Claypool’s Double Dipper: Rahm's Secret Early Childhood Privatizer Works Three Jobs at the Same Time!... Privatization agenda continues even after sentencing of Barbara Byrd Bennett...
Officials of Chicago's City Hall and the Chicago Board of Education continue to push the same no-bid privatization agendas that were scandalous under now disgraced former "Chief Executive Officer" Barbara Byrd Bennett. In other words, the game is the same but the players have been changed.
In an ongoing investigation of Chicago Public Schools Forrest Claypool to uncover malfeasance and corruptive practices, Substance News has found that CPS employee Samantha Aigner-Treworgy is working at least two or maybe three jobs at the same time in Chicago. Yet no one is claiming she works for any City Department, so the information has to be gleaned from difficult to locate public records. Using Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, data mining, and other investigative work after an anonymous tip what is becoming clear is that Forrest Claypool and Rahm Emanuel are up to the same old tricks.
Samantha Aigner-Treworgy is listed in an April 18, 2017 CPS position file (N002791-Kugler_v1.) as "Director of Early Learning" making $130,000 per year having ID 310583721 with hire date July 30, 2012.
She lists on her LinkedIn Profile her current position as the "Director of Early Education Policy in the City of Chicago, Office of Mayor Rahm Emanuel."
Then there are documents that have her listed as working in the City of Chicago Department of Family & Support Services (DFSS) as recent as April 4, 2017. If our math is right, she is not a double dipper, but a triple dipper. Yes, according to public records, this person is simultaneously listing there different government agencies as job titles in different documents, presentations and representations.
These are not part-time gigs working at the the 7-11 over night for some extra vacation money. All three positions are high level administrative or policy level positions in the city of Chicago in at least two different distinct government agencies or as the ethics rules call them "sister agency of the City." That have ethics rules prohibiting dual employment or conflicts of interest. Revolving Directors...
In an August 2012 PowerPoint titled Chicago: Ready to Learn, Samantha Aigner-Treworgy is listed as working in the Chicago Public Schools Office of Early Childhood Education. The Power Point describes how vendors can apply to become Early Childhood service providers. These were the years in CPS under Ron Huberman and Jean-Claude Brizard when hundreds of CPS positions were cut from Early Childhood education and privatized.
February 12, 2013 Samantha Aigner-Treworgy was listed as a Co-Chair of the Blending, Braiding and Sustainable Funding Subcommittee of the Systems Alignment and Integration Committee for a meeting from 10:30 am – 12:00 pm at Ounce of Prevention Fund, 33 W. Monroe St., Chicago IL, Ste. 2400, Executive Conference Room, yet in a position file created on November 6, 2012 (FY2013 CPS Regular Position Report) she was listed as a CPs employee 11360 Early Childhood Development as a .Special Project Coordinator Position # 243073 making $80,000. In a later Position filed created on March 26, 2013 she is still listed in the same project Coordinator position #243073.
June 17, 2014 Samantha Aigner-Treworgy listed herself during an Aspen Institute seminar at the Harvard Club of New York City, titled Early Childhood Education and Pay for Success: From Theory to Practice as working for Ounce of Prevention Fund private company while listed as a CPS employee:
…directed special projects for Chicago Public Schools’ Office of Early Childhood Education. Her work included overseeing the Chicago: Ready to Learn! Initiative, beginning with a city-wide application process aimed at ensuring that Chicago was investing in high-quality early childhood programs that meet the unique needs of Chicago’s diverse communities. Samantha previously worked for the Ounce of Prevention with the Illinois Policy Team, where she coordinated the development of the Illinois Early Learning Guidelines for Children Birth to Age Three and focused on state-wide home visiting advocacy, among other projects. Samantha has experience as a preschool teacher and early childhood social emotional consultant, as well as extensive involvement in state-wide political campaigns and initiatives in Illinois.
Seems like Samantha Aigner-Treworgy was going in and out of positions in CPS, city Departments and the private sector all while promoting privatization schemes. The same pattern can be seem with convicted felon Barbara Byrd-Bennett who had multiple positions inside of public school districts, private companies and not-for-profits all promoting privatization.
As late as December 17, 2014 Samantha L. Aigner-Treworgy contributed to a policy paper the Ounce of Prevention promoting the University of Chicago Charter School and her own not-for-profit organization. Clearly she is writing for the privation audience and school choice since she discusses terms such a funding and partnering organizations. If one is promoting free public education for everyone then the discussion is on equitable distribution of resources not figuring out how to get money or keep money that should not be the focus of a local school leader:
Leaders should focus on remaining actively engaged with partnering organizations. In the shorter term, leaders will need to ensure the sustainability of the established pathway for recruitment and admissions. More broadly, leaders hold the responsibility for upholding the shared mission of building a continuum of education from early childhood through the elementary years on through college. This responsibility includes retaining the interest of governing and funding entities that will ensure that the program remains viable in spite of potential changes in funding at the local, state and federal levels.
