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By Todd Shepherd
The School District of Philadelphia spent at least $309,000 for several hundred of its employees to attend a union conference in March, according to documents obtained via a Right to Know Law request. Many of the expenses conflict with the district’s own travel policies.
About $294,000 went to registration fees at $440–$500 per person, and roughly $14,500 covered about 40 hotel rooms, bringing the total to about $309,000 — even though the conference was located in Philadelphia.
If the district has a rationale for the expenses, or if it disputes the totals, it did not respond to a lengthy request for comment from Broad + Liberty. Nothing in the current CASA union contract would seem to require the district to directly pay for or support union-led conferences, and the district did not point to any contract provision requiring it to pay for such conferences.
Why It Matters. At a minimum, the hotel expenses would seem to conflict with part of the district’s travel policies, one of which urges employees to attend conferences by virtual means, seemingly with expenses in mind.
"Employees who seek reimbursement for conference attendance shall choose virtual conference attendance, if that is available, or choose the most local location for in-person attendance if virtual attendance is not an option,” the policy says.
Yet another policy addresses the point more specifically, saying, “An overnight stay is not permitted within the greater Philadelphia region unless the Superintendent or their designee grants an exception[.]”
If “exception” forms were created, they were not turned over in response to the Right to Know request.
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