Free Money: The DISD Travel Per-Diem Database
Submitted by Allen Gwinn on Wed, 09/26/2007 - 12:12.
Introducing DISD's database of walking around money.
When DISD employees travel, in addition to paying for airfare, hotel, transportation, mileage and many other expenses, employees are given cash handouts called travel per-diems.
This money is intended to be used for defraying personal expenses (such as personal meals) and, if not completely used, the remainder can be pocketed by the employee. Unlike other districts, DISD maintains no accounting as to how the money is spent or what it is spent on.
Travel per-diems cost taxpayers almost $1 Million dollars over the 2006 and 2007 school year ($959,770.38 to be exact).
Here's how it works: an employee takes a 2-day trip in Texas. He or she calls the travel office to make the arrangements. The travel office buys the airline tickets, advances payment on the hotel and hands the employee $72 in cash (2 days at $36 a day for in-Texas travel). Per-diems are calculated based on the destination and can exceed $100-a-day depending on where the employee is traveling.
That's it!
With no receipts to worry about, the employee can spend the money on whatever he or she pleases: in-room movies, alcohol, cigars--anything (yes, we have travel reports that show employees doing all of this--but that is the subject of another story).
Other school districts, Birdville ISD for example, impose per-diems (limits) but require spenders to submit receipts and give the excess back to the school district.
But in DISD, it is free money! Now Dallas.Org readers can search through the database and see who is getting paid travel per-diems and how much they're getting.
Step 1: Register for an account (if you haven't already)
Step 2: Click here to visit the DISD Travel Per-Diem Database
Inaccuracies in Travel
You are inaccurate regarding certain facts about travel in DISD.
First, the district does not use the travel office, or any travel agency, to book air flights and hotels.
The employee submits travel requests to directors or above for permission to travel, with detailed estimates of lodging, air fare, and conference registration.
Once approved, the employee may receive an advance for hotel, flight, and registration through the travel office.
As a matter of practicality, most district employees, once they learn that the travel is approved, use their own credit card to pay for registration, book a flight, and secure hotel reservations.
The travel office verifies which department or budget will pay for the trip (not always paid for out of Dallas homeowner taxes--sometimes grants sponsor travel), approves the expenses, and issues the notice for check disbursement.
Upon return, receipts are submitted to the travel office, who then processes the accountability for the budget transfers.
As far as the "many other expenses" you are referring to, I was never allowed any other expenses that hotel, air fare, conference registration, and limited cab fare (hotel/airport/home).
There is no mileage for out-of-state travel, only for district business within the Metroplex--this replaced the travel allowances that were taken away two years ago. You may be looking at the form that is used, which is unfortunately outdated with regard to what is now allowable.
The ONLY receipt which is not necessary is for food. The state and federal government establish a flat amount for food per diem, based upon travel location. If the receipts were to be submitted, it still would not change the policy of how much to provide.
[Ed Note: Thanks for the clarifications. However, to your last point: requiring receipts would, in fact, keep employees from charging movies to their rooms and buying alcoholic beverages with their per-diem. It would direct a daily maximum amount to be reimbursed upon providing receipts.]
More facts please
As an employee in a large organization, $36/day for meal expenses is pretty reasonable. If you skip breakfast or stay at a hotel that has a free breakfast (it's not clear from your story whether the district picks the hotel or the employee does, so the employee may not have an option to stay at a hotel with free breakfast), have a Subway-type sandwich, chips, and drink for lunch, you will have around $25 to spend for dinner and other incidentals.
Even going to a Chili's for dinner and having a coke with your meal will set you back $15. In fact, the flat per diem may actually work out to the DISD's benefit in the employee spends more than $36 and there is no further reimbursement (again, your story seems to indicate that there is not, but that is unclear).
Some other facts that might be helpful in trying to decide whether this really is an issue:
1. Is there any additional reimbursement for personal expenses if the employee spends more than $36? If not, then it seems to me that the district may be coming out ahead (and, at the very least, the district and the employee are splitting the risk of excessive expenses, which incentivizes employees not to needlessly spend money). If there is, then the district gets no benefit from its policy and should require receipts for all expenses.
