School officials in West Harvey-Dixmoor Elementary District 147 dined in some of Chicago’s most exclusive restaurants, ordered fine chocolates and spent thousands on luxury hotels and limousines while the district had the state’s worst financial rating, records show.
The district’s superintendent and school board members spent at least $100,000 on travel and entertainment largely at upscale locations from 1999 to 2005, according to American Express bills obtained by the Chicago Tribune.
Parents and other critics say spending on luxuries is out of step with a district that often claims poverty. Parents contend that officials put too little emphasis on supplying children with updated books and materials–tools they could use to improve standardized test scores. Only 35.5 percent of district students passed state exams in 2003-04; though that marked progress, it’s well below the state average of 65.9 percent.
District parent David Scott said he was appalled to learn that tax money was being spent on fine dining and expensive travel while the district flounders academically.
“When the children don’t have books and supplies for school, how can you afford to take those kind of trips?” Scott said. “I realize the position of the board is without pay, and I think they are due a steak sandwich, but an elaborate trip when the district is poor? I have a problem with that.”
The district’s long-term debt reached $9.3 million in 2003-04. Records from last year show that District 147 spent $850,000 more than it took in from state, federal and local sources.
School board members who would discuss the district’s spending said that they did nothing wrong and that the travel expenses were for conferences that allowed them to do their jobs better.
Some critics in the community and on the board point to Supt. Alex Boyd Jr. as the problem. Scott called on him to resign at a recent board meeting. Boyd, who makes $158,000 and was granted a five-year contract recently despite concerns raised by some board members about his management style, declined numerous requests for an interview.
Records show that the district spent $561 on candy from Fannie May in December 2002. Officials did not elaborate on the reason for the purchase, but they are known to buy chocolates for faculty and staff around the holidays, an attorney for the district said.
Hand-written notations indicate that expense was paid using Title I grant money, allocated by the federal government to help low-income schools meet academic standards. Becky Watts, a spokeswoman for the Illinois State Board of Education, said that districts can use those funds as they see fit as long as the use supports the goal of improving education but that candy purchases don’t seem to fit that description.
A spokesman for the U.S. Department of Education said federal money used inappropriately, such as for gifts, must be returned and could put future funding in jeopardy.
As for the trips and related expenses, a letter from an auditor with William F. Gurrie & Co. in August 2004 warns District 147 that a recent assessment showed “limited documentation” regarding attendance at several conferences or even the necessity of such trips. The auditor advised the district to monitor those and other expenses more closely.
The district paid more than $7,299 in hotel fees to the Fairmont Chicago near Grant Park in November 2002. There, the superintendent and a handful of people charged a $1,164 meal at Primavera Restaurant. The tab included $8 Amaretto sour cocktails and $9.50 martinis.
The school board spent $5,095 on a weeklong stay at the Swissotel in Chicago in November 2002. The bill for a later trip to the Swissotel showed 10 charges from a mini-bar for refreshments that cost $6.88 or $4.80 per beverage.
Records show that current and former board members sometimes took family and friends to places such as Orlando and Baltimore. One former board member took his girlfriend and two of her relatives on one excursion. Anthony Scariano, an attorney for the district, said he has been told money spent on family was paid back shortly after the trips. He said he was working on gathering receipts.
The district also charged at least $10,000 in the last five years at hotels in Oak Brook, Tinley Park and Matteson–all within 25 miles of the district.
In addition to airline and hotel charges, American Express bills included hundreds of dollars for clothing alterations, nearly $1,000 at Ruth’s Chris Steak House in November 2002 and a $150 charge for a yacht tour in San Francisco in 2003.
The district paid Godiva Chocolatier $599 last year and $299 to Crate and Barrel for assorted candies for gifts for faculty, staff and students, Scariano said.
Invoices show school board members separately taking $188 limousine rides to and from Chicago airports for years.
Michael Smith, a board member and Boyd supporter, said the limousines are justified.
“It’s one of those short Lincoln cars, not one of those long limos,” he said. “I don’t see malfeasance in that.”
Smith, a board member for six years, said the district spends tax money wisely.
“Costs keep going up. Teachers keep saying they want more money; it’s not like we’re spending money left and right,” he said. “Expenses go up; electricity goes up.”
But others say it’s not increasing utility costs that concern them.
“Over the past four years, I have worked with the board and superintendent and have only had problems when I ask for pertinent information that affects our financial and educational goals,” school board member Bonnie Rateree wrote in a letter to board President J.C. Smith in May. “We are now on the state’s financial and educational watch list, we are in the red, and we don’t have a clear plan to lead us out of this mess.
“There are no checks and balances anymore–everything revolves around the superintendent, and he isn’t held accountable,” she said.
As an example of questionable financial practices, critics point to how the board handled an employee who spent more than $62,000 issued to his bank account by accident. District officials allowed him to return the money in installments over four months in 2003.
School board member Helen Randall said that she would like to see the superintendent replaced but that the buyout would be a serious blow. She voted against the new contract.
“I don’t feel he’s the best person, not for this district,” she said. “Our scores are down, and our finances are nil. A five-year contract is a long time to hold kids hostage.”
Some families worry about the district’s direction.
“Things don’t seem to be changing for the better. Our children are the most important things we have,” said Arline Johnson, a grandparent active in the school district.
Challenged by a parent at a recent meeting, Rev. J.C. Smith, the board president and a pastor at a local church, told attendees not to worry, that he governs the district with two books, the state school code and the Bible, holding both over his head.
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jnapolitano@tribune.com
