By Susan Turk

St. Louis—August 5, 2011—Bertha Gilkey Bonds was in the audience for the May 5, 2011 SAB meeting.  The last time she attended, March 10, the SAB awarded the Missouri Chapter of the Black Alliance for Educational Options two sole source contracts.  For the past few years, Gilkey Bonds, a charismatic, former tenants’ rights activist, has served as the Missouri State Director of the Black Alliance for Educational Options. Was another sole source contract being tendered?  A quick check of the Consent Agenda determined that the very last item was indeed an additional sweetheart deal for the BAEO.

The BAEO is a national organization.  According to its website, their mission is to, “ increase access to high-quality educational options for Black children by actively supporting parental choice policies and programs that empower low-income and working-class Black families.  They support,  ”Charter schools, Home schooling, Privately financed scholarships, Tax-supported scholarships (vouchers), Tuition tax credits and deductions, and “Virtual and online learning.” [sic] Basically, they support anything that removes children from traditional public school districts. 

Nationally, one of their chief funders is the Walton Family Foundation (Walmart and Sam’s Club), whose deep pockets have supported nearly every ballot initiative for school vouchers since 1993. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation provided 16% of their income in 2010. The Sinquefield Family Foundation also supports the national organization. BAEO serves the right wing agenda to undermine public education. Although they also claim to support innovative programs in public schools, their emphasis seems to be spreading the notion that parents would be better off choosing to educate their children elsewhere.

The St. Louis BAEO participated in a demonstration in front of the SLPS administration building in 2009 supporting an effort by Rex Singuefield to bully the SAB into agreeing to sell vacant school buildings to charter schools.  The SAB agreed to do so.  During the 2006 legislative session Gilkey Bonds and school choice promoting colleague Donayle Whitmore Smith led a group of parents to Jefferson City to lobby legislators to support voucher legislation.  At many public forums over the past few years Gilkey Bonds has spoken passionately about the need for parents to have choices other than the SLPS. BAEO representatives consistently testify against the interests of the SLPS at legislative hearings in Jefferson City.  During the 2011 session, BAEO opposed SB 14, the legislation known as the “Turner Fix”, which would have given school districts the ability to regulate the enrollment of students from adjoining unaccredited districts based on capacity limits and testified in favor of HB 473, which would have given St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay the power to sponsor charter schools.  Why would the SLPS want to do business with the BAEO?

Back in 2009, Gilkey Bonds acknowledged that her salary was being paid by Bill Gates and Rex Singuefield.  The grants which provided that support have reportedly run their course. 

Gilkey Bonds served on the FACTS committee cobbled together by SAB Member Richard Gaines to pass the Prop S bond issue in August, 2010.  She currently serves on the Prop S advisory committee, which is comprised of the same people and, is supposed to reassure citizens that there is transparency and oversight for the expenditure of the bond funds.  She has, therefore, done the SAB a favor. The favor is apparently being returned.

RFPs (Requests for Proposals) are not posted for sole source contracts. The use of sole source contracts is supposed to be limited to situations where there is only one vendor or service provider who would meet their requirements. The terms of a contract can be tailored, however, to the particular talents of a contractor.

The First Two Contracts

At the March 10 SAB meeting, 2 items, which were supposed to be voted on the March 31 Consent Agenda, were given special consideration for approval that night. One of them, 3-31-11-05, was “To approve a sole source contract with the Black Alliance for Educational Options (BAEO) to provide afterschool remediation programs, work with parent committees in an effort to engage parents as resources and to provide assistance with student government for the period March 11, 2011 through June 30, 2011 at a cost not to exceed $40,000.  The program will be held at Columbia Elementary School.  Funding Source: Non-GOB”

The other item, 3-31-11-06, was identical in wording except that it was for Ashland Elementary School at a cost not to exceed $32,000.  The BAEO was  paid $72,000 for less than 3 months of work.  Note that the school year ended June 5 and summer school was not held at Ashland or Columbia, so what BAEO was paid for between June 5 and June 30 is unclear.

The Watch asked SLPS Executive Director of Communications Patrick Wallace how many BAEO staff would be working at the schools and whether Bertha Gilkey Bonds would be working or other BAEO staff?  Rather than provide answers, Wallace directed The Watch to read the supporting documents for the action items on slps.org.

