Dr. Horton's Consulting Firm; Worked with CPS, Didn't Properly Disclose Relationships

Cross-posting a story I wrote for a publication in Georgia

With the news that Dr. Horton’s vote for superintendent in Dekalb County is today, I thought I would crosspost a story I wrote for a news entity in Georgia, the Decaturish. I would encourage you to go read it on their site as well and click some ads.

This story is written for a different audience than my usual newsletter, and I will have a more Chicago area-specific follow up in the coming days and weeks.

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DeKalb superintendent finalist didn’t disclose consulting work on economic interest forms

On Oct.  6, 2020, the Wall Street Journal featured an article on Evanston and Dr. Horton, "Can School be 'Antiracist'? A New Superintendent in Evanston, Ill., Has a Plan." Dr. Horton had only been in office for three months but offered a grand vision for recreating the Evanston public schools.

Nine days after the story, on October 16, 2020, Dr. Horton filed Articles of Incorporation with the Illinois Secretary of State to start a company, Altering the Education XPectation LLC. Dr. Horton, the sole owner, describes the firm's mission as "to infuse our educational institutions with highly skilled leaders that effectively leads through systemic equitable practices."

Invoices obtained via records request  indicate that from November 2021 through May 2022, he rendered consulting services to the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) while Evanston Superintendent. Invoices for these services detail work such as "Instructional Leadership Executive Coaching," "Teacher Professional Development on Equity," and "MTSS Professional Development." 

According to the invoices, the training sessions he offered to CPS were on District 65 School days, such as May 4, 2022, or May 11, 2022. In total, he invoiced and was paid $32,500 for this work. According to Illinois state records, the firm was dissolved in April 2022, but he continued to receive income after that date.

District 65 has indirectly promoted his firm. For instance, on the website promoting the teacher residency program, CREATE65, the videos are hosted on the Altering the Education XPectation YouTube Channel instead of the official District channel. 

Dr. Horton has a long connection to Chicago Public Schools. Before he was a superintendent, from 2010 to 2014, he was a Vice Principal and Principal at Wendell Phillips Academy in CPS. Wendell Phillips was part of the Academy of Urban Leadership (AUSL), a non-profit organization that operated turnaround programs at 30 Chicago Public Schools. 

Eventually, CPS terminated the relationship and settled a civil rights case with the Chicago Teachers Union.

This consulting arrangement violates the District's policies regarding outside work. Section 5:120 of the District 65 Board Policies (on page 143 of the PDF) states, "Employees shall not engage in any other employment or private business during regular working hours or at such other times as are necessary to fulfill appropriate assigned duties." Decaturish asked the Evanston School Board for comment on March 30 and again on April 13 and didn’t receive a reply.

Dr. Horton wouldn't be the first Evanston Superintendent to have a consulting side hustle; in 2013, Superintendent Hardy Murphy resigned in a scandal involving consulting work done during business hours.

The State of Illinois has reporting requirements for public officials, including Dr. Horton.

According to the law, he is required to submit a Statement of Economic Interests (SEI) form that discloses all economic relationships. In both his 2021 and 2022 filings, he omitted this information

One question on the disclosure form asks the filer to, “List the name of each unit of government of which you or your spouse were an employee, contractor, or office holder during the preceding calendar year other than the unit or units of government in relation to which the person is required to file and the title of the position or nature of the contractual services.“ 

Dr. Horton left this question blank.