It was one month ago today that the Oak Park Elementary School District 97 Board of Education fired its strategic planning consultant MGT of America.
Despite the setback, the district has soldiered ahead with finding a new consultant, currently fielding eight proposals and looking to whittle that number down to about three before starting interviews a week from now.
“So far we’re right on schedule,” said board President Carolyn Newberry Schwartz. That is, as far as the district’s search for a new consultant.
The decision to terminate MGT of America’s $74,160 contract on Feb. 8 changed the entire process, Schwartz said.
Some of the firms vying for the new contract include those rejected last August. The district considering whether to hire a new firm or just an individual consultant, Schwartz said.
The district would not release the names of the applicants, she said, but said the deadline for applications was March 1. A new contract and salary will be drawn up once a consultant is hired. The board is in the process of reviewing the current applicants.
In regards to when the overall planning process will resume, that will likely happen by mid- to late March, Schwartz said.
The district’s first strategic plan since 1989 hit a major snag in late December 2005 into early January 2006. MGT of America was fired for a number of reasons, including failure to live up to promises in its proposal such as having broad community involvement in the process.
To underscore its concern, the board held payment of $18,832 from the firm at Jan. 25, meeting. The Florida-based firm was let go a week later.
MGT had already conducted meetings with some district staff and gathered information on the schools and community. The Strategic Planning Steering Committee was established in December, but its work was placed on hold following MGT’s termination.
Materials generated by MGT would be submitted to the new firm or individual consultant.
“We hope the strategic planning committee is in tact,” said Schwartz. “There may be changes as far as the number of people sitting on the committee. There may be additions. But there are people who have made a commitment and we want to honor that.”
CONTACT: tdean@wjinc.com
