DMN Exclusive: DISD Car Stipends Guzzling District Cash
Submitted by Allen Gwinn on Sun, 11/13/2005 - 17:34.
Working on the Dallas school district's help desk typically doesn't involve travel; technicians answer the phone and solve computer problems.
But the five help desk workers each get $1,185 a year in car allowances. The money automatically comes as part of their pay. All told, more than 2,300 DISD employees are getting car stipends this year, at a total cost of nearly $3.7 million, according to a Dallas Morning News review of district records.
Car Allowance
Plain and simple,instead of car stipends keep a log of your mileage like we have to with every thing else. That way they only get paid what they use.
I think that the district is
I think that the district is going to wind up paying more for gas if they take away the stipends. I understand taking the stipends from the desk workers, but the administrators in the field should not have their stipends taken away.
DISD Paying More for Gas??
I don't know. If the stipends are removed, then people must document their mileage and trip purpose. This is all available under the Texas Public Information Act. In about a year, this should be interesting to look at and review.
I think eliminating stipends will cut costs tremendously. But we'll keep a close eye on how the District handles mileage reimbursements. We'll also watch who requests reimbursement and why.
I think 0 is a good number.
I do not see Pizza Hut paying to much to deliver pizza's.
I know that private sector workers are also alloted a tax break when they drive their own car for work.
It seems the Superintendant is paid over $200,000 dollars a year and gets a "Driver" and a car allowance. Driver costs about $43,000 and the car allowance at $12,000.
The DISD should pay $0.00. At the end of the job description they can add "reliable transportation needed."
The district could end up paying more if they paid folks to drive around. The last I checked they are not over the road truckers.
Hinajosa should give up both his driver and car allowance and money from the district driving to do his job.
Otherwise it could end up really spendy, is the district going to pay a teacher everytime they have drive everywhere but the job?
If the school principals
If the school principals only had to go to work and back then no, they shouldn't have gas allowances. However, they have to go pick up benchmarks, take deposits to the bank, go to meetings during the day, go to pick up uniform vouchers, pick up other documents, etc. They should be reimbursed. I feel like anyone that has to use their car for any reason should get reimbursed: teachers, office managers, crc's, etc.
Mileage reimbursements
They should receive mileage reimbursements at the IRS rate. That way, it's documented where and when they travelled regarding official school business.
I applaud Dr. Hinojosa for leading by example and ditching his own car allowance.
Allen, you need to build them an new computer system.. they can't seem to keep track of anything money-related at DISD!
It is a "perk".
Cut it, if they started to reimburse everyone for driving outside of the basic job description, it would get very expensive. Almost every teacher in the DISD has to do some extra driving. Principals get paid for the extra driving because they get paid more. I am thinking that the extra driving is built into the larger salary.
It should not be paid at the IRS rate, it should just be taken as a deduction at that rate.
I agree. If you are having
I agree. If you are having to drive your own car for district business, you should be reimbursed for your miles. There is no business that doesn't pay for mileage reimbursement for their employees unless they have a car allowance, such as DISD's.
I just think it will end up costing the district instead of saving money. Like I said before, principal's have to drive a lot. The stipend amounts doesn't really pay for all the mileage. ESPECIALLY for the high school principal's, who have to go to athletic events, academic events, etc.
Also, with all this added paperwork, how much will the person that they have to hire going to cost?
I doubt it will cost more.
As Allen mentioned, one thing that mileage reimbursement does is to create public records which can be tracked (under Texas Pub Info Act). If one person's spending is out of whack it can be called into question. A key thing about the recent report is that some people never drive but are paid regardless. That must stop.
When my Aunt (who teaches in DISD) doesn't have books and supplies but these folks get play money for nothing something must give.
Right now, there's no accountability. Textbooks, more DISD officers, or car stipends...Which one is better?
What?
Having spent some time looking over Allen's data base, the thought that a driving stipend should be given "ESPECIALLY for the high school principal's, who have to go to athletic events, academic events, etc." Is crap.
Is this same stipend going to be given to all the teachers that go as well? Looking at Dallas principal pay they seem to be paid a bit north of six figures. In some cases it seems that the Principals are better paid then the area superintendant they work for. I think that more than compensates for any driving they may have to do.
How much should we pay school board members for cell phone use? It seems that the district can have school board members rack huge bills. I am still waiting them to reimburse the teachers that use their cell phone to call a parent.
Why can only a select few, well paid few, enjoy the perks?
Cut most if not all of it. If it is offered to a few it should be offered to all. That would make Dallas for a lot stuff that is already being done for free.
Teachers are not required to
Teachers are not required to go to events, however administrators are. I can almost bet that at most schools, if a teacher is required to go to an event, they are getting paid. Teachers get $20 an hour for extra duty work. Administrators do not get the extra duty pay for working additional hours. Probably part of the reason that their salaries are higher. You would be surprised at how many teachers are making more than their principals when the extra duty pay is factored in.
The school board members should be able to get on the district plan for cell phones. Cingular gives all DISD employees the option of getting a cell phone for about $60 or $70 unlimited minutes with an hour of long distance a month. I have no problem with paying a $60 phone bill for our board members. I do have a problem when it is in excess of that when a viable option is in place.
Good Point!
School Board members should get the same cell phone plan that the district employees have.
