Item Coversheet

Board of Education Meeting Date:  8/13/2020

Action under consideration

 The Administration recommends that the Board of Education authorize The School District of Philadelphia, through the Superintendent or his designee, to execute and perform a contract, subject to funding, as follows: 

 With:
KJR Consulting 

 Purpose: 
To provide managerial and staff support training to improve the ability of the District to achieve goals and objectives with special emphasis on equity and antiracism
 Start date: 8/23/2020

 End date: 6/30/2021
 Compensation not to exceed: $700,000 
 Location: 
Administrative Office(s) 

 Description:

The purpose of this action item is to provide central office staff continued professional development to improve management and organizational skills.  Proficiency in these skills are critical for District staff to manage staff and resources and to coordinate activities across a complex organization in order to achieve Anchor goals.  In addition, their services will include a training series focused on developing antiracist leaders at the District and change management support for senior leaders as they adjust/adapt their teams to new constraints and demands.


The contract is for an amount not to exceed $700,000 and is split into three categories as outlined below.


Antiracist Leadership Series - $150,000

The District’s Executive Team, which consists of 110 top district administrators, will go through a series of large group briefings (5 total) and smaller group training sessions (up to 20) throughout the SY20-21 academic year that will build awareness, urgency, and capacity for antiracist leadership in the District.  This series will be aligned with and augment the work of the SDP Equity Coalition that will be promoting antiracism across the entire District.


Central Office Professional Development - $350,000

This portion of the contract will continue to provide all central office staff (approximately 700 employees) with access to training sessions on a range of topics designed to improve employee productivity including project management, supervisory skills, customer service essentials, and MS Office/Google Suite.  A mix of full-day and half-day sessions (up to 68) are proposed with up to 30 attendees in each.  Specific sessions will be run based on District need and attendee interest.  KJR has provided these training offerings to central office staff for the past 2 years and they have been well-attended and received high marks from attendees.


Change Management Support - $200,000

This portion of the contract provides consulting, coaching, and facilitation services to Chiefs and department leaders as they implement organizational and process changes to adapt to changing conditions (e.g., COVID-19 effects), improvement recommendations (e.g., curriculum audit), and performance expectations (e.g., Board goals).  In the previous year, KJR has provided change management support to the Chief of Academic Supports and her team which we hope to continue into this academic year.  This portion of the contract also allows similar change management support to be provided to other Chiefs, if necessary.



 Anchor Goal(s) Supported:    

 Funding Source(s): 
FY20-21 Categorical

 Office Originating Request: Board of Education