As concerned, involved Orem residents, we ask Orem City to cancel the contract with Discovery Education Consultants immediately and begin a new search for a company to complete the feasibility study. 

Background:

Orem City Council and Mayor Young voted in February 2022 to conduct a feasibility study to examine the possibility of creating an Orem-only school district. Many Orem residents disagreed with this decision. However, the mayor and Orem City Council members assured residents that an unbiased, independent study would give them and Orem residents the best information to make decisions. Residents trusted that best practices would be used to conduct the study and looked forward to seeing the results. 

In April 2022, Orem City announced they had completed the bid process and had chosen a contractor to conduct the feasibility study: Discovery Education Consultants. This company was formed in February 2022, the day before Orem City Council voted to conduct the study. There is no evidence and no possibility that the company has ever done a study of this kind. 

Additionally, the head of the company, Dr. Paul McCarty, is a leader of a group that wants to split Canyons District to create a Draper district. He has presented his plans to Draper City, where they were turned down. It is clear he is already biased in favor of creating individual city school districts. (Read more here: "'Citizen group’ looks to start new school district in Draper".) 

We expect our elected leaders to act in good faith to find an experienced, independent, unbiased company.  Please use best practices, including creating an experienced panel to use a rubric or scorecard to assess bids. The study should avoid all appearance of bias, conflict of interest, or cronyism. Above all, we deserve a study that is done by an experienced company. 

Learn more here: "Orem residents uneasy about vendor for school district feasibility study"

(Photo credit: Daily Herald)