Wednesday, The Voice for School Choice’s exposed how education bureaucrats spend your tax dollars on their own creature comforts in the form of plush hotel rooms. Today we offer our readers’ an expanded travel report. Seeing these luxurious accommodations will help taxpayers understand how a mere 44 cent on the educational dollar reaches the children in public school classrooms.
Hopefully readers will also gain a new understanding of what status quo apologists are really worried about when they falsely claim that education reform via school choice will “take money from public schools.” Our rankings are based primarily on the quality of hotels, not necessarily room prices or length of stay.
The Educrat Hotel Review: Top 5 places to stay on the taxpayer dime:
5. Marriott at Renaissance Park, Spartanburg- $3,630 unaccountable dollars
Centrally located in downtown Spartanburg South Carolina this stunning, new Spartanburg hotel is located within walking distance of restaurants, entertainment, quaint shops, and historic Spartanburg walking tours.”
More stunning than the hotel itself is the amount of money forked over by the SC Dept. of Education. Did they put up the entire population of Spartanburg for the evening? This is another example of the unchecked bureaucratic spending that whittles away the resources being sent to schools. The very people who lap up these state funded perqs without a second thought are the first ones to cry out against reform. In a state that spends $7 Billion on education, and still has a 47 percent graduation rate, should this kind of money really be going to lush accommodations?
4. Sea Watch Resort, Myrtle Beach- $870.24 washed out to sea
“With its two glorious towers overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, the Sea Watch Resort awaits to present you with a Myrtle Beach resort vacation paradise.”
We personally think that “glorious” vacations in paradise should be taken by people who get glorious results in their jobs. Unfortunately, South Carolina public education administrators and bureaucrats seem perfectly willing to go frolic in the waves and keep putting real reform on the back burner. Maybe that’s because real education reform would put the money they spend on posh vacations back into the classroom?
3. Kingston Plantation, Myrtle Beach- $1,465 that will never see the classroom
“Situated on pristine oceanfront in the heart of Myrtle Beach’s Grand Strand. The drive to the tower is lined with palm trees, setting the stage for the luxury that awaits you inside.”
There’s nothing like a little publicly-funded luxury to get someone geared up for education. Of course we don’t want to paint spend-happy bureaucrats in a negative light. Maybe they bemoaned dilapidated school buildings and low teacher salaries while they sat in the pool sipping Mai Tais. South Carolina Taxpayers are only willing to pick up the $1,500 tab for this oceanfront junket because they don’t know about it. Why would the educrats volunteer the information and ruin a good thing?
2. Galt House, Louisville- $935.89 up in smoke
“Surround yourself in upscale, boutique-style charm in …our wonderful, newly-renovated downtown Louisville hotel. Indulge in a wide range of guest-friendly amenities, including six onsite restaurants and lounges, concierge desk, business center, spa services and, outdoor pool.”
We don’t think there is any question that the SC Dept. of Education guests at Galt House intended to “surround themselves in boutique style charm,” and the taxpayers back home have the $900+ bill to prove it. The thousands of children who drop out of school every year in South Carolina have the rest of their lives to learn to read. You may only get this free stay once. By all means, get room service…this one’s on us.
1. Crowne Plaza, San Francisco- $612 tax dollars down the tubes
“The newly renovated Crowne Plaza San Francisco International Airportdelivers upscale amenities and life-enhancing services in a comfortable and elegant environment.Our luxurious hotel offers a … pampering, productive environment.”
Thank goodness there is a place for South Carolina educrats to finally collect on what the public owes them: a pampering environment.
No really guys, you deserve this. In fact, you’re entitled to it! You (and you alone) make sure the children of South Carolina are provided with an “upscale” and “life-enhancing” education, so it’s only fair that the tax dollars of their parents should go toward your much needed R&R. No need to worry about growing class and racial performance gaps in our schools, just relax and unwind. Don’t do if for yourself, do it for the kids!
9 responses so far ↓
Kay Lynn // April 25, 2008 at 8:49 am
What ever happened to staying at the Holiday Inn? Some of them are actually quite nice. How do these people sleep at night knowing how much of the taxpayer’s money they have wasted? It is robbery. They are stealing from the poor to make the rich richer, and all this at the expense of children in our public school systems.
Four-Star Failure | FITSNews For Now // April 25, 2008 at 11:39 am
[...] – April 25, 2008 – Props today to the Voice For School Choice on its efforts to expose yet another reason why South Carolina classrooms get less than half of each dollar we currently spend on the [...]
Myrtle Beach Hotels // August 5, 2008 at 10:45 am
I was just wondering if you have sources for this information. If it’s true, it makes me really sad that people can’t just stay in regular hotels. It seems like it would save everyone money.
thevoiceforschoolchoice // August 5, 2008 at 11:02 am
You can check it out yourself by looking at the online spending disclosure section of the Comptroller General’s website!
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Bill Steiner // August 23, 2008 at 8:54 am
What about salaries for school board members?State law (59-1-350) provides for per-diem and mileage only. Salaries are not authorized according to the AG’s office. Yet a small number of school districts continue to pay salaries as much as $10,000 to board members. In addition to stealing this taxpayer money out of the instructional budget intended for the students, this puts them in bed with the career bureaucrats they are supposed to provide oversight for. When the state formulates the budget, they should make it clear that those districts paying board members salaries will have that amount deducted from their allocation.
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