HCDE

BOARD RESPONSE

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Tammy Lanier

From: John Sawyer

Sent: Friday, August 03, 2007 1:23 PM
To: Evans, Louis
Subject: RE: Public Information Request
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Purple

Fine Louis. I also talked to Mr. Bush, but socially. Thanks.

From: Evans, Louis [mailto:Evansl@uhd.edu]

Sent: Friday, August 03, 2007 11:38 AM
To: John Sawyer
Subject: RE: Public Information Request

Dr. Sawyer,

I have not talked to Ignite Learning, Mr. Bush or Mr. Leonard about any business related to Ignite Learning in my
capacity as a member of the HCDE Board of Trustees.

I however, have talked to Mr. Neil Bush at the Education Foundation Dinner. I also can not say for a certainty that
I have never talked to a representative of Ignite Learning in my capacity as an employee of UHD since I have
attend several conferences this past year. With such a broad request of "have we ever talked to ... ", it is difficult to
answer with a certainty. I am surprised, since an open record request usually has to be specific in nature and can
not just ask for everything.

Please let me know if you require any additional information.

Regards,
Louis Evans

Louis D. Evans III

College of Public Service
Director, CPS Advising Services
(713) 221-2766
Fax: (713) 226-5234

From: Vicky Smith [mailto:vsmith@hcde-texas.org] On Behalf Of John Sawyer

Sent: Friday, August 03, 2007 11:17 AM
To: amchesnut@hotmail.com; bobpeterson@sbcglobal.net; Evans, Louis; iam@michaelwolfe.com;
rtgarcia@sbcglobal.net; roy@roymorales.com
Subject: FW: Public Information Request

Board, I do not think any of you have had any contact or communication with this company, Mr. Bush, or Mr.
Leonard, but we would like a statement from you since this request falls under "open records." Tammy has
handled all the rest. Please respond to Vicky ASAP.

From: Tammy Lanier

Sent: Friday, July 27, 2007 11: 16 AM
To: John Sawyer; Celes Harris; Linda Pitre; Rosalind Dworkin
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8/3/2007
 Page 2 of3

Cc: Alfonso Saldivar; Douglas Kleiner

Subject: Public Information Request

All,
I am in receipt of a public information request from an organization named CREW (Citizens for Responsibility and
Ethics in Washington). This entity is requesting a number of documents, communications, contracts, agreements,
and/or any research conducted on our behalf pertaining to Ignite Learning. By law, I am required to provide a
response to this request. While I do not believe that any of you have such information, I am required to perform
due diligence as it relates to this request.

Dr. Sawyer,
CREW is also requesting such from members of our Board of Trustees. Would you please simply forward this
email to them or draft something similar to them related to this issue as I do not contact members of our Board
without a directive from you or without your permission? Upon your return to the office, I will handle, if you like-
with your approval. Please advise.

All primary recipients of this email should provide to me at your earliest opportunity, please, any of the
following items or documents in which you may have or be privy to:

1. Any and all communications between any HCDE employee or Board Trustee and any officer or employee
of Ignite Learning, includinq but not limited to Ken Leonard and Neil Bush;
2. Any and all communications between HCDE employees or Board Trustees and any officer or employee of
the Harris County Education Foundation that refer to Ignite Learning, the Curriculum on Wheels, or COWs;
3. Any and all communications between HCDE employees or Board Trustees and any officer or employee of
the Houston Independent School District Foundation that refer to Ignite Learning, the Curriculum on
Wheels, or COWs;
4. Any document relating to a donation by Barbara Bush and/or George H.W. Bush associated with Hurricane
Katrina relief and Ignite Learning, the Curriculum on Wheels, or COWs;
5. Any document indicating funding sources and budget expenditures for aii Ignite Learning products
purchased by or donated to HCDE;
6. Any and all research or other documentation evaluating the instructional effectiveness of any Ignite
Learning product;
7. All draft contracts or agreements with Ignite Learning;'
8. All final contracts or agreements with Ignite Learning with signature approval*
9. All sole source documentation for purchase of Ignite Learning products (e.g. Curriculum on Wheels. or
COWs) or services;*
10. All teacher surveys or evaluations relating to any Ignite Learning product or service;
11. All vendor purchase orders with Ignite Learning;*
12. All maintenance agreements with Ignite Learning;
13. Any listing of campuses that utilize or utilized any Ignite Learning product (e.g. Curriculum on Wheels, or
COWs);
14. Any inventory of Ignite Learning products (e.g. Curriculum on Wheels, or COWs)

*1 have already requested items in red from Alfonso Saldivar and he has responded.

