bright side-we bought 144 coolers so we got 6 free ones.

There were several comments on the faculty gowns. I am including those receipts. It looks like money from two student clubs might have been used to pay the bill on these, plus $2100 from the Class of 2014 fund. I would have to ask a few questions on this. Falls Church people, feel free to ask if your student graduation fees were used for this purchase. I thought those fees were supposed to be for student expenses like student cap and gown/accoutrements/embellishments, rental of the graduation venue, etc.
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Thanks to Interested Reader wrote

" her continual slams against teachers and other Fairfax County employees is intolerable as well as her scantimonious "holier than thou attitude." All the good work she may have done appears to be a mean spirited witchhunt and undermines her investigation. She is a fool to belittle and marginalize posters whom she thinks are FCPS employees as they know far more than she about practices at their schools and others."


Agree

Also, a thought that has occurred to me. What role do these local businesses play in this excessive spending. They know who their customer is. Are they giving large order discounts? Or special rates for a 'public entity'?

Eliminating these expenditures has a direct impact to the local economy and jobs. I do not mind the schools giving business to the surrounding local economy, assuming they are reasonable. Perhaps savings could be achieved without eliminating the entire concept.

I don't think looking for information and putting it out is a witch hunt at all. It is called being an observant citizen. I am not slamming the hard-working staff. I am identifying major problems and issues with the money. Just because you work hard doesn't mean you can do whatever you want with public money.

Here is a list of the parties I have found (in addition to the "retreats")-

Semi-chronological order.

Welcome back for the teachers.
Welcome back just for the Admin department and select few
Back to school night. That is a unique situation that needs to be defined.
Donuts/bagels/corner bakery/pizza etc. All the time.
Ice cream and smoothie parties for the staff. All the time.
Cookies and treats for meetings. All the time.
Special football game dinners for a select group.
Thanksgiving parties.
Winter break parties.
Welcome back from Winter break parties.
Teacher workday parties (all year long)
March Madness parties. Seriously.
Spring Break parties.
Welcome back from Spring Break parties.
No power parties. I thought that was sweet. If you are showing up for work and there isn't any power and you can't even use a microwave...I consider that a bit of an emergency. I will grant you that. Thank you for your dedication.
Teacher Appreciation week parties (and we DO appreciate you-really)
Flowers for bereavement/babies/retirement and just because we love you (we do)
end of the year parties for staff.
End of the year parties just for Admin and/or select staff.
Retirement parties (thank you for your service)
Golfing parties. Spring, fall, summer.
Let's all go to a really nice restaurant and bill the school system parties.

And then we start the summers of Admins, baseball game "retreats", etc.

Any of these sound familiar?

My personal favorite would be a skiing or snow tubing party. I am looking...

Graduation and prom expenses come from senior and junior dues and class fundraising. Classes fundraise all four years. Thus transfers from class accounts is fine.

I am not getting into the overall debate with you.. I know you from your other crusades...


"I am not slamming the hard-working staff"

and

"Going Dutch is what the rest of the government peons do, and that is what most of you all are"

seems a bit contradictory to me. You pay us lip service by saying we work hard and are appreciated, but turn around and call us peons.

One last thought and then I'll disappear (because I know better than to think you won't cherry pick what you want to respond to), you list all those things in a couple of posts above as if all the teachers get those things all year long. TOTAL BS. I have perhaps been offered one or two of those things during the course of a given year. The staff as a whole does not do those things on all of those occasions as consistently as you just presented them.

You're next response is ..."I'm not making this stuff up"

I know. You're not. But you are lumping it all together from dozens of schools and smaller organizations within, and making it look like all staff is partying away every 2-3 weeks.

BTW, none of this is to be taken as "I don't care about the problem". I have not commented on that.

Great article in the Post today about the boondoggle the principals took to Tangier Island. I really bet they will be in the classrooms teaching all about the things they saw. One Principal reportedly took her 4 kids. Nice little vacation paid by for by you.

Where in the Post? It is not online. Give us the link.

