In the first three years since the 2010 election, Waterloo Region District School Board trustee John Hendry billed the board for $20,718.55 worth of expenses.

That makes him the biggest spender among the board’s 11 trustees – by about $400 over Mike Ramsay.

He chalks his large bill up to attending various conferences – sometimes two in one year.

Among the conferences Hendry attended is the Pacific Rim Conference in Disabilities, which is held in Honolulu and which he took part in twice.

“I’ve gained a lot from that,” he tells CTV News.

“I’ve done very well there in terms of presenting, bringing attention to our board, and bringing back a lot of information for our staff on mental health issues, issues with various disabilities.”

Hendry says his time in Hawaii contained no “fancy dinners” and was spent solely focused on educational issues.

“I flew in, went to the conference and flew out. There was no time for anything else,” he says.

At the opposite end of the WRDSB’s trustee spending scale is Cindy Watson, who spent $3,347.62 over the same three years.

Watson says she’s suggested putting limits on the number of conferences trustees can attend – and that she learns about issues in education by speaking to parents, students and board staff.

“I feel that the less money that I spend, that money can be redirected in another area – and eventually will end up in the classroom,” she says.

Hendry takes issue with that position.

“The money that’s spent on any conference is really money that is going into the classroom. We’re bringing back a lot of knowledge and sharing a lot of things with our teachers,” he says.

On average, trustees with the Catholic board spent less than their public counterparts – although trustees on both sides say that’s to be expected given the fewer schools and students in the Catholic board.

WCDSB board chair Manuel Silva was the biggest spender among Catholic trustees, with his expenses for the three years totalling $13,370 – more than twice that of the second-highest biller, Joyce Anderson.

He chalks that total up to attending events on behalf of the board, which he says a flexible work schedule allows him to do.

“You do hear stories of people abusing the system, and I believe our board has been very conscious of that,” he says.

“We do a good job of staying within our means.”

Expensing $2,553 over three years, Anthony Piscitelli was the lowest spender at the Catholic board.

He explained his low total by saying he doesn’t bill mileage to and from meetings, and doesn’t attend conferences because of having a young family.

To see a trustee-by-trustee breakdown of expenses from both the Waterloo Region District School Board and Waterloo Catholic District School Board, click here.

CTV News asked both boards for further breakdowns of the expenses.

The Waterloo Region District School Board refused to provide that information without a formal application being made through the Freedom of Information Act.

The Waterloo Catholic District School Board provided that information within 24 hours of our request. The data can be seen here, as PDF files, for 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13.