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Board delays Think Together after‑school award, asks for bidding details
Summary
Board members asked for vendor proposals, scoring rubrics and price comparisons before approving a $2.4 million after‑school contract award; staff said they will return April 15 with additional procurement details and parallel contract negotiations.
Public comment questioned why competing bids and dollar amounts were not provided with the RFP materials and whether Think Together staff would use NUSD logins or have access to student academic records. Cindy Parks asked why the agenda showed the contractor list without prices and why a $2.4 million program would be approved with the contract “to follow.”
Assistant Superintendent Karen Allard described a formal evaluation process: 16 proposals were received, four eliminated for missing required materials, twelve scored using a rubric and four finalists advanced after reference checks. Staff recommended continuing the partnership with Think Together but acknowledged the contract language in the vendor proposal required additional negotiation and that the contract would be returned to the board at a future meeting.
Board members called for transparency. Member Hill said procurement is public money and requested the full RFP, scoring rubric, vendor list and price comparisons before a vote. Staff agreed to bring the requested materials and recommended tabling final approval until the April 15 meeting. Member Block and others urged parallel contract negotiations so the board could review both evaluation and proposed contract in one meeting.
Outcome: The board agreed to delay final action on the Think Together award and requested staff return with bid prices, scoring documentation and proposed contract language on April 15 so the board can consider award and contract terms together.
