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Michael Carter: CAO Act II looming?
Four days before his public school district operations consultant contract is set to expire, Mike Carter is still “undecided” as to whether or not to stay in the post — or, potentially, return to his former top City Hall job.
Carter formerly served as the Harp administration’s chief administrative officer (CAO), a deputy mayor administrative role responsible for overseeing such departments as police, fire, and the 911 call center.
On June 24, he was hired by the Elicker administration on a $16,000-per-month temporary contract to help fill the top New Haven Public Schools (NHPS) district job left empty by the suspension of NHPS Chief Operating Officer (COO) Thomas Lamb on May 29.
Carter’s initial three-month, schools-focused contract — which is being paid for by the city, not by NHPS — is set to expire on Sept. 30. That is, in just four days.
City spokesperson Lenny Speiller said that “parties are currently in conversation about the potential extension of Mr. Carter’s consulting agreement.”
On Thursday, Carter said he’s “undecided” about whether or not to stay in this temporary NHPS-focused post. “I really enjoy working with the Superintendent, the staff at 54 Meadow, the principals, teachers, paraprofessionals and all employees at NHPS. Dedicated public servants,” he wrote in an email to the Independent.
Elicker also told the Independent that he would “love” to have Carter back in the position of CAO, since Regina Rush-Kittle will be leaving that post in November. He said he and Carter have spoken about his potential return to that role. But, Elicker said, he’s not sure if Carter is considering the job himself.
Carter told the Independent on Thursday he is also “undecided” as to whether or not to return as CAO.
District leadership, meanwhile, has not spoken publicly for months about the cause of Lamb’s suspension or about an expected timeline for an associated investigation. In July, NHPS Supt. Madeline Negrón said in an interview on WNHH FM’s“Dateline New Haven” that the investigation is not related to a cyberattack during which hackers impersonated Lamb and stole $6 million meant to pay for public school buses. (The district’s IT director, who also leads a municipal union, has already been fired in part because of cybersecurity vulnerabilities before and after that attack.)
Carter stepped in at a time when the district has struggled with a a multi-million-dollar deficit, and teacher, student, custodial union, and other public criticism about deteriorating building conditions at schools across the district. Click here and here to read recent stories about NHPS staffers shedding light on such concerns.
While NHPS spokesperson Justin Harmon declined to comment on the status of contract negotiations with Carter, he did provide a list of highlights of work Carter has been doing over the past three months.
To quote directly from Harmon’s response, that work includes:
• Preparing an RFP for a firm to assist with a facilities audit that will support the development of a master plan
• Monitoring purchase orders and contracts
• Collaborating with the city Engineering Office and the Athletics Department to move the field house renovation project forward
• Instituting a quarterly inspection process for schools alongside our facilities management contractor
• Meeting as needed with principals and school staff to address immediate health and safety concerns
• Winning a grant from Diaper Bank to supply students in grades 3 – 12 with menstrual products
• Setting up a timeline for RFP development for custodial services and school building maintenance in order to support review by the Finance and Operations Committee
• Working with Facilities and the city to get replacement vehicles for NHPS trades personnel and supervisors
• Updating the food allergy policy in collaboration with Food Services and the city Health Department on behalf of the board’s Food Policy Task Force
• Auditing school construction grants
• Supporting the Citywide School Building and Stewardship Committee.