Buy a paper cheapskate , its in the local living insert

Thank you for the info. How gracious of you to respond. It means that paper along with the other three dailies I subscribe to will be waiting for me when I return from vacation.

The story was in the Fairfax connection not the Washington Post. And I am copying the information which proves it was paid for by the foundation not FCPS.

“I thoroughly enjoyed this leadership experience with principals from FCPS and I am thankful to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) for sponsoring this trip,” said Lori Cleveland, principal of Greenbriar West Elementary School. “We were immersed in learning about the Chesapeake Bay and the lifestyle of the residents of Tangier Island during our three day adventure.”

Real story from cheapskate Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The story was in the Fairfax connection not the
> Washington Post. And I am copying the information
> which proves it was paid for by the foundation not
> FCPS.
>
> “I thoroughly enjoyed this leadership experience
> with principals from FCPS and I am thankful to the
> Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) for sponsoring
> this trip,” said Lori Cleveland, principal of
> Greenbriar West Elementary School. “We were
> immersed in learning about the Chesapeake Bay and
> the lifestyle of the residents of Tangier Island
> during our three day adventure.”


It may have been paid for by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation but they are on County time. This is one reason people have lost faith in the Chesapeake Bay Foundation as well, they use their donations for causes that are not necessarily really beneficial to the restoration of the bay.

Please. The CBF used money to educate principals who have the ability to make their schools greener (which helps the bay) and impact hundreds of young students (which helps the bay). The earlier you reach kids, the more impact they have on the decisions they make and influencing their families at home.

And it was JULY. Professionals make business trips ALL THE TIME ALL YEAR ROUND. What the heck is wrong with you people.

What is wrong with these people is that some of those who read and respond to posts on the site think that all teachers and principals should have their noses at the grindstone 24/7 on behalf of their little snowflakes. It's called administrative leave and you can take it for professional development. This is a serious subject thread - stay off it if you don't understand what's being discussed!

First of that's ridiculous. You do not have to take administrative leave for training. The federal government pays its employees while they take professional development, including ethics training. And I understand what the thread is about. And you have NO IDEA whether these principals were on their personal time or not. Because you don't have all the facts. Legitimate activities are being conflated with questionable, along with the tone, making the whole thread less serious.

the facts must be hitting a nerve here because of all the killing of the messenger that's going on .

Keep it up Facts!

you know you're pushing the right buttons when you get these kinds of attacks from the people that just got the light shined on them

I think I understand what is being discussed. Yes, administrative leave is for professional development. I'm not sure that people believe that teachers and principals should not use administrative leave. I think you're reading something into these posts that is not there.

Administrative leave in and of itself is not the issue. The issue is money spent while staff is not necessarily on any leave. The t-shirts and such are not connected to administrative leave. However there are meals that occur when staff is on administrative leave and those should probably follow rules for how much is available for dinner, lunch and breakfast as specified under the federal tax laws. It looked like more than what is allowed was being spent (in some cases quite a bit more). I am no expert on this, but I do think the rules should be followed.

I find it interesting how some people are getting quite upset about all of this. I think that these issues can be discussed in a rational way and if there need to be guidelines they can be put in place. I don't think there needs to be a witch trial on this. I think that the lack of guidelines has led to a situation where the defense of either side of this is not workable. You can neither defend nor prosecute when there are no rules. But you can argue and the arguing can go on until the cows come home. Bad feelings can exist and nobody can do anything about it. Unless these issues are addressed, the sores will fester.

Here's some more- AFTER Back to School Night Breakfast. New Teacher luncheon. Graduation Day breakfast for staff. Snow Day lunches.

Yes, tighten it up, there needs to be some guidelines.

Don't shoot the messenger. If you want to dig deeper on some of this, jump in.

Real story from cheapskate Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The story was in the Fairfax connection not the
> Washington Post. And I am copying the information
> which proves it was paid for by the foundation not
> FCPS.
>
> “I thoroughly enjoyed this leadership experience
> with principals from FCPS and I am thankful to the
> Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) for sponsoring
> this trip,” said Lori Cleveland, principal of
> Greenbriar West Elementary School. “We were
> immersed in learning about the Chesapeake Bay and
> the lifestyle of the residents of Tangier Island
> during our three day adventure.”