According to those documents, Board Resolutions dated February 28 state, “These services were built into the School Improvement Grant and are also supported by Title 1”. That explains why their funding is not coming from the General Operating Budget (GOB).  According to the Request for Sole Source Purchase, “Black Alliance for Educational Options (BAEO) has a unique set of skills that will organize parents to support students’ academic achievement, attendance, and appropriate behavior at both Columbia and Ashland ElementarySchools.  In addition, they will provide support to students, parents, teachers and administrators under the Turnaround Initiative leading to successful achievement of the stated goals and elements.  They will develop a full service Parent Resource Center that will educate and inform families about the numerous types of educational options available.  This consulting service has a record of success with schools in Kansas City, Missouri.  The success of this consulting service will be measured using the district’s performance standards.” 

The Request goes on to say that “Columbia and Ashland are in need of a community organization that will strengthen the bond between the parents, the community and the school to meet the wholistic [sic] needs of the individual students.  The services of Black Alliance For Educational Options (BAEO) are expected to meet those needs.  There is no other vendor with this unique skill set….The vendor will spend an enormous amount of time with students, parents & staff.”

The Scope of Services during March were described as, “Install officers for student government and PAC (parent advisory committee?), assist with tracking of afterschool remediation programming utilizing monthly evaluation instruments and scheduled assessments as required (Juntos), work with parent communities to engage parents as resources for student achievement, attendance and safety goals, present opportunities for parents to volunteer as mentors, coaches, office/administrative/library support, etc. (BAEO & Juntos), continue services (including medical, parent support, student academic enrichment, and remediation) (BAEO & Juntos), begin work with student government, PAC and PAC officers (BAEO & Juntos), hold  monthly meetings of Community Academic Trust (BAEO & Juntos). Scope of Services for “April through School Closing” included “Continue services tracking the effects of programming through a logic model showing inputs, outputs, significant benchmarks, and outcomes (Juntos), Refine programs as needed, and Design summer wrap-around services with appropriate staff (BAEO & Juntos).”

The work of organizing parents and creating a resource center for them described by the contracts would normally be fulfilled by district employees who this school year were known as parent community support specialists, but are generally referred to as parent liaisons.  (Their job title changes almost annually.) There used to be one full time parent liaison at each Title 1 elementary school. (Title 1 schools serve low income students. They are located in high poverty census tracks and a majority of their students qualify for the federal Free and Reduced Lunch program.) The number of parent liaisons has been cut by Supt. Kelvin Adams during the past few years.  The 2010-11 school year was the first time that some schools had to share liaisons working half time between 2 schools.  Their number has been further decimated in the 2011-12 budget.  Only 19 or 20 out of 59 will remain and Maureen Nolan from the Office of Volunteer Services has been designated as their supervisor.  In the past, they were supervised though the Title 1 office.  During the coming year they will serve 1 to 3 schools each.  Their title has been changed to Resource Specialist for Parent and Community Involvement. Their job description has been rewritten to include developing more community support for our schools. Those serving 2 or more schools will not be able to provide the same level of attention they formerly gave to parents in theirschools. They will not be assigned to schools served by the BAEO. The service they provided in those schools is being outsourced.

There are student governments in some schools. Student government can easily be organized by classroom teachers who hold elections.  A faculty adviser can supervise meetings.  Sources from Ashland reported no student government activity before the arrival of BAEO in March.  After the BAEO was established in the schools, teachers were asked to send a representative from their class to participate in student government.

Starting parent advisory efforts and student government in March, with no provisions for school staff to continue these initiatives the following year seemed strange unless, additional contracts loom.  Dr. Adams alluded that there would be additional contracts on May 5. 

Ashland already has several after school programs geared to improve academic achievement.  School staff reported that additional programs aren’t needed.  So, the discrepancy between the wording of the Consent Agenda and the Board Resolutions and the Scope of Services is interesting.  The Consent Agenda and resolutions suggest BAEO is going to “provide afterschool remediation programming”. The Scope says they are going to, “assist with afterschool remediation programming utilizing monthly evaluation programming and scheduled assessments.”  That looks more like assessing the existing programs rather than providing an additional one and it also looks like that part of the work is being doled out to a subcontractor, Juntos. 