Leaders should focus on remaining actively engaged with partnering organizations. In the shorter term, leaders will need to ensure the sustainability of the established pathway for recruitment and admissions. More broadly, leaders hold the responsibility for upholding the shared mission of building a continuum of education from early childhood through the elementary years and theOunce.org/BTCToolkit 4 on through college. This responsibility includes retaining the interest of governing and funding entities that will ensure that the program remains viable in spite of potential changes in funding at the local, state and federal levels.
In a joint article on February 13, 2015 for the Brookings Institute Samantha L. Aigner-Treworgy supported the idea of quantifying students and learning even at the earliest stages of growth and exploration:
…specifically related to early childhood interventions and the comprehensive outcomes that we have historically used to measure their success, has moved away from identifying outcomes that are strictly monetizable. This means that, although an outcome may not yield budgetary savings as identified by a government agency line item, it may be relevant for broader societal purposes or be thought of as resulting in cost avoidance down the line for interventions that are no longer needed.
In a document created on March 24, 2015 by Samantha L. Aigner-Treworgy National Policy Manager, School Districts, titled School District Leadership Guide for Local Alignment it is clear that privatization is the goal rather than putting more resources into public schools for early childhood services:
Structures that enable school choice at both the early childhood and elementary levels are designed in a way that allows for continuity across the birth-to-third grade continuum
Early childhood systems are made up of a number of different stakeholders beyond the local school district—including child care, family child care providers, home visitors, and other support services for families and young children. In addition, school districts often engage external entities to provide wrap-around services for children enrolled in their schools. The comprehensive network of services for children and families should be taken into consideration when undergoing alignment efforts.
June 18, 2015 Samantha Aigner-Treworgy was presenting herself as working for Ounce of prevention Fund during a conference:
Topic 5—Developing a Path to Achieve Birth to Eight Alignment
Presenters—Sam Aigner-Treworgy, Ounce of Prevention Fund;
Switching back to government work in less than six months of working in the private sector, or so it seems. In a January 13, 2016 conference document titled A Different Way of Doing Business: Examples of Pre-K to Third Grade Alignment in Practice by the Center for American Progress, Samantha Aigner-Treworgy, is listed as:
Director of Early Education policy, Mayor’s Office
The document is a study that concludes the need to focus more resources and coordination of Early Childhood services but rather than put more resources into public schools the trust of the paper is to privatize and patronize the services outside of the public school system. The Center for American Progress is a neo-Liberal think tank that has been found to promote privatization of progressive agendas rather than the expansion of government services.
June 8, 2016 Samantha Aigner-Treworgy representing herself as an employee of DFSS:
Presentation and Discussion, Early Childhood Online Application
Samantha Aigner-Treworgy, Department of Family and Support Services
(6/8/16, Illinois Early Learning Council Family and Community Engagement Committee Meeting)
In an April 2017 City of Chicago contract extension document, Samantha Aigner-Treworgy list her job tile as DFSS/Mayor's Office while still listed as a CPS Director of Early Learning in the Chicago Public schools. Interestingly enough this contract extension is a no-bid contract extension for $1,319,200 for the COPA system with Nulinx International, Inc. (PO 34352) for the city’s Children Services Division:
The no-bid services are to streamline the online preschool enrollment process for families across the city. The program is to expand privatization of Early childhood services so that on July 1,2017, 104 community-based partners that contract with the Chicago Public Schools will become delegate agencies through DFSS instead of expanding services and staff in eth Chicago Public schools. The project is a system that manages $145 million Early Childhood and Child Care Assistance Program grants plus the $60 million grant from CPS for the Community partnership program.
Déjà vu all over again
Federal Felon Barbara-Byrd warned that SUPES had to be picked for a no-bid contract because they were the only ones that could provide Principal profession development in Chicago Schools
Using scare tactics to get this April 2017 no-bid extension through, Department of Family and Support Services Commissioner Lisa Butler in a Memorandum to Jamie Rhee, Chief Procurement Officer, City of Chicago, warns:
It is a risk to DFSS and the city if this system is not in place as it could jeopardize our super grantee status.
Do we need to mention what happened the last time we had a no-bid contract promoted by a high ranking Rahm appointed official? The answer is Federal Prison time!
