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Consultant's Hiring Questioned

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By MARILYN BROWN, The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 26, 2007

TAMPA - First came a committee to advise Hillsborough County school officials on health issues.

Next, a local council was created to respond to the nationwide obesity epidemic.

Then, two years ago, a task force was set up to write a district wellness plan to comply with federal law.

Now, the district has hired a consultant for $54,000 to 'provide a wellness program for all students districtwide.'

No bid was advertised. No members of existing committees were contacted. The only medical doctor employed by the district said she was never asked whether a consultant - or new wellness plan - was needed.

'I tend not to get consulted on something like this - on hardly anything actually,' said Jonni Klapper, a pediatrician.

Even school board members, who rarely question such things, asked whether the expense was necessary.

'Are we going to reinvent the wheel?' asked April Griffin at last week's board meeting.

Jennifer Faliero noted the district already has a number of programs and committees related to wellness.

The consultant, Cindy Coney, will be paid $750 a day for 72 days to 'change the mindset of what wellness is all about,' Gwen Luney, the district's assistant superintendent for student services and federal programs told the board. 'We're trying to avoid some of the overlap.'

The decision to hire Coney was hers, Luney said. Coney, who worked as a teacher at Just Elementary School when Luney was principal more than a decade ago, recently sent her a resume, Luney said in an interview.

Luney said she took her request to hire Coney directly to Superintendent MaryEllen Elia, who recommended school board approval.

On Tuesday, Luney said no bid was required because Coney is 'kind of, sort of like the specialty in her field.' On Thursday, Luney said she interpreted that Coney qualified as an 'expert in field' because of her knowledge and experience.

Asked how she knew there was no one else who might qualify, Luney said, 'I'm just smart - I know things.'

District policy requires that expenditures of $25,000 or more must be advertised for bids, said Gretchen Saunders, the district's chief business officer. Even contracts of less than $3,000 require at least three quotes by phone.

Saunders said she questioned Luney about Coney's contract after it was approved by the board: 'She told me she was technically considered a sole provider,' an exception to the bidding rules.

Coney said she put together and made presentations at four locations on coordinated school health under two contracts for the state Department of Education and has been selected to be a trainer on school health for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. She said she hadn't worked on a school wellness plan with other districts.

'This is the first one I'm taking on of this caliber,' she said.

The Web site for her business, Monarch Training & Consulting, lists her as a 'nationally recognized speaker and educator with an extensive background in curriculum development and training.'

Ready To 'Sell' District On Health

Coney has a master's degree in educational leadership from the University of South Florida. She worked for the Mendez Foundation, which helps schools create drug and violence prevention curriculum, from 1980 to 2006, becoming executive director in 1986.

In April, Coney was paid $4,500 for a contract with Hillsborough to help write human growth and development curriculum and rewrite HIV/AIDS curriculum in elementary grades, Saunders said.

Coney said her role for Hillsborough will be to help decide whether the district wants to stick with its current wellness plan.

'Where we see it failing is marketing,' Coney said. 'I don't know anyone who could take a presentation out and ... 'sell' coordinated school health to the entire district and the whole community like I can.'

Hillsborough has at least three committees dealing with wellness issues, filled with doctors, nurses, teachers, administrators, parents, and business and community leaders.

Committee members said Wednesday that they were surprised and puzzled about the move.

'I'm totally confused,' said Jan Banker, a minister and mother of three children at Wilson Middle and Plant High schools. She serves on the School District Health Advisory Committee and the 31-member district wellness committee that developed a wellness policy submitted to the federal government in 2006.

The committee recommended daily recess for elementary students and a phased-in ban on sugary sodas. Board members approved a broad, general policy on student and employee health that 'encourages' coordinated health programs at all sites. Board members said money prevented them from banning sodas and hiring more physical education teachers.

The district's 12-year, $12 million contract with Pepsi Bottling Group is expected to generate $50 million for the district.

'I don't understand what the role of a consultant would be unless it would be to convince the board to adopt our plan,' Banker said.

A 'Gut Feeling' It Will Pay Off

Coney said Wednesday that educating parents on healthy eating and creating a walking club for teachers after school are examples of how wellness can be improved without spending money.

'My gut feeling is that the district will end up with more money than they're paying me when we're finished,' Coney said. As far as tackling more recess, sodas and snacks, Coney said, 'I don't know if we'll be addressing that or not.'

Mary Kate Harrison, who heads the district's student nutrition services, led the wellness committee that came up with the district's plan. As of Wednesday afternoon, she had not been told about the consultant, she said.

'I have not heard one word,' Harrison said. 'Two years ago we recommended a full-time person to coordinate all this, but that was not accepted.'

Luney said she didn't see a need to advise any of the committee members who had worked on wellness issues.

'I was just trying to move something that appears to be stagnant,' she said this week. 'I did not mean to offend anyone.'

Board member Candy Olson, who had questioned the need to hire a consultant last week, said Wednesday Coney is 'a motivational person. She could put some meat on the bones of this plan.'
Faliero still had questions Thursday.

'I'm still not convinced this is going to give us the results we need - if we need to change anything,' Faliero said. 'I don't know if we have a flight plan of where we are going.'
Faliero said she has been notified to attend a meeting of a new district wellness committee from 2 to 5 p.m. Nov. 9.

Luney said Thursday that there is not a designated committee to work with Coney.

'We were just sending out some feelers,' Luney said. 'There is no set agenda, no set number of people. This is a conglomerate. It's just a suggested date.'

Reporter Marilyn Brown can be reached at (813) 259-8069 or mbrown@tampatrib.com.

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