Drs. Sawyer and Pitre,

Please respond upon returning to town.

Celes and Roz,

Please respond as soon as possible.

Thanks in advance for your attention in this matter. Feel free to contact me should you have any questions or
wish to discuss.

Tammy

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8/3/2007
 Page 3 of3

Tammy \V. Lanier

Director of Communications and Public Information
Harris County Department of Education
713/696-0752 Office
713/696-0722 Fax
tl.;J\li~I@JlliLe:-=l~Jl~_&rg
An essential piece of the education puzzle

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8/3/2007
 Page 1 of2

Tammy Lanier

From: John Sawyer

Sent: Friday, August 03, 2007 1:26 PM
To: roy@roymorales.com
Cc: R T Garcia; Tammy Lanier
Subject: RE: FW: Public Information Request
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Purple

Probably means as a Trustee, OR a candidate for Trustee.

From: roy@roymorales.com [mailto:roy@roymorales.com]

Sent: Friday, August 03, 2007 12:20 PM
To: John Sawyer
Subject: RE: FW: Public Information Request

John,

Question. I'm assuming that when they say contact they mean since we have been sworn in as Trustees?

Roy Morales

-------- Original Message --------

Subject: FW: Public Information Request
From: "John Sawyer" <jsawyer@hcde-texas.org>
Date: Fri, August 03, 20079: 17 am
To: <amchesnut@hotmail.com>, <bobpeterson@sbcglobal.net>,
<Evansl@uhd.edu>, <iam@michaelwolfe.com>, <rtgarcia@sbcglobal.net>,
<roy@roymorales.com>

Board, I do not think any of you have had any contact or communication with this company, Mr. Bush, or Mr.
Leonard, but we would like a statement from you since this request falls under "open records." Tammy has
handled all the rest. Please respond to Vicky ASAP.

From: Tammy Lanier

Sent: Friday, July 27,2007 11:16 AM
To: John Sawyer; Celes Harris; Linda Pitre; Rosalind Dworkin
Cc: Alfonso Saldivar; Douglas Kleiner
Subject: Public Information Request

All,
I am in receipt of a public information request from an organization named CREW (Citizens for Responsibility and
Ethics in Washington). This entity is requesting a number of documents, communications, contracts, agreements,

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8/3/2007
 Page 2 of2

and/or any research conducted on our behalf pertaining to Ignite Learning. By law, I am required to provide a
response to this request. While I do not believe that any of you have such information, I am required to perform
due diligence as it relates to this request.

Dr. Sawyer,
CREW is also requesting such from members of our Board of Trustees. Would you please simply forward this
email to them or draft something similar to them related to this issue as I do not contact members of our Board
without a directive from you or without your permission? Upon your return to the office, I will handle, if you like-
with your approval. Please advise.

All primary recipients of this email should provide to me at your earliest opportunity, please, any of the
following items or documents in which you may have or be privy to:

1. Any and all communications between any HCDE employee or Board Trustee and any officer or employee
of Ignite Learning, including but not limited to Ken Leonard and Neil Bush;
2. Any and all communications between HCDE employees or Board Trustees and any officer or employee of
the Harris County Education Foundation that refer to Ignite Learning, the Curriculum on Wheels, or COWs;
3. Any and all communications between HCDE employees or Board Trustees and any officer or employee of
the Houston Independent School District Foundation that refer to Ignite Learning, the Curriculum on
Wheels, or COWs;
4. Any document relating to a donation by Barbara Bush and/or George H.W. Bush associated with Hurricane
Katrina relief and Ignite Learning, the Curriculum on Wheels, or COWs;
5. Any document indicating funding sources and budget expenditures for all Ignite Learning products
purchased by or donated to HCDE;
6. Any and all research or other documentation evaluating the instructional effectiveness of any Ignite
Learning product;
7 All draft contracts or agreements with Ignite Learning;'
8. All final contracts or agreements with Ignite Learning with siqnature approval*
9. All sole source documentation for purchase of Ignite Learning products (e.g. Curriculum on Wheels. or
COWs) or services;*
10. All teacher surveys or evaluations relating to any Ignite Learning product or service;
11. All vendor purchase orders with Ignite Learning;*
12. All maintenance agreements with Ignite Learning;
13. Any listing of campuses that utilize or utilized any Ignite Learning product (e.g. Curriculum on Wheels, or
COWs);
14. Any inventory of Ignite Learning products (e.g. Curriculum on Wheels, or COWs)

*1 have already requested items in red from Alfonso Saldivar and he has responded

Drs. Sawyer and Pitre,

Please respond upon returning to town.

