Thursday, December 17, 2009

Um, What Now?

  • Chicago School Board members will decide Wednesday whether to dump their $24,000-a-year receipt-free expense accounts -- tabs once likened to "slush funds" -- in favor of submitting receipts for all work-related expenses.

  • The new expense account policy is a dramatic shift from the one board members approved in March, shortly after Scott returned to the board as president. At that time, despite a record deficit, board members agreed to double their expense accounts, to $2,000 a month, and to hike Scott's monthly tab from $1,600 to $3,000.

    At the time, Civic Federation President Laurence Msall said the expense accounts amounted to "slush funds'' because board members got set amounts monthly, whether they submitted expenses or not. He called the accounts "outrageous'' and inconsistent with school board practices elsewhere.

$2,000 a month? Regardless if they turned in receipts? Excuse our language, but what the fuck? How many millions has this cost taxpayers over the years? They don't even justify the expenditures and get paid anyway?

Someone better contact the School Board President and have him justify this horseshit. Oh wait....

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18 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Maybe they can spend that $ on training the animals at Bogan. Big blowup at the school today. Squads everywhere. At least 6 arrested.
They told the school car to notify Media Affairs... What? Media affairs didn't notify the media????
ABC CBS NBC Fox????

12/17/2009 12:13:00 AM  
Anonymous West Side, Inside Do-Nothing said...

I certainly hope that the percentage of my ever-escalating property taxes that goes to the Chicago Public School System gets put to good use THIS time around.

Maybe the Board members will apply their annual windfall to something that'll hold value for a little while...maybe a nice 5-Series BMW or Lexus payment instead of frittering it away on gambling excursions, spa treatments and clothing.

Like many coppers, I bust my ass working Special Employment and assorted side gigs to provide my family with a modest lifestyle that is, compared to others', barely above "comfortable". All while trying to divert any disposable income into a variety of investment vehicles in the hopes that my kids might one day have it a bit easier than I did growing up.

I've always found it unfair that people who don't use the CPS aren't allowed a refund of a percentage of what they contribute to the CPS abomination; I might feel differently if the positive "return-on-investment" statistics were higher, but anyone who isn't in a coma knows what kind of product the CPS churns out.

Imagine what you could do with an extra $2,000 a month (that you DIDN'T have to account for). The kids could get that private school education without you and/or the better-half working 60 or more hours a week. You wouldn't have to drive a 13 year old car. You could take a nice family vacation without having to pay it off the credit card over a year's time.

This latest tidbit of corruption, financed by you and me - the chump, working man - just reinforces why any copper with half a brain has resorted to doing the bare minimum. Anyone that produces any kind of revenue for this fucking system is a fool.

Keep feeding the machine, Sheeple...maybe the scraps and leftovers will make their way to the hungry, lowly civil servants once the clouted and unaccountable get their fill.

12/17/2009 01:19:00 AM  
Blogger Ann T. said...

Dear SCC,
Just unbelievable. There are surely some school lunch programs or school security measures that could have used this money.

In fact, I think all School Board business, from coffee meetings to board meetings, should happen in a school. That goes for every School Board in the nation.

Sincerely,
Ann T.

12/17/2009 02:03:00 AM  
Blogger Rich Rostrom said...

Why do these clowns even have expense accounts? All but one of them have full-time jobs. That one (Bobins) is a retiree, but he has time to serve on the School Board, and as a trustee of WTTW, the Field Museum, and the Art Institute, and as a director of five big corporations.

Their duties as Board of Education members consist of attending three or four meetings each month (if that).

What personal expenses could they possibly incur? Cab fare to those meetings? They get paid for their trouble - well into five figures.

And yet they claim $2,000 a month in expenses?

Just a civilian (who never had an expense account in his life)

12/17/2009 02:23:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

There are some developing stories floating around the CPS.

12/17/2009 03:44:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Looks like Terry Peterson will be the next "Uncle Tom" King Richie KISS ASS.

12/17/2009 03:45:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

copper in 011 hit in the head with a bottle at Orr yesterday. shitheads are getting bold.

12/17/2009 05:37:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Notify the IRS. They should love to look at $24,000 in additional income.

12/17/2009 06:23:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

copper in 011 hit in the head with a bottle at Orr yesterday. shitheads are getting bold.

12/17/2009 05:37:00 AM

Getting?

12/17/2009 07:05:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

As someone who has run two businesse over the last 35 years, I cannot imagine giving anyone, even the CEO, an expense account of $2,000 a month without requiring justification of expenditures. It looks like Scott got $3,000 a month. In addition, there is nothing about the nature of their duties as board members that would justify spending that amount every month.
Time and again I have seen people appointed to these positions try to justify their thievery by saying that they are just doing what corporate executives in the private sector do. That is BS. Yes, there are execs at some big companies who rip off the company but most owners and execs of small to medium size businesses watch every dime. That is why they are still in business and did not need or get any "bailout" money.
We should all be sick, tired and disgusted by these career bureaucrats who claim they are doing "public service" by serving on do nothing boards while feeding mightily at the public trough.

