Education Funding

Detroit Chief Takes Aim at Staff Spending

By Lesli A. Maxwell — June 06, 2006 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Detroit Superintendent William F. Coleman III has cracked down on lavish spending on staff retreats after a recent professional-development workshop for 30 high school employees racked up a $20,000 tab.

Mr. Coleman last month enacted a new policy that will set limits on professional-development expenditures, especially on food and out-of-town travel.

Under the 129,000-student district’s new rules, spending for meals during staff retreats will be capped per day for each employee, said spokesman Lekan Oguntoyinbo. A precise amount for a cap is still being debated, he said.

The new rules also require principals and administrators to hold retreats on school district property when possible. Barring that, they must seek a location that is within the Detroit city limits.

Mr. Oguntoyinbo said the superintendent was responding chiefly to the $5,000 in food costs that were tallied at a weekend staff retreat at an upscale Detroit-area hotel for Chadsey High School employees.

“We are always searching for ways to make sure that taxpayer money is spent in a way that is responsible and doesn’t embarrass us,” Mr. Oguntoyinbo said.

Teachers and staff members are not required to attend retreats, so principals try enticing them with good food and nice locations, Mr. Oguntoyinbo said.

In a statement, Mr. Coleman said that professional development is a crucial component of the district’s strategy to boost student achievement, and that staff retreats would continue.

Michelle Price, a spokeswoman for the Detroit Federation of Teachers, said in an e-mail that the district should ensure that professional development is “reasonably funded.”

Revelations about the pricey Chadsey High retreat, first reported in a local television news broadcast, came after the board of education voted to approve Mr. Coleman’s plan to close or relocate eight Detroit schools in the fall.

The district has been grappling with ways to save money as enrollment in the Detroit public schools continues to drop.

Related Tags:

A version of this article appeared in the June 07, 2006 edition of Education Week

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Artificial Intelligence Webinar
AI and Educational Leadership: Driving Innovation and Equity
Discover how to leverage AI to transform teaching, leadership, and administration. Network with experts and learn practical strategies.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School Climate & Safety Webinar
Investing in Success: Leading a Culture of Safety and Support
Content provided by Boys Town
Assessment K-12 Essentials Forum Making Competency-Based Learning a Reality
Join this free virtual event to hear from educators and experts working to implement competency-based education.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Education Funding Gun Violence Takes a Toll. We Need More Support, Principals Tell Congress
At a congressional roundtable, school leaders made an emotional appeal for more funds to help schools recover from gun violence.
5 min read
Principals from the Principals Recovery Network address lawmakers on the long-term effects of gun violence on Sept. 23, 2024, in Washington, D.C.
Principals address Democratic members of Congress on the long-term effects of gun violence on Sept. 23, 2024, in Washington, D.C.
Courtesy of Oversight Committee Democrats Press Office
Education Funding ESSER Is Ending. Which Investments Accomplished the Most?
Districts have until Sept. 30 to commit their last round of federal COVID aid to particular expenses.
11 min read
Illustration of falling or declining money with a frustrated man in a suit standing on the edge of a cliff the shape of an arrow dollar sign.
DigitalVision Vectors
Education Funding Explainer How One Grant Can Help Schools Recover From Shootings
Schools can leverage a little-known emergency grant to recover from violence or a natural disaster. Here’s how.
9 min read
Broken piggy bank with adhesive bandage on the table
iStock/Getty
Education Funding A Funding Lifeline for Rural Schools Is at Risk, and Not for the First Time
Rural schools near national forests rely on dedicated federal funds. But so far, lawmakers haven't renewed them.
7 min read
School bus on rural route, Owens Valley, CA.
iStock/Getty