Waukegan board delays renewal of $90,000 safety consultant agreement amid concerns about redundancy and cost

Waukegan CUSD 60 trustees on the Operational Services Committee on April 15 paused consideration of a proposed renewal of the district’s safety and security consultant agreement with RJ Harris and Associates, citing concerns about overlapping duties, contract cost and limited documentation of outcomes.

The committee requested detailed evidence of the consultant’s work and cost savings before voting. "I can't support it. It's redundancy," board member Miss Hannah said during the discussion, adding that the funds might be better used to hire additional safety officers. Board members also asked for a clearer breakdown of past trainings, audits and liaison work the firm has delivered.

The renewal under discussion would continue a fixed-price scope of work that includes professional development, building vulnerability audits, coaching and liaison activities. Staff said the contract as proposed would total roughly $90,000 for the period if approved and was presented as a continuation of services first contracted in the 2022–23 school year. Deputy Moten described the renewal as “in response to things that we've seen recently in the district, as well as an uptick,” and said the scope extends beyond the safety department to include coaching and liaison work.

Director Wilson explained the consultant's role in establishing a scope-and-sequence for safety officer professional development and noted audits and continued building walkthroughs. "RJ Harris has helped with scope and sequence of professional development for our safety team," Wilson said, pointing to training delivered at the start of the school year and ongoing in-service work.

Board members pressed staff for more specific evidence of value: which schools received audits, the number of training hours delivered, which staff groups were trained and any realized cost savings tied to the consultant’s recommendations. Several trustees suggested parts of the consultant’s work — for example, soft-skills training and some HR-related organizational work — might be handled internally by district departments.

Staff confirmed Chief Wallace, identified in meeting discussion as a former police chief, is part of the RJ Harris team and would be among those compensated under the proposed agreement. The committee also discussed whether some consultant tasks should be scaled districtwide instead of targeted only to safety staff.

Rather than take action, the committee directed staff to return at the next full board meeting with supporting documentation: a scope-and-sequence of training delivered, a list of audits and their status, baseline hours or a summary of engagement frequency, and any cost-savings or measurable outcomes linked to the consulting work. The item will be reintroduced for action after the board reviews that supplemental material.

The committee did not vote on the contract renewal at the April 15 meeting; members said they want more data and clearer justification before a decision.

The item was informational at the committee meeting and staff said they will provide the requested documentation and cost-analysis at the next board meeting.