Travelgate fallout: Board to take closer look at Bradley school employee travels (videos)

The future of Bradley County Schools is shaping up: There are new faces on the board, a new (interim) superintendent. And employees at central office and schools are turning over.

But board members aren't forgetting about the way things were under former Superintendent Johnny McDaniel. It was McDaniel who signed off on more than $30,000 in local travel expenses for energy manager Johnny Mull -- much to the board's dismay. Now some board members say they want to take a closer look at other, more far-flung employee travel.

For years, the superintendent has had sole discretion over which teachers, principals and administrators travel to out-of-state workshops and conferences -- or to purchase toys for schools. The board's travel policy has few requirements other than gathering signatures from the appropriate administrators.

The policy has allowed trips to technology conferences and workshops that showcase some of the nation's best schools. But board members point to an annual trip to Las Vegas to purchase trinkets and toys as prizes for the Accelerated Reader program.

In 2012, taxpayers put up nearly $3,000 in taxpayer-funded expenses for two employees to fly to Las Vegas and stay four nights at the Venetian hotel and casino. Other years, three employees made the journey.

School officials say purchasing at the trade show secured them better-quality toys at lower prices than websites or catalogs, allowing them to stretch the $20,000 they spend annually on AR prizes. School officials purchased basketballs, baby dolls, remote-control cars and smaller trinkets like tops.

"When you go to the show you actually get to see what you're getting," said Terri Murray, Bradley County's director of federal programs, who went on the trip several times. "Because if you're not careful you can end up getting a bunch of junk."

But those trips, which Murray said were an annual routine for more than a decade, ended a few years ago amid concerns over travel costs.

Johnny McDaniel speaks during a meeting at the Bradley County Board of Education in this Feb. 11, 2014, file photo.

Johnny Mull

Carolyn Ferguson, an administrative assistant in the central office who also went on the trip several times, said the prizes helped motivate students to read more. She said the school employees worked hard at the trade show, which lasted multiple days and included some 1,000 vendors.

"[The students'] faces lighted up and it was a great incentive for us," Ferguson said. "We stood on concrete and it was hard on us, but worth it."

Ferguson said staffers stayed in the same room -- a 700-square-foot luxury suite -- and tried to funnel expenses toward prizes.

"A lot of people think we spent money extravagantly, and we did not," she said.

School board member Chris Turner said the annual toy trip was just plain inefficient. And it sends a confusing message given complaints over leaking roofs, subpar technology and textbooks and the constant need for kids to raise money to pay for basics.

"Funding is so tight in Bradley County, he said. "And we don't have money to waste on luxury trips to Vegas."

He said it's just one example of how the system's travel practices have grown out of hand.

"Travel, and trips and training without return on investment is technically entertainment," Turner said.

School officials could not say how much the district spends on out-of-county travel. Turner projected $90,000, which would not cover grant-funded travel, a large share of the funding stream for teacher and administrator trips.

School board member Vicki Beaty said many conferences and workshops are worth the investment. But there seems to be little oversight of how trips and attendees are selected.

"Evidently, it has been kind of open," she said. "It ultimately ended with the approval of the director of schools."

Out the door

McDaniel accepted a contract buyout in February amid rising tensions with the school board. Since then, the board has hired Scott Humberd as the interim superintendent. Sammie Humphrey, the former superintendent's secretary, has been fired. And Rick Smith, the business office manager, retired in the midst of this year's budget preparation process.

Board Chairman Nicholas Lillios said the board approves every field trip students make. But it has no say on employee travel. Still, he said, he doesn't want the board to micromanage school officials.

He's looking forward to a new superintendent putting fresh eyes on all the district's practices, including its travel policies.

"I really wouldn't as board chairman want to get involved in looking at each trip a teacher is going on," Lillios said. "I would want to trust that my director is doing that and evaluating that it has a purpose and a value."

School board member Diana Calfee said employee travel is fine, so long as teachers can show measurable benefits in the way of student achievement.

"If you go to a conference you need to show how it benefits the district," she said. "... I want to walk into your school and see a change."

But teachers say there is benefit -- on one 2012 trip to the Model Schools Conference in Orlando, Fla., at least.

The 10 to 12 people who attended were given a flat $350 each for transportation. Under the district's mileage rate, an individual would have received about $400 in reimbursement for making the drive -- regardless of how many were in the car. So, by carpooling, teachers could have turned a profit on the $350 checks by splitting the cost of gas amongst themselves.

Murray, whose department funded that trip, said the teachers and administrators brought back many ideas from the conference, which highlights some of the nation's top-performing schools.

"If you don't see what top-performing schools are doing," she said, "how do you ever know what to do?"

Greg Kersey, a teacher at Bradley Central High School, said the conference helped inform his transition from law enforcement to teaching. He said the days were busy with back-to-back sessions. And the trip was over the summer break.

"The great benefit for me was networking and seeing other teaching strategies," he said.

Steve Logsdon, who teaches health, wellness and weight training at Bradley Central High, said the conference helped re-energize him after 25 years of teaching.

"A little jumpstart to your enthusiasm about education is helpful," he said.

He said he had no criticism of the trip -- other than the Florida weather.

"I thought we may be able to finish our sessions and go to the pool," he said, "but it was raining."

Contact staff writer Kevin Hardy at khardy@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6249. Contact staff writer Kendi Anderson at kendi.anderson@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6592.