MPS board to review contract with Gerard Randall’s nonprofit, which has received more than $1 million from the district

Two Milwaukee School Board members are calling for a review into the conduct of Gerard Randall’s nonprofit organization, saying it's unclear what work it has done with MPS funds.

Randall, first vice chair of the Republican Party of Wisconsin, helped land the 2024 Republican National Convention for Milwaukee.

In past decades, Randall was a center of controversy in Milwaukee, accused of mismanaging major government contracts. Since 2012, Randall has sailed through the years collecting a salary as high as $134,000 from his nonprofit, the Milwaukee Education Partnership — thanks in part to contracts with Milwaukee Public Schools.

That was, until a new school board member, Missy Zombor, took a closer look. She noticed the language on Randall's contracts was vague, with deliverables that were hard to measure. His organization's website was outdated, and the phone number was disconnected.

Further, state and local officials named on Randall's board of directors have said they were not the board — a finding first reported by Wisconsin Public Radio. Other organizations Randall called partners say they have cut ties.

Now, Zombor and board member Henry Leonard are co-sponsoring a resolution, scheduled for public discussion Thursday, that asks the district’s accountability office to review whether Randall's organization violated a contractual code of conduct by falsely claiming people were on its board.

Randall hasn’t replied to interview requests. A spokesperson for MPS said the district had no comment.

Here's what we know about Randall's organization.

Milwaukee School Board members call for closer look

If the board passes the resolution from Zombor and Leonard, it will hold off on considering any further contracts with the Milwaukee Education Partnership (MEP), until a review is completed by the Office of Accountability and Efficiency.

"I think the board needs an opportunity to discuss what we do know about the partnership and decide, as a board, if we want to end that relationship," Zombor said.

School board members had been scheduled to consider extending Randall's contract in September. That's been delayed indefinitely as board members have raised questions.

In October, Leonard, who serves as the board's delegate to MEP, told the school board he had talked with Randall, and Randall was willing to come speak at a school board meeting the following month.

As of Wednesday, Leonard said there weren't any plans for Randall to speak with the board. If MPS were to continue working with MEP, Leonard said, there would need to be a real board of directors and an understanding of what work the organization is doing. He's not optimistic.

“I’m thinking we’re going to have to cut ties here,” Leonard said. “There’s a total lack of credibility and trust there.”

Other school board members agree they need more information about how Randall has been spending the district’s funds.

"At this point, we need the research to be done, and we’ll make the appropriate decision," said Marva Herndon, president of the Milwaukee School Board.

Jilly Gokalgandhi, vice president of the board, said she couldn't "see a pathway forward ... if work wasn't done, and public dollars were used to fund it."

How did Gerard Randall land contracts with MPS?

When Randall came knocking at MPS in 2012, his track record was spotty. In previous roles, he had been forced out of contracts by both former mayor Tom Barrett and former county executive Scott Walker. There had been numerous concerns about his fidelity in managing contracts.

But Randall didn't come to MPS empty handed. Randall was reviving a dormant organization, the Milwaukee Partnership Academy, which seemed to carry a good reputation when it was more active in the early 2000s. It had formed as a coalition of school and business leaders focused on the teaching workforce and literacy; Randall had been considered a core member.

Randall asked the Milwaukee School Board for $100,000 for the organization in 2012, committing to supporting MPS "in efforts to enhance the quality of teaching and learning." The Journal Sentinel reported Randall was the "lone man" behind the organization, though he had many "volunteer partners," from the UW-Milwaukee chancellor to the president of the Milwaukee teachers union.

School board members approved it, and they have continued to approve near-annual no-bid contracts with Randall's organization adding up to over $1.2 million. The Journal Sentinel has requested invoices to see how much of that $1.2 million has been paid.

Randall incorporated his organization in 2013 as the Milwaukee Education Partnership, and gained tax-exempt status as a nonprofit in 2017.

What has the Milwaukee Education Partnership done for MPS?

Last year, Randall landed two contracts with MPS. The first, a continuation of prior contracts, allowed for $75,000 to go to Randall's group to "enhance the quality of teaching and learning" at MPS. The other contract introduced something new: MPS would pay Randall's organization $6,417 for each intern the group recruited to its Milwaukee Connects program.

Milwaukee Connects, intending to bring graduates of historically black colleges and universities to Milwaukee, planned to provide 10 graduates with "paid internships, course credit, professional mentoring, housing, and transportation." In August, MEP posted a YouTube video of Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson promoting the Milwaukee Connects program. Johnson told the Journal Sentinel he didn't recall the video.

