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Board approves consent agenda despite member's protest about consultant payments and procurement transparency
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Summary
During the consent agenda vote, Board Member Denise Garcia voted no and asked the board to disclose procurement and scope details for repeated consultant payments to Jacob Chavez and Zeke Oje, citing amounts and procurement thresholds; the consent agenda carried.
At the start of the consent agenda on April 8, Board Member Denise Garcia explained she would vote against approval because of continuing payments to outside consultants Jacob Chavez and Zeke Oje and what she described as a lack of procurement documentation.
Garcia said the board was being asked to approve separate payments of $9,875 to each consultant and cited cumulative amounts she reported: "Jacob Chavez, grand total that he has... received, $97,875. Zeke OJ grand total, $81,875." She also said that payments exceeding $10,000 in a school year require written quotes under the district's procurement thresholds and said she had asked privately and publicly for procurement rationale and received nothing.
During the vote, Garcia recorded a "nay" and used her time to explain those concerns; the chair called the roll and the consent agenda was approved and the motion carried.
Garcia asked that procurement records and the scope of work for the consultants be added to a future agenda item; the board agreed to take procurement and documentation requests under advisement for follow-up. No additional documentation was presented during the meeting.
The transcript shows differing spellings and some incomplete procurement details in public remarks; Garcia asked that the board provide the procurement and scope details at a subsequent meeting.
