Get Answers: Did taxpayers pay for in-service day lunch?

As Albuquerque Public Schools struggle with a budget shortfall of more than $10 million, the dist...  More »

As Albuquerque Public Schools struggle with a budget shortfall of more than $10 million, the district is looking for every dollar it can muster. But early Monday, Eyewitness News 4 received an anonymous email from a viewer asking why a school was spending money for a teacher in-service day at a hotel, instead of saving the money and having it at school. Eyewitness News 4 went to the Nativo Lodge near I-25 and San Mateo, and confirmed teachers from Dennis Chavez Elementary were eating a catered lunch at the hotel as part of their training day there. The hotel is only three miles from the school, which was vacant due to the in-service day. A district spokesperson tells us that no taxpayer money was spent on the hotel meeting. Instead the district says the money came from the school's activity fund. The money used for the meeting was put in the fund thanks to a surcharge paid by parents who bought student pictures. The district says a school's activity fund can be used for just about anything from field trips to classroom supplies. In this case, some of that money was used for Monday's staff lunch which cost a little more than $1200. The Nativo Lodge charged the school for the lunch, and provided the meeting room for free. The principal at the school would not talk on camera, but did say he felt the hotel was a better meeting place for the staff, rather than the school, because everyone could meet in one room to plan the rest of the school year. When asked why the school activity fund wasn't used directly on students at a time of a huge budget shortfall, the principal referred us back to the district spokesperson, but added lunch was bought for the staff because they are professionals.  « Less