Toronto school board’s $81K Kojo contract reveals procurement rule-bending
The Toronto District School Board insists it followed all proper procedures when it awarded an $81,000 sole-sourced anti-racism training contract to the Kojo Institute in 2020.
The Toronto District School Board insists it followed all proper procedures when it awarded an $81,000 sole-sourced anti-racism training contract to the Kojo Institute in 2020, but internal records suggest the deal may have bypassed key rules meant to prevent the misappropriation of funds.
The deal, issued during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, was not shared with TDSB’s purchasing department until more than two weeks after it had already been approved.
The contract was signed by then-associate director Colleen Russell-Rawlins to secure professional development training from the Kojo Institute. Training delivered by Kojo is involved in an ongoing investigation into the suicide of beloved TDSB principal, Richard Bilkszto.