C. J. Huff fires secretaries; spends $108 for cookies for departing administrator

When the C. J. Huff Administration began firing secretaries, bus drivers, and custodians at the end of the 2013-2014 school year in an effort to alleviate the financial crisis brought on by massive overspending, not only did it cut loyal employees without warning, but it also fought efforts by the former employees to get unemployment benefits

But when one of their own is the one who is leaving, not due to retirement after many years of loyal service or due to illness, but according to an e-mail she sent, she left to start her own business, well, that's a different matter.

According to a check listed in the board packet for the Joplin R-8 Board of Education for its July meeting, taxpayers paid $108 for cookies for a reception for Klista Rader, who was leaving after only a couple of years as director of technology and who had been with the district for 11 years.

Whether any other taxpayer money was spent on the reception was not clear, but at a time when teachers, secretaries, custodians, bus drivers, and others, the ones who are the heart and soul of a school district are being fired without as much as a thank you, you would have at least thought with that many highly-paid administrators in the bunker at 32nd and Duquesne, they could have taken up a collection and paid for the cookies.

And who says administrators can't bake cookies from time to time. They certainly have a lot of experience going through taxpayers' dough.