County schools keep wasting our money
Posted by BrianFrom AL.com:
About 25 principals, Superintendent Terry Davis and several other high-ranking system employees gathered Thursday at Renaissance Ross Bridge Golf Resort & Spa to discuss soaring enrollment and other challenges.
County school board President Kenny Johnson said overnight retreats are worth the cost because they help get the system’s top employees “on the same page.”
“If one overnight trip a year is going to help us educate kids, I don’t see why anyone should have a problem with it,” Johnson said Thursday. “You get everyone together, you get away from the cell phones and e-mail and get a lot of things done.
I would LOVE for someone to explain to me how an overnight retreat in Hoover will help educate children. What can they talk about in Hoover that they couldn’t talk about in Madison County at less expense to tax payers? Is there some fountain of knowledge there?
Johnson estimated the Hoover retreat, including hotel rooms, meals, mileage and meeting space rental, will cost $5,000 to $7,000. Last month, county school board members and central office supervisors had a similar retreat at Florence’s Marriott Shoals Hotel & Spa.
Sure, $7,000 is a small portion of their total budget, but the trip is just another symbol of their fiscal irresponsibility and why they don’t deserve to get anymore of our tax dollars.
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July 20th, 2007 at 6:53 pm
The Ross Bridge Resort is a very nice and very expensive place. We spent one night (all the budget would bear) there for an important anniversary. Surely they could get away from cell phones and email somewhere closer and less luxurious.
All it really takes is turning the damn phones off and walking away from the computer. The Ross Bridge has good cell phone coverage and high speed internet in the rooms, so it isn’t like they were less connected there than they would have been at the Holiday Inn in Huntsville.
July 20th, 2007 at 7:49 pm
Well, the Madison County school board is notorious for exercising poor discretion in how they spend their money, which is why the citizens of the county have repeatedly spurned their pleas for more taxes. The “we had to get away from our phones and e-mail” argument is beyond absurd.
Any place with the words “Golf Resort and Spa” in the name is usually outside of my price range (plus I hate golf). Maybe I should become a teacher.
July 21st, 2007 at 8:03 pm
No fountain of knowledge at Ross Bridge….but they have an out of this world spa and pool area…its even got waterfalls. Extremely posh!