The DOE has been faced with an ever-worsening budget crisis this year, one that has already forced them to cut busing for 7th and 8th graders and free school lunches, and may ultimately result in thousands of teacher layoffs. Even with Schools Chancellor Joel Klein's announcement that all schools would take an average 4% cut, the Post notes that the number of employees in the school system earning $150,000 or more surged by 25 percent this year. And a Daily News investigative report this past weekend found out that groups of teachers from Brooklyn high schools were going on all-expense paid retreats in the midst of this crisis.

The News discovered that teachers and staff from Progress High School went on a two-day retreat to the Hudson Valley, sponsored by city vendor Leadership Group Inc., where they enjoyed all-you-can-eat buffets and rooms costing up to $770 a night. Education Department spokesman Jack Zarin-Rosenfeld said the Leadership Group paid $40,000 for the Mohonk weekend and an overnight getaway for another school. He said the DOE paid $2,000 for the Progress High School seminars and that Leadership "donated" the food, lodging, bus and booze. When Mayor Bloomberg was confronted about this yesterday, he was caught unaware: "I have no idea what that was about. I even sent off an e-mail this morning asking. As soon as I find out, I'll be happy to tell ya."

The question is where priorities lie for the DOE, who have a track record of overlooking details. Leadership Group is a for-profit vendor that relies mostly on city, state and federal grants. According to the News, the DOE has paid more than $10 million in contracts to Leadership over the last two years alone, and they've received in return glorified two-and-three day vacations. One teacher who spoke to the News anonymously summed up the frustration: "It pisses me off...We're short a guidance counselor, we asked for after-school programs, but it's like, nope, sorry, there's no money for that. It's interesting how money magically appears for other stuff."