Milwaukee Public Schools contracts for $292,000 with consulting firm which features CRT based leadership training in critical race theory; also contracts with Second Step for over $600,000

Incidents


Milwaukee Public Schools contracted with Pacific Educational Group, INC. for $292,750 from Feb 1, 2021, through June 20, 2022. According to the documents, the Group is responsible for training district principals in the organization’s program titled Courageous Conversations. The “Virtual” sessions focus on introducing LEADS to the framework and other parts of the Group’s program.

Per the “Description of Services and the Specifications” in the contract, one session titled “Virtual Leads 2” centers on “Using Critical Race Theory to Transform Leadership and The Organization.” The document explains that the seminar “further examines the impact of race in schooling and introduces Critical Race Theory (CRT) – its importance, relevance, and application as an analytical tool for understanding race and the educational disparities resulting from systemic racism. CRT is established as a theoretical and requisite knowledge base in ‘Framework’ for systemic equity transformation.”

The third seminar instructs district staff to “review leaders’ understanding of critical race theory and begin a process of applying it a as a tool for analyzing personal, professional, and organizational manifestations of systemic racism in their lives.

The professional development programming states in the “Key Concepts Explored in DELT Seminar Series” section that participants will develop “proficiency with the PEG Framework (Courageous Conversation Protocol, critical race theory tenets, systems thinking tools, and adaptive leadership principles) in all aspects of executive cabinet leadership functions.”

Under “Key Components of a Systemic Equity Transformation Plan,” the organization defines “Equity beliefs” as a “concise expression of the District’s fundamental values, deep convictions, non-negotiable ethical principles, and moral imperatives that provide the impetus for and guide the implementation of transformational change for racial equity.”

Pacific Educational Group states that one of their goals is to “teach hundreds of thousands of educators how to think strategically, recognize patterns, and anticipate equity problems and opportunities before they occur.”

Pacific Educational Group INC.

  • 02/01/2021: $158,100
  • 10/18/2021: $134,650

Milwaukee Public Schools also contracted with the social emotional learning programming Second Step. In October of 2021, the district agreed to a five-year contract with Committee For Children, the company that administers Second Step, for $663,241.50.

The district noted that $397,944.90 of that sum will come from its ESSER III Funds.

Second Step Contracts

  • 12/22/2016: $525,000
  • 10/20/2021: $663,241.50 (Jan 1, 2022 – Dec 31, 2026) [ESSER III Funds – $397,944.90]