Juntos Development Solutions LLC is a company which did contract work for the Kansas City Public Schools along with the BAEO. It has 4 to 5 employees and bills itself as “business and professional services consultants.”  This is all well and good because there is nothing in Gilkey Bonds’ biography to suggest that she is qualified to administer monthly evaluation programming and scheduled assessments.  The SLPS already has an Accountability Office, which according to their website provides, “the venue for reporting, analyzing and monitoring data on the performance of students and schools and district support functions.”  So, the capacity to evaluate Ashland and Colombia’s after school programs already exists in house. The capacity to organize and educate parents exists in house.  The capacity to run student governments exists in house. What then is the justification for these sole source contracts?

No specifics are given for how the $72,000 comprising these two contracts is to be spent; number of hours or number of employees, materials to be purchased, nothing.

Another Contract

At their May 5 meeting the SAB approved, “A sole source contract with the Black Alliance for Educational Options to conduct student recruitment and enrollment in support of seven (7) elementary schools for the period May 6, 2011 through August 15, 2011 at a cost not to exceed $20,000.  Funding Source: GOB”.

The seven schools listed are Ashland, Clay, Cole, Columbia, Cote Brilliante,Farragut, and Meramec Elementary schools. “The program uses a combination of school open houses, parent communication and door-to-door canvassing to assist families in enrolling.” The plan budgets for a total increase in enrollment of 150 students, or $133.00 per student.  There are a lot of families in the city who could use an extra $100 dollars.  The SAB could eliminate the middle man and just offer cash incentives to families who enroll and stay in our schools for the entire year.  There is also no provision for a payback if the students the BAEO recruits don’t remain in the schools for the entire year.

According to the marketing strategy the BAEO submitted to describe their program, as part of the BAEO recruitment program, parents will earn incentivesfor enrolling their children, such as a school shirt and BAEO dollars. (Italics ours) The marketing strategy is not written in the clearest English. It says, “Upon completion of Parent Orientation, Parents will receive a shirt and receive BAEO dollars for purchasing other items such as pencil [sic], notebooks, ink pens, in addition to personal and hygiene items and the like will be made available for purchase at the BAEO Family Education Support Centers.” [sic]

Parents will earn “Credit towards supplies” for recruiting efforts, volunteering and “participation in opportunities throughout the year.”  Specific days will be designated for purchasing supplies. It is not clear as to whether items available for purchase in their Family Education Support Centers will only be exchanged for BAEO dollars or whether additional items could be purchased for cash.

Now that’s something parent liaisons didn’t do, run a retail establishment out of their parent resource rooms.  These seem more like the company stores corporations used to run for their employees back in the day when workers were paid in scrip they could only exchange for goods at the company owned store.

Without the provision of a budget, it is impossible to know what the funding for this contract is buying but it looks like some of it will be used to purchase the items that will stock the shelves of the Family Education Support Centers.  They are using shopping as a lure for parents, who do not have much discretionary income, to participate in school.   The personal and hygiene items are not specified. They must be highly desirable products that the parents might not generally be able to afford.  It may be that a budget was not included to avoid scrutiny that would uncover funds being used for these non-academic supplies.  Are federal grant funds being used to purchase cosmetics or styling mousse?  The lack of documentation makes it impossible to tell.

The BAEO will also orient parents of recruited students on the school handbook, truancy policy, role of the Intervention Team, role of PTO officers, PTO meetings, and student councils.  PTO committees will be set up for parents to participate in.  The committees listed are advocacy, mentoring, education, fundraising, parent professional development, and gardening.  Parents will be encouraged to participate in one or more committee and will earn BAEO dollars for attending PTO meetings and committee meetings, for re-enrolling their children in school, attending orientation and helping to recruit other children. Prior to BAEO’s engagement, there was a small PTO at Ashland and a few parents volunteered in school.  Teachers did not notice a difference in the amount of parental involvement during the last 3 months of school.

The only enhancement noticed for the parent resource rooms at Ashland was the moving of tables and chairs into the room.  The room did look nicer as a result. From one to three BAEO staff were also seen working in a separate office, which they were assigned in the school.  Teachers were told to send students with disciplinary problems to the BAEO people in the building.  Discipline problems used to be handled by assistant principals.  Dr. Adams cut most assistant principal positions last year.  Ashland did not have one during 2010-11. 

