New Brunswick’s Auditor General, Paul Martin, in his latest report filed Thursday examined field trips organized by the province’s school districts. In some cases, employees have been sent to Dubai, Australia, France and California.
For example, Anglophone North School District sent 17 staff to Australia for the Global Indigenous Peoples Conference on Education. The trip cost $86,410.
Mr. Martin points out. 13 employees and one consultant participated in the trip at a total bill of $48,605. The same district sent three staff members to Dubai to participate in an educational seminar at a cost of $23,469.
The Auditor General insists on his audit Not to pass judgment on the merits of business travel undertaken, but to assess compliance with travel policy
.
Mr. According to Martin, districts can’t always provide the necessary documentation to justify that trips are a good use of taxpayer dollars.
We have no documented evidence of consideration of virtual presence or budget considerations
Mr. Martin notes in his report.
In his report, Paul Martin explains that policy AD-2801 requires forms to be completed to document the benefits of the proposed trip to the government of New Brunswick.
According to the Auditor General’s report, The DSFS Out-of-province and international travel do not require documentation of anticipated or actual benefits
. On the contrary, the district employees Mr. Martin’s office would have reported these trips Subject to oral arguments
.
Total Out-of-Province Travel Expenses for New Brunswick School Districts
Photo: Radio-Canada
The Auditor General also notes that there was no follow-up to determine whether the employees who participated in the training tour were benefiting their colleagues or whether they were providing tangible benefits.
In a press release, the Auditor General makes several recommendations on transparency, saying it is difficult to find information on the financial performance of districts.
Francophone South School District explains itself
Jean-Luc Thériault, Director of Strategic Relations DSFSHe said the district generally uses video conferencing Communication with colleagues or partners abroad
.
However, in some situations, Travel becomes essential
Mr. According to Theriault, to draw inspiration from what is being done elsewhere.
Although the district did not follow suit All necessary paper documents
Mr. Theriault stepped up in an interview CBC Alternative methods have been developed with digital technologies to improve the efficiency of certain processes and collect information.
The district also says it is working on an online form Receive documents and approvals in one centralized location
.
As part of his audit, the Auditor General examined the processes of the Anglophone North School District, the Francophone South School District and the Anglophone West School District.
With information from journalist Mia Urquhart CBC
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