Dinniman joins PHEAA board

State Sen. Andy Dinniman, D-19th Dist., is the newest member of the PHEAA Board of Directors.

Let's hope Dinniman does a better job of keeping tabs on this out-of-control agency than the rest of the members of the deaf, dumb and blind board, which is made up mostly of state lawmakers.

PHEAA (Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency) has spent millions of dollars on lavish retreats and junkets for employees and board members in recent years. It also handed out exorbitant bonuses to its top executives.

Here's a quick recap of some of the agency's most outrageous expenditures:

* PHEAA spent $900,000 on trips to resorts and spas for its employees, executives and board members (including foot rubs, $150 cigars and falconry lessons) and then spent $400,000 in legal fees to prevent newspapers from gaining access to those spending records.

* PHEAA approved more than $7.5 million in bonuses for its top executives.

* PHEAA spent $108,000 on employee passes to HersheyPark.

* PHEAA spent spent $2.2 million for promotional trinkets.

None of the money spent on these items helped a single Pennsylvania student pay for college.

Responding to PHEAA's much-publicized troubles, Dinniman told the Daily Local News in West Chester that "PHEAA needs to again become the agency that simply helps Pennsylvanians pay for college and is able to do so without extravagant expenditures and controversy."

Dinniman said PHEAA has recently taken some steps toward this end and it must continue to take these steps "for the good of our students, our parents, and the commonwealth."

Dinniman, who teaches at West Chester University, may actually understand the importance of helping Pennsylvania students pay for college. That can't be said of most of the other members of the PHEAA board.

One of the failings of Senate leadership this year was allowing the same board members to continue serving after all the financial scandals became public. The entire PHEAA board should be replaced.