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Trustees debate using training funds for board dinners; no reallocation approved
Summary
Trustees considered reallocating part of the board training allocation to cover meals at twice-monthly meetings but withdrew a motion after some members favored personal donations; superintendent said any reallocation would reduce training and asked for a not-to-exceed direction.
The Franklin-McKinley School District board on Aug. 26 discussed whether to reallocate portions of an existing $13,000 training budget to pay for board dinners during meetings, but trustees declined to take formal action after debate.
Superintendent Nick Cruz told the board that currently "each board member has been allocated $2,000 for purposes of covering the cost of conferences and trainings with an additional thousand dollars to board president" and that reallocating that money would reduce available training funds. Trustee Rommel Rodriguez estimated food costs at about $2,200 a year and said "I'd be happy to reallocate that money towards the teachers on our board who need subs," noting substitute costs when teachers attend conferences. Trustee Hong proposed a specific reallocation (three members at $1,700, the president at $2,700) intended to free roughly $2,200 for dinners, but she later withdrew the motion when other trustees preferred funding dinners via personal donations.
Several trustees said they were willing to redirect leftover conference funds toward meals, and the superintendent offered electronic payment options if trustees chose to donate. The board did not adopt any reallocation at the meeting; the superintendent asked the board to provide a not-to-exceed figure if they later want staff to implement a reallocation so administration can avoid making ad hoc decisions.
The discussion included questions about substitute-teacher costs for trustees who teach and whether the $2,000 allocation adequately covers registration, lodging and subs. Superintendent Cruz said registrations and sub-day needs vary and asked for clearer direction to avoid being placed in the middle of allocation decisions.
Next steps: trustees agreed to not change allocations at this meeting and to either self-fund dinners or donate funds to cover them; staff will provide budget detail and the board may revisit the matter with a spreadsheet showing amounts.
