District seeks successor agreement with Medicaid-claims consultant; board told evergreen clause removed

The district’s finance staff told trustees on Sept. 8 they had negotiated a successor agreement with Public Consulting Group (PCG), the longstanding Medicaid‑claims consultant, to replace an older contract that included an evergreen renewal clause. Finance Director Ben Penn said PCG has been the district’s Medicaid‑recovery consultant for about 15 years and also serves as a state consultant; the revisions remove the automatic-renewal (evergreen) term and replace it with a three‑year term and optional one‑year extensions. Penn said the arrangement keeps current pricing for the short term and will give the district the opportunity to test the market at the end of the term. Penn said PCG’s work includes a software platform and consulting services to assemble student and staff time records, prepare claims and support state audits and reimbursements. Board members asked whether Medicaid work could be brought in‑house and about data protections; Penn said the process is complex, only a few vendors operate at scale, and he would confirm the extent of student data handled by the vendor and report back prior to the contract approval. The board indicated tentative support for placing the successor contract on consent if staff can provide further information about student data protections and the scope of services. There was no final contract vote during the work session.