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Board presses for transparency after Inquirer report on MCIU international travel
Summary
At the workshop, board members debated a Philadelphia Inquirer story alleging roughly $40,000 in international professional-development travel by MCIU staff. The MCIU executive was said to have clarified district funds were not used; board members nevertheless called for an ad hoc review and stronger public accountability.
Upper Perkiomen School Board members spent a substantial portion of their workshop discussing a Philadelphia Inquirer article that questioned international professional-development travel by managers at the Montgomery County Intermediate Unit (MCIU).
Leah, an Upper Perk director who summarized the matter for the board, said Dr. Speaker (MCIU executive director) clarified to the board that "funds used for executive level professional development do not come from district contributions" and that roughly 1% of the IU’s budget comes from school districts. Leah said the IU is forming an ad hoc committee to review processes and improve transparency.
Despite that clarification, several board members said the explanation did not resolve concerns about optics, accountability and the use of program or federal funds for travel. One board member said the situation "cast a paw over the MCIU" and urged the executive director to "own this publicly and apologize," remarks that reflected sustained skepticism from some directors about whether the IU had adequately documented outcomes or reported the travel to boards at the time.
Board discussion noted that the trips referenced in the article occurred years earlier and that IU approval and accounting practices have since been revised, but members nonetheless called for continuing oversight. The board asked for follow-up from district representatives to track the MCIU ad hoc review and any further disclosures.
The board did not take formal action against the MCIU at this meeting; members agreed the matter warranted additional information and monitoring. The discussion moved on after the board’s executive session and other committee reports.
