I just got the final numbers on how much a trip taken by school board members Shelia Jackson and John Lee Evans to Washington, D.C. ultimately cost the school district. The two board members took the trip in late January to lobby legislators and attend the National School Boards Association conference.
The trip cost roughly $4,640 for the two board members, including airfare, conference fees, lodging, meals, taxi fares and a car rental for Jackson, who spent some extra time in the area and charged part of the rental to the school district.
They were accompanied by school district spokesman Bernie Rhinerson, who estimated that he paid $650 for the conference, $350 for the airfare, and $800 for his lodging, also charged to the district. That means a total of roughly $6,400 spent on the trip.
Though San Diego Unified has stopped travel outside of the school district to save money, the trip was planned before the ban was in effect. I filed a Public Records Act request for the numbers in late January when the costs were not immediately available from staff and got the answers back today.