Pa. education aide urges probe of Ackerman contract award
Acting Education Secretary Thomas Gluck wants the state auditor general to investigate Superintendent Arlene Ackerman's decision to award a minority-owned firm a $7.5 million emergency contract to install security cameras in 19 schools after district officials failed to provide information he requested.
The district was given nearly two weeks to explain how Mount Airy-based IBS Communication got the job, how the district cancels contracts and how the project was funded.
In his letter to the Bureau of School Audits sent yesterday, Gluck said the district's report failed to show how the project was considered an "emergency."
"These unexplained items in the District's report suggest that this matter should be examined more closely, and in a way that is beyond the resources of the Department of Education," he said.
District spokeswoman Shana Kemp declined to comment, citing an ongoing internal investigation.