|
 |
|
|||
|
New Study Finds Inequities in Spending Among Texas Schools A new study in the fall issue of Education Next shows that there is greater inequality in the spending differences among schools within districts in Texas than among districts. Researchers Marguerite Roza, Kacey Guin, Betheny Gross, and Scott DeBurgomaster of the Center for Reinventing Public Education at the University of Washington looked at variation in general per-pupil funding (excluding funding for designated programs) among Texas school districts that had more than 25,000 students. They compared individual school spending with their district’s average over a ten-year period. The researchers found that general per-pupil funding from 1993 to 2003 in the state’s four largest school districts -- Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, and Houston -- evidenced higher levels of inequity than that of the state’s other districts. Each of the four districts was also remarkably different from the others. To explore these spending patterns, the researchers looked first at the disbursement of non-categorical funds within districts. They found notable disparities among schools. For example, in Dallas, Fort Worth, and Houston, one-third of the schools nearly always had non-categorical spending levels higher than their district’s average by at least 15 percent. One-third of the Houston schools were spending between 20 and 25 percent more than the district average. In Dallas, spending was about 30 percent higher in a third of the schools, until the 2000–01 school year when there was a dramatic drop in the level of inequality in the district. Fort Worth made steady improvements toward equity in general funding across its schools over the decade, while Austin’s allocations became less evenly distributed over the last five years of the study. “Though there were some equity gains in these four districts over the last two years of our analysis, there was no clear long-term trend toward improvement,” the authors write. Because districts dedicate additional resources beyond non-categorical spending to address school needs, Roza and her colleagues looked at specific school characteristics to explain the variation in the allocation of resources: the level of the school (high school, middle school, or elementary school), total enrollment and student body profile, average experience of teachers, and overall school performance, as measured by the school’s academic rank within the state. The researchers found that the lowest-performing schools received only slightly more funding from the district, typically 1 to 4 percent more than the district average after taking into account those categorical funds associated with specific student types. High schools tended to receive more funding -- 18 percent more -- than elementary or middle schools as did schools with more senior teachers. Funding inequities between schools have led to calls for policies, such as a weighted student formula, that would transparently and equitably allocate resources among schools using an explicit formula. Districts that adopt a weighted student formula allocate funds according to the specific student types enrolled. “Were the districts in this analysis to allocate funds using a strict weighted student funding system, we would not have found any inequities between schools,” Roza said. “Each school would receive exactly the average allocation for its mix of students.” In Texas, legislation driven by a series of court decisions has sought to address funding inequalities among districts in recent years, but no court case has yet been based on inequalities within districts. Read the full article, "Do Districts Fund Schools Fairly?": New Report Recognizes Texas School Program That Effectively Prepares Students for College and Career Success Low-Income Students Face Common Barriers, but Thrive with Right Support Five innovative school programs in diverse, underserved communities across the country are helping students succeed in high school and prepare for college and career. These programs share a common, effective framework of strong school leaders, rigorous coursework, and an emphasis on effective teaching, according to a new report released today. Rethinking High School: Preparing Students for Success in College, Career, and Life is the fourth report in a series by WestEd, a non-profit education research firm. The report, commissioned by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, profiles programs serving predominantly low-income, minority students in Oakland, Calif.; Mabton, Wash.; Houston, Texas; Bridgeton, N.J.; and Portland, Ore. Their approaches vary, but each has demonstrated early progress, including improved test scores, graduation rates, and college enrollment for students. In addition, five programs previously examined in a 2005 /Rethinking High School/ report are revisited and continue to show strong results. Together, they are part of a growing national movement of more than 1,800 schools and programs supported by the foundation designed to ensure that all students graduate high school ready for the challenges of today's global economy. While the report highlights the programs' innovative approaches and progress, it also underscores how they each address one or more of five common barriers facing low-income students:
The programs in the report demonstrate that there are many effective approaches to preparing young people for success in college, career, and life. Among the schools:
These programs are addressing critical challenges in education today. Nationally, only 70 percent of U.S. high school students graduated on time in 2004, according to Education Week's 2007 "Diplomas Count" report. The graduation rate for Hispanic students is 58 percent. For African American students, it is 53 percent. Too often, the students who do graduate are not prepared for college -- only 23 percent of African American students and 20 percent of Hispanic students who started high school in the class of 2002 graduated eligible for college, according to the Manhattan Institute. SAT scores for Texas students rise on math and reading tests, while writing score drops just as it did nationally Scores on the SAT college entrance exam fell nationally in 2007 but Texas students in public and private schools bucked that trend by earning increased scores on the Mathematics and Critical Reading sections of the test. The number of test takers rose both in this state and across the country. Scores for 2007 graduating seniors from Texas public and private schools rose one point on both the Mathematics and Critical Reading tests, although the scores continue to lag behind the national average. Any change in scores is considered significant by testing experts. “More Texas students than ever before are college bound. It’s a positive sign that more students took the college entrance test in 2007 than did in 2006 and they are earning higher math scores,” said Robert Scott, acting commissioner of education. Texas’ public school students in each major ethnic group earned higher average Mathematics scores than did their peer group nationally. Scott also noted that while Critical Reading scores are up statewide for public and private school students in the Class of 2007, the average score was unchanged for public schools, which saw a 4.5 percent increase in the number of test takers. Writing scores fell both nationally and in Texas in 2007. This is the second year the College Board, which administers the SAT, has reported Writing scores. Because the Writing test is still relatively new, College Board representatives told Texas Education Agency officials that they didn’t have enough data yet to determine why the scores fell. Trends on the SAT are similar to those on the ACT, another college entrance exam. Texas students earlier this month learned that they had earned higher scores on that test, which covers reading, English, math and science. Students who take more rigorous high school classes earn higher scores on college entrance exams, which help them meet admission requirements for a wider variety of colleges and universities. Nationwide and in Texas, there continues to be a variation in scores among students in the major ethnic groups. However, Texas’ Asian-American, African-American, Hispanic and white students all earned higher average Mathematics scores on the SAT than did their peer groups nationally. Asian-American students in Texas outperformed their peers nationally on all three parts of the SAT. Fifty-two percent of the Texas students in the Class of 2007 took the SAT, compared to 48 percent nationally. Forty-seven percent of the students tested in Texas identified themselves as being from an ethnic minority, compared to 38 percent nationally. Texas students who took the Preliminary SAT exam scored about 60 points higher on each part of the SAT than did students who did not take the PSATThe College Board, in partnership with National Student Clearinghouse, is now able to track college-enrollment patterns of SAT takers at the state and national level. To see Texas reports: http://www.collegeboard.com/prod_downloads/about/news_info/cbsenior/yr2007/TX_07.pdf Six Top Educators Named Finalists for Texas Teacher of the Year Six top educators from throughout Texas have been named as finalists for the Texas Teacher of the Year award for 2007-2008. The six finalists – three who are elementary school educators and three who are secondary school educators – were selected from 40 regional Teachers of the Year. One elementary teacher and one secondary teacher are selected as regional Teachers of the Year from each of the state’s 20 education service center areas. The three finalists for the Texas Elementary Teacher of the Year award are:
The three finalists for the Texas Secondary Teacher of the Year award are:
A panel of judges, representing state teacher organizations, selected the finalists. The judges were: Ann Heuberger from the Texas State Teachers Association; Charles Malone, Education Round Rock – Texas AFT; Sue Melton, Association of Texas Professional Educators, and Nanette Sissney, Texas Classroom Teachers Association. The judges made their decisions based on the teachers’ responses to essay topics such as philosophy of teaching, education issues and trends, their personal teaching style, and the message they would communicate if chosen as a Texas Teacher of the Year. The finalists now advance to the next round of judging where the state’s top elementary and secondary Teacher of the Year for the 2007-2008 school year will be chosen. The state winners will be announced in September. In addition, one of these two state winners will be selected as the Texas nominee for the National Teacher of the Year honors, which will be announced by the Council of Chief State School Officers next spring. All 40 of Texas’ regional Teachers of the Year will be honored at a luncheon on Nov. 3 at the Sheraton Austin Hotel. Each Regional Teacher of the Year receives $500 in cash, as well as an award. The state’s top two educators will receive a cash prize of $5,000, a