Portland ad hoc committee moves to launch districtwide equity audit, sets RFP process

Vice Chair Mickey Bondo will lead an ad hoc committee charged with selecting an external firm to conduct a districtwide equity audit for the Portland Maine Board of Education, committee members said at the group's first meeting on Jan. 16, 2026.

The committee — consisting of Sarah Bryden, Fatuma Noor and Mickey Bondo — unanimously elected Bondo as chair after a nomination from Sarah Bryden. Bondo said the group's primary goal is to "identify and hire an external company or firm to complete a district wide investigation of equity practices" and to produce an actionable roadmap for district policy and practice changes.

Members focused the conversation on defining the scope and measurable goals the audit must meet. Sarah Bryden said the resolution requires the chosen firm to "help us understand where we're utilizing best practices and where we're not" and to provide comparative data with other districts and institutions. Board member Fatuma Noor added she wants a vendor who will "not only report on what's wrong, but also... help navigate... what to do next," including practical guidance on implementation.

Committee members emphasized methodology and cultural competency as selection criteria. Bondo said he wants clarity about whether a firm will use district data, conduct interviews, or both and stressed that the firm should have a "track record of working with diversity" and be able to deliver "actionable" recommendations spanning human resources, discipline and reporting systems.

The superintendent (unnamed in the transcript) and staff committed to supporting the committee's RFP development and procurement steps. The superintendent explained staff roles for RFP drafting and scoring, saying finance would "join and walk the committee through the RFP process, including support with the development of the scope" and noting that proposals are subject to public-record rules. As the superintendent put it, "they're all subject to FOIA." The superintendent recommended including a staff member named Lisa in the next meeting to provide contracting and procurement guidance.

Members asked practical questions about procurement and budget. When Sarah Bryden asked whether the district posts a budget range in the RFP or invites vendor cost proposals, the superintendent said both approaches have been used and that cost is typically part of the scoring process. The committee did not set a budget or final timeline during the meeting.

For next steps, members agreed to prepare individual "wish lists" describing the scope and desired outcomes for the RFP, circulate those drafts by midweek, and reconvene — in a meeting they described as "next Friday" — to consolidate the scope and identify who will finalize the RFP language. Bondo said he will draft a living document with committee members' ideas and that staff will support the legal and contracting work needed to convert the scope into an RFP.

Votes at a glance: - Nomination and election of Mickey Bondo as committee chair: Moved by Sarah Bryden; accepted by Mickey Bondo; unanimous vote in favor (all present recorded as yes). - Motion to adjourn: Moved by Mickey Bondo; unanimous vote in favor.

What happens next: Committee members will exchange individual scope wish lists by midweek, with a follow-up meeting next Friday to develop and refine the RFP scope and to work with staff on procurement and contract language.

Quotes used in this article come directly from the committee's Jan. 16, 2026 meeting transcript; all attributions match speakers as named or described in the transcript.