SARASOTA, Fla. — There were some tense moments inside the Sarasota School Board meeting, this time over concerns that the school board wants to hire a consultancy group linked to the now Christian-conservative, Hillsdale College.
The discussion and vote on whether to hire the Michigan-based consultancy group Vermilion Education was scheduled to happen at the meeting but board members decided to set aside any vote or action until the April 18 meeting.
The change in plan happened during the workshop Tuesday afternoon. The matter brought a heated debate over sunshine-related procedures and not making the contract available to the public on time before presenting it as an agenda item.
The consultant, Vermilion, was first introduced at the meeting just two weeks ago on March 21 with a contract draft already in waiting.
Several members of the public spoke out against the plan. Many of them raised issues with the manner Vermilion was introduced without an open bid or public vetting process.
According to the two consultation service contracts, Vermilion, a company founded just three months ago, would conduct a district improvement study and a wide range of board services. Some of those services included in the initial contract stated that Vermilion would sit in on teacher interviews and review district policies and procedures. Vermilion will also review and recommend teacher lesson plans, instructional textbooks and library books among other things.
According to the documents, the Board Services contract would cost more than $5,000 per month.
Vermilion's owner, Jordan Adams, was video conferenced into the meeting, an issue one of the board members who opposed the plan pointed out was not included in the public notice.
Adams, a curriculum and civic education specialist, is a graduate of Hillsdale College and was also a one-time associate director of instructional resources at the college. He informed the board that the district improvement study would cost nearly $30,000 over an estimated three months period.
More than 80 members of the public spoke against introducing Vermilion into Sarasota Schools. They highlighted the lack of transparency in the process, questioned the need for a consultant for the school district and called out Adams' inexperience to provide the services his website touts.
"He does not have any year of experience in public education, so I don't know how he has any qualifications to come and tell us what we're doing wrong," Christy Karwaat of Sarasota said.
Karwaat has been a teacher with Sarasota Schools for nearly four decades.
"It's a shame teachers can't speak out, they have to support their families and they're afraid of repercussions if they do speak out," she said.
"They're trying to destroy public education. They're trying to have a very limited ideology, limit academic freedom, ban books, ban curricula and terrorize teachers. It's all very appalling," Robin Taub Williams, a member of Support Our Schools, said.
"It's just one thing after another and this board is showing us. We've reached out and for us to work together and concentrate on what's important. What's important here is education for our children. Let's concentrate on getting our children the best education," Lisa Schurr, co-founder of Support Our Schools, said.
There is also a petition with nearly 1,000 signatures from the public against the contract.
The board will now make all the related documents available to the public on its website with the requested amendments.
They will then revisit their discussion again on April 18 and determine an action.