The article said it was SPONSORED by the CBF. It didn't say they PAID for everybody.

Graduation Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Graduation and prom expenses come from senior and
> junior dues and class fundraising. Classes
> fundraise all four years. Thus transfers from
> class accounts is fine.



The question here is whether renting dozens of gowns for teachers for graduation is an appropriate expense for students to incur at a high school that is almost 60% Free and Reduced.

^ I totally understand what you are saying. My son had to pay a $100 graduation fee in his senior year. BTW, this had nothing to do with all night grad party (which is optional I know, but there were free "vouchers" for the free and reduced lunch crowd to go to that and others were paying $70). I am sure that the graduation fee is also waived based on FARMs. This causes the people who pay to subsidize the others. Yes, the money has to come from somewhere. I have no idea how those schools with lots of FARMs do it.

"Here's some more- AFTER Back to School Night Breakfast. New Teacher luncheon. Graduation Day breakfast for staff. Snow Day lunches."


The problem with all of this is that it sets up expectations. No wonder we're all overweight.

Here's a thought let's stop giving teachers and staff anything - food, spirit wear, cute little anti-bully pins, notebooks. In fact let's charge them admission to go to graduation. Let's charge them to go to back-to-school night and charge them to work overtime. This way there will be plenty of money to spend on frippery and administrative trips! It is clear from reading this strand that many responders lump teachers with administrative overruns on accounts. This is plain wrong. Let's use some sarcasm to make a point.

I don't know what the answers are on a lot of this.

An article on the CBF trips says the school system paid for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation trips. They are $300+. There were several of them. Obviously you do some staff development. We probably got more out of this than the Admins.

I was told graduation fees covered student cap and gown, diplomas, costs of the venue, etc., and are supposed to be kept at as close to actual cost as possible. I don't know what the deal is with the gowns. I don't know if teachers are required to wear them, required to go to graduation, or anything. I just found the situation and put it out there for discussion. There have been instances where there were thousands of dollars left over after all expenses were paid. I know it is hard to estimate a year or two in advance.

Still waiting for The Facts to admit how FCPS offended her and sent her on this witch-hunt against the system. Oh, and you can stop ending your posts with the "jump in" recruitment type comments. Some excessive spending, sure. But not the USA Today breaking news you are hoping for. Maybe it's time to start spending some of your time on the Old Pics of Fairfax thread...

^^^^^

See, its working. Someone's nervous. . . .

Still waiting Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Still waiting for The Facts to admit how FCPS
> offended her and sent her on this witch-hunt
> against the system. Oh, and you can stop ending
> your posts with the "jump in" recruitment type
> comments. Some excessive spending, sure. But not
> the USA Today breaking news you are hoping for.
> Maybe it's time to start spending some of your
> time on the Old Pics of Fairfax thread...


Hey Gatehouse employee, there are plenty of us watching and a few of us that have witnessed your waste and abuse of taxpayers money. When the Post calls, I have plenty of stories with names, dates , and unbelievably stupid spending. I hope they hold off until right before budget approval time when Garza begins the begging , whining, and threatening. Eventually there will be a Board of Supervisors with some balls who will make you do the same as all other the County Agencies, more with less.

food forever Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> "Here's some more- AFTER Back to School Night
> Breakfast. New Teacher luncheon. Graduation Day
> breakfast for staff. Snow Day lunches."
>
>
> The problem with all of this is that it sets up
> expectations. No wonder we're all overweight.




The huge problem with all this is that now everybody thinks it is normal.

I also have connections in the Education industry. It isn't normal.

Here are the credit card statements for the Chairman of the School Board. The DCCO office pointed out that the 4/19/2013 charge for $759.48 at the Sea Pearl was the School Board's welcome dinner for Dr. Garza.

