FOIA Gras

FOIA Gras

Share this post

FOIA Gras
FOIA Gras
Anatomy of $100,000 District 65 Spend
User's avatar
Discover more from FOIA Gras
Evanston Government Accountability + FOIA excitement
Over 2,000 subscribers
Already have an account? Sign in

Anatomy of $100,000 District 65 Spend

I FOIA'ed a single account, see what I found

Tom Hayden's avatar
Tom Hayden
Nov 03, 2022
3

Share this post

FOIA Gras
FOIA Gras
Anatomy of $100,000 District 65 Spend
Share

I want to understand how funding works in public school districts. For instance, the District 65 Board approves all contracts over $25,000/year at their monthly meetings. These are contracts requested by the Administration and approved by our elected School Board. Here's an example from the October 2022 Meeting:

FOIA Gras is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

The highlighted section had some interesting additional information on a funding source that might differ from the others. This is an excellent place to start. I submitted a FOIA for a copy of the original contract, the extended contract, and any details on that particular funding source. My understanding is that this contract with Scholastic is for a family survey. $87,000 is pricey for a Qualitrics link, but perhaps there is analysis work that goes along with it. I would like to know.

I got about half the response I wanted - they sent me:

  • A copy of the 2021 Signed Contract and Scope of Work.

  • A copy of the 2022 Extension but without the Scope of Work. I’ve requested in another FOIA more 2022 details.

  • A list of transactions on the funding source for calendar year 2021 only.

The contract itself is interesting but more interesting is the list of transactions on the funding source. Looks like it is some an account that has a $100,000 budget (they spent $99,994.82). Let’s see where this $100,000 went:

We can go through the vendors on this particular list.

  • Lifeworks Coaching and Training - "We partner with internal resources to help leaders expand their capacity to build trust and grow capacity for full inclusion. This includes Executive coaching, Group coaching, Leadership Team Development, and New leader on-boarding."

  • Anna Marin - "Consultant for social change nonprofits and community organizations."

  • Scholastic - Scholastic is large corporation that does consulting, printing, and other things for districts. The 2021 contract is for consulting services and the Dr. Mapp Family Engagement Workshop Series.

  • Evanston Community Foundation - "Founded in 1986, the Evanston Community Foundation helps Evanston thrive now and forever as a vibrant, inclusive, and equitable community. It builds, connects, and distributes resources and knowledge through local organizations for the common good."

  • Books and Breakfast - “Books & Breakfast is a before-school program offering a nutritious breakfast, homework assistance, and emotional care to Evanston students needing additional support. B&B exists so that every student enters their classroom physically, emotionally, and academically prepared.”

  • Panorama Education, Inc. - “Panorama pulls your key student information into one spot and gives you visual dashboard reporting.”

What percentage of this $100,000 went to direct services for District 65 students or families? Only two vendors on this list meet this criterion: Books and Breakfast and the Evanston Community Foundation. The rest are life coaches, consultants, and a dashboard tool for administrators. 

So what? This account is perhaps a consultant fund of some kind, and $100,000 spent for consulting as a fraction of the District's almost $80,000,000 budget is a rounding error (0.125%). The problem is that: 

  • Not all the spending on this account is consulting. Such as Books and Breakfast, which seems to be a service.

  • This is one account of many; you're welcome to view my spreadsheet of District bills paid. At least dozens of consultants and coaches do not show up in this account but regularly bill the district for services.

  • The district is facing serious budget issues as soon as school year 2024.

What is the coaches' and workshops' return on investment (ROI) for the District? In what way have these workshops improve student or family relationships? How do they improve test scores? Do they move the needle on the opportunity gap? So far, all evidence indicates worse test scores, falling enrollment, and impending financial disaster. This is one example of many I intend to document where District 65 misuses funds that should go to services for our children by wasting it on coaches, consultants, workshops and other activities with very little to show for it.

FOIA Gras is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Concerned's avatar
Karl's avatar
3 Likes
3

Share this post

FOIA Gras
FOIA Gras
Anatomy of $100,000 District 65 Spend
Share

Discussion about this post

User's avatar
My Resignation Letter
You can't fire me, I quit!
Mar 30 • 
Tom Hayden
111

Share this post

FOIA Gras
FOIA Gras
My Resignation Letter
Ryan Field: How the City Negotiated Against Itself
City Manager, Lawyers, and Mayors Office knew of litigation, withheld it from the Council and NU-City Committee
Mar 23 • 
Tom Hayden
29

Share this post

FOIA Gras
FOIA Gras
Ryan Field: How the City Negotiated Against Itself
37
District 65's Free Lunch Program for Administrators
District 65 Spent More than $112,000 on Catered Food last year alone, more than $23k at the Grecian Kitchen, $40k at Panera and $12k worth of Paninos
Apr 16, 2023 • 
Tom Hayden
19

Share this post

FOIA Gras
FOIA Gras
District 65's Free Lunch Program for Administrators
53

Ready for more?

© 2025 Thomas Hayden
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start writingGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture

Share

Create your profile

User's avatar

Only paid subscribers can comment on this post

Already a paid subscriber? Sign in

Check your email

For your security, we need to re-authenticate you.

Click the link we sent to , or click here to sign in.