Montgomery County employees take sailing lessons, go on spiritual retreats on taxpayers' dime
By: Alan Suderman
Examiner Staff Writer
November 29, 2009
Montgomery County employees used taxpayer money to take sailing lessons and attend New Age spiritual retreats, according to newly released county records that raise more questions about the county's oversight of its tuition assistance program.
The records, which were released by the Office of Human Resources at the request of the County Council, give the descriptions of some of the classes county employees took on the taxpayers' dime. Previously, only the school and course names had been publicly available.
The new records show that a course labeled "health education" was actually a retreat in Austin, Texas, where participants were encouraged to progress along their "spiritual path." The course cost taxpayers $631 and was taken by an employee of the Office of Human Resources, the department that operates the tuition assistance program.
One course taken by a member of the county's fire department labeled "performance cruising" was a sailing class that offered to "unlock the mystery of how sailboats work" and cost $995.
The tuition assistance program was designed to pay up to $1,730 a year for employees to take courses that would help them at their current or future jobs with the county. County officials suspended the program in September over questions of misuse and several agencies are investigating.
The new records also show other examples of questionable classes that were first reported by The Examiner before the program was suspended, like a yoga and "bioenergetic" class at a center in western Massachusetts that cost the county $610, even though tuition is only $275. The tuition assistance program is not supposed to pay for room or board.
County employees are required to submit a description of the courses they are taking before the county will approve paying for the classes. Councilwoman Valerie Ervin said the council wants to know why the Office of Human Resources approved courses when their descriptions had nothing to do with an employee's current or future county job.
"Clearly some of those [descriptions] didn't have any connection," Ervin said. "I don't know how OHR approved all these courses."
Office of Human Rights Director Joseph Adler said he didn't know why some classes were approved, but acknowledged a breakdown in oversight in his office. He added that his office has taken steps to prevent questionable classes from being approved in the future.
"A number of classes ... would not be approved today," Adler said.