Celes and Roz,

Please respond as soon as possible.

Thanks in advance for your attention in this matter. Feel free to contact me should you have any questions or
wish to discuss.

Tammy
Tammy \11/. Lanier
Director of Communications and Public Information
Harris County Department of Education
713/696'0752 Office
713/696-0722 Fax
tl..a.n.iIT@h~de-te~Es.org
An essential piece of the education puzzle

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8/3/2007
 Page 1 of2

Tammy Lanier

From: Vicky Smith

Sent: Friday, August 03,2007 12:59 PM
To: John Sawyer
Cc: Tammy Lanier
Subject: RE: Public Information Request
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Purple
Attachments: 040706 News.doc; 06-0ct Minutes.doc

We did have two things from our office - one was on the Media Log in April 2006 that was sent to the
Board and then there was an item on the October 2006 agenda.

From: John Sawyer

Sent: Friday, August 03, 2007 9: 16 AM
To: Vicky Smith
Cc: Davis, Jeffrey
Subject: FW: Public Information Request

Vicky, please be sure this info gets to ALL the Board. E-mail may be best, but I think Judge Schwartz may not be
"on-line," yet.

Board, I do not think any of you have had any contact or communication with this company, Mr. Bush, or Mr.
Leonard, but we would like a statement from you since this request falls under "open records." Tammy has
handled all the rest. Please respond to Vicky ASAP.

From: Tammy Lanier

Sent: Friday, July 27,2007 11:16 AM
To: John Sawyer; Celes Harris; Linda Pitre; Rosalind Dworkin
Cc: Alfonso Saldivar; Douglas Kleiner
Subject: Public Information Request

All,
I am in receipt of a public information request from an organization named CREW (Citizens for Responsibility and
Ethics in Washington). This entity is requesting a number of documents, communications, contracts, agreements,
and/or any research conducted on our behalf pertaining to Ignite Learning. By law, I am required to provide a
response to this request. While I do not believe that any of you have such information, I am required to perform
due diligence as it relates to this request.

Dr. Sawyer,
CREW is also requesting such from members of our Board of Trustees. Would you please simply forward this
email to them or draft something similar to them related to this issue as I do not contact members of our Board
without a directive from you or without your permission? Upon your return to the office, I will handle, if you like-
with your approval. Please advise.

All primary recipients of this email should provide to me at your earliest opportunity, please, any of the
following items or documents in which you may have or be privy to:

1. Any and all communications between any HCDE employee or Board Trustee and any officer or employee
of Ignite Learning, including but not limited to Ken Leonard and Neil Bush;

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8/3/2007
 Page 2 of2

2. Any and all communications between HCDE employees or Board Trustees and any officer or employee of
the Harris County Education Foundation that refer to Ignite Learning, the Curriculum on Wheels, or COWs;
3. Any and all communications between HCDE employees or Board Trustees and any officer or employee of
the Houston Independent School District Foundation that refer to Ignite Learning, the Curriculum on
Wheels, or COWs;
4. Any document relating to a donation by Barbara Bush and/or George H.W. Bush associated with Hurricane
Katrina relief and Ignite Learning, the Curriculum on Wheels, or COWs;
5. Any document indicating funding sources and budget expenditures for all Ignite Learning products
purchased by or donated to HCDE;
6. Any and all research or other documentation evaluating the instructional effectiveness of any Ignite
Learning product;
7. All draft contracts or agreements with Ignite Leaming;*
8. All final contracts or agreements with Ignite Learning with signature approval*
9. All sole source documentation for purchase of Ignite Learning products (e.g. Curriculum on Wheels, or
COWs) or services:"
10. All teacher surveys or evaluations relating to any Ignite Learning product or service;
II. All vendor purchase orders with Ignite Learning;*
12. All maintenance agreements with Ignite Learning;
13. Any listing of campuses that utilize or utilized any Ignite Learning product (e.g. Curriculum on Wheels, or
COWs);
14. Any inventory of Ignite Learning products (e.g. Curriculum on Wheels, or COWs)

*1 have already requested items in red frorn Alfonso Saldivar and he has responded.

Drs. Sawyer and Pitre,

Please respond upon returning to town.

Celes and Roz,

Please respond as soon as possible.

Thanks in advance for your attention in this matter. Feel free to contact me should you have any questions or
wish to discuss.

Tammy

Tammy VV. Lanier

Director of Communications and Public Information
Harris County Department of Education
7'3/696-0752 Office
713/696-0722 Fax
1hl.Oier.@_hcde-Jg~~~-,-Qrg
An essential piece of the education puzzle

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8/3/2007