Press Center

SENATE ACTS TO ELIMINATE WASTEFUL SCHOOL SPENDING

FROM THE OFFICE OF SENATOR KENNETH P. LAVALLE

6/19/2008

Senator Kenneth P. LaValle today announced that the Senate has passed an initiative that supports his efforts to eliminate the abuse in spending of school taxpayer dollars. The Senate “Taxpayer Empowerment and Accountability (TEA)” plan is a comprehensive reform package designed to protect school taxpayers from picking up the tab for wasteful and irresponsible spending.

According to Senator LaValle, the TEA plan eliminates waste, increases transparency of school district expenses, and reduces costs to ensure that state education aid dollars are driven into the classroom where they belong. The plan includes measures that would restrict “golden parachutes” for school superintendents, a contractual agreement that allows for certain benefits if a superintendent is terminated; increase penalties for pension fraud; prohibit “double dipping,” whereby an individual receives payment both as a school district employee and independent contractor; restrict retirees from holding public service positions; require school districts to maintain an electronic check register and post transactions on the district’s web site; require school districts to include the percentage of its budget spent on instructional expenses in its school district report card; require school districts to make their budgets, expenditures, and revenues available in printed form and on the Internet; ban unfunded mandates; encourage consolidation of school districts; and allow for the sharing of superintendents for school districts with enrollment of less than 1,000 students.

“Runaway school spending has shattered the public’s confidence in how their school district’s are managing their tax dollars,” said Senator LaValle. “Waste, fraud, and mismanagement must be stopped.

“People expect that their school tax dollars are going toward the education of their children and not into the pockets of those who know how to beat the system. The TEA plan will help restore the public’s confidence in their school district’s financial decisions and help rebuild the bond between the residential and school communities,” concluded Senator LaValle.