Education Board Defends $1.5M Trip

September 3, 2008

The chairwoman of the state Board of Education, Donna Ikeda, defended a decision to spend $1.5 million for a educational conference in Florida back in June. In a letter addressed to Governor Linda Lingle last week, the board stated that the conference, held at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort in Orlando, was necessary and "vital" for helping improve student achievement and that the board supported professional development and training for its staff.

Governor Lingle had asked for the report about the trip after recent discussion regarding budget cutbacks in the state budget. The letter revealed that the Florida conference took place as the school board was deliberating how to cut some $9 million from its budget to comply with a 4 percent spending restriction issued to all state departments on June 23.

Along with the letter defending its actions, the report contained a five page expense report. Figures show that local schools sent between one and 27 staffers, for a total of 644 people, to the convention at a combined price of $1,573,852.23.