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Lawmakers press AOE on APA consultant spending and procurement review
Summary
Committee members questioned the value and procurement path of the APA consultant contract used for CTE analysis and data work; AOE said APA helped build agency capacity and that the auditor had previously reviewed and approved the agency's process.
Several committee members pressed the Agency of Education about its contract with APA, a national education-finance consultant that has supported CTE analysis, ESSER return-on-investment work and data reporting capacity.
A committee member noted the APA contract (2023 through July 2025) totaled $823,450 and asked how much would be spent through the contract's wind-down on Feb. 15; he estimated remaining costs could approach $1,000,000. AOE staff said APA provided substantial analytic support on the CTE system, ESSER spending analysis and helped the agency build data-reporting and modeling capacity. The AOE described APA's work as instrumental in developing the statewide CTE profile and in advising on funding-formula options.
A senator asked whether additional APA work had been competitively bid after the original contract; Campbell said the agency had received questions from the auditor six months earlier, responded, and the auditor approved the agency's process. The committee sought clarity on whether a waiver or further procurement steps were required; AOE said it would follow up and that the contract is winding down because the federal funding that supported parts of the work is ending.
Lawmakers asked AOE to provide the committees with records of APA spending to date, projected remaining spend through Feb. 15, and a clear list of deliverables from the consultant work that will inform the final legislative proposals for CTE and education funding.
