RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, the last previous Chief Executive Office of Chicago Public Schools was indicte<i, and has pleaded guilty, to steering no-bid contracts to a consulting firm to which she was connected, and that consulting firm had promised lucrative kick-backs and perks in return for those no-bid contracts; and
WHEREAS, those contracts were approved by staff charged with reviewing no bid contracts
and approved 6-0 without discussion by the Chicago Board of Education; and
WHEREAS, those contracts were worth more than $23 million and came at a time when CPS\
was allegedly so short on cash that the CBE voted to close 49 schools; and
WHEREAS, some principals have criticized the work done by the consultants as almost
worthless; and
WHEREAS, our schools must operate as efficiently and effectively as possible in this time of great financial need, as budgets are being cut and support staff are being laid off; and WHEREAS, no elected body provided oversight of the contracts in question in the indictment; and
WHEREAS, changes must be made at CPS to ensure that malfeasance like this is prevented in the future; and
WHEREAS, administrators at CPS have not provided detailed information on what changes have been made, or are in the process of being made, to tighten controls over no-bid and single source contracts;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Chicago City Council conduct a public hearing before the Committee on Education and Child Development to hear testimony from the current Chicago Public Schools CEO, Board of Education President, Inspector General Ferguson, and Chief Procurement Officer Jamie Rhee into how previous oversight attempts failed and what changes have been made, or are being made, in response to the indictment and guilty plea of the previous CEO, Barbara Byrd-Bennett.
