Parents Defending Education submitted a public records request to Livingston Public Schools seeking contracts and invoices that the school district had with organizations and individuals promoting equity initiatives. One contract PDE obtained was with the organization “Equity, Excellence, Education Inc.” for an equity audit. The agreement was for $95,960. The agreement also stated that the district’s board approved the equity audit on April 25, 2023.
An “Equity Audit Proposal” was attached with the agreement that was dated March 14, 2023. The equity audit will include focus groups, meetings, surveys, and “ongoing coaching and support as needed.” A goal of the equity audit is to “identify patterns of racial inequity” and “prioritize critical frameworks to examine and reshape the school curriculum.”
PDE also received additional invoices that appear to be for parts of the equity audit already being carried out. On June 6, 2023, the organization billed the school district $42,080 for “monthly planning meetings,” “survey distribution and analysis,” “protocol development,” and “site visits.” On July 6, 2023, the school district was billed $20,100 for “monthly planning meetings” and “stakeholder focus groups.” Also dated on July 6, 2023, the school district was billed $27,700 for “monthly planning meetings,” “review of existing data,” and “qualitative data analysis.”
