While Mattie Londow, Port Arthur ISD board of trustee vice president, was presiding over the April 6, 2006, lunch-hour meeting that involved the finalizing of the elimination of 30 administrative jobs, Board President Julia Samuels was sitting in seat 7C on Continental flight 3143 to Chicago.

Samuels — treated to a two-hour flight complete with snack and refreshments from Houston to O’Hare International Airport — was absent as Interim Superintendent Jim Weeks explained to the community the necessity of the reduction in force and his apologies for those who were being laid off.

Silent then and silent now — Samuels was absent during the final RIF presiding as she is now absent from a community wanting answers about her expense reports.

Samuels could not be reached for comment Wednesday afternoon about her past spending of district dollars because she is currently on another PAISD sponsored trip to Detroit for a Head Start Convention.

The Windy City trip

A long-standing planned trip to the National School Board Association’s 66th Annual Conference, Samuels, along with former Superintendent Willis Mackey, Executive Assistant to the Superintendent Jeanie Gatson and fellow board members all made travel arrangement Dec. 5, 2005, to attend the event.

Samuels, however, was the only board member to not cancel her reservations.

“I did cancel my trip,” Trustee Willie Mae Elmore, said by phone Wednesday. “Leading up to the RIF was heavy on me. I was concerned about the future of a lot of employees. It was not the right time for me personally to go on a trip.”

Receipts released to The News in a freedom of information request on Friday, May 5, show Samuels’ total costs for the six-day trip to Chicago to be $4,131.44.

During that six day trip, however, Samuels only participated in three day’s worth of events — leaving the board president three free days in the Windy City on taxpayers’ money.

Samuels arrived in Chicago the evening of Thursday, April 6 — the trustee checked into the Sutton Place Hotel.

She drove from the airport to the hotel in a full size car — a vehicle that was designated by Enterprise Rent-A-Car to hold five passengers and four pieces of luggage — at the rate of $220 for the week plus insurance costs.

Samuels requested reimbursement from the district in the amount of $664.34 for the rental car— a fee she said included $37.46 in fuel costs.

On Friday, April, 7, 2006, Samuels attended two workshops at $125 a session. The workshops lasted from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

With Friday events out of the way, Samuels’ expense reports show that she only attended two more NSBA sessions.