Search This Blog

Friday, May 20, 2016

THE MIAMI TRIP, THE REAL NUMBERS

"They Went to Miami and left me here" my bags were packed and I was ready to go
"$61,275.45 and all we got was this plywood award?"
"These conferences are grueling, pass the sunblock"
 
 
The totals are in, at least what they are willing to show me. for the Miami Trip. It looks like they sent over 30 people to Miami Florida to pick up a "Magnet School Award". In a budget crisis, has no one heard of Fed Ex? More on the Miami junket here http://wethepeoplehartford.blogspot.com/2016/05/my-apologies-to-drunken-sailors.html

And like I said, in the numbers that they are willing to share, it looks like travel, hotels and registration fees alone were in excess of $60,000. Yes $60,000 dollars for one trip for one award, actually  $61,275.45 to be exact  How many times a year are staff traveling and what is the additional costs they didn't reveal for staff time, food  and who knows what else.

To those teachers that are about to lose your jobs due to budget lay offs, you have my sympathies. I only hope you can find some consolation that your fellow teachers and administrators really enjoyed their junket to Miami, it was a blast. #hatersgonnahate

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Transparency should be anyone's first order of business but it seems that she and others just don't understand this very important point. Having such an attitude must have much to do with the arrogance of power.

Yard goat said...

You're missing the costs for food, airport parking, taxis, etc. The cost of the trip was 70,000+

Rich Wearing thin said...

Don't forget their daily salary!! $300 a day x30. And also the 25 bucks per bag. Dag yall.

See ya later Rich Waring. Time for YOU TO GO!!!

Anonymous said...

Kevin-even with this, the Superintendent gets to keep her job and layoff 245 people? By the way Kevin - good investigating and reporting. The Courant should fire Vanessa Delatoria and hire you. I trust your reporting before I would trust the Courant. I am amazed by information. Someone has to do something and do something now. Kevin please reach out to Mayor for a comment on what he plans to do about this egregious waste of tax payer dollars. Don't you know if it was their own money they wouldn't sent no one. Unbelievable.

Anonymous said...

FOI's are very interesting..
It would be appropriate to send a small group of teachers to accept an award for their efforts attend a one time educational conference and represent the district nationally in education. However..
FOI = (9) magnet schools + (1) central office School Choice =30 attendees
FOI= 7 teachers attended... 7 teachers to 30 administrators..
Teachers are not central to the nidorous issues revealed in this equation.

KEVIN BROOKMAN said...

3:38pm
FOI's are only as good as the agency you are dealing with. If the agency has dirty secrets embedded in deception an corruption like the Hartford Schools, you have to hope for good people with a conscience to step up with "alternative means"

Anonymous said...

If these meetings were so important, then one person should have attended and then shared the information with others. How ridiculous that 7 people had to go from Kinsella, 5 from Choice Office and 4 from Webster. What a total waste of money in difficult times! However, this $61,000 is just one conference---imagine how much was spent for the entire year!! How many jobs could have been saved? The Superintendent and the Mayor should be asked to justify these expenses publicly. I hope someone brings this up at the next School Board Meeting.