technology package with an estimated value of $15,000, plus awards. Minority students represent more than half of Texas Advanced Placement test takers in 2007 Minority students represented 52 percent of all Advanced Placement (AP) test takers in Texas in 2007. High school students who make high scores on AP exams can earn college credit for courses, saving their families thousands of dollars in tuition costs and giving students a head start on a college education. Figures just released from the College Board, which oversees the AP program, show that 135,130 Texas students took Advanced Placement exams, an increase of 10 percent from 2006 and a 49 percent increase in the last five years. Of that total, 125,526 were public school students. Many students take more than one AP exam each year. In 2007, the total number of tests taken was 246,096, up almost 10 percent from 2006. Of those, 52 percent self-reported that they were minority students, compared to 50 percent in 2006 and 45 percent five years ago. Nationally, 35 percent of test-takers self-reported as minority students this year. Hispanic students represent 34 percent of Texas AP exam-takers compared to 13 percent nationally. Over the last five years, the number of Hispanic test-takers in Texas has increased 79 percent from 25,436 to 45,612. Performance on Advanced Placement tests improved as well, reflecting a 7.3 percent increase in the number of exam scores of 3 or higher from 2006 and an increase of 37 percent in the last five years. The grading scale on the exams is one to five, with five being the highest possible score. All totaled, 116,809 tests earned scores of three, four, or five. Universities typically award college course credit for AP scores of three or more. Many selective colleges give special consideration to AP and honors classes when making admissions decisions. The most popular among the exams taken by Texas students in 2007 were English language and composition (43,109), history of the United States (33,952), and English literature and composition (26,552). To support and recognize AP classes, the Texas AP/IB Incentives program awards campuses up to $100 for each student earning a score of three or higher on an Advanced Placement exam. State funds are also available to provide training to teachers and to help reduce the cost of the exams for all students. G.W. Brackenridge High School Named One of America's Most Improved High Schools by the College Board One of Three Schools in the Nation to Receive a $25,000 Inspiration Award G.W. Brackenridge High School in San Antonio has been selected as one of three outstanding high schools nationwide to be named a College Board 2007 Inspiration Award winner. “Today’s competitive global job market places high emphasis on academic rigor and achievement. That is why every student deserves to receive the necessary groundwork to be academically equipped for college,” said Governor Rick Perry. “G.W. Brackenridge High School in San Antonio raises the bar for excellence, preparing young Texans for successful and bright futures.” The Inspiration Awards honor those high schools that initiate unique programs and create partnerships among teachers, parents, community organizations, and local businesses to help more students pursue a college education. Each winning school receives a $25,000 award, and each of four honorable mention schools receives $1,000 to apply toward programs that encourage students to attend college. About G.W. Brackenridge High School G.W. Brackenridge is a Title I school with a diverse enrollment of more than 1,850 students, of whom 97 percent are from minority backgrounds. Incoming ninth-graders have a passing rate of only 40 percent on state tests in eighth grade. Brackenridge educators face the challenge of preparing students for the rigors of honors and Advanced Placement Program® (AP®) courses. Despite these challenges, nearly 70 percent of its seniors are accepted to colleges and universities. Students earned $22 million in scholarships in the past two years. Brackenridge prepares its historically underserved students for higher education by requiring all students to follow a college-preparatory curriculum. Beginning in ninth grade, students take a focused Freshmen Prep course that promotes study skills, career exploration, and goal setting to help them graduate and achieve their goals. Tenth-graders campuswide take the PSAT/NMSQT® and PLAN tests, and resulting data are used to design and implement a master schedule with an intensive curriculum. With the Inspiration Award funds, G.W. Brackenridge High School students will conduct a career interest inventory, matching their career interests with campuses both in and outside of Texas. Instructional coordinators and the principal will network with businesses in the community to facilitate career-shadowing opportunities for students. Staff will coordinate financial aid information workshops for parents in both Spanish and English, as nearly 90 percent of students are Hispanic. Additionally, Brackenridge plans to use the Inspiration Award grant to allow students to visit at least two college campuses as they research opportunities. Among the recipients of the College Board 2007 Inspiration Award Honorable Mention and each school has received a $1,000 award:
More information about the College Board Inspiration Awards is available at www.collegeboard.com/inspirationawards. El Paso Schools Adopt PLATO Learning Solutions El Paso (Texas) Independent School District (ISD) will utilize PLATO Learning's complete library of secondary intervention content and PLATO(R) Courses--40 whole-semester online courses to provide online credit recovery and state test remediation. El Paso ISD is the seventh-largest school district in Texas, with 63,000 enrolled students at more than 90 sites. The district will begin its PLATO Learning implementation at 15 secondary schools, which include traditional high schools and alternative high schools, to help prepare students for the statewide Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) examination. The district's PLATO Learning solution includes TAKS Connect--an integrated test utility that aligns PLATO(R) instructional content with student results on the state assessment in order to provide remediation in the content areas where students demonstrate a need for improvement. "We wanted anywhere, anytime access to our credit recovery and intervention courseware," said Charlie Geach, science facilitator for El Paso ISD. "I have worked with online learning for many years, so the web-based aspect of the PLATO Learning curriculum was perfect for our needs." For El Paso ISD, the PLATO Learning curriculum offered an excellent value, given the rigorous content and alignment to state standards. The district will begin measuring success immediately by tracking graduation rates and test scores for graduating seniors, eventually tracking test scores for incoming freshmen as a means of comparison. In the future, Geach also hopes to use PLATO Learning software to help prepare students for course-specific high school exit exams, which are mandated by Texas law beginning in 2010. "I'd also like to start reaching kids before high school and middle school," said Geach, "to provide additional help to students before credit recovery is needed. With the flexible PLATO Learning content delivered over the web, it will be easy to enhance our existing program by incorporating middle school or elementary school content." Birdville Independent School District Support Services Birdville Independent School District has achieved savings of more than 50% in annual support costs for their PeopleSoft system since switching to Rimini Street last year, has received a level of service that surpasses their prior experience with the software vendor, and is positioned to achieve its objective of running its PeopleSoft applications through 2012 and beyond without any costly, required upgrades. Located in the heart of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, Birdville provides K-12 education in thirty-two campuses across seven cities. Birdville is one of the largest school districts in Texas with approximately 22,000 students. To support its organizational goals, Birdville has chosen an information technology strategy that includes reducing annual software maintenance costs and driving more value out of its existing PeopleSoft 8.8 HRMS and Financials applications by extending the operational life of these mature products. Rimini Street is helping Birdville to achieve its objectives by providing timely, accurate tax & regulatory updates with the fastest legislature-to-liveTM process in the industry, as well as quickly identifying and resolving issues without the need to perform costly upgrades or to apply cumbersome bundles of multiple fixes. “Birdville is focused on educational excellence for its students,” said Julie Wallace, Executive Director of Technology, Birdville Independent School District. “To help us deliver on our educational goals, our mission-critical PeopleSoft products need to operate correctly and smoothly. Rimini Street has quickly resolved every single service request we’ve raised with the most responsive service-level we have ever experienced. Rimini Street will enable us to meet our financial and IT strategic objectives in the future with more than a 50% savings in annual support costs. Beyond the cost savings and outstanding support, the most important value is the savings in future implementation costs. We won’t have to do another implementation for quite a while. We couldn’t be happier with our decision to move our support to Rimini Street.” El Paso-Ysleta ISD Fine Arts Presents its 3rd Annual Renaissance Faire El Paso- Ysleta ISD Fine Arts Department is continuously working to showcase art excellence in order to entertain but mainly to educate the El Paso Community. This 28th, 29th and 30th of September, Ysleta ISD in collaboration with Eden Enterprises (Educational Enrichment through the Arts) will host its third annual Renaissance Fair at the Fine Arts Complex, located at 8455 Alameda. The festivities will begin at 6:00 PM; they will include renaissance games, music, vendors, food, people in costumes, and will feature “Shakespeare on the Rocks” Performances staged at the Ysleta ISD Fine Arts Amphitheater. El Paso’s theater legend, Hector Serrano, will be directing the repertory company of 30 local actors and actresses for the 18th season. Along with David Mills, producer, they will bring to life four of Shakespeare’s most popular plays; ”Romeo and Juliet,” “Julius Caesar,” “Midsummer Night’s Dream” and finally the tragic yet hilarious “The Tempest.” General admission tickets will be available at the door beginning at 7 p.m. There will be a pre-show talk and musical interlude at 7:30 p.m., and the shows will begin at 8 p.m. each evening. It is for the second year that Ysleta ISD has adopted the festivities, more than 1000 visitors are expected per night, and vendor spots will include jewlerly sale, fortune teller, sword fighting, wax tan and many more surprises! Among all the