2. You indicate that the district pays for airfare, hotel, transportation, mileage and "many other expenses." It would be helpful to know exactly what the other expenses are? For example, does the district pay for cab rides/rental cars? There are lots of little expenses when you travel (tipping at the hotel, etc.) -- if this comes out of the per diem versus a separate reimbursement, then it again seems like the district is getting a good deal.
3. You note that per-diems "can exceed $100-a-day depending on where the employee is traveling." This is the most troubling part -- once the per diem gets to this level and if the district is covering all other expenses, people are going to be encouraged to game the system. How common/rare is this level of per diem? If common, why are they sending people to such expensive places? If rare, why not just require receipts on these occasions?
4. I'd be more interested in an analysis to see if there appear to be employees with excessive travel -- and, if so, why the DISD doesn't discover that themselves.
This is not meant to be critical as I think you do/have done some great work. Thanks for your efforts on behalf of the taxpayers.
[Ed Note: District policy sets forth what expenses are reimbursable. However, there is "wiggle room." What the District probably needs to do is to ask employees to exercise common sense, and require receipts to be turned in. It then needs to make these receipts public--without having to go through the Public Information Act to view them. This would likely cut expenses, overall, because folks will be concerned how their expenses will look to the public.
Further, a little closer scrutiny needs to be paid to employee travel in general. Lew Blackburn took a good first step when he reigned in automobile allowances. The board needs to take the same approach across-the-board with respect to all expenses.
It works both ways, though. I don't much like hearing that teachers are paying for class materials out of their own pockets--and I know it happens regularly.
We just need to keep in mind that all of this is tax money; and district officials owe us extraordinary care with respect to how it is spent and accounted for.]
25 New Teachers
Wow - that's enough for 25 new teachers. Surely that would do something to help the over crowding in the classes.
Not Valid Illustration
Read Dallas Achieves to learn more about the initiatives to lower student - teacher ratios.
Overcrowded classrooms are a space issue not a manpower issue.
It's very difficult to anticipate campus enrollment each year with a highly mobile student population.
As for the per diem debate, I say BIG YAWN. I think all the "shocked" people must be self employed and have no idea how large organizations operate to balance risk with control.
[Ed Note: If we yawn at the per-diem issue, yawn at the credit card issue, yawn at the travel issue, we're going to be yawning our way out of more fiscal responsibility at DISD. Look, nobody cares about a measly million dollars (well, I care, but I'm a freak of nature) in the grand scheme of things. It's how the management plays into the grand scheme of things. So drink some coffee!]
Naive on Data
Better than this, try researching principals using activity fund money for trips, especially after they set up the "(whatever) Foundation" so it wouldn't get audited, and then helping themselves to lots of walking around money and very expensive hotels.
The central administration, as usual, was notified with documentation, and did nothing.
[Ed Note: I always love comments ala "oh, that's nothing... if you really want to uncover some real dirt, really, then do (insert random conspiracy theory).
I have a better idea. Why don't you do some of this research, gather the data, and we'll help you look into it. If there's something there, we'll publish it!
Otherwise, we'll get back to what we have a handle on.]
Better Idea!
Well, if a DISD employee starts searching for data, and then it gets into the media, they can get fired. If an outsider does it, that is different.
They say the school budgets--for individual schools--are published. I would like to know where, and with how much detail. IF that were truly public, seems like we could see then what money was being spent where.
My Name and Legit Expenses
For people who do not attend educational conferences, it would be easy to assume that this is wasteful spending.
I am a Dallas ISD teacher and my name is listed in this database.
Where can you eat for $10.00 unless it is junk food? I for one do not eat junk food.
I have only been to workshops in Texas.
Try going out of state to a conference in Atlanta and see how far 10.00 per day goes....not very.
I am also a Dallas taxpayer. We do not question the Dallas City Council do we when they take trips and get per diems using taxpayer funds.
We "teachers" also pay for our state rep's and congressmen's health care while we struggle to pay for our own premiums.
They have better health care than the people who educate their children.
We don't ask for an accounting of how these individuals spend their health care, do we?
I am tired of the way this looks and the way it makes me and others look.
I agree that there are some very dishonest people and they take advantage, but as for the rest of us.
It's P-Card all over again....looking down on the larger group when it is a small percentage who are the source of the problem.