In email exchanges with different city departments all responded to FOIA request by saying Samantha Aigner-Treworgy is not an employee of the City. No communications exist, despite numerous public documents on the internet for all different city departments and agencies:
From: FSSFOIA Sent: Friday, April 7, 2017 9:31 PM
The Department of Family and Support Services (DFSS) neither maintains nor possesses any records that are responsive to your FOIA request. Samantha Aigner-Treworgy is not an employee of DFSS. In looking through a FOIA response from April 18, 2017 that asked for a current list of employees in the Chicago Department of Family & Support Services (DFSS) which was received as a pdf (Copy of FOIA - DFSS Staff -Demographics4-12-17; 6:31 PM), there were no names that matched Samantha Aigner-Treworgy despite her being listed as recently as April 4, 2017 as working for DFFS.
Substance News is now fighting for the release of all information related to Samantha Aigner-Treworgy and will be reporting on this ongoing investigation in the days to come.
Runaway Privatization Despite the recent sentencing of the federally convicted felon former CPS CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennet to 4 ½ years in prison for being part of a kickback k scheme to rig a $20 million no bid contract looks like there might be another high ranking Chicago city employee doing something illegal. Here we have a high ranking CPS Official who is or is not working in the Mayor’s office involved with a multi-million dollar scheme to privatize Early Childhood Services in Chicago Public Schools. Effectively diverting money away from the public schools all the while the system is claiming to be broke. A classic chapter out of Naomi Klein’s (2007) The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism:
“When it comes to paying contractors, the sky is the limit; when it comes to financing the basic functions of the state, the coffers are empty.” At the least there is something unethical when one person is listing three different job titles simultaneously for different city Departments all at the same time. Then there is the question of working in the private sector while working in a government job; whether it be at the same time or transitioning in an out of positions without notice or pause, all the while influencing policy and budget decisions. Then there is the conflict of interest of political patronage, since working for the schools your interests should be servicing children, where working for Mayor’s office you’re a political worker working for the private interests of Rahm and his investors. These are two different distinct legal obligations which seem to have been crossed by this government employee.
Rahm has a pattern of privatization and patronage in Chicago. One great example of which is his own brother, Ari, who made billons off of Uber, after Rahm pushed through city ordinances allowing the car share company to go around laws and regulations for taxi services:
WME CEO Ari Emanuel stands to make a billion dollars or more from his Hollywood agency’s investment in Uber, experts say. With his brother, Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s direct involvement in passing Uber-friendly ride-share legislation in Chicago and the resulting impact on the company’s valuation… just days after favorable ride-share legislation was passed by the Chicago City Council in May, the company announced a $1.2 billion raise from institutional investors like Fidelity and a stunning $18.2 billion valuation. (Aug 25, 2014)
So, it looks like here we go again, except this one is for hundreds of millions of dollars this time.
The April 2017 letter demanding the no-bid contract is signed with an attachment:
Emanuel Administration Second Term priorities Committee
Rahm has no excuse for this one, since this newest scammer is listing one of her three concurrent jobs as working directly in the Mayor’s office!
So the question is who is fooling who?
What’s that old saying?
Fool me once, shame on you;
Fool us twice, shame on us!
References:
Chicago Public Schools FOIA N002694-0318817 - Samantha Aigner-Treworgy Hiring Documents
Chicago Public Schools FOIA N002791-041017 - CPS Position File as of April 10, 2017
City of Chicago Personnel Rules https://www.cityofchicago.org/content/dam/city/depts/dhr/supp_info/Personnel_Rules_Revised11_26_2010.pdf
How Rahm Emanuel profits from brother Ari’s Uber payday (August 25, 2014)
http://www.commdiginews.com/business-2/ari-emanuels-billion-dollar-uber-payday-and-what-it-means-for-rahm-24532/#UCrjeDQbglu6LUi2.99
Chicago: Ready to Learn (August 3, 2012)
https://www.cityofchicago.org/content/dam/city/depts/dps/ContractAdministration/Specs/2012/ChicagoReadytoLearn/ReadytoLearnHeadStartBidders.ppt
A Different Way of Doing Business: Examples of Pre-K to Third Grade Alignment in Practice (January 13, 2016)
https://cdn.americanprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/12043721/Pre-3Alignment.pdf
2015 Policy Exchange Meeting Resources. Ounce of Prevention Fund (June 18, 2015)
https://www.theounce.org/events/6th-annual-policy-exchange-meeting/2015-policy-exchange-meeting-resources/
City of Chicago. Department of Procurements. Non-Competitive review Board (NCRB) Application (April 24, 2017)
Nulinx lnternational, lnc. Contract Number 34352
https://www.cityofchicago.org/content/dam/city/depts/dps/SoleSource/NCRB2017/3weekreviewNulinxDFSS04262017.pdf
Illinois Early Learning Council Family and Community Engagement Committee Meeting (June 8, 2016)
https://www.illinois.gov/gov/OECD/Documents/Family%20and%20Community%20Engagement%20Agenda%206.8.16.pdf
Early Childhood Education and Pay for Success: From Theory to Practice (June 17, 2014)
Aspen Institute seminar at the Harvard Club of New York City
http://b.3cdn.net/ascend/1d9d5561815e7e0943_s4m6b108o.pdf
School District Leadership Guide for Local Alignment (March 24, 2015)
https://www.theounce.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Policy-Exchange-2015-SchoolDistrictAlignmentguide.pdf
Identifying Education Outcomes for Social Impact Bonds for Early Childhood (February 13, 2015)
https://www.brookings.edu/blog/education-plus-development/2015/02/13/identifying-education-outcomes-for-social-impact-bonds-for-early-childhood/
Why does an aligned pathway from recruitment to admissions matter for leaders?