The additional contract to which Dr. Adams alluded on May 5 subsequently appeared on the SAB’s July 7 Consent Agenda.  This one was not a sole source contract.

And Another

“To approve a contract with the Black Alliance for Educational Options to provide Parent Resource Centers at seven school sites for the period July 25, 2011 through June 30, 2012 at a total combined cost not to exceed $668,376.43 pending availability of funds”. The source is “Non-GOB”. 

All RFPs are supposed to be posted on the SLPS.org website.  Executive Director of Communications Patrick Wallace assured this reporter that the RFP was posted.  But it is not there now. The RFP previous to this one, “042-1011” is still posted.  The procedures and specific time frame for applying for the previous one are there to be read.  But, not this one.  And the documentation in the SAB meeting book is a mere 3 pages long.  It does not include a budget for the very specific total to be spent.  $668,376.43 is a lot of money.  That, added to the previous $92,000 awarded to the BAEO, could pay for most of the 39 parent liaisons, who are losing their jobs this year.  For the SAB to have approved this without complete information seems strange.  It is hopefully not normal.

The Board Resolution for this agenda item states that, “During the 2010-2011 school year, parent resource centers were established at Columbia Elementary and Ashland Elementary…The schools saw increases in parent participation at PTO meetings, establishment of student councils, and parents enrolled in parent education courses to support student learning.  An RFP was issued to expand the parent resource centers to more …schools for the 2011-12 school year.” No data is supplied to back up that statement.  The BAEO operated in the 2 schoolsfor less than 3 months.

Since no budget was provided for the original contracts of $40K at Columbia and $32K at Ashland and no budget is provided for the $668,376.43 planned to be spent for additional resource centers at Hamilton, Jefferson, Sigel, Mann, and Walbridge in addition to Ashland and Columbia which are included here as well, it is impossible to assess what the money is for.

Associate Superintendent of Innovative Services

Michael Haggen reported about this agenda item at the July 7 SAB meeting.  He recommended that the SAB continue the two programs at Ashland and Columbia and add more schools. He cited the resources provided to parents, the establishment of student councils, summer reading and math programs, improvements in student behavior and attendance (giving no numbers to back up these claims) and academic achievement, entrepreneurial training for parents, family nights, and an adult education component.  He said the program, “addressed non-academic issues which contribute to low academic performance.  The program supports the schools.”  SAB Chair Rick Sullivan asked for a summary of the data on what occurred at the two pilot schools, Ashland and Columbia.  Sullivan also asked for the goals and objectives for all 7 schools which will participate during the coming year.  Sullivan wanted to know what it was that has been so positive. 

Haggen only mentioned one statistic, that there had been 25 parent visits including conferences to Columbia before the establishment of BAEO at the school.  The BAEO held a family night which was attended by 100 parents.  He also mentioned that BAEO staff performed home visits.  The number of home visits exceeded those at all other schools.  He said they had behavior intervention specialists in the resource centers working with students. This is interesting in light of no budgetary evidence as to staffing.

Sullivan asked whether the programs piloted at Ashland and Columbia could be extended to all schools.  Dr. Adams said they needed to be supported by data.  Adams did not want to rush to spread the program without determining that BAEO had the capacity to work in more schools.  Adams prescribed a go slow approach to see how they would fare in 7 schools during the coming school year.  However, it is unclear as to whether the BAEO is servicing 7 or 12schools during the coming school year, because between the 4 contracts 12schools are mentioned.

The July 7 contract lists Hamilton, Jefferson, Sigel, Mann, Walbridge in addition to Ashland and Columbia getting Parent Resource Centers.

The documentation for the May 5 recruitment and parent orientation contract is for Clay, Cole, Cote Brilliante, Farragut and Meramec as well as Ashlandand Columbia. It includes BAEO Family Education Support Centers to be set up in each of those schools, which would appear to be synonymous with the parent resource centers mentioned in the board resolution.  That contract does not include a budget for them.  It only stipulates what the BAEO will be paid for recruiting 150 students.  The funding disparities, $20K for recruitment and parent support centers at 7 schools versus $668K for parent support centers for another 7 schools, 2 of which are repeated, compounds the confusion.

