October 9, 2009
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News: Tennessee Educators Angry Over CC Abuse
Tennessee educators are angry and they want answers. Nashville's teachers, librarians, and school personnel have been using their own hard earned money to pay for supplies they need to help educate their county's students while administrators are racking up thousands of dollars on school district credit cards for personal entertainment. Nashville teachers are given a $200 a year allowance to pay for materials and supplies which never seems to be enough. Teachers are no longer issued District credit cards, leaving many of them to supplement needed supplies with their own money. The results of a recent investigation by the Tennessean, Nashville's local newspaper, showed that while their teachers were struggling to meet the needs of their students, principals and administrators were racking up thousands of dollars on district credit cards for dining, gifts, office furniture, and other frivolous items.
The Tennessean investigation revealed that many of the alleged abusive credit card charges were not supported by the appropriate documentation. It appears there was no consistency in tuning in receipts and in fact many of the principals and administrators were no required to do so. Additionally, there was no evidence that principals or administrators were required to reimburse the school district for any of the alleged abusive credit card transactions; a fact that has raised the blood pressures of many teachers, school personnel, and taxpayers.
According to the Tennessean, School Board Chairman David Fox indicated the district has realigned its priorities; in doing so, they have hired a new consulting firm to review and modify purchasing procedures. School board members maintain the new firm will be able to rectify the situation; however, their work is not expected to be complete until the spring of 2010. They have also taken away credit cards from most of the district's employees with the exception of a few central office personnel.