WEST LINN -- A local school district has caught some heat for a controversial trip to Mexico on the taxpayer's dime.
Nineteen teachers and administrators from the West Linn-Wilsonville school district took a trip to Mexico for a conference in 2007.
But with schools being shut down and teachers laid off, some are questioning the expense.
"This is a huge waste of taxpayer dollars, " said Jason Williams, with the Taxpayer Association of Oregon.
Williams said it doesn't matter that the trip was in 2007, well before the recession hit.
"It's outrageous. I think that teachers should refund the taxpayer for the cost of the whole trip."
The conference was the Universal Forum of Cultures, held in Monterrey, Mexico, a forum sponsored by the United Nations that teaches sustainability.
According to receipts obtained by the Oregon Capitol News, a project of the conservative think tank "Cascade Policy Institute", the district spent $23,000 on airfare, hotel rooms, and meals.
The group analyzed the receipts and found what they call "questionable alcohol purchases."
Did taxpayers pay for the booze?
"Teachers are not party animals," said superintendent Dr. Roger Woehl, of the West Linn-Wilsonville School District.
He said teachers paid for their own alcohol, with the exception of three beers they forgot to pay for themselves. Woehl denies the trip was a waste of taxpayer money.
"I could see where people would say that, but in terms of sustainability, it was a good investment."
What do parents say about the trip?
"It's ridiculous to make a trip to Mexico. I wish I could take my kids on a trip to Mexico," said parent Jessica Campbell.
Woehl says it was a once in a lifetime conference and he's happy that he attended.
"This was an opportunity that probably won't occur on the North American continent in the near future."
