06/20/02  Look who's playing with our money.

The DISD Board members are not compensated for their service to the community.  There are many expenses they incur that are necessary in their position.  They should be compensated for legitimate expenses.  Furnishing them cell phones so they are accessible to DISD Administration also is a reasonable expense, so long as an individual board member does not abuse their phone use.  

Honest to God, someone sent me an anonymous package on school board member personal expenses -- just when I was really wondering what to write.  Here's some information that might interest you as a taxpayer.

*They all attended the Dallas Convention at only $195 each.  See table below for where they went outside the city and how often.  

Anchia and Blackburn are both first term board members and were required to travel to complete their required continuing education as school board members.  Ken Zornes is the President of the school.  Parrot and Staff do little traveling, so my anonymous friend did not include their travel information.

Here's where the members traveled and the costs incurred:

There is nothing particularly excessive about the number of trips taken by Anchia or Blackburn because new Board members are required to attend conferences and conventions to meet continuing education (CE) requirements, but veteran Brashear and Price certainly racked up some dollars -- particularly Price at $11,827.29.  Look at all Price's trips to and near D.C. (Virginia).  

Does Price have a relative up there or something?

I just checked my tax appraisal notice of 2001 DISD taxes.  You might want to review yours again.  The DISD tax is the biggest component, and I am not sure I want my money spent for Ron Price to go visit whoever it is he needs to see in Washington, D.C.

Without Price's excessive travel costs, the average per board member (excluding Parrot and Staff) spent $4,485 traveling to/from and attending conferences, meetings and seminars from June, 2001 through May, 2002.  Price spent over 3 times the amount the President of the School Board spent in travel.

Then consider what Ron Price cost the DISD just with his cell phone as compared to the other board members:

Excluding Ron Price's excessive $3,272, the average of the other 8 board members' cellular use is $1,158 for 10 months ($116 per month).  Price used his taxpayer funded cell phone twice as much as anyone else on the Board, and one month he exceeded $800.  How in the world does anyone exceed $800 on a cell phone in one month? 

So much needs to be done for DISD students and teachers.  To see any board member abuse DISD resources like this is just nauseating.  Compound Price's waste with his desire to be the next President of the School Board.  Hard to imagine?  It could happen!  

We hear Parrott, Brashear and Blackburn would support Price for Board President.  That might explain why Price blocked a committee hearing on Parrott as Anthony Jones reports in The White Rocker:

With one more vote from some new board member, we would have big spender Ron Price as President of the School Board.  I am not sure we can afford that.

Another DISD Trustee takes up space on the Board but misses an extraordinary amount of meetings.  Let's call the errant Trustee "DISD Disser".  

Since 3/21/01, DISD Disser has never attended the monthly Business Briefings or Policy Briefings.  While these are not required, they represent 24 LOST opportunities for information.  Most Board Members attend at least some of these, if not all. but not DISD Disser. 

Committee of the Whole is the most important meeting of the month. The Board hears citizen comments and discusses agenda items to be voted upon at the monthly Board Meeting (4^th Thursday).  Here is DISD Disser's attendance record:

3/21/01 Late to C/Whole. Arrived at 4:30 p.m. for 3 p.m. meeting

4/18/01 Late to C/Whole. Arrived at 5:15 p.m. for 4 p.m. meeting

5/16/01 Late to C/Whole. Arrived at 4:20 p.m. for 5:45 p.m. meeting

6/13/01 Did not show up for scheduled Student Hearing. 

8/23/01 Absent for Public Hearing on 2001-02 Budget.
8/23/01 Left 6 p.m. Board Meeting at 6:20 p.m.

9/19/01 Late to C/Whole. Arrived at 5:45 p.m. for 4 p.m. meeting
9/27/01 Late to the Redistricting meeting.

10/17/01 Late to C/Whole. Arrived at 4:45 during Closed Session.

11/14/01 Missed entire C/Whole.

12/04/01 Late to Education Briefing. Arrived at 4:10 and left at 5:15 p.m.

12/12/01 Left C/Whole early, 5:30 p.m., after a few items. Missed Outside Auditors’ Report (Annual, year-end-the Board’s chance to ask financial questions relating to fund balance and the management letter). Also missed Health Insurance Briefing.

1/15/02 Filled out Campaign Finance Report during Education Briefing

1/23/02 Late to C/Whole. Arrived at 5 p.m. Missed canvassing Bond Election votes, discussion of next steps in selling bonds, citizen oversight committee and project manager selection process.

2/11/02 Late to 6 p.m. Redistricting Meeting
2/12/02 Late to 4 p.m. Education Briefing. Arrived at 5:10 p.m.
2/24/02 Did not attend any part of called Board Meeting-Closed Session. 

4/17/02 Late to C/Whole. Arrived at 5:05 p.m.; missed meeting Jack Hill who will be running bond project. Dr. Moses wanted Board Members to meet person heading this important project before formal announcement.

Why do people run for office and then act like it is such a big sacrifice?  If you don't have the time to attend meetings, don't run for office.  There are others who will step up to the plate.

Aren't you tired of elected officials wasting our time and money?  You have 5 weeks to make up your mind who you want to  represent you on the DISD School Board.  It will be a low turnout election, so your vote will be important.  With all the Trustees having to run on July 27, it is a chance to continue on the progress being made by Dr. Moses.  

The only DISD incumbents being endorsed by DallasArena.com are Rafael Anchia and Ken Zornes.