They also pointed out that the $911.54 charge on 4/8/2014 at the Court of Two Sisters in New Orleans was dinner for SB members and staff at the National School Boards Association.

Only the Chairman carries an FCPS credit card.
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thanks Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> ""It's called team building and taking care of
> staff who have not seen a salary increase for
> almost five years."
>
>
> Meanwhile teachers are spending their own money on
> supplies for their classrooms. But they get a
> donut.


A lot of people in all sorts of profession have not seen a raise in 5 years. With many of their coworkers getting laid off, I don't think they are expecting to get sent to a retreat in St. Michaels or anywhere else. Schools are notorious for lack of accountability. Particularly administrators who frequently take personal leave and do not put in for it. That little secret is rampant at some schools.

I am convinced that most educators are a bunch of educated grabby greedy sticky-fingered thieves.

;lzskdjfpourhldkjbnsltuh Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I am convinced that most educators are a bunch of
> educated grabby greedy sticky-fingered thieves.


No thieves generally know what they are doing is wrong, these people feel totally entitle to the gifts you pay for. The rational used to be all the extras they claim to have to do, now its they are not getting the raises they seem to think everyone else is getting. Here's a little tidbit. Get a few drinks in one at a party or bar and they will reveal that if it weren't for being off all summer, they would find another job. Heard it many many times.' Personally after working in a public school, its a job I would never do again and some of the kids and their parents are total assholes. But that doesn't entitle the school system to give away your money for festivities and 'feel good about yourself' activities.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^+1000000000000000000000000000
They really are oblivious and feel entitled to this stuff.

I hate my job many days but you don't see the management throwing perks like this at us and we certainly don't feel we are due all this and walk out the door with the furniture, computers etc. to make up for it. We would just like more staff so we aren't busting a gut in an impossible situation every day.

the facts Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Here are the credit card statements for the
> Chairman of the School Board. The DCCO office
> pointed out that the 4/19/2013 charge for $759.48
> at the Sea Pearl was the School Board's welcome
> dinner for Dr. Garza.
>
> They also pointed out that the $911.54 charge on
> 4/8/2014 at the Court of Two Sisters in New
> Orleans was dinner for SB members and staff at the
> National School Boards Association.
>
> Only the Chairman carries an FCPS credit card.




These people are supposed to be on GSA per diem and hotel rates if they traveled to NO.

food forever Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> "Here's some more- AFTER Back to School Night
> Breakfast. New Teacher luncheon. Graduation Day
> breakfast for staff. Snow Day lunches."
>
>
> The problem with all of this is that it sets up
> expectations. No wonder we're all overweight.



maybe they are going to have us pay for weight watchers or gym memberships for the staff. maybe we already are.

Looking at Dr. Garza's credit card statement-she parked in the hourly lot at Dulles for several days on her April trip and we paid a premium for that. She could have gone into the daily or distant lots and saved us some bucks. This would also set an example.

Ok, so I worked for the DOD I don't know how the chairman's credit card works. But for DOD, the card is issued by the government to the individual. The Individual must pay the balance due. When the traveller submits orders, it is computerized and automatically does reservations with airlines and hotels and car rentals at the government rate. If no rooms at that rate are available, an exception is approved before hand. If the traveler exceeds the per diam rate, by choosing to eat at an expensive restaurant they are reimbursed at the per diem rate and they pay the difference out of their pocket. Many times, the actual costs for dinner in a downtown environment are higher than the per diem rate (which is based on an average for the whole region).

In the government, the travel budget is generally a line item for a year. If you choose to spend it on one big trip of many small trips, you have to stay within that budget, it is the executives decision. Why people are micro-managing leading by example regarding parking at the airport has no influence on anything if they are the only one with a credit card.

