RALEIGH — Three years after North State Journal reported on a professional development course called “Intro to Critical Race Theory“ being offered to teachers in Wake County Public Schools, the organization behind that training continues to receive funds from the district.
Public records requests show Wake County Public Schools (WCPSS) invoices and payments to The Equity Collaborative (TEC) totaling more than $379,500 between 2019 and July 2024.
TEC was founded and is run by sitting North Carolina General Assembly Sen. Graig Meyer (D-Orange).
According to its website, TEC’s “equity-centered professional learning and coaching” includes defining “what is equity” as well as “exploring implicit bias,” “understanding systemic oppression and privilege” and “developing your approach for anti-racism.”
“The sessions are based on the belief that helping adults to develop an equity-centered approach to everything they do is the key to achieving equity in school environments,” TEC’s website says. “This institute is focused on finding common definitions of equity, oppression, and culturally responsive actions, as well as developing an approach to grow, change, and better serve our most marginalized students and families.”
“Our goal is to help organizations develop their own capacity to create educational equity and social justice by addressing bias and oppression,” TEC’s website says about its equity coaching.
A 2021 analysis of contracts in just seven districts around the country found TEC had earned more than $1.29 million in fees, including a “racial equity institute” and “dismantling racism” workshops that cost the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Public Schools $219,100. In 2020, Cumberland County Public Schools paid TEC $38,826 and New Hanover schools paid TEC over $24,000.
In 2021, NSJ reported that WCPSS had supplied $97,000 in invoices and $207,500 worth of service contracts for TEC that had purchase orders attached. That analysis included a single invoice of $90,000 for professional development and coaching sessions ordered by the WCPSS Office of Equity Affairs.
Most of the invoices and payments in the current batch reviewed by NSJ show the payments were for “professional development and coaching sessions” costing $1,500 for each participant. Some were labeled “job embedded equity coaching” at a rate of $2,500 per day per participant.
An invoice for a “racial equity institute two-day institute” held in December 2019 and again in March 2020 cost $28,000. That invoice was signed off on by then-WCPSS Assistant Superintendent of Student Support Services Paul Koh, and the invoice shows the WCPSS Counseling and Student Services Department as the ordering authority.
The “justification for services” on the two-day institute documentation says, “All prior SEL Institute Equity services were covered by a contract with the Office of Equity Affairs” and that federal funds would be used to complete the training.
Also in 2020, a “virtual” workshop series called “equity in education” was purchased for four high schools as well as the Wake Young Men’s Leadership Academy. The high schools included Holly Springs High, Middle Creek High and two sessions for Fuquay-Varina High. The overall cost was $16,000, and it was noted that the principals of those schools requested the training.
The “equity in education” training was described as “virtual training finding common definitions of equity, oppression, culturally responsive actions, and coaching and supporting others to grow and change in order to better serve our most marginalized students and families” in order to comply with the district’s “strategic goals around equality and cultural proficiency.”
A racial equity coaching seminar series ordered by Counseling and Student Services in 2021 cost $27,000 with a breakout rate of $3,000 per session.
During the 2022-23 fiscal year, a single document was produced with a total of $39,000. That total was broken into two “equity leadership seminars” and “coaching” charges of $30,000 and $9,000. The time period given was January to June 2023. The seminar sessions were $10,000 each and coaching sessions cost $3,000 each.
A December 2023 invoice for “direct coaching support for the Office of Early Learning showed a cost of $12,000.
The most recent payment WCPSS made to TEC was for multiple training items requested by the Office of Equity Affairs in July 2024. The total dollar figure was $78,000.
The invoice shows four separate types of training and workshops requested. These items are part of an overall program described as “Equity Facilitation Seminar and Equity Coaching for Growth” that was provided from June 26 through Aug. 9.
- Facilitation skills workshop: Two-day seminar at $8,000 per day, $16,000 total
- Prep/training/co-design sessions: Four sessions at $8,000 each, $32,000 total
- Pair coaching sessions: Four virtual sessions at 3,000 each, $12,000 total
- Individual coaching sessions: 20 total sessions at $450 each, $18,000 total
“Equity training” is not the only rising cost in the district.
Since its inception in 2014-15, the WCPSS Office of Equity Affairs (OEA) has spent $12.135 million, according to spending and budget documents obtained by NSJ.
In its first year, the OEA’s budget was $250,519. Documents obtained for 2023-24 show the OEA’s cost totaling $1,809,759. That cost includes salaries, travel, workshops and other spending,
