“The Board recognizes its responsibility to the taxpayers of the district to be sure that public monies expended by the school district are utilized for the furtherance of pupil education in a manner that will ensure full value to the taxpayers, and that adequate constraints and records are established to ensure that end.”
FORT CHERRY SCHOOL DISTRICT POLICY No. 601
SECTION: FINANCES
TITLE: OBJECTIVES
ADOPTED: March 27, 1995
According to the 2008-2009 Budget, the Board had $2000 that year to spend on conference and travel.
A “Board Workshop” would fall under the budget category of “BOARD SERVICES CONF/TRAVEL”.
A “workshop” is defined as:
On October 28, 2008, the Fort Cherry School Board and Administrators held a “workshop” at Ditka’s restaurant.
In one night at Ditka’s restaurant, Fort Cherry Board and Administrators spent $945.07 on various entrees including London Broil, Tilapia and New York Strip.
Here is the reimbursement form Dinnen submitted for the October 2008 “Board Workshop” at Ditka’s:
Note that Dinnen requested reimbursement of $945.07 for meals at Ditka’s.
Every member of the school board attended to participate in the “intensive study and discussion and application of some subject or topic”.
· Sharpnack
· Ray Miller
· Brant Miller
· Heinrendt
· Cecchetti
· Gaskill
· Schwab
· Duran
· White
Dinnen, Craig, Jacoby, and Smith attended, along with Motte and OKorn.
Food items are charged separately at Ditkas. Side vegetables are not included with the meal. Nothing is.
Among other various entrees such as London Broil, Tilapia and Seafood Pasta, the group indulged in:
· 10 appetizers
· 10 salads
· 11 steaks of some sort
· 14 desserts
A lot of food, but also of interest are the redactions on the receipt.
Some type of alcohol was redacted. Taxes and tip were calculated on the alcohol as well as the meals.
Look at the redaction on the top left side of the receipt - under it is the word "Up".
That is not 7Up.
According to Ditka employees, it means “drinks” were served “Up”; in this case it may have been a shot of Absolut Vodka Up.
Ditka’s also confirmed that the line redacted under Food Sales would show Bar Sales.
In order that there be no doubt that alcohol was redacted from the Ditka’s receipt, the authors of this blog sent a fan to Ditka’s to order lunch. The lunch included alcohol - a melon martini to be exact. Here’s that receipt (with NO redactions):
There it is – “Liquor: 9.00”.
FC taxpayers covered the entire cost of the $945.07 meal at Ditka’s; and the loosely termed "Board Workshop" was used to justify the expense.
Board workshop . . . or . . . night out?
If this were truly a “workshop”, wouldn’t a more conducive atmosphere be . . . a conference room at Fort Cherry . . . with a large table to hold all the working papers . . . and a screen for a power point presentation?
If food were necessary, surely Chef Jeff could prepare something, and keep the cost to taxpayers well under $945.07.
Or would that be too much “work” for a “workshop”?
But let’s assume that this actually was a “board workshop”. Defining it as such makes it a work session outside of school.
Several administrators were in attendance.
Alcohol was consumed.
At least one person in attendance imbibed.
The public has no way of knowing if an additional bar tab was run on a separate receipt. Remember, Sroka is in charge of fulfilling RTK requests. Sroka decides what is given and what is withheld from the public. If an additional bar tab receipt exists, it could very well have been submitted and reimbursed, but not released to the public.
Here’s FC’s policy on alcohol use:
“It is the declared policy of the Fort Cherry School District that the unlawful possession, use, or distribution of illicit drugs or controlled substance and alcohol pursuant to the Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act, by students and employees on its property, or as part of any of its activities, is prohibited.”
FORT CHERRY SCHOOL DISTRICT POLICY No. 351
SECTION: ADMINISTRATIVE EMPLOYEES
TITLE: DRUG AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE
ADOPTED: March 27, 1995
http://fortcherry.schoolwires.net/fortcherry/lib/fortcherry/_shared/District_Policies/300_Administrative_Employees/351-Drug_and_Substance_Abuse.1.pdf
A “board workshop” is a school sponsored “activity”.
This school board indulged themselves, along with the administration.
There's no way of knowing who partook in the alcohol use; but it happened.
Policy 351 also states:
“The Board is committed to maintaining a drug-free workplace to provide a healthy, safe work environment for its employees, and to ensuring the reputation of the school district and its employees as good, responsible citizens worthy of the trust placed in them by the public.”
Is this board and this administration worthy of the public’s trust?
Keep that in mind when you cast your vote for School Director.
Stay tuned, more receipts will follow.
