The Republican challenger of democratic state superintendent Glenda Ritz wants authorities to investigate an education department contract that’s recently come under fire.
Jennifer McCormick is calling the inspector general to investigate a 2015 contract for an education department mobile app.
The app was designed to communicate things such as test scores and school events. But two contracts for its development weren’t put up for a competitive bid process. Instead they were awarded directly to AT&T – who worked with a software developer that later gave one of Ritz’s aides an executive position.
Tim Phelps a spokesman for Jennifer McCormick, Ritz’s challenger in November’s election, says “It’s very important that all state contracts go through this transparent process and that no department should be able to go around the rules. They exist for a good reason.”
The education department maintains there was no wrongdoing, saying their contract is with AT&T, not the software developer.
Department spokesperson Sam Hart says she has every confidence all parties acted appropriately.
