School board trustees review expense account policy
BY ROGER BELGRAVE A report is recommending Catholic school trustees make some changes to their expense account policy.

Last May, Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board trustees asked for an administrative staff review of expense account guidelines. The request came after a highly critical report was issued on the use of expense accounts by trustees at the Toronto Catholic District School Board.

Norbert Hartmann, a Ministry of Education investigator called in to look at the Toronto board’s accounting books, found individual trustees were averaging $107,000 annually in expense claims. Shortly following the report, the province took control of the board.

Local trustees wanted to make sure their expense account policy met the limits and recommendations in Hartmann’s report, which was supported by the ministry.

A local administrative report has recommended some changes, including any trustee expense claims in excess of the $3,000 allowed for professional development, conferences or seminars be paid back to the board. Trustees would not be permitted to use their expense account to offer financial support to political parties, election candidates or any charity event not directly related to the board, under another recommendation. Also recommended is a policy clause preventing trustees from transferring money from their expense accounts or spending expense funds on local schools, school councils or charities. The reports and recommendations will be discussed by trustees at an finance and administration committee meeting in October.

A year ago, when Hartmann was appointed by Education Minister Kathleen Wynne to control the purse strings at the Dufferin-Peel board, he approved local trustee spending guidelines that permit trustees:
• a board-leased computer and cell phone
• reimbursement of travel expenses on a 40 cents per/km basis
• professional development reimbursement of up to $3,000 a year
• reimbursement of up to $4,800 annually for out-of-pocket expenses.
After the Toronto board report came out, the Peel District School Board was among several Ontario boards the ministry asked for an explanation of trustee expenses. The request was made of boards with higher expense claims than projected.

Board Chair Janet McDougald met with Education Minister Kathleen Wynne and said the ministry was satisfied with the trustees’ spending account report and no action was anticipated by the government.

Patricia MacNeil, a ministry spokesperson, said there were some “miscoding” in the board’s original spending projections that have been corrected and reconciled to the government’s satisfaction.