The State Auditor’s Office will review the process by which the Department of Education awarded a contact to Indianapolis-based Cities for Education Entrepreneurship Trust (CEE-Trust) for it to develop a plan by which the Kansas City Public School District could be retooled.
CEE-Trust was awarded a $385,000 contract over three companies whose bids were substantially lower. Education Commissioner Chris Nicastro says the company’s bid described the approach most favored by the Education Department.
E-mails show Department officials favored CEE-Trust before the process went to bid, even suggesting assigning the task to that company through a memorandum of understanding before the State Board of Education rejected the idea.
Some state lawmaker have since called Nicastro and the process used to select CEE-Trust “untrustworthy,” and have called for the Commissioner’s job.
In a statement the Auditor’s Office says it, “previously requested information from the DESE in December and based upon the reply and documentation furnished by the DESE have determined that a limited review and analysis is warranted.”
