Can you give some background?
From the website:
HCDE #14 – Taxpayers Pick Up the Tab at Brennan’s!!!
Remember last year when the Harris County Department of Education (HCDE) wanted to increase their local tax revenue because they had “cut to the bone” and needed more of our hard earned money just to break even? Well, it seems that “cut to the bone” meant they have been charging us for dinners at Brennan’s when they have board of trustee “retreats.”
For those of you that don’t know Brennan’s, it is a famous 4 star restaurant in Houston, well known for it’s outstanding cuisine and service. It is also pricey $$$ ($30-60/person on average) plus valet parking. Not exactly what most taxpayers have in mind when they are picking up the tab for a school board dinner.
ALERT: This Saturday, April 28, 2012 the HCDE board of trustees is planning another Brennan’s dinner. Only, this time, they know citizens are paying attention. So, when they posted the board retreat, they only printed the address where their retreat dinner would be held. They conveniently left out the name of the restaurant. Do they really think the taxpayers are so stupid that we can’t do a simple Google address search to see where the board of trustees will be eating on our dime?
If this makes you as angry as it makes me, let the board know. Let them know you expect them to select reasonably priced restaurants when they feel they need to eat out on the taxpayers’ tab. These board members were elected to REPRESENT THE PEOPLE, NOT TO SPEND THE PEOPLE’S MONEY on fancy dinners out on Saturday night.
Here are the 7 board members email addresses and the HCDE administration email and number so you can let them know what you think of how they spend the taxpayers’ hard earned money .
Angie Chesnut, Board President Precinct 4 achesnut@hcde-texas.org
Louis D. Evans, III , Board Vice-President Precinct 3 levans@hcde-texas.org
Jim Henley At Large jhenley@hcde-texas.org
Debra Kerner At Large dkerner@hcde-texas.org
Marvin W. Morris Precinct 2 mmorris@hcde-texas.org
Michael Wolfe At Large mwolfe@hcde-texas.org
LT. COL. (Ret.) Roy Morales Precinct 1 rmorales@hcde-texas.org
John E. Sawyer, Ed.D. , Superintendent 713-694-6300 / 713-696-0715
And, if you’d like to attend the HCDE Board Retreat this Saturday from 10:00am to 5:00pm, their meetings are open to the public. It is a great time to see just how your elected officials spend your tax dollars. As you look around, just remember that YOU PAID FOR EVERYTHING!!! Oh, don’t forget to bring your own snacks and beverages for the day. The beautiful buffet you paid for is only for the board members and staff, not for the general public.
Location: HCDE Board Conference Room
6300 Irvington Boulevard
See you Saturday.