NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A Metro Council member is raising questions about a large no-bid contract that Metro Nashville Public Schools handed to well-connected consulting/lobbying firm with ties to a former district insider.
That consulting and lobbying firm, the Ingram Group, landed the deal in late 2024 as longtime MNPS chief of staff Hank Clay was walking out the door to go to work for Ingram. That contract is now worth nearly $250,000 a year.
This development follows a recent NewsChannel 5 investigation that revealed how Ingram was secretly working for a major MNPS vendor while it was advising the school system.
" Number one, the cost of it is exorbitant,” said Council Member Courtney Johnston, who serves on the council’s budget committee. “When you look at other contracts that are like this, $20,000 a month is a lot – it’s just a lot.”
Under the contract, the Ingram Group agreed that it would work with MNPS on:
- strategic planning and execution
- intergovernmental and federal relations
- strategic partnerships and philanthropic engagement
- executive coaching and leadership development
- organizational performance and operational efficiency
- evaluation and financial advisory, and
- responsive and emerging needs.
"When you look at the scope of it,” Johnston said, “the scope of it reads like the job description of a blend between the chief of staff and the superintendent of schools. Well, we already have a superintendent of schools, and we have a chief of staff, so why are we paying another almost quarter of a million dollars a year to add a consultant do this? "
According to a review of records, Clay's last day on the job was Dec. 2, 2024.
The very next day, the Ingram Group sent a letter, saying it had "appreciated getting to know Dr. Battle and the whole team" and offering to provide a range of consulting services.
Ingram offered those services for "a monthly retainer of $12,000."
"And part of this says, 'Hank Clay will take the lead on MNPS engagement,'” Johnston noted.
NewsChannel 5 Investigates asked, "So, they had been talking about this probably well in advance of Hank Clay leaving."
"I don't know how you could not come to that conclusion,” she agreed.
On the very next day, MNPS began the process for a "sole-source" deal to give the work to Ingram without any competition.
"There's a lot improper about it,” Johnston said. “I mean, if you're negotiating a contract outside of your current employment…."
We noted, "While you're employed…”
“While you're employed,” she agreed, “that shows something's off, right?"
Because that initial contract was just for six months, it was below the $100,000 threshold that required school board approval.
Still, under school board rules, MNPS officials had to document why the Ingram Group was the only possible firm that could do the job and what services it would provide.
NewsChannel 5 Investigates pointed to language in the sole-source documentation.
"This was the one that really intrigued me: ‘school board member relations support.’ He would strengthen relationships with school board members."
Johnston continued reading, "To facilitate approval of operating budgets and capital projects with local and state.”
She noted, “I've never seen the school board push back very much on anything that the superintendent of schools, the current superintendent of schools wants to do."
NewsChannel 5 Investigates asked, "Why would the director of schools need someone to work on her relationship with the school board?"
"Yeah,” she responded, “that's a great question."
A Metro Schools spokesperson declined to make Dr. Battle available for an interview. Instead, the district released the following statement:
“Given the increasingly complex political and policy environment in which public schools operate, access to multiple sources of institutional knowledge and experience is valuable to Metro Nashville Public Schools. Addressing complex issues is strengthened by input and perspectives from a range of experienced professionals.
“The Ingram Group was engaged to provide strategic advisement and execution support to district leadership. This work includes support for strategic planning and implementation of district initiatives, advising on relationships with federal, state, and local government partners, supporting strategic partnerships and philanthropic engagement, and providing executive coaching and organizational advisory support as the district advances key priorities.
“Our focus remains on ensuring that MNPS has the expertise and resources necessary to support the district’s continued progress. Under Dr. Battle’s leadership, MNPS has achieved historic gains in academic growth, graduation rates, and student outcomes, and we will continue to leverage partnerships and expertise that help sustain that progress.”
Still, that did not address Johnston’s concerns about how the contract was handled.
“Their justification for the sole source is that ‘Hey, we need this expertise, and he's the expert because he's just recently left this position that has this exact job description.’ It’s mind boggling to me how blatant this is."
We asked, “If they had needed him just for a transition period, would you have had a problem with that or as much of a problem?"
"Not necessarily,” she admitted.
But, last year, MNPS gave the Ingram Group a new no-bid contract – this one at $20,000 a month, almost a quarter of a million dollars a year. It includes options to extend the contract for five years.
That deal was approved by the school board with no discussion.
" My overall concern here is what this indicates,” Johnston said. “If this is how they're doing business, what other contracts are being done sole source that are exorbitant in nature, that are wasting our tax dollars?"
That comes on top of recent revelations by NewsChannel 5 Investigates that, while Hank Clay was working on the inside with Metro Schools officials, he was also secretly advising the Internet company, Zayo, that had a multimillion-dollar contract with Metro Schools and was trying to renew that deal.
The Ingram Group denies there was any real conflict.
"All of it is eyebrow raising,” said Johnston, “and it just makes me wonder: what else are they doing?"
The Ingram Group provided its own statement:
"It is not at all uncommon for senior level staff to make a career transition while retaining an advisory consulting relationship with their former employer. All the timeline shows is that respectful, courteous, and customary notice was given, which helped ensure a smooth transition. Every Ingram Group client is served by a team of consultants. In addition to retaining Hank in a new advisory role, MNPS gained the additional capabilities of the broader firm.
“The sole-source justification is public record and speaks for itself: In consultation with local leaders and stakeholders, MNPS judged The Ingram Group exceptionally qualified due to The Ingram Group’s expertise across multiple sectors and all levels of government.”