Globe-trotting principal charged $17,000 on CPS credit cards

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Updated: November 4, 2011 7:09PM

A Chicago Public Schools high school principal racked up almost $17,000 in charges on his CPS credit card for trips around the globe that included stays at luxurious hotels and meals at expensive restaurants, a joint Better Government Association/Fox Chicago investigation found.

Ogden International School Principal Kenneth Staral, who makes $142,000 a year, traveled with students as part of a program he created to teach kids about different cultures, according to the report that aired Tuesday. The charges spanned a dozen trips taken between January 2009 and June 2010, records showed.

The report found Staral charged taxpayers for expensive meals at Michelin-rated restaurants in Lyon, France; a visit to The Caviar House in London; a stay at a five-star boutique hotel in Prague; limos in New York; and in Chicago, $1,200 in one visit to Gibson’s and $1,400 in a visit to Hugo’s Frog Bar.

CPS spokeswoman Marielle Sainvilus said Tuesday the district last year tightened its card policy, and the new administration is considering eliminating CPS credit cards.

Sun-Times Staff Reports