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The London District Catholic school board is facing criticism for spending more than $16,000 on an out-of-town planning session for 26 senior staff members.
Officials with the province’s fastest-growing Catholic school board, home to 27,500 students, released the figure to The Free Press following a freedom of information request. Here is the breakdown of the $16,259 spent on the one-night, two-day meeting held in St. Catharines in late August:
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- $2,083: mileage for eight vehicles
- $5,674: accommodations for one night
- $4,299: meeting space at the hotel
- $2,036: meals
- $2,167: meeting trainer and facilitator
The London-based Catholic board is running a $1.5-million deficit for 2023-24 and $1.9 million for 2024-25, primarily because of increased costs due to portable leasing, transportation costs and utility bills, board officials say.
The group of 26 senior staffers stayed overnight at the Stone Mill Inn in St. Catharines from Aug. 22-23. Rooms there range from $109 to $167 per night, according to the hotel’s website.
“I gather the leadership team once a year in August outside the district for a two-day intense planning meeting in order to have their focused, undivided attention and to set the direction for each upcoming school year,” education director Vince Romeo wrote in an email to The Free Press.
But Debbie Kasman, a veteran educator who has worked for the education ministry, says the session is “a complete disregard for taxpayers’ money during a time of extreme deficit” for school boards.
“The director’s comments suggest that he can’t have his leadership team’s complete and undivided attention in a local setting, which is absurd,” she said.
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School board spending has been a raw nerve in London since August, when The Free Press first uncovered details of the three-day retreat by 18 Thames Valley District school board officials at the hotel inside the Toronto Blue Jays stadium amid a $7.6-million budget deficit.
Rooms at the hotel – now formally known as the Marriott City Centre Hotel – range from $374 to $1,199 per night. The Jays were playing at home on all three dates.
Thames Valley, the fourth largest school board in Ontario, has cut costs in several areas to rein in the deficit that was once projected to be $30 million, including eliminating 124 jobs and slashing funds for student field trips and textbooks. Queen’s Park has now launched an operational audit of the board.
Romeo noted the Catholic board’s St. Catharines sessions were “not retreats or a social gathering” but a way to make senior staff aware of the board’s “greatest needs and strategic priorities.” In-house experts were utilized at no cost, and there were no excursions, entertainment, or extra-curricular activities as part of the annual event, Romeo said.
Trustee Gabe Pizutti, chair of the Catholic board, said “no funds were diverted from students or classroom learning” for the out-of-town meeting. He noted the board is facing “unprecedented” growth and called the session a chance for Romeo to give senior staff members “a clear understanding of the responsibilities and accountability” required.
@HeatheratLFP
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