BOE Spends $8K on Retreat with New Supe's Old Friend
DaveSchmidt said:
mrincredible said:In reality, defibulation means something else entirely.
In theory a defibulator would remove a bone from your leg.
Well then, without additional information, we really can't say if the 8K could better have been spent on difibulators.
Some context is needed before rushing to judgement:
The district has used outside consultants / facilitators before. Under Brian Osborne a Minnisota consultant was brought in twice. Not sure of costs , a few thousand I believe.
The scope of this service does go beyond the actual meeting as outlined in the article.
"required to provide subsequent analysis and reporting of the data, including the recommendation of structural and operational changes for institutional development and capacity building in the district administration. In the future, when looking for specific information, you may need to utilize the OPRA process we have in place so that we have the request and response on file."
This was an important retreat with a new Super coming in in a time of great transition . Time will tell whether the work done was worth the expense.
Edited to add scope of service quote
I find it hard to believe only one KIVA consultant was interested in $7000 for one day's work.
On the surface, it looks like two old friends giving each other work (at our expense).
yahooyahoo said:
I find it hard to believe only one KIVA consultant was interested in $7000 for one day's work.
On the surface, it looks like to old friends giving each other work (at our expense).
Do you have some expertise in this area that supports your disbelief?
yahooyahoo said:
On the surface, it looks like two old friends giving each other work (at our expense).
Key term: on the surface.
Not just one day's work: see above quote from scope of service
How do I get to be one of this guy's old friends so that I can get paid for such a waste of time. Too bad that our BOE members did not have the guts to say no to such wastes of taxpayer funds at the outset. I wonder how many others he would drag out of the desert to live off us.
yahooyahoo said:
I find it hard to believe only one KIVA consultant was interested in $7000 for one day's work.
On the surface, it looks like two old friends giving each other work (at our expense).
To those who question this discussion...
First, as I said above, a quick look around the internet shows that we gave the work to a Qatar-based consulting firm whose online materials still show Ramos as a consultant.
http://acctqatar.com/trainers.html
Second, the RFP was written narrowly to specify a specific facilitation technique that doesn't seem like it is widely offered by consultants, rather than a broader RFP defined by desired outcomes. Perhaps I'm just not finding the sites of other qualified facilitators...but this feels a bit like for SO VP Torpey putting out a Village website RFP that specified a single non-standard software language to be used.
Third, the timeline was so tight (August 3rd RFP for August 28th meeting) that the contract was approved only four days before the meeting, again suggesting (to me) that it was a foregone conclusion.
KIVA and this consultant may be the best possible method and a good decision for our District, but the fact pattern is awkward enough to leave me asking pointed questions (in spite of my general tendency to agree with any decision opposed only by Ms. Wright). I haven't had the chance to watch the summer meetings yet, so will be relieved if someone can tell me that these concerns were addressed in the Board discussion.
Um, not to nitpick here, but do we have a basis to characterize these two as "friends"? I see one mention of Haig saying he's "known Ramos for years".
I can think of several people I have know for years and respect in a business fashion, but wouldn't call friends.
And yes, it says Haig is the reason Ramos came to Qatar. That could certainly be a purely professional relationship. There's a rhetorical theme here trying to establish that these guys are old cronies, with no evidence to support that claim.
festus said:
How do I get to be one of this guy's old friends so that I can get paid for such a waste of time. Too bad that our BOE members did not have the guts to say no to such wastes of taxpayer funds at the outset. I wonder how many others he would drag out of the desert to live off us.
Why was it a waste of time?
SiMorley said:
Is spelling and grammar count for anything, I don't think I want Soma15 leading my school district. Not going to point out the errors but believe me, they are there.
Just sayin'
You should see there they're their website! Its It's a hot mess.
This is the funniest thread in quite a while.
And is this thread what Ramos's email was referring to...if so, I'm not sure he is quite ready for So-Ma!
There was absolutely no discussion of the board retreat or paying Haig $7K plus travel expenses at the last Board meeting. The Board voted to approve that after midnight in a package of other resolutions, including changing the teachers' health care insurance to a different provider.
When making business decisions I often will go back to someone with whom I have worked with in the past, who I know does a good job for the type of work I need.
That makes sense TarheelsIsInNJ but Ramos and Haig (in addition to being old friends) also work for the same consulting firm, which appears to present a clear conflict of interest to me. It would have been nice if someone on the board had noticed that and questioned this expense.
http://acctqatar.com/trainers.html
I am sure that if there was a conflict of interest, our BOE would have vetted that.
soma2015 said:
Autocorrect mistake. That is what happens when you post from your phone.
Lame excuse for sloppy work. You proofread before you post, or you don't post from your phone.
If this thread and the one on Facebook are any example of the negativity and sloppiness you intend to bring to the board, it argues against your suitability.
Posted from my tablet, after correcting for a spelling error.
As a public official, Ramos should avoid not only impropriety but also the appearance of impropriety.
One of Osbourn's significant deficiencies was his tendency to implement important changes quickly and without adequate and transparent process. Dr. Ramos needs to be aware that this needs to change if he is to gain the confidence of the families and teachers in the district.
Given this background, I am not willing to assume the retention of Haig was worth the expenditure of funds absent specific evidence to the contrary. The procurement procedure that was used is enough to give me pause.
In addition, the statement of work is extraordinarily broad. Was this just the first step in a much larger consultancy project? I have to wonder whether there will be afterwork and if so, how much it will cost, whether it will be performed by Haig or some person or organization recommended by Haig, or whether it will be put out for bid in a transparent process.
If only afour hour meeting why does the guy need a hotel. Did they bring the guy in from Kazakhstan
Close Robert_Casotto--they flew him in from Qatar, where he works and spends most of his time. His U.S. address is in Florida and the Board listed that in the financials, probably to make it look like he was just coming up from Florida for the retreat.
cel said:
That makes sense TarheelsIsInNJ but Ramos and Haig (in addition to being old friends) also work for the same consulting firm, which appears to present a clear conflict of interest to me. It would have been nice if someone on the board had noticed that and questioned this expense.
http://acctqatar.com/trainers.html
The whole thing looks shady. Not a very good first impression.
Appearances certainly do matter. And even when you worry about appearances, people can still spin thing whatever way they choose. I find it mildly hard to believe that Superintendent Ramos would have proposed this seminar unless he thought it useful. While $8K is a lot of money, it is also chickenfeed and not worth the hassle unless he really thought it worthwhile.
A basic knowledge of economics and business would tell you that if there is a lucrative business with low competition and low barriers to entry, then people are going to move into that business.
In my opinion, it's clear that the Superintendent had his colleague in mind when the RFP was published.
The Superintendent should realize that he needs to be transparent and straight forward with the MSD District. However, he is a bit tone deaf so far.
tjohn said:
yahooyahoo said:Do you have some expertise in this area that supports your disbelief?
I find it hard to believe only one KIVA consultant was interested in $7000 for one day's work.
On the surface, it looks like to old friends giving each other work (at our expense).
True dat! Eek.