It looks like the credit card statement goes to the school or school system and is paid by the school or school system. It also looks like per diem has gone out the window in many situations. People are travelling and putting down county plastic or turning in receipts and being paid whatever they spent. Whoopee!!!!The FCPS regs call for per diem on non-local travel. No meals are supposed to be on county cards according to the travel regulation. There are positives and negatives with this. If you have meals included in your conference or meeting, then you have to subtract out the meal per diem for those meals. You can then take your $29 or $36 and eat at Burger King and pocket the money. Or, you can go to Morton's and take a loss, only I am mostly seeing just going to Morton's and cleaning up big-time, NOT taking a loss.

There is no explanation for the huge number of local meals that I can find in the regulations. You either get the $11.50 or mileage and pay for your own meal or you pay for your own mea. Period. Life's rough. If you go to a local conference, you pay for your own meal unless the meal is "required" as part of the attendance at the conference and you have to pay for it, in which case you can get reimbursed. Don't get me going on paying $66 a person for breakfast and lunch at these "retreats". Come on.

Can't help you with the second paragraph. Any time I have gone out of Dulles I always parked in the extended stay lots or took a cab. Don't know anything about the hourly except that it is very expensive. Come to think of it, it does seem odd to spend almost $150 parking for four days. I think the other lots are like $10 a day. Good catch. Don't know anything about the travel budget. I only know about common sense and ethics and manners.

I have been involved in planning many national conventions involving hotels and I just want to comment that the cost of food and non-alcoholic beverages at these conventions is extremely high. Even just coffee or sodas are charged about five times more than you would pay going to Starbucks. Pastries and fruit? A minimum of $20 a head. A chicken entrée at a luncheon? Expect to pay $30-$35. This could be an explanation of the food costs related to attending a conference in hotels such as Marriott and Hilton.

Regarding parking at Dulles, it is very expensive. That is why when I travel I find it much more economical to take a cab to and from my house if I'm going to be away for more than three days. When I travel to New York I leave my car at Union Station before taking the train and it costs $120 to park it there for four days, yet that is cheaper than a cab ride.

You take your per diem when you are given the PRIVILEGE of being paid by the government to go to a conference and you make the best you can of it. Pack some granola bars. Go cheap on dinner if lunch is a rip-off. Go to a nearby store/shop and buy some bottled water or a coffee or some juice. Figure it out or stay home. You get 75% the first and last days of travel, so you can make it up then. Any conference I went to I always had to make my own arrangements for lunch. AND dinner. We were lucky to get water and coffee. No sympathy. Again, these are PRIVILEGES. You can't expect the world on a silver platter when you work for the government. I know people who threw a mini coffeemaker in their suitcase or took an immersion heater and a mug and made hot tea. Roll with it. You will survive. There's NO WHINING in government work.

The Admins aren't conferences. They are totally optional local boondoggles at nice hotels and resorts and this is an abuse of public funds and I don't care if people think I am nasty. The baseball game "retreat" was baloney. I am entitled to my opinion.

I just looked up the Dulles parking rates-Hourly, $35 max per day. Valet-$35 the first day, $25 every day after that, plus tip. Garages-$17 per day. Discount lots (a real pain but hey) $10 per day. There are some remote lots for $5 a day but you take your chances on the shuttles I have heard. I usually cab it. There is some per hour/24 hour max fine print also. Usually you just pay for the full day on first and last day of travel. I have also cabbed it to the Metro and taken that to National. With the new Silver Line there are also shuttles to pick that up out at Dulles.

The GSA system was developed to help ensure some consistency and controls on travel expenses to help prevent milking the system for extravagant spending.

Although this thread started with the principal slush fund, I decided to do a mini-look at what was going with the Superintendent and the School Board. I am doing a short analysis of the trip to New Orleans in April 2014 to the national conference for the National School Boards Association. (I have more slush fund records coming.)

***********First of all, I would like to emphasize that I looked up the School Board Governance Manual and they are required to participate in annual conferences/training, and we are required to pay for it. (They are also reimbursed for local mileage and some other things.) According to the manual, this is done with appropriated funds. Taxpayer dollars.****************

I am first looking at the dinner that was $900+. I asked to see the names of the people at the dinner. There were 12 School Board Members/staff/Dr. Garza, and three spouses. The meals for the spouses were charged to a county credit card. It looks like they split the check evenly and the county was reimbursed for $183 for the three spouses. That leaves the bill at $61 per person.

