And then there were two.
That’s the case right now with District 97’s search for new a strategic planning consultant to replace the one the school board fired in February.
Two consulting firms are vying for the contract. The board received eight proposals following the termination of MGT of America’s contract on Feb. 8.
The board sent out requests for proposals (RFPs) shortly after firing MGT, setting a deadline of March 1 for proposals. The board began conducting interviews with applicants by March 15. The list of eight was narrowed to two, and the district plans to announce its new consultant by the summer. Massachusetts-based Cambridge Associates conducted the district’s last strategic plan in 1989. Materials generated by MGT would be submitted to the new firm. The Strategic Planning Steering Committee, established in December 2005, will continue its work with the new firm.
The district’s first strategic plan since 1989 was derailed amid disagreement between the board and MGT concerning, among a number of issues, community input during the process and the firm’s early handling of the plan. The firm also failed to live up to promises made in its initial proposal to the board.
The board voted unanimously Feb. 8 to fire MGT, which was hired in October 2005 to conduct the district’s strategic plan. Payment to the firm was withheld prior to its vote.
The board has since paid MGT of America for services rendered up to Feb. 8.
MGT had already conducted meetings with district staff in late December 2005 and early January 2006.
The board left open the option of going with another firm or hiring a single consultant. Firms originally vying for the bid last year, including Cambridge, were allowed to reapply.
?#34;Terry Dean