Hazelwood Schools Minority Suppliers On Target, Struggling to Find Women

The Hazelwood School District (HSD) Board of Education heard a quarterly update report regarding the district's supplier diversity program at Tuesday's meeting.

The update included stats through Dec. 31, 2012, on minority and women supplier participation as it pertains to bid contracts awarded within the district.

Kevin Cross, HSD director of supplier diversity, said as of the end of 2012, $13.1 million has been spent from the current 2012-13 fiscal year operating funds. Of that, $4.2 million has been used on professional services, $8.7 million was spent on supplies & equipment and $49,600 was used in the construction category ().

"The purpose of the program is to seek and establish meaningful opportunities for bona fide minority and women-owned enterprises to conduct business with the Hazelwood School District," Cross said.

Overall, the district is exceeding its 25 percent professional services Minority Business Enterprises (MBEs) participation goal with 26.2 percent of service funds awarded going to minorities. The district's MBE goal for supplies and equipment is 15 percent, and the district currently has 16 percent of supply funds being designated to MBEs.

However, as it pertains to Women Business Enterprises (WBEs), HSD is struggling achieve its 5 percent goal across the board with less than 1 percent (0.8) on services and 2.1 percent on supplies fund awarded to WBEs.

Tom Mangogna, Hazelwood School District director of facilities, gave a report on Phase III of its Hazelwood 1st facility updates bond issue (Proposition H) construction.

He said the district is excelling in WBE and MBE construction participation.

"Thus far we have $98.5 million in contracts on the $120 million bond issue," he said.

The district has a 5.6 percent WBE participation and 36.9 percent MBE participation on construction projects.

The district instituted an initiative last year which it hopes will also expedite contractor payments and streamlines the process of overseeing minority and women owned business participation called an AlphaCard system.

Cross said there has been a lot of interest in the district's AlphaCard system used for tracking information about demographics on the HSD construction sites.

To read more about HSD Supplier Diversity see:

• HSD Facilities Director Awarded For Supporting Minority Businesses
• Supplier Diversity Targets a Topic at HSD Board of Education Meeting
• Lessons in Diversity: Mixed Reviews Meet Hazelwood School District Plan for Suppliers
• NAACP Delivers the Hazelwood School Board a Letter of Violation