During budget crisis, taxpayers cover Hernando School Board members’ hotel stay in Tampa
BROOKSVILLE — At a workshop earlier this month, the Hernando County School Board discussed a long list of possible cuts — including teacher layoffs, eliminating bus routes and closing schools — needed to make up the district’s $12 million budget shortfall.
District spokesman Eric Williams says policy was followed.
The next day, board members Gus Guadagnino, Beth Narverud and Mark Johnson, as well as superintendent Lori Romano, set off for a three-day, two-night Florida School Boards Association Conference at the Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay hotel in Tampa at taxpayer expense.
The day after that, three school staffers joined them for two days and a night at the hotel for a human resources conference hosted by the state association of school superintendents.
District policy generally allows staffers to be paid for lodging only on trips longer than 50 miles and specifies that Tampa is under that limit. The policy also sets a $135-per-night limit on the cost of rooms, while the ones at the Hyatt cost $145 for each board member and staffer.
The School Board last year voted down a proposal to create an exemption of the distance threshold for themselves. But district spokesman Eric Williams said state law, not school district policy, governs board members’ travel.
Williams also said Romano received approval for her stay from Guadagnino, the board chairman, which policy requires. Romano, in turn, approved the staffer stays and the higher room rates, he said.
The copy of the staff handbook posted at the district’s website, however, says such approvals can be granted only to assistant superintendents.
The staffers who attended were Williams, who does not assume the title of deputy superintendent until July 1, and two other district employees beneath the rank of assistant superintendent. Their stays were paid out of a federal fund for staffer training, Williams said. He also said that the staffers have agreed to not seek compensation for meals and mileage.
“While we have a significant budget shortfall,” Williams wrote in an emailed response to questions about the trip, “as an educational organization it’s critically important for us to continue to learn from experts and our peers in other districts.”
No one doubts the value of the board member conferences, which are attended by board members from all over the state, said School Board member Susan Duval.
Among the subjects addressed in seminars were strategies for lowering dropout rates and making up budget shortfalls.
Duval, Johnson and Narverud are also seeking the association’s designation as certified school board members, which requires attending a set number of such classes.
Staying after the daytime classes allowed members to “talk to school board members in other parts of the state, and it doesn’t violate the Sunshine Law,” as it would if he discussed matters with other Hernando board members, Johnson said. “That went on until 8 or 9 o’clock.”
The school district will ask voters in September to approve a half-cent sales tax because of what it has called a critical shortage of funds. Because of this crisis and the short driving distance to the conference, Duval decided to commute and pay for her own meals rather than charge the district for her hotel room and the $18 reimbursement for two dinners — the only meals not provided by sponsors of the conference. Duval also declined to charge the district mileage for her daily drive back and forth to the conference.
Duval said she didn’t intend for her decision to reflect on other School Board members, but “I recognized (the travel expenses) seemed counterproductive to what our goal is at the moment on the expenditure of funds.”
Board member Matt Foreman did not attend the conference because of scheduling conflicts at work, but said he had previously commuted to conferences that were within easy driving distance. He also voted against the exception for School Board members last year.
Johnson said he did not intend to seek reimbursement for his dinners or mileage.
Guadagnino did not return phone calls requesting comment.
Romano also declined to comment, Williams said.
Contact Dan DeWitt at [email protected]; follow @ddewitttimes.
Source : tampabay.com
