Flashback, July 2003: Party's over, Jack

You know, Molly, he really did play some golf on our dime! Imagine that!!
Who's next?

John

_______

From Molly Janczyk, July 14, 2003

ALRIGHT! BARNET WOLF, reporter for 'The Dispatch.' That's the kind of detailed reporting WE'RE talking about !!!!!!!!

FRONT PAGE: Jack Chapman likes to travel! Bet/ 2000 and 2002, he took over 3 dozen trips costing STRS $50,000.

The Reynoldsburg 'teacher' (when he teaches if you can call 1 remedial math class and then sitting in other peoples' classes as an ass't all a.m. , then a study hall and home as his lunch and planning period were only pm periods. as i recall, when i was his sub the principal said 'well you can go now at 12:30 to 1:30 .approx.this is how they 'don't have to count on him being there. the kids for his remedial math class never knew when or when not to attend the several times i was there for him).

Anyway, back to Dispatch.

Chapman's travels helped push STRS' travel costs to the highest of the 5 pension plans.

Sen. Schuring found Jack's travels outrageous and questioned the purpose of his extensive traveling. Jack was the most active traveler of all 5 pension plans. THIS IS NOT NEW!

In '95, Jack's trips were reported cost #$36,736 for '94.

CHAPMAN REFUSED COMMENT.

Jack missed 75 school days for the past school year and 27 more for P.B., professional and sick leave to add up to over 1/2 of school days.

STRS PAYS FOR HIS SUBSTITUTES FOR STRS BOARD BUSINESS (and for the other
4 'active' board members). For JUST JACK, that totalled $6000 for past yr.

Jack is also pres. of central Ohio chaptr of OEA (THERE'S THAT NAME AGAIN) who paid him an additional $21,523 a year in salary and RETIREMENT CONTRIBUTIONS (bumping up his retirement, it would seem).

The $218,500 for STRS' travel expenses outside of Ohio for 2000-2002 surpassed any of the other 4 pension plans.

The largest of the 5 pension plans , PERS, paid and average of LESS THAN $20,000 per year for travel beyond Ohio in 2001-2002.

"OUR BOARD MEMBERS JUST DON'T TRAVEL MUCH" said Tom Sherman, gov't relations officer for OPERS.

Schuring IS NOT satisfied with STRS' explanation that travel was necessary for board's responsibilities to admin. the fund.

Schuring says that while members may need to learn latest trends, THE INDUSTRY IS JUST NOT THAT DYNAMIC that so many need to attend so many conferences.

Eugene Norris made 25 trips for $42,250. He traveled to Hawaii.

Sidaway took 24 trips for nearly $38,400. ONE TRIP TO HAWATII cost nearly $3800. Others included Las Vegas and Matha's Vineyard and 6 trips to the west coast.

Gaylord who represented PETRO when auditor, spent $16,312 and when she was PETRO's rep for OPERS claimed more than $12,000 in travel outside Ohio attending more conferences than any other OPERS board member.

Rick Moore who was Betty Montgomery's rep had more than $10,600 in travel expenses outside Ohio to 'stay in the loop' (under orders ). Only trips that all other board members took were approved for him.

A list of Jack's travels to where and why is printed on pg. A2 of the Dispatch.

HOWEVER THE QUESTION IS:

DID HE ACTUALLY ATTEND ALL THE CONFERENCES OR BLOW SOME OFF FOR GOLF?

I hear he goes nowhere without his clubs and SOME skip conferences to play golf in exotic locales instead!

PARTY'S OVER, JACK.