GSA meal per diem and incidentals in New Orleans is $71 a day. For THREE meals AND incidentals. I am awaiting records to see about the other expenses.

Two questions-Why aren't these people on per diem, and since when are school personnel allowed to charge meals for spouses on the county charge cards? They reimbursed the school system right away, but I was always taught that was verboten. A slippery slope that is to be avoided. By everybody.

I have some other records coming on this trip.

I know New Orleans is expensive. That's not the point.
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Actually, no spousal expenses (or family expenses) of any kind are supposed to be on government charge cards, because those are personal expenses. And personal expenses are not supposed to be put on government charge cards.

You could say New Orleans is expensive and that IS the point, looking at it from another angle. That is where per diem would help control the expenses for the taxpayer.

The travel regulation says no meals on county credit cards for non-local travel.

Just because you write the rules doesn't exempt you from following them.

The info from DCCO says this was charged to "special functions". This looks like a garden variety plain vanilla good old government conference trip. I don't see anything special or unique about this. The meal was charged on the Chairman of the Board's charge card, which I had asked to see.

Aah the mysteries.....

Page 4 Paragraph D.3.: No personal purchases on p-cards.

D.2: No entertainment on p-cards.

The travel regulation was already posted and says no non-local travel meals are to be on p-cards. The 5810 says local/non-local travel paid out of ECA funds has to also follow the travel regulation (which applies to travel on appropriated funds).

Have a nice day.
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Found the regulation on Petty Cash funds. I am adding it to the mix.

Some of the prohibited uses-

travel expenses

personal items

nothing for personal benefit of employees such as flowers, gifts, food, movies and sporting events.

No birthdays, weddings, promotions, baby showers, retirement.

No payment of employee traffic tickets!

Etc.
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So my taxes went for flaming bananas and filet for the school board?

^^^^^^^^Well, your taxes still might have gone for filet and flaming bananas if they were on per diem, but you wouldn't know it because you don't have to turn in the receipts. They would have put all meals on their personal charge cards or paid cash and been given $71 per day. If they received partial per diem (say, if meals were included with the hotel or the conference) the per diem rate for dinner is $36.

But, with the money capped, they might have had to buy the flaming bananas out of their own pockets. Or gone to a less expensive restaurant. Those are the choices and that is life when you work for the government.

I am waiting on more information on this trip. The major focus is still the school slush funds, but it is interesting to see what is going on at the top. MoCo is supposedly revising and clarifying their instructions and procedures after somebody did exactly what I am doing.

They should know better.

Another Admin. Arundel Preserve. Eight people. Ran over $3500. At a school that is about 40% FARM. The highlights-

Rooms were $183 per person per night. For perspective, GSA rate for this area is $104.

6/26/2013 Breakfast/beverages/cookies $37.50 per person, Lunch $39 per person, Dinner at Wildfire $46 per person. Total of about $123 per person. For perspective, GSA per diem for this area is $61 a day.
6/27 Breakfast $31 per person.


More catering bills.

"We are broke..."
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Hayfield ECA. Just a few highlighted details.

They paid a $280 Civil Penalty for a pesticide issue. Don't know anything about that. Just thought it was interesting.

There was an Admin at Harbourtowne (St. Michaels, MD on the Eastern Shore-remember this place?). Multiple schools. Six people, two nights. 4/28/2013. About $3000. There is a letter from the Cluster Superintendent to the School Board auditor explaining that this was for reviewing and developing the pyramid-wide five-year comprehensive plan for growth.

************What is wrong with our locally-owned school real estate? Can somebody please tell me? I really don't understand this. This sounds like it could easily have been handled in a principal's conference room. I have been in one. It was lovely and spacious with very comfortable chairs.