The contract was in effect from October 2022 through September 2023. It's not clear that any interns were recruited.

In a report for the school board this October, Randall said four members of the Leading Men Fellows program had enrolled for the Connects program, and MEP would pay for six course credits for each of them while they pursue teacher certification. He also said Tuskegee University had identified a student for a Connects internship this spring.

As of Wednesday, Leonard said Randall had recruited only one student for Connects, which was to begin this upcoming January, so Randall was asking for an extension to recruit more students for a later start time. Leonard said Randall said he would return money for any unfilled spots.

Also on the October report, Randall said he co-sponsored the annual HBCU College Fair on Oct. 7 at Vincent High School, an event organized by state Sen. Lena Taylor and Rep. LaKeshia Myers. Myers told the Journal Sentinel Randall wasn't an organizer of the event but paid about $1,500 for lunches for the vendors.

Additionally, Randall said the MEP sponsored a Summerfest booth "in collaboration with" MPS to share information about how students could complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). A Summerfest press release did note the MEP sponsored free admission for students who started the FAFSA by July 6.

Also in the October report, Randall announced that the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Education was "welcomed as a MEP higher education institution partner." But asked whether the school was a partner, a UW-Madison spokesperson said the school has "no formal connection with the Milwaukee Education Partnership."

Before October, it appears the last report to the board about the MEP's work was in 2019. At that time, MEP reported hosting an HBCU conference, sponsoring the annual HBCU College Fair at Vincent and attending meetings.

State, city officials named on Randall's board of directors say they were not on board

The Milwaukee Education Partnership has listed some high-profile names on its board of directors over the years — to their surprise.

State Superintendent Jill Underly was named as a director on a 2020 tax form. Last week, Underly's attorney asked Randall to remove her name from the form, noting Underly had "no formal or informal affiliation with MEP, either in her personal or professional capacity."

Mayor Cavalier Johnson, listed as a board director on the group’s most recently available tax form, told the Journal Sentinel he has “only been nominally involved there with some of the happenings.” He said he hadn’t attended board meetings.

A spokesperson for Gov. Tony Evers, who was listed as a director on a 2018 report filed with the state, said no one she talked with could recall Evers having "meaningful participation" in the organization at that time, or serving as a director or partner. Randall had also noted in 2017 that Evers had agreed to be an "executive partner."

John Raymond, president of the Medical College of Wisconsin, has been listed as a board director on the organization's most recent four annual tax forms, 2018 through 2021. Raymond was not aware he was designated as a board member and did not attend any meetings, a Medical College spokesperson said.

University of Wisconsin campuses and other organizations listed as partners of Randall's group — including the UW-Madison School of Education that Randall claimed was a "new partner" in October — have disavowed those partnerships. UW system spokesperson Mark Pitsch told the Journal Sentinel he wasn't aware of formal relationships between the group and any UW campuses.

Other partners have cut ties with the Partnership

The outdated MEP website lists dozens of organizations as "partners," including universities, government agencies and community organizations. Representatives from many of these organizations said they did work with the organization years ago but have cut ties.

The only other school district that appears to have been affiliated with the MEP is Racine Unified. A district spokesperson said that contract ended in 2022.

Many universities have also ended agreements with MEP. Pitsch, spokesperson for UW system, told the Journal Sentinel that UW had paid MEP $25,000 more than two years ago on a FAFSA completion project. He said UW decided to "discontinue the arrangement" after reviewing the work performed.

Alverno College ended its last contract with MEP in 2014, and MATC ended its last contract in 2017. A spokesperson for the Medical College of Wisconsin said she believed it ended its "membership" with MEP in 2018.

UWM "ended its formal relationship" in 2018, "based on prioritizing UWM-led initiatives and other community partnerships," a spokesperson said, adding that UWM has requested that MEP remove references to UWM as a partner.

At Marquette University, a spokesperson said university representatives were "no longer active" in MEP workgroups.

Tim Muma, a spokesperson for Carroll University, which is also listed as a partner on the MEP website, said administrators had no knowledge of a partnership with MEP.

"We don’t know why we are listed there, as we aren’t aware of ever being a partner," Muma said. "If you learn anything from them, I’d love to hear the story."

Journal Sentinel reporters Kelly Meyerhofer and Alison Dirr contributed to this report.

Contact Rory Linnane at rory.linnane@jrn.com. Follow her on Twitter at @RoryLinnane.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee Public Schools to review no-bid contract with nonprofit