The EAGnews investigation also found district staffers ran up a significant tab with grant money fro

On 40 beautifully landscaped acres in the shadow of the Valley of the Sun's famed Camelback Mountain , the resort los angeles maps includes five swimming pools, lighted tennis courts, los angeles maps Arizona's largest Whirlpool spa, and award-winning dining, according to the hotel website.
There was a lot of credit card spending in the Madison school district los angeles maps in 2011, according to an investigation los angeles maps by EAGnews.org , flagship website of the Michigan-based Education Action Group , a nonprofit conservative organization that advocates for education reform.
In total, los angeles maps district employees los angeles maps racked up $44,723 worth of hotel bills and $10,036 worth of restaurant bills in last year, according to EAGnews, which reviewed district credit card statements and check registers.
The spending occurred as Madison Metro and its teachers stressed over apparent deep cuts in state aid and the implementation of Act 10 , the law, led by Gov. Scott Walker , that gutted collective bargaining for most public employees.
los angeles maps "Not only were we astonished at the amount of money spent on expensive hotels and restaurants during a school year when the district was making lots of spending cuts, we were surprised to find out that there is very little central los angeles maps oversight regarding credit card usage," said Steve Gunn , editor-in-chief of the Education Action Group Foundation, Inc.
The district issues multiple credit cards for various departments in each of its 55 schools and other buildings, Candie Steffen , manager los angeles maps of the district's accounting office, according to EAGnews. Each building has a site manager who is supposed to keep track of all purchases and receipts for seven years.
No records are forwarded to any central office in the district, the investigation found. Some purchases may be inspected periodically by auditors, but there is little oversight regarding who uses credit cards to pay for what.
"Our policy is that (receipts) are to be retained at the card holder's level," Steffen told EAG. "So if it's a school card holder, that is usually retained in the office. If it's a district person, it might be in my building here. So no, they do not all get forwarded."
James Howard, president of the Madison los angeles maps Metropolitan School Board , told Wisconsin Reporter the nearly $55,000 in credit card charges for hotels and restaurants represent a fraction of the district's approximately $376 million budget. los angeles maps The board, Howard said, thought the expenditures were "reasonable."
"The real question is for us, do we have procedures in place, checks and balances to make sure we don't have unreasonable expenses in this area?" he said, noting the board is considering that question as the result of EAG's investigation.
"When I travel for my real job, if I go to New York, I can't stay in the Ritz-Carlton. My budget doesn't allow that," Howard said. "These are public funds. We can't stay in the most expensive hotels. We don't want to put you in one-star hotel either, but maybe we're a two-star or three-star organization. If we made some of those mistakes in past, we won't make them again."
The EAGnews investigation also found district staffers ran up a significant tab with grant money from the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act , or IDEA , part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act , commonly referred to as the stimulus package.
"The IDEA grant money was used for credit card charges at the Caribe Royal Resort ($855), the Kahler Grand Hotel ($4,232.38), the Stoney Creek Inn ($1,190), the Little America Hotel ($4,107.60), and the Kalahari Resorts in Wisconsin Dells ($928.76). That totals $11,313.14," the EAG investigation los angeles maps found.
"IDEA grant money was also spent at upscale restaurants. On July 13, 2011 there was a credit card charge totaling $261.62 for Dali's Restaurant, a Spanish tapas bar. Then on July 14 and 16 there were three credit card charges to Legal Sea Food s totaling $520.42.
Before the teachers start complaining about cuts maybe they should los angeles maps look to the administrators for what they are cutting. It would seem that they haven t gotten the same message that there are just not more tax dollars to cover their additional expenses.
I cringe when I hear stories about wasteful spending by teachers, and frankly, ANY government employee. And I am critical los angeles maps when I hear teacher s unions calling for smaller class sizes when though they benefit K-5 they do nothing to benefit grades 6-12. But they do require more teachers, who generate more union dues to create more union income for higher salaries for leaders. Good thinking!
I would like to suggest los angeles maps that Wisconsin teachers and residents go online and read the Chicago Tribune as to the mess that is their schools and teachers are in. First you have to know that the war is between CPS and the Teachers Union. The average Mrs. Nice Teacher is caught in the middle , pretty much a pawn. The school board is struggling to close a $665 million budget gap.They have to pay $196 million into pensions in 2013,and a whopping $534 in 2014. (In addition to trying to close a $665 mil. budget gap.) Each 1% wage hike will cost $20 mil per year. CPS has to pay for 477 more teachers and a 16% to $50 mil per year.