Claypool outlines steps to prevent another Byrd-Bennett scandal
Chicago Public Schools CEO Forrest Claypool on Tuesday outlined steps he has already taken and additional safeguards he plans to put in place to prevent a repeat of the contract kickback scandal that culminated in his predecessor's indictment.
Claypool's letter to 4th Ward Alderman Will Burns, the Emanuel ally who chairs the City Council's Education Committee, was released just minutes before Barbara Byrd-Bennett pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud, admitting her role in a scheme to get a 10 percent kickback - at least $2.3 million - on all CPS contracts she could steer to her former employer.
Claypool outlined safeguards CPS has already implemented or will continue to put in place in response to a "third-party review" of its sole-source contracting process conducted by Accenture, an independent consulting firm hired in June.
Those measures include establishing a policy that "distinguishes sole- and single-source procurements" and publishing both online in advance of Board of Education meetings to create "transparency" and "alert other possible vendors" before those contracts are awarded.