games, food, people in costumes, and art, visitors will also have the opportunity to enjoy live music provided by different local artist each night. Ysleta ISD Fine Arts staff invites the public to be part of this celebration by attending in their best renaissance costume. To see complete article: Texas School District Expands Technology Round Rock Independent School District (RRISD) has expanded its deployment of Mirage NAC technology, adding 10 new appliances and a Mirage Management Server. RRISD’s implementation of the Mirage Management Server enables their IT managers to weave all their Mirage NAC appliances into a security fabric, creating a convenient centralized point for network visibility, event reporting, and maintenance. Mirage deployed seamlessly with RRISD’s existing Cisco network architecture, requiring no switch upgrade. “We initially considered Cisco’s NAC offering, but decided against it when our research uncovered how complicated the deployment would be,” said Dan Scott, senior systems engineer for RRISD. “The Mirage NAC solution is effective and easy to deploy, and after reviewing our options it was the clear winner for us. The product has been rock solid from day one. In fact, the Sasser virus hit us during the install. Without Mirage, our network would have come to a grinding halt.” Mirage Networks helps enterprises defend their networks from zero-day threats and policy violations with patented, full-cycle, agentless network access control technology. The combination of access control, threat prevention, and automated policy enforcement provides an in-depth view of endpoint activity throughout its lifecycle and delivers powerful analysis and network intelligence for network history and usage. “Many of the articles in technology trade magazines today talk about how companies are touting ‘new’ ways to help secure networks. It’s obvious to me that Mirage has been doing this for years and has been a great benefit here at Round Rock I.S.D.,” said Scott. RRISD covers 110 square miles, encompassing high tech manufacturing and urban retail centers, suburban neighborhoods, and farm and ranch land. The district is located in the Silicon Hills of central Texas and is in close proximity to several major high-tech companies, particularly 3Com, Advanced Micro Devices, and the global headquarters of Dell Computers. As such, RRISD has the responsibility to train the engineers, developers, and high-tech leaders of the future. To answer this call, RRISD has accounted for the expansion and ongoing upgrades to its infrastructure, including its network architecture. About Round Rock Independent School District Round Rock ISD provides exemplary education, guidance, and encouragement to empower all students to reach their individual potential and become contributing members of a diverse community. RRISD is located in southern Williamson County and northwest Travis County and includes the City of Round Rock and portions of the City of Austin and the City of Cedar Park. More than 39,000 students currently attend the district's four high schools, eight middle schools, 27 elementary schools, and three alternative learning centers. During the past five years, the number of students has increased by nearly 21%, and the annual growth rate of approximately 3.5% is expected to continue. Campuses in the district are designed according to a "neighborhood school" concept that seeks to insert smaller than typical schools into community neighborhoods. The annual dropout rate is just 0.4%. More than 85% of the district's graduating seniors take the SAT and ACT college entrance exams, scoring well above state and national averages. Fitch Downgrades Pilot Point ISD, Texas, Bonds Fitch has downgraded its rating for Pilot Point Independent School District's (the district), Texas, unlimited tax bonds to 'BBB' from 'A-'. This rating action, taken during the course of routine surveillance, applies to $19.7 million in outstanding series 2003 and series 2005 unlimited tax bonds. The Rating Outlook is Stable. The rating downgrade considers the operating deficits recorded in the general fund for six consecutive fiscal years, reducing a once substantial fund balance to a negative fund balance at fiscal 2006 year-end. Correspondingly, general fund liquidity has deteriorated from nearly $2 million in fiscal 2001 to a negative cash position by the end of fiscal 2006. A recent change in administration and a number of recent and proposed operational changes have the potential to stabilize and ultimately strengthen the district's financial profile. However, there currently is minimal margin for error and further deterioration likely will have additional negative credit implications. Positive credit factors include consistent tax base growth, moderate debt ratios, the vitality of the regional economy, and limited future capital needs. District officials cite a number of factors that have contributed to the financial difficulties, including the use of reserve funds for land acquisition and capital projects, enrollment declines and subsequent reductions in state aid, a preference for smaller class sizes that expanded payrolls, and a journal entry error for two consecutive fiscal years. As a result of these and other factors, the general fund balance has shrunk from $1.8 million in fiscal 2000, or more than 20% of spending, to negative $135,000 in fiscal 2006. In response to the problem, the district has instituted and proposed a number of changes in staffing and procedures. These changes include hiring and salary freezes, reduction