[Ed Note: I hope we made it clear in our Broad Brush Warning that most spend tax money responsibly--and I applaud you for being such a person.
However, the point of the article is the lack of accountability. When most of us travel out-of-town, we are required to turn in receipts and justify our expenses. We're not given "walking around money" for which no justification is necessary.
This is what needs to change. I'm sorry if you don't agree.]
Counting Receipts
Now, if my memory serves me correct, Dallas ISD put one administrator and a staff of two in place to oversee the P Card Program.
That would lead me to believe that in all likelihood it would be "blind raccoon" and a "lame gerbil" that would be in place to check and verify reciepts.
That is, how much would they be willing to pay to count all reciepts.
Not enough, and they would likely do a poor job it. Until the recent past, that is in the last ten years receipts were required, but, if, you give someone a limit of $45 a day, well, they are going to get as close to that as possible and of course keep the receipts.
So, rather than pay some one to keep track of everyone spending the $45 dollars a day, it is cheaper to say you have got $45 dollars and leave it at that. And does the delayering not mean that now there are actually fewer folks to count the beans at the top?
Why so many teachers to the IRA Conference? It might have something to do with the timing of it, and the nature of grant money. It has to be spent, if it isn't spent, the school does not get to keep it, it goes away, so spend away. If the deadline for spending the money is in June, the conference is in May, you see the connection? Furthermore, two things improve a campus, more teachers, and improving the skill set of the teachers on the campus.
I imagine that teacher training provided at a reading conference could enhance a teachers effectiveness in the classroom. So by sending multiple members of a campus to a conference, they are making an investment in improving the effectiveness of the teachers on that campus. Because it was grant money, it had to be spent, and that was how the principal in his/her professional judgment thought it best spent.
If the travel per diem is extravsgent, cut it back. The folks going on the trip did not set the level, the district did. And because this is the public sector, and there is little individual monetary incentive, that is profit, or bonuses, for cutting costs, the amount of spending needed will always match the amount of provided.
Jack-In-The-Box Salad
$4.99 plus tax! So next time treat yourself to a nice salad and even get a bottle of water to go with it for less than seven DOLLARS!
[Ed Note: Does Canada even allow Jack-in-the-Box? I thought they had laws against such things! :)]
Jack-in-the-Box
If you don't eat at Jack in the Box, what is the point?
[Ed Note: The point (it seems to me) is that if one wishes to be thrifty, on the taxpayer's nickel, then there are ways to be thrifty. You don't have to eat a Jack-in-the-Box to be thrifty.]
My Name IS NOT In The Database
Lucky you. You get to go to conferences. Most of us do not. However, $10 is not a lot of money--per meal. But, honestly, are you having to eat three full meals a day at restaurants?
When I go on vacations or family trips, I buy food at stores, not restaurants. Especially breakfast. I find hotels that have continental/complimentary breakfasts. That way, the money is "saved" for the other two meals.
Either way, you do not have to buy salmon. Can you look in the mirror and say, "Yes, I HAD to spend $45-65 on ONE meal."
And the excuse that others do it, uh-uh.I actually do question how the City Council spends money. You should, too.
[Ed Note: Yes, but you're responsible. You "get it" that this money is supposed to be for the kids. Obviously some of the others who have expressed comments here, don't.]
In all fairness...
It has been only recently that I have been able to attend these conferences and to the editor, I do get it that the money is for the kids...tell me how else a teacher should obtain staff development unless he/she goes to a conference, local and national.
Let's face it, teachers in your own building can be very selfish. They don't share ideas or strategies.
District staff development is very limiting.
You learn by experiencing. We need to see what other teachers around the state and nation are doing and we need an objective look. We don't need to be subjected listening to someone who was "brought in" because they are a friend/classmate/former co-worker who is now an executive director of so and so.
I have had an opportunity to see how other teachers teach particular lessons with varied strategies. I have brought this information back to my campus, shared it in a staff meeting and implemented the strategies in my OWN classroom. Had I not gone, I may never see this useful information.
Additionally, I spend my OWN money purchasing materials that I see at these conferences for my classroom that MY students can use, so before you pass judgment, look to see how I and others have used our own monies before passing judgment.