Implementation Guide for Program and School Leaders: Installation (December 17, 2014)
http://www.theounce.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/LeaderAlignmentGuide3.pdf
Blending, Braiding and Sustainable Funding. Subcommittee of the Systems Alignment and Integration Committee (February 12, 2013)
https://www.illinois.gov/gov/OECD/Documents/Early%20Learning%20Council/Sys%20Align%20and%20Integration/BBS%20Funding/BBSF%20Agenda%2002122013.pdf
Samantha Aigner-Treworgy, AM '10, MPP '10, is the Director of Early Education Policy for the City of Chicago. As director, she leads the city of Chicago's work around early childhood education, one of Mayor Rahm Emanuel's top priorities. She is charged with strategizing and overseeing the coordination of early learning investments across city agencies, including Chicago Public Schools and the Department of Family and Support Services. Previously, Samantha launched the Ounce of Prevention Fund initiative supporting school districts nationally in strategic development and implementation of early childhood policy. Prior to returning to the Ounce, Samantha led special initiatives for Chicago Public Schools' Office of Early Childhood Education. Her work included overseeing the Chicago: Ready to Learn! Initiative, aimed at ensuring that Chicago was investing in high-quality early childhood programs that meet the unique needs of Chicago's diverse communities. Samantha previously worked for the Ounce Illinois Policy Team, where she helped develop the Illinois Early Learning Guidelines for Children Birth to Age Three among other projects. Samantha has experience as a preschool teacher and social emotional consultant. She holds two master's degrees from the University of Chicago in Social Work and Public Policy and a Bachelor's of Arts in Early Childhood Education from Smith College.
Bio from University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration
(Incidentally Ron Huberman Gradated from this same UC Department)
http://www.ssa.uchicago.edu/alumni-association-board-member-profiles
Samantha Aigner-Treworgy
https://www.linkedin.com/in/samantha-aigner-treworgy-49974131
Director of Early Education Policy at City of Chicago, Office of Mayor Rahm Emanuel
Greater Chicago Area
Public Policy
Current
City of Chicago, Office of Mayor Rahm Emanuel
Previous
Ounce of Prevention Fund, Chicago Public Schools, Office of Early Childhood Education, Childcare Network of Evanston
Education
University of Chicago
Experience
Director of Early Education Policy
City of Chicago, Office of Mayor Rahm Emanuel
October 2015 – Present (1 year 9 months)
Oversee the vision and implementation for early education in the City of Chicago.
National Policy Manager for School Districts
Ounce of Prevention Fund
August 2013 – October 2015 (2 years 3 months)
Deputy- Special Projects
Chicago Public Schools, Office of Early Childhood Education
July 2012 – July 2013 (1 year 1 month)
Policy Associate
Ounce of Prevention Fund
October 2009 – July 2012 (2 years 10 months)
Preschool For All- Teacher
Childcare Network of Evanston
September 2007 – July 2009 (1 year 11 months)
Education
University of Chicago
M.S.W. & M.P.P., Social Work and Public Policy, concentration on education and families
2007 – 2010
Smith College
B.A., Child Development and Sociology
2000 – 2004
Publications
Why Does An Aligned Pathway From Recruitment To Admissions Matter?
The Ounce of Prevention Fund and The University of Chicago Urban Education Institute
2014
