Thursday, September 29, 2022

Living High on the (Richland 2) Hog

When Teresa Holmes went to San Diego for the April 2022 National School Boards Association, her costs for attending were $4,006. No, she wasn't there for a month. She was there April 1-5.

That was for the conference fee ($600.00), airfare ($976.19), hotel ($1504.12), food ($248.00), car rental ($587.30).

What?

Car rental? 

She was making a business trip on the taxpayer's dime to attend a business conference. What was she going to need a car for?

The hotel was two (2) miles from the conference center.

How much did the District pay for her to have a car?

Teresa's expense report listed $587.30 for the car, plus $55.00/night at the hotel for Overnight Valet Parking. Four nights of that cost $220. So the car cost was $807.30!

Did she feel "entitled" because, after all, she was the Richland 2 Board Chair?

Was there a shuttle from the airport to the Hard Rock Hotel? 

Could she have taken a taxi or Uber from the hotel to the conference center? Even shared a taxi or Uber?

One trustee exclaimed to me, "Teresa rented a car???"

When Teresa calculated her local mileage to the airport here, she recorded 62 miles. At the District's Mileage Rate of $0.585, she entered $81.32 for that expense.

Remember now, she is a product of a Spring Valley High School education. And proudly so. Anyone eyeballing that expense would have instantly estimated it at $36.00 (rounded off, 60 x .60). So what was the correct expense? $36.27 (62 x $0.585). How did she get $81.32?

Somebody in Accounting changed her 62 to 52 and then multiplied it by $0.585, getting the correct expense of $30.42. 

Remember ... she was the Board Chair until 6/30/2022 and is the Board Secretary now. You should have lot of confidence when you go to the polls on November 8.

Comments on her stewardship of Richland 2 funds?