Board accepts EV bus project manager RFP; trustees ask for contractor terms and note prior relationship
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Summary
The board accepted the EV bus project management RFP; trustees asked staff to share grant terms and the RFP award letter after concerns were raised about a prior relationship between the superintendent and one of the firms that helped apply for the grant.
On March 20 the Lansing Public School District Board of Education voted to accept the recommended vendor in the EV bus project management RFP.
The motion was moved by Doctor Kavanaugh and seconded by Trustee Boyer. After discussion and a brief recess the board resumed and approved the RFP recommendation; the transcript recorded the final vote as 7-0.
Trustees asked for additional documentation. Trustee Williams requested the grant terms and agreements to ensure there were no conflicts of interest because the firm that helped write the grant (Greenlink Education) also applied to be project manager. Christina (facilities/operations staff) said the grant award letter could be provided to trustees and that the grant funds are awarded to the district, not the vendor. Trustee Boyer also asked for a corrected project timeline and for details on stakeholder coordination. Christina said the district and compliance teams have been doing much of the work while the vendor contract had not yet been executed, and that regular cadence meetings and minutes would be used to coordinate stakeholders including Dean Transportation and Board of Water & Light.
A longer line of questioning focused on a prior professional connection between the superintendent and a founder/owner of the recommended firm. The superintendent acknowledged the history and said she had recused herself from procurement-level decisions; she and board leaders described that the district had previously disclosed the relationship when the firm was first brought to the district several years ago. The superintendent told the board she had been "very clear...about my relationship to any contract" and said she was hurt by how the matter was discussed in public at that meeting. She paused her superintendent update after those remarks.
Staff committed to provide the grant award letter, the recommended vendor's contract terms, and updated timelines to the board after the meeting.