Education A Washington Roundup

Audit Chides Leaders Council on Federal Procurement Rules

By David J. Hoff — August 08, 2006 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

The Education Leaders Council failed to follow federal procurement rules when it paid $17.5 million to technology companies working on a federal grant, the Department of Education’s inspector general concluded last month.

The ELC, which this year has renamed itself Following the Leaders and relocated from Washington to Springfield, Tenn., awarded the subcontracts to provide technology tools to help districts develop standards-based curricula without conducting a price analysis or competitive bidding, which federal rules require, the July 28 inspector general’s report says.

The inspector general recommended that the Education Department require the group to adopt the policies to comply with all of the department’s regulations. The organization agreed with the findings and said it has adopted policies to comply with the auditors’ findings.

In an earlier audit, the inspector general recommended that the department require the ELC to reimburse $495,326 of the $33 million in federal money it collected for its Follow the Leaders project. (“Audit Faults Spending by Leaders Council,” Feb. 15, 2006.)

A version of this article appeared in the August 09, 2006 edition of Education Week

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Assessment Webinar
Reflections on Evidence-Based Grading Practices: What We Learned for Next Year
Get real insights on evidence-based grading from K-12 leaders.
Content provided by Otus
Artificial Intelligence K-12 Essentials Forum How AI Use Is Expanding in K-12 Schools
Join this free virtual event to explore how AI technology is—and is not—improving K-12 teaching and learning.
Student Achievement K-12 Essentials Forum How to Build and Scale Effective K-12 State & District Tutoring Programs
Join this free virtual summit to learn from education leaders, policymakers, and industry experts on the topic of high-impact tutoring.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Education Briefly Stated: April 16, 2025
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read
Education Quiz ICYMI: Do You Know What 'High-Quality Curriculum' Really Means?
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read
Image of curricula.
iStock/Getty
Education Quiz ICYMI: Lawsuits Over Trump's Education Policies And More
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read
Image of money symbol, books, gavel, and scale of justice.
DigitalVision Vectors
Education Quiz ICYMI: Trump Moves to Shift Special Ed Oversight And More
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read
President Donald Trump signs an executive order on TikTok in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Washington.
President Donald Trump signs an executive order on TikTok in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Washington.
Evan Vucci/AP