in the number of teachers through scheduling changes and class size adjustments, reduction in payroll for administrative and support staff, and moving the starting date for the 2007-2008 school year one week later. Administrators hope these and other measures will enable the district to recover in two fiscal years and restore operating reserves to the target level of three to four months of spending within five fiscal years. The fiscal 2008 budget, which incorporates these operational changes, anticipates a modest operating surplus by year-end. Growth in property values has been steady, averaging nearly 8% annual gains over the past five fiscal years. This tax base growth, combined with limited borrowing needs, has helped keep debt levels manageable. However, amortization of district debt is slow, with just under 25% retired within 10 years. With the slowing of enrollment growth and the new facilities financed by a 2003 bond sale, the district does not anticipate any further debt financed capital needs in the near future. The district is located in Denton County, roughly 35 miles north of Dallas and about 10 miles from Interstate 35. Its rural setting along Lake Ray Roberts and proximity to three universities and three community colleges has generated development activity in Pilot Point, as witnessed by the gain in district enrollment from roughly 1,000 in 1996 to more than 1,500 by 2005. However, the pace of development over the past several years has not met expectations and enrollment has dipped by roughly 40 students since fiscal 2005. Administrators are projecting flat enrollment for fiscal 2008. Fitch believes that the long-term prospects for district growth are good, given its location in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. Mercedes Independent School District Mercedes Independent School District, located in Mercedes, TX, has agreed to become part of the LearnSafe School Safety and Security Initiative and implement the necessary people, processes and technology to achieve LearnSafe Certification Status. The program, when implemented and instructed, will designate the district as a LearnSafe Certified School System. The LearnSafe Team is scheduled to begin work during the month of September on safety and security assessments and site surveys for the school district which will provide cost estimates of hardware, software, systems, materials, labor, maintenance and comprehensive training required for the district to implement the LearnSafe Initiative throughout its facilities. The assessment will empower Mercedes ISD to meet compliance requirements under Texas Senate Bill (SB) 11, which calls for school districts in the state to conduct security audits, at least once every three years, across all district facilities and report results to the board of trustees and the state. The deadline for completion of the first round of district audits is August 31, 2008. The program will also assist districts in complying with Senate Bill 9, which is known as the “fingerprinting bill.” LearnSafe Certified schools will receive continuous compliance assistance with any additional state or federal school safety and security mandates that may arise in the future. A Professional Funding Specialist provided by MDI will work with district administrators to complete the LearnSafe funding package. LearnSafe’s unique approach to funding delivers customized packages to schools based on the most appropriate short and long term options available. In most cases, LearnSafe is able to fund from 75% to 100% of the program without the need to issue vehicles that will increase taxpayer burden. “The forward-thinking leadership team at Mercedes ISD have taken the first step towards providing their district with a turn-key comprehensive safety and security program, that is managed by an experienced team of security professionals,” stated Jack Walser, Executive Director of The LearnSafe Initiative. “By using the LearnSafe Internal Funding Model™ District leaders can accomplish this system-wide program without the need to seek additional outside funding sources or increase local taxpayer burden. We applaud the district for taking part in this initiative to provide safety and security for their students, teachers, administrators and parents,” he added. LearnSafe begins with a district wide risk assessment and site survey, which allows the program’s security professionals to identify internal and external threats and vulnerabilities to each campus, while formulating cost effective risk mitigation strategies that span across every layer of security and all security disciplines. The assessment serves as the baseline for all safety and security implementations within the district and will function as a decision-making tool to be utilized by the LearnSafe professional services team and school district leaders to provide the right levels of security to each individual school within the district. In addition to MDI’s unified video surveillance, access control, automated lockdown and alarm management solution, the LearnSafe Team is comprised of:
MDI Security Systems is an official contract holder in The Cooperative Purchasing Network (TCPN). The TCPN contract is available for use by thousands of public and private schools, colleges, universities, cities, counties and other government agencies in the States of Texas, Arizona, Arkansas, New Mexico and Oklahoma to purchase products and services without having to undergo the time and direct costs associated with establishing a competitive bidding process. |
||||
