Feb 19, 2008 3:10 pm US/Mountain
Reports: Education Board Can Live Lavishly
DENVER (AP) ―
Expense account records obtained by The Associated Press show that members of the state Board of Education often live lavishly when they're on the public tab -- charging taxpayers for expensive meals, themed catering and valet parking.
Individual receipts and expense account reports obtained by the AP under the Colorado Open Records Act for the past year-and-a-half showed board members spared few expenses when they were in Denver for meetings, or away on board business.
Their spending has upset lawmakers, who say they themselves meet nearly every weekday when they're in session -- and they don't get catered meals.
One spending example was a 2006 board meeting in Telluride.
The elected eight-member board took 20 other people to dinner. The bill totaled $2,028, plus a $305 tip.
On the menu: 17 plates of prime rib, 28 salads for $252 and $135 worth of rhubarb pie.
That didn't include a $200 room charge for the dinner.
The gathering was part of the board's mandate to meet in outlying areas of the state to understand local officials' problems and issues.
Records show board members even bill taxpayers for their snacks, including Cheetos, trail mix, candy bars and Goldfish crackers.
Fort Collins Republican Senator Steve Johnson calls the spending "outrageous."
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