Avid Program Nixed In Wauwatosa Schools

WAUWATOSA, WI—The Wauwatosa School District's Board of Education voted unanimously on Tuesday to terminate the district’s relationship with AVID, effective the end of the 2021-22 school year.

The district will be developing its own college and career readiness program, which will be available beginning in the 2022-23 school year.

Michael Meier, a board member, said the vision he promotes is the district is a high performing district and highly funded. He added the district is willing to hire as many highly qualified people as they need and pay them top competitive salary and benefits.

"In that vision of our delivery model, I expect those employees to do things on their own and not need to send money to highly paid consulting services. I do not agree with that delivery model for public education in Wauwatosa," Meier said during the meeting.

Additional information regarding the transition process will be to students currently enrolled in an AVID elective and their families.

The district will also provide high school students with information regarding the ways in which it will support students’ college and career readiness in the near term.

The board previously paused the college and career readiness program and announced an investigation into its contracting practices in response to allegations of a conflict of interest involving a a school administrator and her spouse.

Earlier this year, the school board approved a three-year, $170,539 contract with AVID, or Advancement Via Individual Determination, a nonprofit that described itself as a group that "changes lives by helping schools shift to a more equitable, student-centered approach."
The apparent conflict of interest involved Kristin Bowers, assistant superintendent of teaching and learning for the district, and her husband, Brett Bowers, who is a regional associate senior director with AVID, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel report reported.

The district placed Bowers on administrative leave.

In October the district sent out a letter regarding AVID and apologized to the school community.

"We have fallen short of our professional standard and that to which the community should hold us. For that, we are deeply sorry," the district said.