Spunky Homeschool

Your Tax Dollars Hard at Work

Jul. 6, 2006 at 6:49 PM

Homeschooling

The next time you hear educators asking for more money, you may want to ask them to show you their school credit card receipts first. The Dallas Morning News went looking into the spending of teachers in the Dallas Intermediate School District, here's what they found;

They're spending on items like this: a $200 blanket and pillow set from The Land of Nod, $1,700 in electric scooters, $200 in moisturizer from Bath and Body Works, and a $24.95 charge to an online dating service, Americansingles.com. The Dallas Morning News examined school district credit card transactions over 27 months, from January 2004 through March 2006 - a $41.5 million snapshot of district spending. Those and other district records showed that only a fraction of purchase receipts are scrutinized, and thousands of purchases run afoul of DISD policy and state purchasing laws...

Spruce High School teacher Roddrick Warner didn't see anything wrong with his card use, which he said was only for school-related purchases. Over a 14-week stretch beginning Sept. 19, 2004, Mr. Warner spent $2,260.44 on movies, T-shirts, CDs, stereo equipment, candles and food, according to records he provided in response to a public information request from The News. Among his purchases were an iPod bought on Christmas Eve, a vibrating leather seat cushion and a $250 digital photo frame from The Sharper Image. He said all of it was for his classroom and student use.

For the children. It's always for the children. And the dating service? I'm sure that was for the poor guy who couldn't find a date to the prom.
 
(HT: Kelli)

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3 Comments and Trackbacks

posted by GenesisFamily on Jul. 6, 2006 at 8:42 PM

and I always thought that teachers were complaining about the low pay. I guess a date and a vibrating seat cushion can help take all their worries away.
Toni

posted by jacobsacademy on Jul. 7, 2006 at 10:24 AM

....perhaps this is a "teacher perk" to supplement their salaries?

I'm feeling my blood pressure rising.......with a hissy fit to follow.......

great day in the morning.........
hkj

posted by Suzie on Jul. 10, 2006 at 8:25 AM

I live just outside of Dallas and read the three-part series the Dallas Morning News ran on credit card fraud within the DISD. Amazing. And to think the new superintendent at first just 'pledged' that he would investigate! The following day he did pull the credit cards. But - why is he not calling in the police for a criminal investigation?! Personally, I would love to see the IRS investigate this as tax evasion. (Those employees were essentially getting goods, services, monetary perks, that were not claimed for IRS purposes.) Besides stealing school funds, these employees also broke many state and federal procurement laws - for example, one employee spent several thousand dollars at a military base, which is a federal violation. They were told by their own auditing firm - for years! - that their credit card system was 'an accident waiting to happen.' And now - here it is.
The thing that really kills me is that some of the DISD school supply lists for students includes things like trash bags, facial tissues, hand soap, etc. Why? Because the school 'doesn't have the funds for such extras.' Huh?! They can afford iPods, but not trash bags?


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