Beaufort County School District pays Panorama Education almost $500,000 for surveys and services

Parents Defending Education submitted a public records request to the Beaufort County School District seeking contracts and agreements that the district has with Panorama Education. PDE received a contract between the school district and Panorama Education with an effective date of July 10, 2021. The contract was for a total of three years extending through 2024 with an agreement that the district would pay $406,110. The agreement includes “student surveys,” “teacher/staff surveys,” “family surveys,” “community surveys,” “access to Panorama’s Playbook and library of SEL intervention strategies,” and a “Professional Learning Package.”

PDE also received a document titled “Service Order Amendment” that appears to show the district and Panorama Education modified the three-year contract to include more services for an additional $30,100. This amendment is dated August 14, 2023.

PDE additionally received a one-year contract between the school district and Panorama Education dated July 10, 2020. This contract was for $55,250 and included “Social-emotional learning Measures,” “Equity & Inclusion Measures,” “Distance Learning & Wellbeing Measures,” and “four customizable, virtual workshops focused on increasing staff’s knowledge and capacity of action planning with SEL data, implementing interventions, and promoting equity across Beaufort County School District.”

Panorama Education Inc. is an organization known for helping schools throughout the country survey the race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and gender identity of students in an effort to push “equity and inclusion” in school systems. The organization offers an “Equity and Inclusion Survey” to “help schools and districts track the progress of equity initiatives through the lens of students and staff, identify areas for celebration and improvement, inform professional development, and signal the importance of equity and inclusion to the community.”