At first, I thought that perhaps they were going to bid contracts that were not actually “sole/single source”, but then I saw that the new plan unfold. It seems odd since Diane Rodriguez has been involved in the district, more controversial items end up approved at a Schurz meeting where attendance is generally low.

The reality is the funds that were approved as a whole for the AB495 is always destined to have some controversy. It is a lot of money that had very little input from the public due to the timeline. That does not mean that discussions shouldn’t occur.

When I add up the amount of consulting that is the AB495 grant and Title 1003(b), I come up with almost 1.5 million dollars in consulting costs. Diane is $234,000 of that. When does consulting become a call to action. More importantly, when do too many consultants become so much static that they cancel themselves out?

You have four consultants that are providing opinions on how a district should operate. That is a lot of conflicting ideas to work through, and a whole lot of money. To augment that, also have a contract for $234,000 to someone that is marginally qualified at best to provide any guidance at all. If $234,000 in generic financial advice is needed, they would be best served by accepting bids and seeing if they can locate a CPA, or other highly qualified company, or person to do the work.

I am sure most people still remember that the Schurz meeting is how everyone got stuck with a payroll clerk that has not improved a single thing. W-2s are still late, stipends are likely still paid late, and now benefits payments are not even getting made timely. The fact that benefit payments have been delinquent more than once alone is an indication that Diane’s underhanded tactics to pad the pockets of herself and others shows no real benefit.