Part of our mission at UrbEd is to bridge the gap between the public and the Board of Education. The best way to do that is to make what they do accessible. As Deputy Director of Policy, Data, and Research, I write internal briefs explaining what the Board will do before every action meeting. Those briefs are, then, turned into social media-friendly posts. To go a step further in making the Board’s work accessible, we’ll be publishing articles—like this one—detailing information about what the Board voted on every month.
Things to Note
Recently, the City Council confirmed Lisa Salley, Reginald Streater, and Cecelia Thompson to be members of the Board of Education. The February 25th action meeting was the first that they participated in. The Board's agenda for that meeting consists mostly of contractual business related to construction services. One highlight is that the Board considered extending a contract with an asbestos waste disposal company.
Also noteworthy is that the District has begun building partnerships with health care providers to ensure access to COVID-19 testing and vaccinations for students and staff.
Action Items in Plain English
Last month, the Board considered the following:
Accepting a $132,000 donation from Assistech Systems, Inc. for a web-based curriculum and services for students with disabilities.
Approving personnel hires.
Approving pending personnel terminations.
Approving recommended terminations of professional employees. (Principals, assistant principals, and the like are considered professional employees).
Approving retirements and resignations.
Starting a contract with Kelly Educational Staffing for their substitute teaching staff services, and to pay them no more than $29,000,000 for their services.
Authorizing the District to allow TE Construction Services, LLC., GEM Mechanical Services, Inc., and Paramount Electrical Service, LLC. to perform their respective construction services at the Hamilton School, and to allocate the District $2,023,000 to compensate those construction companies.
Giving the District $4,900,000 to pay contracted furniture providers for furnishing the new Elementary School on Ryan Ave.
Amending a contract with several construction services so they can be paid an additional $8,000,000 for their work in removing asbestos from District schools.
Paying David Geppert Recycling, Inc. an additional $75,000 for managing the disposal of asbestos waste and to extend the contract for their services to the end of 2022.
Extending a contract with Parsons Environmental and Infrastructure Group Inc. for their oversight of the District’s construction projects and infrastructural safety, and to compensate them an additional $1,574,584.
Allocating the District $497,567 for construction-related order changes, to be used on an as-needed basis.
Starting a contract with Tozour Automation for their ventilation services in several schools, and to pay them no more than $80,000.
Extending a contract with several pest control companies for regular pest inspections.
Starting a contract with the Philadelphia Youth Network for their college preparatory programs, and to pay them $293,370.
Action item 16 was withdrawn on February 4th.
Accepting $600,000,000 in pandemic emergency funding from the Pennsylvania Department of Education.
Starting a contract with Accenture LLP for their support in setting up and managing COVID-19 testing systems and other COVID-19 related planning.
Approving a memorandum of understanding with Wellness Coaches USA to affirm their partnership in providing their COVID-19 testing services.
Approving a memorandum of understanding with Dentrust P.C. to affirm their partnership in providing their COVID-19 testing services and managing mobile sites for testing.
Approving a memorandum of understanding with the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia to affirm their partnership in providing COVID-19 testing services and providing necessary testing materials.
Approving a second memorandum of understanding with the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia to affirm their partnership in providing COVID-19 vaccinations for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, charter schools, and private schools.
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