PRINCE FREDERICK, Md. – In November of last year, controversy surrounded the Calvert County Public Schools Superintendent Andrae Townsel’s idea to take multiple students to the National Football League’s (NFL) biggest game of the year, the Super Bowl.
However, 20 Calvert County students will be making a trip to Glendale, Arizona for this Sunday’s game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles.
Reportedly, five students from each Calvert high school, including all four principals will be attending the game. The students were selected from approximately 200 students in the program based on gains in academic achievement.
The students are a part of “The Playbook” program, which is a remediation program run by Eric Thomas, a famous motivational speaker.
In February of last year, Thomas took five students from Lansing, Michigan to the Super Bowl as part of this program.
Rumors started spreading, saying the $344,000 was for a Super Bowl junket. This caused the Calvert County Commissioners to send Townsel a letter stating their concerns about the contract.
Townsel later explained that the $344,000 was used to pay for the in-person motivational speakers. He also explained that the Super Bowl initiative did not involve any of that money and that Eric Thomas himself would be paying for the trip.
There is no word on whether the Playbook Program will be renewed. The decision will reportedly be made after the program’s results are evaluated and the next budget is approved.
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what a waste of money
just wrong
Very wrong!
Hmm all of the principles? Are they paying for their own way? Sounds like someone will be using tax payers money. Some fraud going on here.
This is such a slap in the face of those students who actually go to school every day, act like they have some sense and get decent grades! That money should have been spent to improve the schools in some way in the county! It’s a disgrace!!! 🤬🤬🤬
We shouldn’t be paying our tax dollars for students going to the superbowl, when most of us haven’t even went ourselves, who paying for all the expenses?
Aweful in so many ways?
The money should be spent in schools. Poor choice for Superintendent. He immediately enacted some of the same failed, poor financial decisions from his last post. This has absolutely nothing to do with education and it is infuriating that the BOCC & BOE would allow this expense. Judging by the spelling, grammar and English writing skills of many of the commenters here, we DEFINITELY need that money back in the school system.
Biggest sex trafficking event of the year complete with a satanic half-time show. Everyone involved should be fired. No parent in their right mind would allow their child to go on this trip.
“Townsel later explained that the $344,000 was used to pay for the in-person motivational speakers. He also explained that the Super Bowl initiative did not involve any of that money and that Eric Thomas himself would be paying for the trip.”
Guess where E.T. got the funds to pay for the trip “himself”?- the inflated $344k fee to Calvert taxpayers. Sole sourced boondoggle at its finest.
Even if he got a “deal” at $2k per ticket, you’re looking at over $50k before any travel and lodging expenses (don’t forget, the good Dr T is one of the ones going as well).
More evidence of a lack of reading comprehension and critical thinking skills on the part of long time Calvert county residents