cappuccino/espresso machines for $67,000

Chicago public school bureaucrats skirted public competitive bidding rules to buy 30 cappuccino/espresso machines for $67,000, with most of the machines going unused because the schools they were ordered for had not asked for them, according to a report by the CPS Office of Inspector General.

That was just one example of questionable CPS actions detailed in the inspector general's 2008 annual report. Others included high school staffers changing grades to pump up transcripts of student athletes and workers at a restricted-enrollment grade school falsifying addresses to get relatives admitted.

In the case of the cappuccino machines, central office administrators split the order among 21 vocational schools to avoid competitive bidding required for purchases over $10,000. As a result CPS paid about $12,000 too much, according to Inspector General James Sullivan. "We were able to find the same machines cheaper online," he said.

"We also look at it as a waste of money because the schools didn't even know they were getting the equipment, schools didn't know how to use the machines and weren't prepared to implement them into the curriculum," Sullivan said.

CPS spokesman Michael Vaughn said CPS plans to change its purchasing policy so that competitive bidding kicks in when a vendor accumulates $10,000 worth of orders, no matter how many schools are involved. One person was fired and disciplinary action is pending against three others, he said.

The grade-changing took place at an unidentified high school, where student athletes grades were boosted, then, after transcripts were issued for college admission offices, the grades were changed back. The culprits could not be identified because passwords allowing entry to the grading system were shared by a number of people, Sullivan said. A new record system has tighter security, he said.

At Carson Elementary, an overcrowded school in Gage Park where even neighborhood kids were restricted from enrolling, five lower- level employees got six relatives into the school by falsifying addresses. Sixty-nine students from outside the attendance area got in, but they didn't even bother to lie about their addresses. CPS had to spend as much as $252,000 to bus kids who live in the neighborhood to other schools, Sullivan said.

Vaughn said the employees involved have resigned, been fired or will be fired.


Arnie Duncan goes from running Chicago schools to N0bama’s nominee for Secretary of Education.

Wonderful.

Incredible.

O.M.G.

Well I'll be dambed.

damb you're killing me !!!!

We have another school situation here :

DETROIT -- A Detroit elementary school is asking for donations of toilet paper and light bulbs to keep their school functioning.

The principal of the Academy of Americas sent a letter to staff, parents and partners asking for donations of items "that are of the utmost importance for proper school functioning and most importantly for student health and safety."

In the letter, Principal Naomi Khalil cited budget constraints within the district as the reason why the school could no longer stock the items.

The district is grappling with a more than $400 million budget deficit and is on the verge of being assigned an emergency financial manager by the state.

The letter asks for toilet paper, paper towel rolls, trash bags and 60, 100 or 150-watt light bulbs.


On a financial note here :

The just-fired Detroit school superintendent made $280K per year and had two bodyguards which totalled over $90K per year, plus $13K in overtime.

About18 years ago my son lived in Maryland when his step daughter started school. Their list of supplies they were required to bring kleenex, toilet tissue and extra note book paper. Extra pencils and crayons. Everything was all put into the room supplies and when anyone ran out during the year they used from the stash. They had to renew their supplies during the year also. This was supposed to be public schools. They also had to pay more registration fee to cover the ones who didn't have the money to pay . This crap has been going on a long time.

Yep.

When my kids were in school we were told not everyone could afford what was on the list so if you could please try to provide double what was asked.

During the second part of the year another letter went out requesting the same thing.

I made a stink when at a little party for the kids my son had broken colors while the little girl next to him had a brand new box. Why ??? Because I could afford to replace his, her family could not. I bought 4 boxes of colors and numerous packs of markers yet he had scraps or nothing ????

After that I wrote his name on everything in big black marker block letters and only replaced what he ran out of.

That was bullshit.

That was bullshit.[/quote]
You said that right. I always marked my kids things and they used theirs.

I had to pay the school fees and then send kleenex and all the other stuff mentioned, too for Joey.
At one point, there was a calendar for sending snacks. One day a month one parent was to send snacks for the whole class. Well, the parents who couldnt afford it or were too cheap to do it, their kids got snacks all the other days but on their days no one got a snack. I guess everyone bitched so much that they changed it to sending your own snack for your own kid which is how it should have been to start with.

I remember because I was a stay at home mother being volunteered to bake, work parades, attending craft days, being in charge of Fun Days Carnival ....

I'll never forget one teacher putting working mothers on a pedestal and saying it was the at home mother's RESPONSIBILTY to be available to her at a moments notice.

After that I only did field trips.