The Adams 14 school board voted unanimously Tuesday night to begin cutting ties with an outside management company that has overseen the district’s day-to-day operations for the last two years, a symbolic step that goes against state orders and could open the district to more outside intervention.
The move comes just two months after the district hired Superintendent Karla Loria, who touted herself as a turnaround expert with a positive track record, and follows a critical evaluation of the company by a third party who said the company had created unnecessary positions, left too much work up to district employees, and hadn’t done enough to create a culture of high expectations for students and staff.
Dissolving the contract, which would require approval from the state, sets up yet another year of changes for the Commerce City-based school district that has struggled with leadership changes and turnover for years.
Officials for MGT Consulting, the management company that has been running Adams 14 since 2019, say they have been out of the district since Aug. 4, when MGT was issued an order to pause their work. Company representatives were invited to but did not attend Tuesday’s meeting.
Officials from the Colorado Department of Education had already warned the Adams 14 school board last week that not having company presence in the district put Adams 14 out of compliance with the State Board’s order requiring that it hand over management to an external company. Last week, Loria said the district was back in compliance, but MGT officials said they have not been able to return to the district.