Hello Everyone – In this update I would like to share the following:
- Meet school board candidates: Three board seats are up for election this November. Some of the candidates are hosting a “Listen and Learn” session this Thursday, August 8th, from 8:30 AM to 10:30 AM at The Coffee Guys. This event offers a valuable opportunity for parents and community members to meet potential board members and voice their concerns. It’s a proactive step that goes beyond what the current board members have offered.
- Summary of August 1st meeting: Great concerns with MGT Consulting group proposed by MHUSD to lead budget discussions
The public comments session on August 1st was brief, with only myself and another PVEA parent speaking. Notably, Tom Pocus, the Area 7 candidate, was also in attendance. John Horner arrived after the public comments had concluded.
Following the public comments, the board reconvened in a closed-door session, resuming the public session at 1 PM. The BAC members have been finalized, though details are not yet available on the MHUSD website. The BAC is scheduled to meet on August 8th. I am pleased to share that I personally know the selected elementary parent representative, and I am confident this choice will enhance financial transparency for parents and the community.
The MHUSD board has settled on a 12% reserves amount. Notably, Board President Adam Escoto, who is not seeking reelection, had advocated for a 5% reserve level. Meanwhile, the board’s Vice President pushed for a 17% reserve, arguing it would cover two months of operational costs.
The superintendent has proposed a third-party to mediate and guide the BAC sessions. This is an unnecessary expense in my view, given that the BAC serves as the advisory body to the board. The cost of these third-party mediation services, provided by MGT Consulting, remains unknown. I would argue that the superintendent’s preference for external contracts over in-house solutions has contributed to MHUSD’s financial instability, highlighting this as a concern about her ability to tackle the district’s challenges directly and internally.
MGT Consulting Group has a less-than-stellar reputation. The firm was hired by Adams County 14 School District in Colorado in 2018 to address the district’s financial and academic performance issues, similar to those faced by MHUSD. However, MGT faced investigations and failed to deliver significant results. This led to MGT paying nearly $1.5 million in a settlement with Adams 14 in 2023.
It’s noteworthy that Patrick Sanchez, who recently left MHUSD as Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources for LOUSD Superintendent role was the superintendent of Adams 14 in 2016. During his tenure, there was a petition for his resignation due to unethical hiring practices, and he left in the summer of 2016 for Newark Unified in East Bay, leaving Adams 14 with unresolved financial and academic challenges that MGT also failed to address.
In closing I want to leave you with a powerful comment from Amie Baca-Oehlert, the president of the Colorado Education Association, stood up for Adams 14 in a statement sent to CBS News Colorado regarding MGT:
"The court decision rendered this week reinforces what the Adams 14 School district already knew: its strength comes from its people – its parents, teachers, and community members – not from an anonymous for-profit corporation. Adams 14 community members who live and breathe its challenges each day are best equipped to provide the solutions. Community-led solutions that center the educators, parents, and trusted neighbors should always be the path we follow when district problems arise. Entrusting for-profit, outside entities to "fix" a school district is never the answer. Unfortunately, Colorado leadership repeatedly refused to listen to this community, and as a result it has lost money, time, and precious resources owed to these students.”