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Hillsborough School Board Develops Travel Plan

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By MARILYN BROWN

The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 1, 2008

TAMPA - Hillsborough County School Board members gave initial approval Thursday to guidelines for their out-of-county travel.

The new rules will include setting an overall travel budget, with members submitting projected travel plans. The budget and plans would require annual board approval in November, when the board chooses a new chairman or chairwoman.

Individual board members' budgets would vary, depending on the school district budget, whether the board member is an officer in the organization sponsoring a conference, the number of board members wanting to go, and the learning and lobbying value of the conferences or trips. In-county travel, now reimbursed at 37 cents a mile, would not be in that budget.

A committee of the school board chairman, vice chairman and one other member would coordinate and review requests for travel submitted after the initial budget was approved and before they were voted on by the full board. The board members said they also plan to add an official travel policy for all employees to the district's policy manual.

Three of the seven board members on Thursday opposed having a committee of board members involved. Chairwoman Jennifer Faliero, April Griffin and Susan Valdes said they did not think it was necessary.

"Who decides what's appropriate or not?" Faliero said as she argued against having the committee.

The committee of board members would rotate because the chairman and vice chairman do and would work with someone in the district finance office to coordinate travel plans, the board decided.

An official vote on travel procedures is scheduled for Aug. 19. The special meeting Thursday was called too late to meet the seven-day notice requirement for an official, voting board meeting.

The new rules were prompted by a request in early July from The Tampa Tribune for four years of travel reports for all board members and Superintendent MaryEllen Elia that revealed the board spent $148,000 during that time for in-county and out-of-county travel. Elia spent $35,351 in her three years as superintendent.

Valdes spent $50,322 in her first four years on the board. She is running for re-election.

The spending ignited a nasty battle, with Valdes requesting the calendar of activities of Faliero and Faliero responding by asking for calendars of all board members.

Griffin also asked for travel expenses for top administrative staff. The district released that Thursday. Out-of-county travel totaled $91,875 for Elia and nine of her top staff members from 2005-06 through 2007-08.

The highest bill for the three years was $29,474 for Connie Milito, the district's lobbyist, who travels frequently to Tallahassee. Next was Elia at $28,703. The lowest was $734 for Deputy Superintendent Ken Otero.

On July 15, Faliero asked for and received a moratorium on new travel for board members.

When board members Candy Olson and Jack Lamb met July 24 to draft the guidelines, they were joined by Valdes and Griffin. There were pointed exchanges between Olson and Valdes

At Thursday's meeting, board members showed restraint.

Board members were enthusiastic about having planning sheets and reporting forms to map out their travel plans and keep their spending in line. Board member Doretha Edgecomb borrowed forms from other organizations to propose to the board.

Valdes said she was "excited" about the new rules.

"It will avoid a new board member coming to the board with enthusiasm to want to do a good job to fall into the same hole as I did," she said after the meeting.

The board also agreed to add a rule for board members who accept tickets for meals and events from the Hillsborough Education Foundation and then don't show up, wasting the foundation's donated money.

"Self-policing is good, but it hasn't happened," Olson said.

The new rule: If a board member fails to cancel within 24 hours, he or she pays for the ticket.

Reporter Marilyn Brown can be reached at (813) 259-8069 or mbrown@tampatrib.com.

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