Less than two weeks after a Broad + Liberty investigation exposed $309,000 in questionable conference spending, School District of Philadelphia Superintendent Tony Watlington clamped down on travel expenses — specifically banning hotel rooms for conferences held inside the city’s limits.
“Unless approved by me due to a special circumstance, please prohibit payment for staff overnight hotel rooms for conferences held in Philadelphia,” Watlington emailed to the district’s chief financial officer, Michael Herbstman, thirteen days after the original story was published in September. For emphasis, Watlington cc’d six other email addresses.
That report from September documented how SDP spent at least $309,000 on a union conference in March 2025. Expenses included approximately $14,500 in rooms at a Philadelphia hotel even though the district's travel policy prohibits overnight stays “within the greater Philadelphia region” without superintendent approval.
Watlington’s directive, then, wasn’t new. It reinforced a policy the district had apparently been ignoring. The district did not provide a response to that question and others in advance of this report. It also did not give a response to the original report.
Other emails clearly show the investigation’s findings sparked concern in other corners of the administration.
Read all of the emails here.
“Not sure of the reach of this article but this may be a problem for conference spending. Just a heads up,” Robert Zindell, a project manager for the district, said in an email to a colleague. “Clearly a certain agenda is at play here but the points on spending are valid.”
Communications officer Christina Clark sent the story to SDP spokesperson and deputy chief communications officer Monique Braxton.
“Just flagging because I believe there was a concern that it could go mainstream, prompting inquiries from other outlets,” Clark said.
“Oh yes, I did share that concern up front,” Braxton replied.
Yet another email showed the district’s director of accounts payable flagging the story to other officials like Herbstman as well as Deputy CFO and Comptroller Marcy Blender, and two attorneys for the district.
Broad + Liberty’s original report from September 2025 detailed the district’s spending on the union conference — CASA One, the Commonwealth Association of School Administrators — just months prior in March. Besides highlighting the issue of purchasing Philadelphia-area hotel rooms for Philadelphia-based employees, the report also noted that the district refused to explain why it was spending approximately $294,000 on registration fees for a union conference.
“While the CASA contract requires the district to contribute $600 per CASA member annually to a professional-development partnership, records show the CASAOne payments were made directly from district accounts, not from that partnership fund,” the first Broad + Liberty report noted.
Furthermore, a district policy seems to suggest such an event never should have been held at a hotel at all, and instead should have used district facilities.
“If multiple employees need to attend an in-person only conference or other learning opportunity, managers should pursue alternatives of having the session held at a District facility or identify local conferences before out of town on-site travel is authorized,” the policy explains.
State Representative Martina White, a Philadelphia Republican who expressed criticism in the first report, acknowledged the district was making the right move.
“Unfortunately, it took investigative reporting and a public spotlight to force adherence to an established and commonsense practice of not paying for hotel rooms locally,” White said. “I support transparency and accountability within all government agencies, as they are funded with tax dollars.”
Preparations for the 2026 CASA One conference next month are underway at the Hilton Hotel at Penn’s Landing. “River views, walking distance to Old City. Steps from waterfront activities on the Delaware River, our hotel is a mile from the Liberty Bell, the convention center, Reading Terminal, and the Museum of the American Revolution,” the CASA One website says. “We’re adjacent to Spruce Street Harbor Park and within walking distance to shops and galleries in Old City.”
The conference is marketed as a professional development meeting and certainly has the breakout sessions to back up that claim. At the same time, it also appears to be something of a political networking session. Pictures p
