Editorial: U-46's Nashville trip worth a board review

When local governments talk about sending officials on trips to out-of-town conferences or for research, suburban taxpayers may reflexively think "junket" and reach for their wallets.

That's because there have been an alarming number of examples in recent years of government overspending on travel - and officials sometimes just plain living it up - on the public's dime.

So, we understand last week's call by Elgin Area School District U-46 board member Jeanette Ward to review the district's travel guidelines after she heard about a fact-finding trip last September to Nashville to learn about implementing career pathway programs. The trip involved 18 people from the district, including two members of the U-46 Citizens' Advisory Council. Ward was understandably concerned about the district paying the $1,400-per-person registration cost covering hotel accommodations and meals for two nonemployees.

"Why were taxpayer dollars used to fund the trips of two members of the community who are neither board members or district employees?" Ward said at a school board meeting. She added such expenses should require school board approval.

That requirement may be a bit extreme. School administrators need a measure of latitude in approving day-to-day expenses, and it's easy to see the justification behind the district covering certain expenses of community advisers who are part of a project serving the district's interests. But at the same time, it's understandable that a $2,800 bill for a trip for two non-employees would raise a school-board member's - or anyone's eyebrows.

Beyond that, though, is a second eyebrow-raising point - the total cost of all this fact-finding. U-46 is a very large district, but is it necessary to send 18 people at a cost of $25,200 to visit schools to learn about career pathways? Given this time of tight budgets, having a thoughtful, updated travel policy is essential to preventing waste and abuse of tax dollars, and it ought to include the expectation that administrators demonstrate the value of the travel they approve and of the participants they approve it for.

Professional development is as important to school districts as it is for the thousands of private businesses and corporations that consider it fundamental to their long-term success. But at times, the actions of some municipalities and some leaders have shown the need for vigilant oversight. Last December, our Jake Griffin's "On Your Dime" reports examining participation at a local Municipal League Conference in downtown Chicago produced examples of Smith & Wollensky Chateaubriand, high-priced alcoholic drinks, big-ticket valet parking tabs and $300-a-night luxury hotel bills for officials who live within easy driving distance. There were also examples of governments sending large numbers to a conference, such as Round Lake Heights (seven elected officials), Hanover Park (nine elected officials and staff).

Illinois and the suburbs have some of the nation's highest property taxes, and schools make up the biggest chunk of that bill. Carefully managing travel policies to nip potential problems and ensure officials are sensitive to how public dollars are spent must be standard procedure for all local governments.