Approve Amendment to the Consulting Agreement with Convergence Consulting Group, Dated May 21, 2008, for Modifications and Enhancements to the District’s Data Management System (Information and Technology Division)

On December 11, 2007, the School Board approved Convergence Consulting Group (CCG) to develop the Teacher Incentive Fund (TIF) Data Management System. The system is also an essential part of the Merit Award Program (MAP) and the foundation for the District's Data Warehouse capabilities. CCG consultants have worked hand-in-hand with our Information Services, Human Resources, and Assessment and Accountability departments to develop the TIF/MAP system to ensure we provide the calculations in a transparent, efficient, and accurate manner.

On April 15, 2008, the School Board approved a contract with CCG to provide further support and development of the TIF Data Management System for Year Two of the TIF grant. This amendment adds additional modifications and functionalities to address requirement changes identified during this past years TIF/MAP process. For example, all elementary courses (except Physical Education) were not scheduled last year and hence, had extensive custom development in order to facilitate TIF/MAP. This year elementary courses are scheduled and require different handling requirements, especially for gifted courses. The developed system can no longer be used for elementary teachers without modifications to address the changes in elementary course scheduling.

This Amendment provides the resources to add data sources beyond the TIF/MAP grant requirements and establishes the foundation for District’s Data Warehouse Applications.

The attached Amendment has been reviewed by the School Board attorney.

* Recruit, develop, and retain a highly effective, diverse workforce, * Align the performance management system with the district’s priorities, * Align financial resources to support the district’s strategic goals, * Demonstrate best financial practices

This Agreement represents up to $117,600 for consulting services. Funding for this project will be charged against the Information Services departmental budget. CCG services are provided on a time and materials basis. CCG is registered with our Office of Supplier Diversity and since they are a local company the district avoids travel or per diem expenses.

The Consulting Agreement with Convergence Consulting Group will be evaluated on the accuracy and timeliness of deliverables as outlined in the agreement. The Convergence Consulting Group performance is monitored daily by staff and reported weekly during the project status meetings with Human Resources, Information Services, and Assessment and Accountability personnel.