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Caribbean vacation among Catholic trustee spending abuses
These are among the expenses Toronto Catholic trustees charged to taxpayers between 2003 and 2006, copies of which were obtained by the Star the day after a damning report from a provincial adviser, who found they are among the biggest spenders in Ontario because of their perks - some of which are not allowed under the Education Act.
Parents today said they were shocked to learn of the spending abuses.
"I cannot believe that it's this bad,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], it's so shocking,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych]," said Murielle Boudreau of the Greater Toronto Catholic Parent Network. "The police should be called in."
The parent network's website received many comments from parents saying they want a criminal investigation or civil action, "they want all the money returned,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych]," she added. "They should all resign - that's what people are writing."
The report by Norbert Hartmann found a "culture of entitlement" among Toronto Catholic District School Board trustees regarding expenses and that some even harangued staff if expenses were questioned,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych].
Hartmann also said trustees voted themselves medical and dental benefits despite being told by board lawyers those weren't allowed.
The board now has until June 30 to rework its policies and procedures and the province has also hired an auditing firm to settle "questionable reimbursements brought to light by the review."
Board chair Catherine LeBlanc-Miller, who is also dealing with the death of a close family member,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], said today that any late-night meal receipts she filed that included alcohol would have been after a meeting, and details of who she was with were noted on the back.
"People who work with me in my ward and on committees know that I give many hours," she said. "I assume that if it was late at night, I would have attended several meetings that day and probably . not had lunch that day."
She could not remember why mini-bar and a movie were charged to the board for a hospitality suite at a provincial conference, but noted no one at the board brought it to her attention.
LeBlanc-Miller,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], who was acclaimed chair in December,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], said she "inherited this mess" from former chair Oliver Carroll, who was at the helm during the time period under review.
One of his expenses - $7,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych],577 tuition for a master's degree - also came under fire in the Hartmann report.
"I don't think you need a master's degree to be a trustee,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych]," LeBlanc-Miller said.
Carroll says he tried to force fellow trustees to post expenses online but only John Del Grande and he did so willingly. He also said before the ministry appointed Hartmann to come in, the board was undergoing its own review after allegations of misspending by the now-former trustee Christine Nunziata - such as a vacation to the Dominican Republic - came to light.
As for the master's degree, it's in educational administration,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], and it supports career development, he said, adding he okayed the expense with staff ahead of time.
However, the tuition expense is unusual because board staff is reimbursed 60 per cent of the cost of courses - and only after they are successfully completed, said a spokesperson.
LeBlanc-Miller said shortly after becoming chair, she did meet with Toronto police's fraud squad regarding some spending abuses, but at that time there wasn't enough information to warrant an investigation.
Earlier this year, she repaid the board $4,700 after filing improper taxi, TTC and parking expenses as she was also receiving the monthly car allowance - a perk Hartmann also nixed, saying trustees should file kilometres.
LeBlanc-Miller does not have a driver's licence, but a board spokesperson said the family car is used to transport her.
Hartmann's report compared trustee spending at the Toronto Catholic board with several others across the province. While Toronto Catholic trustees spend $14.94 per student, Dufferin-Peel Catholic trustees spend just $3.62, among the lowest in the province with the York public board at $3.66. "We've always been committed to ensuring we follow the best,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], responsible practices in everything we do when it comes to public funds," said Bruno Iannicca, chair of the Dufferin-Peel Catholic board, which is roughly the same size as the Toronto Catholic board.
He said while some trustees do spend money on advertising in church bulletins - which cost some Toronto Catholic trustees thousands a year - he does not.
Iannicca,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], like Toronto public board chair John Campbell, sees all trustee expense filings.
Anthony Bellissimo, who heads the Toronto Elementary Catholic Teachers, said "this would be troubling at any time, but even more so when the same trustees are contemplating laying off teachers and cutting critical programs to balance the budget."
Spending records obtained by the Star show trustee Maria Rizzo rang up $977 in phone bills from Europe on a board credit card, but Rizzo says she reimbursed the board for the calls because she was on holiday in Italy and got word her mother was ill.
She also made hundreds of dollars in purchases at William Ashley Warehouse at Holt Renfrew in Thornhill in 2004 and 2005,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych].
She said she purchased items like wallets,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], small purses and T-shirts, on sale, that were handed out as prizes or rewards to students - a practice Hartmann said should end. She also bought some T-shirts for students putting on a play.
Rizzo says that since 2006 she has been paying out of her own pocket for items at places such as William Ashley. She says she has also been reimbursing the board for any restaurant bill of more than $100,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych].
Rizzo said the scrutiny on her expenses has taken a toll.
"It's been pretty awful on my family. Like my daughter coming home and saying `I still love you.' Or my mother on a fixed income goes: `Do you need money?'."
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