Let's go ahead and look at YOUR logic. When you are on a family vacation you go to a store. You probably have a car and can locate a STORE - A GROCERY STORE; which is usually not close to the conference center. Wal-mart is rarely in the middle of a conference center or in Canada. Even if it is, Canada is expensive. I have been there on a personal vacation and can verify how expensive it is. That 52.00 is equivalent to a 30.00 meal locally.
I do the same when I am on a FAMILY VACATION. At a conference, I am staying at a hotel, usually with no refrigerator. All the restaurants within walking distance of the hotel and conference centers are generally the most expensive ones. It is set up that way. The more reasonable restaurants are further out in which you must take a taxi or find someone to ride with and sometimes that is not easy based on the classes you are taking that day.
Taxi fare is included in per diem costs. So let's say, I am going to take a taxi to go eat at TGI Friday's, spend 15.00 on the meal food + tax + tip - take a taxi to and from the restaurant. Round trip taxi fare is about 20.00, you have spent 35.00 to go and eat. I have a dollar left to eat from one meal. I eat 2 meals a day, breakfast and either lunch or dinner.
36.00 per day for two meals is easily eaten up even if you don't eat the Salmon. I have never been to a conference outside of the state of Texas. I have receipts to show for everything. I do take my own car, which means extra wear and tear on my own car. I DO NOT file for the mileage I am allowed, I eat the cost. My per diem is spent on parking and meals - that's it. I have no alcohol with my meal so that when my receipts are called into question, it will show that I have NOT violated district policy.
I can verify that of all the trips I have been on, teachers and administrators are IN workshops. So much so, that I have not been able to attend certain workshops because they fill up quickly and have had to settle for a lesser workshop. Since many of the workshops are free, it is first come first serve.
Even though I am allowed money to take a "paid" workshop, I do not put in for it, I attend the free ones as do most other teachers...so with that said, if you are a teacher, I am sorry you do not get to attend conferences.
I too am a Dallas taxpayer. My taxes pay for these trips as well including mine. All teachers needs the opportunity to attend conferences. If we are speaking of this being truly for the kids, teachers need to be able to attend vital staff development that will impact instruction. It is very rarely local.
I am not defending those who did wrong; but is eating at a Turkish restaurant a crime? What I am saying is that when a report like this comes out, it hurts those of us who are not doing as others do.
Has anyone asked those top administrators how they spent their money when they traveled to Philadelphia and Houston to bring the district this new vision?
What do the recruiters do when they go on trips to Puerto Rico, Columbia, Venezuela, Peru, Mexico to recruit Spanish speaking teachers. I'm willing to bet they don't eat at McDonald's and just stay in their hotels, but no one is questioning their per diems.
Your tax dollars pay for those teachers' flights to come and work here but no one is raising an ire about this! No one paid for my moving expenses when I came to teach for Dallas.
What about the executives of the businesses you patronize? Your money whether you know it or not, pays for their trips and expenses. Through your insurance premiums, meds that you buy, you are financing trips for top execs and paying for whatever they do.
They turn in an expense reports include alcohol expenditures which you have financed - but no one questions this.
I am tired of my profession taking a hit.
[Ed Note: First, the reason your profession takes a hit is not because of you--it is because of a small minority who don't exercise good judgment. I think you recognize this.
Second, we need to separate tax dollars from private businesses and personal dollars. In the private sector, you can choose who to do business with. When a private business determines it is no longer in its interest to allow executives to take expensive trips on the company's dime, company policy will change it.
When a private business' expenses exceed its income, the business usually falls into financial difficulty--sometimes going bankrupt.
In the public sector, we have no choice. We pay for DISD, whether we use the service or not. When the money is used up, taxes are raised--but rarely are spending habits altered.
But there's also another factor: it is my business what goes on at the District. This website takes an enormous number of visitors who feel it is their business as well.
So the best way to combat these issues is to expose them publicly--which is what we do. That way, hopefully, folks in the public sector will know that there's someone watching--and their card could be up next.
How about this for a suggestion: every time you spend tax money, spend it as though you're going to end up on television. Ask yourself: "how would this look to me if I saw it." If the answer is "bad" then don't do it!]
Stealing...
I cant believe these people are stealing from Dallas children!
[Ed Note: Good to hear from you again! Hope you'll get involved in things like this (yes, we know the poster and he's a great guy).]
