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The Examiner U-46 News Feed

Relationship may have jaded a U-46 contract


By Seth Hancock
  A relationship between a School District U-46 coordinator and two former employees may have contributed to a recent contract approved by the Board of Education.
  At the Sept. 14 board meeting, a $100,000 contract was approved 5-2, Cody Holt and Jeanette Ward voting no, for Support for Educational Outcomes, Inc. and Strategic Educational Intervention, Inc. to provide professional development for U-46 teachers and staff under the Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) department. Sue Smith is the MTSS coordinator.
  After questions from Holt and Ward on the night of the vote, the fact that the two consultants were former U-46 employees (which was not disclosed in the proposal or on Aug. 17 when it was presented to the board) was learned. Further, no bids went out, and Holt explained that he couldn’t find any information for either company leaving the appearance of potential cronyism.
  Under the proposal, the district claimed a $500,000 savings as the consultants would replace five MTSS coaches. Those coaches are still with the district but were moved back into the classroom. One of those former coaches is Anni Schneider who spoke to The Examiner about a friendship between Smith and the two consultants as well as a rough work environment that was created by the consultants.
  “There is a friendship there, and they were already hired last year, these two consultants, and we were told by the MTSS coordinator that their function and the reason they were hired was to train us,” Schneider said. “And I would say maybe five percent of what I did last year was something that I learned from the consultants.”
  Schneider added: “So, I don’t feel they fulfilled their contract last year, therefore, why are we hiring them back?”
  One of the consultants and Smith have a friendship dating back over 20 years, including taking personal trips together, according to Schneider, as both worked at Sunnydale Elementary School. Smith became the principal at Glenbrook Elementary about a decade ago and the one consultant joined her there, and both worked closely with the other consultant at that school.
  Smith was contacted by The Examiner directly for comment, but instead, U-46 spokesperson Mary Fergus responded. Whether or not there is a friendship was not answered.
  At the meeting when the proposal was approved, Smith said, “last year was the first year (the consultants) were not employed by the district at all” not noting that, in fact, they were working with the district for “the first year… through the companies” according to Fergus who said those companies became approved vendors for the district in August 2014.
  Last year was Schneider’s fifth year as an MTSS coach, and the consultants were working part-time before last year to train the coaches on the Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support (PBIS) framework which is one of two sides of the MTSS triangle. PBIS focuses on behavior issues and the other side deals with academic issues. 
  As part-time employees, the consultants were paid likely the same as a substitute teacher Schneider said. Schneider also said she knew of only four MTSS coaches, not the five the district claimed savings for, so “you can’t save money you didn’t spend.”
  According to Fergus, the district administration decided to get rid of over 20 coaching positions among several departments “due to budget concerns.”
  There may have been a quid pro quo between the consultants and Smith. In her third year as an MTSS coach, Schneider said Assistant Superintendent Ron Raglin was leading the coaches as the district searched for an MTSS coordinator and he “definitely said” that those consultants, then part-time employees, were there to train the coaches on the PBIS framework and would be phased out. Those consultants sat in on the interviews for a coordinator, and despite there being a split among the coaches of who should be hired Smith got the job.
  Last year, coaches would be encouraged to get added training in the three-tiered MTSS system, but when those opportunities arose, Schneider felt the consultants would work against getting that training and “in my opinion, they were protecting their jobs.”
  While the friendship is a concerning aspect for Schneider, the work environment under the consultants may be even more troubling.
  Schneider said she felt like all four MTSS coaches shared similar concerns and one even wrote a letter to Smith explaining the problems. That letter was mailed to The Examiner anonymously.
  Schneider said when she had questions on the PBIS framework she would get “barked at” and demeaned by the consultants, and when she brought that to the attention of Smith her response would be “just get up and go for a walk. That was her way of dealing with it.”
  That was also expressed by the author of the letter who wrote that “the fact of the matter is it has been repetitive, ongoing and intentionally demeaning. This, I believe, is the definition of bullying.” Explained in the letter, the author was “redressed, demeaned and chastised in front of my colleagues throughout the year,” but accepted that “wrath at times as per (Smith’s) request.”
  The letter also stated the consultants did know the PBIS framework well, which Schneider agreed, but “to what end, however, am I to remain silent, to allow this unacceptable behavior to manifestly go without recourse?”
  The letter explained one event when one of the consultants abrasively entered the workplace with a conspiracy theory and expletive-laced rant, a common occurrence according to the letter, about another U-46 employee behind their back and loudly cried poverty for the whole office to hear because her paycheck was late. The fact she bullied, slandered, used “vile language” and made “innumerable personal calls which transpired on the district’s time is a scandal.”
  Schneider confirmed she witnessed the use of district supplies, equipment and time for personal use by the consultants.
  Fergus stated that Smith “selected these two consultants due to their high level of experience and proven track record in the area of PBIS implementation and professional development,” and “if any concerns were brought to the attention of MTSS Coordinator Sue Smith regarding the working relationship between U-46 MTSS Coaches and the Consultants, they were addressed.”
  Schneider said she likely spent about 45 percent of her time on clerical work, not MTSS coaching duties, last year and it was “very inefficient.” In her opinion, about 95 percent of the focus was on PBIS and behavioral issues, but to Schneider student issues should be taken on a case by case basis as she believes often behavioral problems stem from academic problems.  “(The consultants) have the idea that if you behave well, are engaged in class, then you’ll do well in class,” Schneider said.
  Fergus said: “They were not hired to address any of the academic areas of MTSS.”
  On the claims of savings by the district, Schneider said “if they’re saving it this year, then they were wasting it last year,” and “I loved doing it, but the passion I had for it got lost after working with these consultants. I’m glad to be back in the classroom.”
  Fergus added: “There was no obligation or request to require a bidding process for these services.”
  At the Oct. 5 board meeting, a separate contract proposal was submitted with Craig Williams, director of Information Services, taking a starkly different standard as he explained up front he had a previous working relationship with one of the bidders and although he “facilitated the interview” he did not take part in the evaluation. Holt and Ward lauded that practice.

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