Superintendent Joe Gothard is shrugging off criticism over the membership of an external review team digging into overspending on St. Paul Public Schools facilities.

The Pioneer Press reported in May that expected costs for 18 building renovations had grown by $179 million in just two years and that district officials failed to line up appropriate funding.

In response, Gothard put project planning on hold and called for a group of experts to review what went wrong and recommend changes in facilities management. Their report is due in October.

Critics charge, however, that the cohort has too many ties to the district and is not sufficiently diverse to produce a fair assessment of the district’s failings.

City councilmember Jane Prince last week encouraged Gothard to add women and people of color to the all-male, all-white team of experts.

“My experience is that a diverse and representative committee with deep experience can help to build taxpayer confidence in the process you are now undertaking,” she wrote.

The team having no female members is notable because three former female co-workers have complained publicly that Facilities Director Tom Parent treated them unfairly.

A budget advisory committee in March called for an independent audit of facilities budgets and contracting. Joe Nathan, who served on that committee, says the current review team lacks independence.

Reviewers include Steve Torgrimson, former director of business finance for Minneapolis Public Schools, who had offered to consult for St. Paul after retiring in 2017. Parent, who oversees the St. Paul district’s facilities master plan, gave him a consulting contract in April.

Also on the group is Kelly Smith of Baker Tilly, who advises the district on how to borrow money for school construction. Smith has a financial interest in the district moving forward with the facilities plan, Nathan said.

“We think that the people of the city … deserve a full and comprehensive review, which we don’t think we’re going to get with this committee,” Nathan said.

In advocating for additional members, Nathan passed along the name of a Minnesota Department of Education employee at the recommendation of Education Secretary Mary Cathryn Ricker.

BOARD WEIGHS IN

The school board discussed concerns about the review team’s composition at its Aug. 7 meeting.

“I’m just fearful of, if those questions are circulating around, we don’t want anything to question the validity of the findings they would make,” school board member John Brodrick said.

Other board members dismissed the concerns.

Jon Schumacher said what’s important to him is that the group members have the appropriate experience to give good advice.

Cedrick Baker, the superintendent’s chief of staff, is the only staff member on the review team. He said they aren’t relying only on their own expertise but have interviewed a range of staffers in the facilities, finance and other departments.

“We believe that we have really talented people with expertise and experience,” he said.

An early finding of the group is that the district needs a shared project tracking system so that facilities and business office personnel can monitor costs as they develop.

Gothard said on Aug. 7 that to change the review team’s membership now would change their “charge and purpose.”

As for their independence, Gothard said he thinks there’s “enough space” between the members and the district, and he noted they’re casting a wide net to collect information.

“Right now, I feel like we have it covered,” he said. Related Articles St. Paul district to wait on reopening schools, citing lack of staff

St. Paul schools superintendent gets high marks, but board wants progress on equity, enrollment, student achievement

St. Paul district reports enrollment drop as pandemic moves school online

Distance learning deal with St. Paul teachers calls for ‘regular’ — not necessarily daily — live teaching

St. Paul City Council debates halting charter school bond requests for six months

He said Tuesday that his thinking has not changed.

CONSULTANT ADDED

In addition to the local members, the district last month hired the Dallas-based engineering firm Jacobs to its review team.

“Jacobs has assigned a team of experts to the (facilities master plan) External Review to ensure their vast experience will provide the District with invaluable insights on how similar-sized districts around the country manage their capital projects,” the district said.

Their 12-week, $157,514 contract calls for a review of the district’s business processes, including design, bidding and construction; project controls; and the abilities of district staffers to execute the facilities plan.

A final report with findings and recommendations will be presented to the school board.