But documents submitted to federal authorities by the Florida Department of Education this week raise additional questions as to why a Tallahassee company was selected earlier this year to take over the massive statewide network that links Florida's schools to the Internet. Those documents show that one key reason that Hayes E-Government Resources Inc. was chosen for the job is because the company is owned by a woman. This runs counter to Gov. Jeb Bush's own One Florida plan, which sought to end all race and gender preferences in state contracting decisions.
Furthermore, it also appears that Florida is cutting services available from the Florida Information Resource Network that used to be available to teachers when it was controlled and run by state employees.
The future of Florida's system of hooking up the Internet to all 67 school districts depends on whether the state can get federal authorities to grant more than $7.6 million. Schools and libraries across the country can apply each year for $2.25 billion in assistance for telecommunications and Internet services. The money comes from a tax on phone bills. Florida has qualified for aid since 1998, but in June the non-profit company that runs the program for the Federal Communications Commission turned down the state's request.
The Universal Service Administrative Co. said the grant or "e-rate discount" as it also known was rejected because it did not believe Florida followed federal guidelines that say that price must be a primary factor used in choosing a service provider. In his official appeal mailed Thursday, Horne painted a dire picture if federal authorities don't reverse this decision. It also contradicts statements made by other DOE officials this week who said that FIRN would remain intact even without federal assistance.
"Without this e-rate funding, many of these 3,700 schools will be unable to fund Internet access for the remainder of the year because of budgetary constraints," Horne wrote. "Those schools will be forced to 'disconnect' from the Internet and lose a valuable educational tool which is an integral part of the instructional programs for Florida students. Such schools will remain off-line until additional funding is secured."
Attached with Horne's letter were lengthy explanations as to how DOE selected Hayes for the five-year contract. When DOE decided to privatize operations of its massive statewide network, it did not follow a normal bidding process. Instead the state decided to rank companies and then negotiate a final contract with a winning vendor. Horne maintains that Hayes was selected because the company would give the state the "best value" and determined the company would be "the most cost-effective provider of the desired services."
The team that ranked prospective vendors included three DOE employees and four from the State Technology Office and agencies under Gov. Bush. They ranked four separate vendors on everything on project design to corporate experience.
In the end, 11 points separated three of the four vendors on a 100-point scale. Scoring sheets show that Hayes, whose chief executive officer is a woman, was given 9.4 points out of 10 possible points for being a certified minority business.
This means DOE used affirmative action to help select the winning vendor despite the One Florida program - which sought to end affirmative action and set-asides in state contracting and university admissions.
"Race and gender set asides and price preferences are wrong because they grant an artificial advantage at the expense of non-minority businesses," Bush wrote when he launched One Florida in 1999. "And because they too often prevent the state from utilizing the most cost-efficient vendor."
Larry Wood, chief operating officer for the Department of Education, said he did not know whether his department had to abide by the governor's One Florida plan. The department - which used to be headed by an elected commissioner - became an executive agency on Jan. 7.
The contract with Hayes was signed on Jan. 16. A spokeswoman for Bush had no comment on whether DOE should have selected a vendor based partially on minority preferences. But there are other questions as to whether DOE selected a company to provide the "best value" with the state. An audit report released earlier this year pointed out that Florida received $5.6 million in state money and $2.4 million in federal assistance to run the massive network for schools last year.
DOE also charged some of its internal divisions an additional $2.8 million to run the system. Hayes, however, is supposed to receive $9 million to run the system this year, according to information given by DOE's chief technology officer to the Board of Education in March. Chief Technology Officer Ruben Lopez told board members that Hayes would improve the system and relieve the state of having to spend additional money on new equipment. Lopez also said that Florida would be able to get a larger share of federal money under its new contract with Hayes. Hayes assumed complete control of the network in July.
But one of the first things done under the new system was a decision to save $1.1 million by eliminating the ability of teachers and administrators to dial into the network from their homes. Lopez has posted a note on the DOE Web site saying that while "we regret the loss of dial-up services for our teachers" that other priorities "must be addressed with the limited funding available."
When asked about the loss of dial-up services for teachers on Friday, Wood said he "was not aware of it" and could not answer why the state had to cut services. But he said that Hayes could be expanding services in other areas with the savings.
Internet in schools
- The future of Florida's system of hooking up the Internet to all 67 school districts depends on whether the state can get federal authorities to grant more than $7.6 million.
- Florida has qualified for aid since 1998, but in June the non-profit company that runs the program for the Federal Communications Commission turned down the state's request.