12/17/2009 07:06:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Did you know that many suburban municipalities give their department heads a free take-home car, free gas, and a credit card for expenses? Worked for Glenview for a while, and was stunned to see the big SUVs, the limitless gas and maintenance service, the credit cards, the free babysitting for the Director of Development's Mary Bak's kids, and the phenomenal pay-package given to former village manager Paul McCarthy (paid whether Glenview employed him, or not). Plus the nice insurance package, the comp time, the retirement pension, etc. Extravagance of governmental managerial service is shocking.

12/17/2009 07:19:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

No, Police. We don't have any money for your raise. Its the economy and all, you understand. We have tightened our government belt as much as we can. If we tighten any more we will have to cut services and that will hurt poor people.

Signed,

Richard Daley

12/17/2009 08:03:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

This city is a joke. How in the HELL can they not submit receipts? Who are they wining and dining? Elmo? Bozo?

This city blows. How many squad cars could that money buy? Forget school supplies...they'd get stolen or destroyed.

And just imagine, those youth you see today are the aldermen and board members of tomorrow.

12/17/2009 08:53:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

BTW: CPS to change the policy for magnet high schools. Just as the courts have ruled that their will be no more race norming and academically acheiving kids (white)had a chance to get into these programs they will once again get the shaft.Consideration will be based on then following:

1. Attendance no longer counts. So your kids who have perfect attendance once again are on a level playing field with those that "just couldn't make it today".

2. Socialeconomic status: I'll give three guesses as to what that means.

3. Neighborhood residency: the closest schools to me on the far NW side are about an hours commute away.

4. Siblings of current enrollees: I guess the intelligence gets passed from sibling to sibling. Or maybe some people (double / triple merit promotees) just don't test well. Have we heard that one before.

Nowhere is academic qualification even mentioned!

Michael Scott fell on the sword and took the old way secrets to the grave. Now Huberman has reinvented the wheel of womb to tomb, the man's holding me down, politics on the backs of children.

QQQQ Daley and all of your political hack suck holes. You've single handedly ruined one of the greatest cities in the world.

12/17/2009 10:27:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

THIEVES!!!
Why would they need an expense account???
What you need is a pen, paper and maybe a laptop! That's it!!!

12/17/2009 05:44:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...
BTW: CPS to change the policy for magnet high schools. Just as the courts have ruled that their will be no more race norming and academically acheiving kids (white)had a chance to get into these programs they will once again get the shaft.Consideration will be based on then following:

1. Attendance no longer counts. So your kids who have perfect attendance once again are on a level playing field with those that "just couldn't make it today".

2. Socialeconomic status: I'll give three guesses as to what that means.

3. Neighborhood residency: the closest schools to me on the far NW side are about an hours commute away.

4. Siblings of current enrollees: I guess the intelligence gets passed from sibling to sibling. Or maybe some people (double / triple merit promotees) just don't test well. Have we heard that one before.

Nowhere is academic qualification even mentioned!

Michael Scott fell on the sword and took the old way secrets to the grave. Now Huberman has reinvented the wheel of womb to tomb, the man's holding me down, politics on the backs of children.

QQQQ Daley and all of your political hack suck holes. You've single handedly ruined one of the greatest cities in the world.

12/17/2009 10:27:00 AM


...................

I agree with what you posted. They just renamed race to something else. What they did was screw the working class neighborhoods again. In Mt Greenwood we have a great school, the Ag school, at 111th/Pulaski. Is it a neighborhood school? No! Our "neighborhood" school is Morgan park. Its easy to find. Just look for the Police Helicopter hovering over it at dismissal.

We in Mt greenwood and Beverly pay a lot in property taxes but it is a crap shoot if our kids can go there even though most could walk there. But its OK for Kids from 79Th and California or the Indiana Border to go there.

I could go on but I am so pissed I may say something I regret.

12/17/2009 10:29:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Dear SCC,
Just unbelievable. There are surely some school lunch programs or school security measures that could have used this money.
++++++

Hey, Ann. They don't even need that $ for the school lunch programs. Most in CPS get it for free or reduced price, anyhow. (You get what you pay for - the meals are loaded with fat and sugar.)

12/18/2009 12:06:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I will take my free $3,000 a month credit card and forgo the new police contract (4 years at 16%, plus retro). Send it right away!

Heywood Jablowme!

12/18/2009 12:07:00 AM  

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