The BIGGER picture
I do spend responsibly. If I am required to show receipts, I would not be ashamed of where I ate or ANYTHING I spent. I ate at reasonable restaurants and gave the standard 15% tip and still ended up spending over the 36.00 I was allowed. I would not be ashamed of my receipts being on the news. I followed district guidelines. Was I on the Canada trip - NO.
Certain people who are taxpayers are hollering about their taxpayer dollars, but forget again that teachers STILL spend out of their own pockets to educate these very children that TAXPAYER dollars are supposed to fund.
Receipts from conferences that I have attended would also show that I spent a CONSIDERABLE amount of money on my classroom as well for the benefit of my STUDENTS; my own PERSONAL money and no..it is not for a t-shirt! I still have a family to feed and clothe as well.
The best educational software and teaching materials are NOT cheap. I happen to teach more than one subject so it is necessary that I have a variety of materials and materials that up to date.
I happen to think that my classroom should have the best and most up to date software and materials; my students should have it. Very often, it requires my salary to get it; salary that should go for braces, football, etc.
Should my own children have to go without because I am so committed to my profession that I am spending my own money to bring back something that will keep students in this digital age community engaged? No, but the reality is, if I want to use it now, I have to purchase it myself. There is too much red tape with ordering using a district PO. After I enter a PO, I may or may not get it.
Yes there are plenty of internet materials. I do that as well.
Each year, I buy school supplies for children in my classroom because parents do not or will not send their children with the necessary supplies. Why? Some parents know the teacher will EVENTUALLY give them paper pens, pencils, folders, spirals, so in all honesty, they don't bother. That happens to be a LARGE population of what we teach - that is OUR reality.
I am not; please understand, NOT speaking of children who are homeless or parents who have lost jobs and fallen on hard times. I am speaking of parents who have their children on free lunch - paid again for by taxpayers INCLUDING myself, who buy a 150.00 pair of Jordans but not send their child with a pencil and paper. These are the people I am speaking of.
I pay for my own ink for my printer that happens to be district property as well as my own paper so the children can have what they need. I spend my own money on copying because there is a limit as to how much each teacher can copy per month. Teaching shouldn't stop at 500 copies per month.
HMMMMMM...so if we are going to nit pick about what they eat when they go conferences and how they spend taxpayer dollars, we should be equally diligent about paying teachers back when they have to spend their own money.
Is it fair to focus on one area while other areas remain ignored?
I have a child that attends a DISD school and I do care what happens to my taxpayer dollars but I do happen to see a bigger picture here; those teachers and administrators went to an INTERNATIONAL Reading conference. Look at the population in Dallas ISD.
Do we not have an INTERNATIONAL population of children to teach?
Keep in mind that administrators are the instructional leaders of their buildings. I would be worried about any principal that was not interested in attending any seminars to learn about varied teaching strategies and materials that addresses the current student population.
Again, I too am a Dallas taxpayer. I feel the impact of what I pay to Dallas county/Dallas schools each and every month I pay my mortgage. Am I going to berate a teacher for eating 52.00 salmon, NO! Why? because overall, that is not part of the bigger picture.
If the teacher ate at McDonald's or the local dive, bought the cheapest ticket and stayed at the cheapest hotel but came back and did nothing with what they learned, then what's the point? They saved money sure...but for what?
To me, that is more wasteful than the 52.00 salmon. That is when I would be worried. Yes, I DO get that this is about the people who did not spend responsibly. TRUST ME, I GET IT.
I happened to look online at what the average costs of food and lodging were in Canada. It's not cheap. We are very spoiled here in America with what we pay for various items. So again, am I concerned that part of my tax dollars paid for 52.00 salmon? Again NO.
I don't expect a teacher to travel anywhere and not take in the sights. Believe it or not, pictures from conferences can be used to create a virtual field trip for children who would otherwise not have an opportunity to ever visit a place like Canada. I personally have done as much created a virtual field trip from a conference I was on.
We don't know that some of these teachers didn't do that as well. Perhaps some of them did. We will never know because we are so certain that they were just on the trip to be extravagant at the district's expense.
It is your perogative to not agree with me and while that is your right, I think we can spend so much time on the little stuff and end up missing the big picture.