That is just one of a number of interesting items that can be found on this month's bill lists.
Some others:
-$414 listed under "supplies" to Cloud's Meats, Inc. for beef snack sticks, honey barbecue and beef
-$7,224 to Collins, Webster, and Rouse for legal fees
-$100 to the Missouri School Public Relations Association for annual membership dues
-$332.79 to AT&T and $291.92 to Sprint for bus wi-fi
-$95.40 to Domino's Pizza for high school laptop checkout
-$675 to Fourth Street Bowl for "staff team builder:
-$225 to Orient Express for high school laptop checkout
-$213.88 to Panera Bread for "bear claw, cherry pastry, cinnamon roll, pumpkin muffins, chocolate chip muffins, blueberry muffins, bagel pack, coffee tote, dark roast coffee tote, hazelnut coffee tote, premium orange juice drink tote, pastry ring" listed under "supplies."
-$215.94 to Red Onion Cafe for high school laptop checkout
-$1,183.36 to Red Onion Cafe for TOPS luncheon (luncheon for new Joplin teachers)
-$124.66 to Royal Heights United Methodist Church for "family'partner event supplies reimbursement"
-$206.25 to Sawmill Barbecue for high school laptop checkout
-$114.96 to Schlotsky's Deli for administrative meeting meals
-$2,740.84 for JAMF Conference airfare to U. S. Bank (credit card)
Aren't the techs who check out the computers already employed? Do they not ordinarily take care of their own meals? Were there volunteers to feed? Once again, at least on the surface level, this doesn't appear to be good stewardship of tax dollars. And all that coffee? I hope our BoE asks. Maybe they should ask what the conference was for, too. I thought Ridder was stopping that kind of thing. Who went? How will anyone know if it was useful? Is this a teacher training or another conference for administrators? We need to know where our money is going and why.
ReplyDeleteNobody buy's my lunch when i go to work to pay these inflated taxes for a school that is way over blown. No wonder you don't get a raise you people eat it.
ReplyDeletePayment of $161,033.91 to Polsinelli, PC a Kansas City law firm for its services in dealing with the lawsuit against the P1 firm and its countersuit?
ReplyDeleteMight as well spend it...
@8:10am
ReplyDeleteEveryone involved in the laptop checkout at JHS arrived between 7AM and 8AM and were there until laptop checkout concluded at 4PM, because the flow of students was constant throughout the day this prevented anyone working the checkout from taking lunch so they could go eat, therefore lunch was provided. This included volunteers. This is not something that happens often, maybe a couple times a year.
Though, I am confused why you think a company buying lunch for their employee’s is out of the norm, that is simply not true. I’ve worked for many different companies where if a number of employees had to skip lunch because of work load, the company provided lunch for them. Even in school districts, all the day long meetings and conferences teachers attend, lunch is provided to them. It’s no different.
What ever happened to lunch on your own or potluck?
ReplyDelete@5:54.. They had time to eat take out paid for by the public but not time to eat a meal they provided for themselves?
ReplyDeleteNobody buy's my lunch when i go to work to pay these inflated taxes for a school that is way over blown. No wonder you don't get a raise you people eat it.
ReplyDeleteIf you really think cutting all the items listed here would mean raises for people you have a very juvenile understanding of the budget or what it would take to get raises. It's also not my fault you work for such a unappreciative place that they never get you lunch.
"Even in school districts, all the day long meetings and conferences teachers attend, lunch is provided to them. It’s no different. " Someone hit the nail on the head. Also Aal the laptop check out meals through out a week didn't even equal one "TOPS luncheon"
JAMF Conference is this https://www.jamfsoftware.com/events/jamf-nation-user-conference/2016/ and is used by techs to learn how to better manage the thousands of Apple deices that school district has. This air fair cost is around the cost of about 5 devices if that and there are thousands that they support.
It doesn't look like people have anything to say about Bus WiFi or payment to Royal Heights United Methodist Church.
As Randy points out these occurrences, I wonder...
ReplyDeleteDid Randy have the same moral ground as a teacher? Oh, I will not eat because this is not appropriate spending. I will go to my room and eat my bologna sandwich.
I worked at Wal-Mart and they fed us time to time. It is a part of the budget. I sometimes wonder why Randy cherry picks the expenses that he does. What qualifies a former journalist and ex-teacher to determine what exactly is appropriate spending? Is this the whole expenditure list?
During meeting days or really hectic days, schools will buy lunch for their teachers. It does not occur on a regular basis, 3-4 times a year. It helps with morale and it is budgeted into the whole plan.
If this bothers you, remember with whom you trust your child.
My guess is the $414 is an FFA fundraiser. Many schools in the area use Clouds as part of their meat and fruit fundraiser in the fall.
ReplyDelete8:10 First off this is NOT A COMPANY. This is a taxpayer funded group. They are held to a different standard than a private company. I for one want to know where my tax dollars are going.
ReplyDeleteI defend Randy the joplin school is funded buy me&you they generate no income whatsoever as for the the walmart worker walmart generate ton's of income you were eating close to date stuff they would throw away.There is alot of difference between public&private. .
ReplyDeleteNone of these expenditures would be so bad except that the district is going to face some tough times. There are more lawsuits to settle still and FEMA isn't going to pay for all those shiny baubles and trinkets. Plus, people must stop comparing the district to industry when it comes to expenditures. This entity gets its funding from taxing the efforts of hardworking people, many who already struggle to make ends meet. Every dollar should be spent with respect toward those who earned it and contributed it. People can provide their own meals or look for less expensive places to eat. Trips for tech? Fine. But most of us would have less tech and more paper. Cognitive coaching? Waste of instruction time for sub days and tax dollars. Be frugal. It's your duty to the public. Spend the money on the kids. That's what we pay it for.
ReplyDeleteYou're right. It is different. A teacher gets 20 minutes to eat, works overtime without pay, and spends some of the personal income for supplies. They do not deserve a good lunch 3-4 times a year.
ReplyDeleteBecause you went to school or have a child in school does not make you anymore than I a doctor because I stayed in a hospital or went to a clinic.
You wouldn't want take care of those who would die for your child.
None of these expenditures would be so bad except that the district is going to face some tough times. There are more lawsuits to settle still and FEMA isn't going to pay for all those shiny baubles and trinkets.
ReplyDeleteExactly. I don't begrudge the workers getting free food for a Maximum Effort like this, even given the district's financial situation, but it should be things like inexpensive pizza and simple sandwiches, for if the district loses either the P1 electrician's lawsuit or the "might as well" FEMA requests, we'll be lucky if the cafeterias can afford to serve anything more expensive than peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to students at lunch....
Some of you who want to blow and go about where this money is spent need to know what you are blowing and going on about. I admit some of the spending could be cut back, but there are other items that are done out of necessity. Laptop handouts run the entire course of the day (for several days) and there is no way of knowing when these crowds will rush in to get their child's laptop set up and ready to use for the school year. I don't think many of you even know how many students are present at these events. Lunch is "grab it as you can" between assisting these kids with their laptop issues and handling other issues such as (forgot my paperwork, I must have entered my password incorrectly, locking themselves out of their accounts and so on.) These people don't have the luxury of going to sit down to a leisurely lunch with 500+ students each day running in and out needing assistance "right now" because my mom or dad needs to get back to work. You are so concerned about where your tax dollar is spent try to understand what goes on at one of these laptop handouts then see if you are still so inclined to complain about a "free" lunch. In other words "Get a clue".
ReplyDelete