A local school district has caught some heat for a controversial trip to Mexico on the taxpayer's dime.
Nineteen teachers and administrators from the West Linn-Wilsonville school district took a trip to Mexico for a conference in 2007.
The conference was the Universal Forum of Cultures, held in Monterrey, Mexico, a forum sponsored by the United Nations that teaches sustainability.
According to receipts obtained by the Oregon Capitol News, a project of the conservative think tank "Cascade Policy Institute", the district spent $23,000 on airfare, hotel rooms, and meals.
The conference was the Universal Forum of Cultures, held in Monterrey, Mexico, a forum sponsored by the United Nations that teaches sustainability.
According to receipts obtained by the Oregon Capitol News, a project of the conservative think tank "Cascade Policy Institute", the district spent $23,000 on airfare, hotel rooms, and meals.
"Teachers are not party animals," said superintendent Dr. Roger Woehl, of the West Linn-Wilsonville School District.
He said teachers paid for their own alcohol, with the exception of three beers they forgot to pay for themselves. Woehl denies the trip was a waste of taxpayer money.
"I could see where people would say that, but in terms of sustainability, it was a good investment."
Everything is an investment these days. Teachers taking a trip to Mexico to talk about sustainability is an investment. The taxpayers did the investing, what reasonable rate of return should we expect?
Everything is an investment these days. Teachers taking a trip to Mexico to talk about sustainability is an investment. The taxpayers did the investing, what reasonable rate of return should we expect?
6 comments:
Sustainability in what? Sustainability in turning the US into Mexico?
Since this trip took place in 2007, four years ago, isn't it a bit late to be bringing it up now? Seems to me that the criticism would have been more timely, and more appropriate, had it been at the time, rather than now.
This is not to say that I am condoning the tax-payer funded trip (don't most politicians refer to it a a "junket"?). Not at all. The timing of this thing this late is, at least to me, questionable.
Scottiebill
So because the public does not find out of 4 years we should just suck it up and ignore it? Do you really mean that? The idea they bury this crap so deep you have to look for years to find it does not bother you? Really? Good God, get a grip.
I don’t care when it happened. They whine and whine and whine about not having money for books but can to go Mexico for a stupid conference? Especially when there is some sustainability conference in Portland every weekend. But it is about the kids right?
And you wonder why people are getting more and more pissed off about this crap on a daily basis.
Pinkie French
I should get a grip, Pinkie? I rather think that you might consider "getting a grip" instead. You obviously did not read my post all the way through. I did NOT say that I was condoning the junket to Mexico. My main point was to question the timing of this information coming out. Those people keep the taxpayers in mushroom mode until they think that nothing would come of airing it out years later.
In reading your posts for quite some time now, I thought that you were more astute about things than you have shown this time.
Again, my question was the late timing of this thing, four years later. Had this come out four years ago, the negative reaction would have had more of an impact on those who made the trip. Now, these same people can say, "The trip was four years ago. Who cares after all this time?"
Scottiebill
It does not really matter when the trip took place now does it? It still happened and the taxpayer still paid for it. I especially like the statement that teachers are not party animals, then goes on to defend the consumption of alcohol. Why was alcohol needed at all? Sounds like a taxpayer funded vacation to me!
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