"Spending from Boston schools’ fund questioned; Money went for food, travel" by James Vaznis, Globe Staff November 18, 2014
Boston school officials funneled hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxpayer money to a nonprofit foundation, essentially creating a slush fund to pay for holiday parties, first-class plane tickets, and even moving expenses for a departing employee, according to an investigation by a city watchdog agency.
Being a nonprofit means they also paid no tax!
The Boston Finance Commission said revenue generated by such activities as renting out school facilities, leasing school buses, and selling off old equipment — money that should have gone into city coffers to run the schools — was instead deposited in Boston Educational Development Foundation accounts.
Once the money was in the foundation accounts, there were few restrictions, allowing the money to be spent on, for example, dinner tabs at Legal Sea Foods restaurants and the Park Plaza.
Like I have been saying, it's money junkies at all levels of AmeriKan in$titutions.
So did they leave a tip?
The investigation examined some but not all of the foundation’s numerous accounts going as far back as 2008 and through 2012. The findings will be released Tuesday.
“The citizens of Boston entrust agents of the city to manage their resources honestly and prudently,” Matthew Cahill, the Boston Finance Commission’s executive director, said in a letter to Mayor Martin J. Walsh that was provided to the Globe. “This investigation has raised serious concerns regarding how taxpayer assets have been managed.”
The spending was “not necessarily illegal, but it’s a questionable practice.”
Interim Superintendent John McDonough, who served as the foundation’s treasurer for many years, said the school system and the foundation have taken steps to tighten financial controls so money is spent more suitably....
Whatta $cum! (Probably why he's in charge).
Some of the questionable expenditures from the investigation include:
■ $13,776 in moving expenses to the school system’s chief academic officer in May 2009 after she resigned and returned to California. Boston school officials said former superintendent Carol R. Johnson authorized the expense.
She was paid over a quarter of a million dollars a year!
■ $1,572 for airfare and two nights of lodging for a job applicant over a weekend in August 2012 at the W hotel, at $266 per night. School officials said the applicant needed to interview on the weekend because she could not miss work.
■ $1,100 for a first-class plane ticket for former New York City schools chancellor Rudolph Crew in September 2011. Crew flew from California to Boston to meet with school officials, even though the Finance Commission had rejected a contract that would have paid him $1,500 a day. School officials said Crew did not work under the contract while in Boston.
■ $2,000 for “Creative Palate by Damian” to cater a holiday party in December 2011. School officials declined to comment on the expenditure but said in general catering is reserved for staff training and other all-day activities....
But they really, really care about you kids!
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Also see: Black, Latino males lag in Boston schools
Teacher's Lounge
Mass. drops teacher licensing plan
Better off at a charter school:
"Boston charter schools are far more likely than traditional school systems to suspend students, usually for minor infractions such as violating dress codes or being disrespectful, a high-risk disciplinary action that could cause students to disengage from their classes, according to a report released Tuesday."
Time for lunch!
"A healthy lunch isn’t on the menu for most school kids" by Megan Scudellari, Bloomberg News November 26, 2014
Schoolchildren are not exactly gobbling up the healthy lunches they were meant to eat under a national nutrition program, two new studies suggest.
Students buying school lunches select a fruit or vegetable only about half the time, and even then most do not eat even a single bite, according to research from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Children who bring lunch from home are not faring any better. Those brown bags are packed with significantly fewer fruits and vegetables, plus more salt and sugar, than school-provided lunches, according to a team from Baylor College of Medicine.
The studies highlight the gaps in the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act, a reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act, passed by Congress in 2010 with new provisions to raise government- subsidized lunches to higher nutrition standards. Notable changes in schools across the country include new minimum and maximum calorie counts and increased servings of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
‘‘So many children in our country may eat as many as two of their meals a day in the schools,’’ said Susan Gross, a nutritionist and dietitian at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore who led the first study. ‘‘And if that’s two-thirds of their consumption, we should make it as healthy as possible.’’
The National School Lunch Program served 5.1 billion midday meals last year, while the School Breakfast Program delivered 2.2 billion meals. The US Department of Agriculture administers the lunch program with the participation of more than 100,000 public and nonprofit private schools, along with child-care institutions. In exchange for serving meals that meet government requirements, the schools get subsidies and food from the USDA.
It sounds so good, doesn't it?
Related: USDA Dinner
Did you smell it first?
Turns out it is all surplus garbage that is past date, but don't let that spoil the narrative about how much this government cares about you kids.
‘‘There’s been a lot of emphasis on menus and what kind of food is being offered to the kids,’’ Gross said. There has not been as much attention on whether children are eating those foods, she said.
*********
The researchers also found a major influence on how much healthy food children ate: the cafeteria environment. Children were more likely to eat healthy foods when it was quieter in the cafeteria; when the food was cut into smaller pieces, such as apple slices; when lunch periods were longer; and when teachers were eating lunch in the same cafeteria....
What if they like to eat in the lounge?
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Related: Michelle Obama-Approved School Lunch
So how does it look, kiddo?
What kids talk about at mealtime:
"Survey finds Generation Z to be motivated lot" by Trisha Thadani, Globe Correspondent November 18, 2014
A new survey by Northeastern University found that a majority of Generation Z — those between the ages of 16 and 19 — is very self-motivated and seeks to craft its own future through higher education.
They just don't turn out to vote is all.
The survey of young people throughout the country is the fourth in a series by the university, which focuses on the future of higher education and its relationship to the global economy, according to a statement by Northeastern.
The university has conducted surveys on other generations and constituencies in the past, but this is the first time it has focused on the Gen Z population, said Joseph E. Aoun, president of the school.
“We were interested in the next generation of learners who will be in higher education,” Aoun said. “It is important to understand their needs and desires. . . . And we want to know what the next generation wants out of their education.”
The survey was conducted in October through online and telephone polls of more than 1,000 teens between the ages of 16 and 19. The sample was tailored to represent different ethnic and socioeconomic groups across the United States, said Mike Armini, Northeastern’s senior vice president for external affairs.
The findings will be presented Tuesday at a summit in Washington, D.C., called, “Innovation Imperative: Meet Generation Z.”
I smell a NEXT DAY UPDATE coming!
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It never did, readers.
Also see:
Obama signs bill to expand high-speed Internet access to schools
$1.5b sought so all schools get broadband
Innovation District needs a human touch
See: A Tour of Gloucester
