“All over the United States, people are having difficulties fixing their budgets,” Banks said Wednesday. “The biggest thing I’m hoping to get out of (the conference) is some feedback with how they’re addressing their problems. What are some of the options that I haven’t even thought about?”
The trip, which includes registration for a four-day conference from Friday to Monday at the Boston Convention and Exhibit Center, airfare and three nights at a hotel, will cost about $4,100. The board is budgeted $10,000 annually for training and travel.
“In my 18 years of being a superintendent, I’ve been about a dozen (times),” Hinojosa said Wednesday.
He said a lot of board members go to the national conference, but only Banks has chosen to participate this year.
“I don’t know that it’s absolutely necessary,” Hinojosa said about the trip. “I don’t think it’s that big of an expense.”
For the first time since being elected in 2008, Banks has decided to attend the conference.
“We need to start listening to other people, get their concepts, see how it fits into Cobb County’s system,” Banks said. “Being the 25th largest district in the nation, someone should be there to represent Cobb County.”
Banks said he’s also interested in finding out how other districts are going from using physical textbooks to digital devices and how they are implementing virtual classrooms.
“It’s something we really need to get started on,” he said. “We need to find the funding for it. I need to know how they did it, what the problems are.”
Banks said he might attend the conference annually “as long as I gain some knowledge and information and concepts that I’m not aware of that would benefit the citizens of Cobb County.”
“For me personally, it does nothing, but I think there’s probably a wealth of information that we’ll tap into it,” he said. “As large as we are, we need to be leaders.”
Banks said he would probably write up what he learns and include it in his weekly newsletter, David Banks’ Grapevine.
Board Chair Scott Sweeney said he just learned about Banks’ plan to attend the conference and that no other board members were going.
“I think (other board members) are all trying to be mindful of the budget,” he said.
Sweeney said expenses for training and travel in the school board’s budget are typically used for the Georgia School Board Association Annual Conference in fall and sometimes a summer conference.
“Aside from that, it’s usually used for ancillary training,” Sweeney said.
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What is unreasonable is sending dozens of people out of state this summer. Someone else already mentioned bringing that keynote speaker Daggett to Cobb. I have not done enough research to know whether or not he is of any value.
But I don't need to do research to know it costs less to bring one guy to Cobb or send two guys to Boston, than to send dozens to Florida.
Spoken like a true government worker. Expert in spending OPM.
If the $4100 covers both attendees and was budgeted then what the heck are y'all doing in here complaining now?
$4100.00 is a whopping 0.0004813372499267936 percent of the $851,793,623.00 2012 budget.
In May I'm going to a conference in Chicago. 3-night stay, airfare, food, and registration are covered by the company.
We budgeted $1800. The costs for the Boston conference are not out of line at all.
“We need to start listening to other people" was the comment. However, the employees and parents voted to have the calendar where there was a fall and winter break. Despite the money saved from teachers not needed subs, the board back tracked on the decision after many plans were made.
Why not ask your teachers and other employees for ideas? Why does the county run a 4 day work week in the summer to save money, but doesn't consider the 4 day work week for the regular school year?
Read more: The Marietta Daily Journal - Banks Hinojosa set to leave on 4K trip
First of all these trips fall more into the category of "junkets" not conferences.
Secondly, if we are the 25th largest school system in the country and if Hinojosa is such a well qualified superintendent shouldn't he be speaking at the conference instead of attending to learn about running a school system?
Something is wrong with this picture.
They will have a nice hotel, good food & probably a little R & R..
Dr. H. says $4,000,..not much money.
Tell that to all the poor kids living in squalor conditions, some even homeless,.. in your south Cobb, Six Flags, Austell, Mableton, Powder Springs, Marietta, Smyrna areas of your school district!
With all the new technology,.. these meetings should all be skype & webcams.
Yep,.. it's only money,.. whats the big deal? There's plenty more where that came from!
Enjoy your trip.
Hmmm.