Bozeman schools, software company benefit from Burns’ no-bid grant

Without going through any competitive bidding, Plato Learning Inc., a Minnesota-based educational software company, is selling more than a half-million dollars of materials to the Bozeman School District.

By GAIL SCHONTZLER Chronicle Staff Writer

http://bozemandailychronicle.com/articles/2004/02/27/news/platobzbigs.txt

Thanks to Congress, U.S. taxpayers will be picking up Bozeman’s $646,000 tab. The money was earmarked in last month’s mammoth $373 billion federal spending bill by Sen. Conrad Burns, R-Mont.
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Earmarked appropriations are always popular at home, and criticized elsewhere as "pork barrel" spending.

"I’d say it’s only pork if it’s in Minnesota," quipped J.P. Donovan, Burns’ press secretary in Billings. "In Montana, it’s infrastructure.

"The bottom line," Donovan said, "is Conrad is interested in getting technology into our schools so our children have the same advantages … as in urban areas like Los Angeles or New York."

Bozeman school administrators are excited about the chance to use Plato software, and the School Board voted 7-0 this week to accept the federal money to buy the Plato software.

Bozeman teachers will begin by using it with gifted students, whose programs have been slashed in past budget cuts, and with "special needs" students who are struggling in school.

That’s a key concern under the new No Child Left Behind Act, which can label an entire school as making inadequate progress if any group of students has low test scores.

"There are some tremendous opportunities" with the Plato software, Bozeman School Superintendent Mike Redburn said Wednesday. "I think it’s an extremely positive thing. When you look at the motivation of Senator Burns, he is completely directed toward supporting (Montana) school districts."

Thanks to No Child Left Behind, there are also some tremendous opportunities for companies like Plato Learning.

It just landed a $16.8 million contract with the state of Idaho to provide its 752 public schools with software to manage curriculum, student information and data reports required by the No Child law.

Just how Bozeman got the earmarked grant depends on whom you talk to.

Donovan said Bozeman School officials approached the senator’s office, saying that to meet No Child Left Behind, they needed to do certain things, and the Plato software would be perfect. They asked the senator for help.

However, Redburn said he was first approached by Burns’ staff and invited to meet with them and Plato company representatives on Aug. 15, 2002.

Redburn recalled Burns’ staff said the senator was aware of Plato’s services and wanted to work with the company to support Montana schools. The senator’s staff asked if Bozeman would be willing to try a pilot program. When Redburn said yes, he was asked to put the request in writing. It failed to make it into the federal budget two years ago, but succeeded this year.

Asked why Bozeman schools wouldn’t seek competitive bids from a variety of software companies, Redburn said Plato had always been presented as the company Bozeman would be working with.

He added that school district’s policies specifically exclude library materials, textbooks and other educational materials from competitive bidding. The schools can purchase what they need, not only what’s cheapest.

Redburn said he didn’t know why Burns became interested in Plato, but it is well respected and may be the only company that can provide such a broad curriculum. Its software teaches everything from algebra to reading to frog dissection.

"Anytime there is an area with a need, the free market system is going to fill that need," Redburn said. "It’s true with textbooks. … There is nothing sinister about it. No Child Left Behind has created a number of needs," and companies are working to fill them.