Another Admin at none other than the lovely Annapolis Westin. June, 2013. 12 people, plus it looks like some day guests. Rooms were $180 per night (for perspective, GSA rate in June in Annapolis is $121 per night). There was a $700+ dinner that is missing itemized receipts. There is also a lunch at Pusser's for about $300. Also missing itemized receipts. Credit card receipts were turned in to justify the $700 cash advance. There was an additional $60 of junk food purchased to keep them going. So that is about $80 per person for that day for food. The GSA rate in Annapolis is $61 per day. I didn't see any breakfast receipts. If breakfast was included in the room charge, that would be subtracted from the GSA rate.

I have requested the itemized receipts. The regulations specify that itemized receipts are required to justify cash advance usage and other charges.
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I was curious how we spent $7000 on personalized merchandise.
Cooler bags and t-shirts for almost 300 people.

This nothing unique to South Lakes. This is very common.
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Make that the VERY VERY lovely Annapolis Westin. Spectacular is more like it. I am very familiar with that area. It is right next door to the very lovely Annapolis Loews (from an earlier chapter) west of downtown. The place they went for lunch is a ways down the road in downtown Annapolis right on the waterfront. You either catch the free shuttle or drive around in endless circles and traffic jams trying to find a parking spot. All that would add on to the time required for the lunch "experience" and time away from the "work" at hand. You can't tell me they didn't check out the yachts in the nearby harbor.

Aah the good life. I love Annapolis. Been there many, many times.

You know, this is all very interesting, but absolutely nothing will come of it, except maybe some mild "guidelines" for future junkets

^ I think something will come of it. There are people losing their jobs, having their hours cut, having their wages effectively cut. Many of them are the teachers---the very ones who do the "real work". And they are not about to be "bought" with a donut or a t shirt or whatever bones they are throwing to them. Let them eat cake is the attitude. This kind of spending causes huge morale issues with the staff in these schools. The central bureaucrats have been remiss (to say the least) in doing their jobs. What are they there for? If they don't crack down on this, they are just another layer of "do nothings".

Having said all of that, I do think that Garza is shaking it up and trying to put the teachers first. It is definitely making some people at the top unhappy. Good.

****************I have yet to hear from anybody explaining to me and everybody else on this thread what the problem is with FCPS real estate. Will somebody PLEASE speak up????????????????????

Why can't these meetings be held in a county facility during regular business hours? How much work is done with your eyes closed sleeping in a $180 per night hotel room? Really??????????? How much actual work is being done at a $30 per person breakfast, a $50+ "working" steak dinner at the Hollywood Casino complex, gallivanting around Annapolis, etc.? The hours spent schlepping to and from the Eastern Shore and out into Maryland certainly eat at the productivity, also. Somebody has to plan and set all this up, also.

You make some toast at home, show up at a school system-owned facility, have the meetings, either pack your lunch or go out on YOUR dollar NOT OURS, and go home and sleep in your own bed. And throw a steak on your grill for dinner. No $500 conference room fees for tables, chairs, and basic meeting equipment. No gas mileage to the Eastern Shore. No packing of suitcases. No $100 service fees for buffets just because YOU DON'T HAVE ENOUGH PEOPLE. That's right. You don't have enough people. This is how a lot of the rest of the world conducts their meetings. You put out-of-office on your e-mails, don't answer your phones, tell your staff you are not available unless the schools catch on fire, and do your work.

If people need time to relax that is called VACATION. We pay staff salary to take vacations. The rest is a personal responsibility.

Destination meetings my eye.

Interesting Salon.com article about public education. Although the title sounds like the article's intent is to bash Michelle Rhee, the bigger issue addressed is child poverty, its impact on education, and how we deal with it.

http://www.salon.com/2014/08/22/michelle_rhees_real_legacy_heres_whats_most_shameful_about_her_reign/

^^^^^^^^^^^^I thought we were going to discuss why $70 (NOT $50) steak dinners at the Hollywood Casino didn't accomplish much in the way of work and were not a good value for the public dollar.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^To your point, this thread could use a lot more discussion, but I don't think there is much to discuss in regard to the appropriateness of public-funded, $70 stead dinners. They are not.