You could bet me that "if a teacher is required to go to an event, they are getting paid." That does work that way in the upper grades. At the elementary levels, teachers are doing alot of extra work. Here during the Holiday program season I wonder how many teachers are at home making holiday hats for the big program.
"You would be surprised at how many teachers are making more than their principals when the extra duty pay is factored in."
Good for the teachers. You would be surprised how many principals are marginal at best. And the success of the principal is gained from the success of the teachers which is gained from the success of the students.
Somehow it seems to work in reverse, kids in High School tend to be less successful but the teachers are paid more, kids in elementary schools tend to be more successful but teachers are paid less.
Also, I hear that Dallas teachers have to clock in and sign out. I think it is so they will not make time and a half. It seems at some jobs where a worker clocks in and clocks out, after forty hours, it is time and a half, not twenty dollars per hour.
But, back to the original topic. The distict should not pay for traveling that is already part of the job. Having subsitute taught a time or two I know that once you let one kid go to the bathroom you have to let them all go, or it is not fair.
Or as any good teacher will tell you, are you doing this for the money or because you like doing the best for the children?
How DISD Pays Teachers
DISD does not pay teachers more if they teach in high school or elementary school. They are all on the same pay scale. If a teacher has a masters they get more that way. Teacher salaries are for 187 days of duty. Principals salaries are based on, (I think), 217 days. They break down to about the same amount per day. MAYBE you are thinking about principals in high school vs. elementary school.
Teachers only have to clock in on the time clock at this time. If they work extra hours, they have to clock out so that they can clock back in to get the extra duty pay. They cannot get time in a half because they are exempt or something like that.
How is traveling a part of any job? As I stated before, if you work for any business and you have to put wear and tear on your car, you get a gas allowance, car allowance or even a company car. Why should DISD employees, regardless of their position, not get reimbursed if they are driving around the city to get things for the district. I don't see that as being in it for the money. I don't see how there is a great benefit for anyone to drive around depreciating the value of their car and paying for gas to support the driving (for the district) or as a way to get rich.
You are right, there are some marginal principals, but there are some marginal teachers making more than principals, (who work more days,)also.
Making holiday hats and all that kind of thing, I don't see that as the same thing as going to events. That is more of a labor of love than anything else.
Depending on how the principal feels about extra events, elementary teachers are getting paid $20.00 an hour also. High school teachers either get stipends for those events or get $20.00 an hour. It's all pretty well equalized.
I see.
Thank you for clearing those things up.
I agree that teachers should be paid, I am saying that shouldn't be any way.
Looking at districts that keep the cost of driving low, I would hazard that it is through not paying and asking them to accept the driving part as part of job.
Much the same way that teachers take no pay, or $20.00 an hour to work the hours over 40 per week. Instead of Time and Half.
"That is more of a labor of love than anything else."
My original point was that Dr. Hinojosa should not get a $12,000 a year car stipend, nor have a driver paid at $40,000 as well. With the salary he is being paid, he can afford his own car.
It seems we have run into a question about the difference between the public trust, the public good, and the public servant.
In the less than a decade I have lived in Dallas, I have seen the public servants do the best job that they can, but the folks with public trust have abused it.
It does not seem that folks are falling over each other to be teachers or cops. I think that is why it is called a public servant, there will always be a lot more work or risk put in than one gets paid for it.
It is unfair, but I want things to be as equally unfair for everyone.
Or, we really need to start Taxing the people of Texas more. Taking care of poor people is expensive, and they can not pay.
No Need For Blind Car Allowances
Look, the bottom line is that if people are driving their own personal vehicle for genuine "company business" then it's reimbursable.
The issues are (1) documentation and (2) management of the process.
When a DISD employee uses his or her car, there needs to be an expense report filed. The report needs to be reviewed and reimbursement given.
This allows managers the ability to determine necessity of travel and better allocate district resources. It also allows taxpayers better access to these records to see how their money is being spent.
There is no reason for blind car allowances. It just needs to stop.
I think the documentation is
I think the documentation is a good idea, I just think the district is going to end up spending more money than they were with the stipends.
cat1984, there is NO WAY
cat1984, there is NO WAY switching to a per-mileage reimbursement will cost DISD more money, even if gas hits $4 a gallon. Why? Simple math. At the current reimbursement rate of 45 cents per mile, district employees receiving car stipends would have to drive 8,000,000 miles to rack up $3.6 million in mileage reimbursements. ($3.6 million is roughly the amount DISD will spend on car stipends in 2005-06.) 8,000,000 miles! Do you know how far that is? Consider that the Moon is "only" 238,712 miles from Earth. In other words, DISD workers would have to log miles equivalent to 33 trips to the Moon just to equal current spending. Do you really think DISD folks are driving THAT much?
Wait and see
I guess we'll have to wait and see. I think that some people will end up getting more money than they were before and some will get less. I think that principals will probably end up with more money because of how much they have to drive around Dallas. I also think that with the accountability ANYONE who drives anywhere for DISD should be able to submit for their mileage. Teachers, CRC's and Office Managers do an awful lot more driving for the district than you would think!
I think that the accountability is the main issue anyway. I am interested in seeing the numbers!
Accountability Is There
We'll see. But at least the accountability is there. If we want to put up a database of who received the most in vehicle reimbursements (which we undoubtedly do), we can get the information!
Right now, it's just a multi-million dollar bottom line number.