LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY) -- Concerns about Lafayette Parish School System's vetting process in contracting strategic planning firm Civic Solutions Group arose with controversy over the firm's suggestion to close several schools. Here are more details on how CSG got the job.
Upon further investigation, and according to previous reports by The Advocate, the Lafayette Parish School System has spent at least seven months reviewing bids from three strategic planning firms before deciding to contract CSG.
In a "Long Range Planning/ Facilities Committee Meeting" held in February, board members and philanthropic partners discussed bringing in a strategic planning firm.
Since those discussions, three strategic planning firms lodged their bids for the job: Lafayette-based strategic planner Louisiana Education Policy Institute, Texas-based Steady State Impact, and Civic Solutions Group, a multi-state-based group.
A suggestion of assigning steady State Impact was made during the initial meeting with Superintendent Francis Touchet requesting information on them be provided to all board members.
With a need to help manage a $38 million budget challenge, board members unanimously voted on Superintendent Touchet's approval to contract a comprehensive strategic facilities planner to study student enrollment and capacity at all schools during a March school board meeting.
The selected strategic planner would conduct an optimization study and make recommendations based on their findings.
Louisiana Education Policy Institute services would include data gathering and analysis, strategic planning, curriculum stakeholder engagement, and strategic planning, costing $150,000-$200,000.
Steady State Impact Strategies services include infrastructure support, resource allocation, and a 5-year and 10-year plan, costing $157,500.
After interviewing prospective planning firms, Civic Solutions Group was selected based on its expansive education analysis and services that include strategic planning and curriculum stakeholder engagement.
This is a developing story.