According to the May 5 contract, Clay, Cole, Cote Brilliante, Farragut andMeramec are going to get stores, excuse me Family Education Support Centers, recruitment, PTO, the parent development and student government piece but no budget for them.  Only Ashland and Columbia are mentioned in all three proposals.  It looks like sloppy work all around, but the SAB approved all of it.

According to the July 7 contract for $668,376.43, Ashland, Columbia,Hamilton, Jefferson, Sigel, Mann and Walbridge are going to get the stores, excuse me, Family Education Support Centers, without the recruitment piece. But Haggen mentioned recruitment being part of the program during his oral report. It seems staff are also confused about the program. The 3 pages of documentation for this contract does not mention recruitment, but notes a parent mentoring program, a student council, summer reading and math programs, student attendance, behavior, academic achievement and parent involvement. 

This is about as clear as mud.

According to the Department of Housing and Urban Development Semi-Annual Report from March 31, 2002, Gilkey Bonds “pled guilty to a federal charge of embezzling and converting public money.  Bonds embezzled/converted the funds in her position as chairman of the board of the Cochran Gardens Tenant Management Corporation in St. Louis, MO.  She admitted using the funds to pay for business travel expenses that she incurred in connection with her work as a consultant for Urban Women, Inc., a business owned and operated by Bonds….Bonds caused the Cochran Gardens Tenant Management Corporation to spend $28,586 on travel expenses for Urban Women, Inc.”  Given this history, one would think that the SAB would require budgets for these contracts.  One would think they would want to ensure that every penny was publicly accounted for. Detailed budgets are normally included in the documentation for the contracts they approve and are available for the public to read on the district’s website.  But not with this one.

Board of Education Member David Jackson reacted to news that the SAB was awarding contracts to BAEO by saying,  ”I just find it somewhat difficult to understand the rationale of the SAB giving several contracts to an individual who has been working long and hard for Charter Schools, which are depleting funds from the District.”

At the May 5 SAB meeting, accolades were heaped on the BAEO program and its success after less than 2 months of operation.  SAB Member Richard Gaines said, “It is my understanding, Dr. Adams, that the results have been outstanding to date.” Gaines directed Dr. Adams to sit down with the BAEO leadership and negotiate to increase the number of schools in which they would work. This is highly unusual.  Normally, a year or more goes by before there is an assessment of a program.  Without conclusive data, SAB Members Sullivan and Gaines heaped praise on this program during meetings in May and July.  Just anecdotal evidence of the appearance of bodies in the schools are being deemed as evidence of success.  The proof of the pudding with be if there is subsequent improved academic achievement at the effected schools.  That will take longer to assess, but Gaines and Sullivan appear to want to anoint this endeavor with success from the outset.  They are lathering it on Gilkey Bonds not only in terms of money, but also in terms of praise.  There’s something going on here that just doesn’t wash.

The SAB has set a goal of increasing enrollment by 1,000 students over the next year.  Since Gilkey Bonds has been an outspoken advocate for charterschools, it may be that Gaines saw an opportunity to redirect the energies of someone, who would otherwise be drawing students away from the SLPS, towards increasing enrollment.   After all, every moment she is working for the SLPS is a moment she is not recruiting for the charter schools.  But, if that is the real reason precious dollars are being diverted to support her, no one is saying.

At a time when the district is laying off parent community support specialists, safety officers, custodians, teachers and librarians, it is nice to know they still have money to float a friend.

PLEASE NOTE

The SAB has changed its meeting night.  SAB meetings will be held on Tuesdays at 6 p.m. until further notice.  That said, the SAB frequently changes its meeting dates and times.  The only way to be certain that the SAB is holding a meeting is to check the slps.org website daily.  The sunshine law requires that all public meetings be posted 24 hours in advance.

Calendar

August 15, Monday, first day of school, K-12

August 16, Tuesday, regular bi-monthly SAB meeting, 6 p.m., 801 North 11th Street, room 108. The public is given time to address the SAB at all meetings.  To speak, arrive before 6 p.m. and sign the sheet at the lectern at the front of the room on the right.

August 22, Monday, first day of school, pre-K

Please note, The Schools Watch has a new mailing address, P.O. Box 1983, St.Louis, MO 63118. Our email address continues to be SLS_Watch@yahoo.com

Questions for the Watch?

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Stories to contribute? News tips?

Send them to SLS_Watch@yahoo.com

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