LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY) -- The Lafayette Parish School Board has voted on the final recommendations made by strategic planning firm Civic Solutions Group. Concerns over the vetting process used when hiring the firm have resulted in a 25-page analysis of the firm.

Civic Solutions Group, or CSG, is a strategic planning firm hired by LPSS to develop recommendations to address a decline in student enrollment and ensure taxpayer dollars are being used efficiently.

A stakeholder, who requested to remain anonymous, said LPSS wanted to get an unbiased third party.

"But there's nothing in the record to show that," the stakeholder said.

The stakeholder said the school system's approach in contracting CSG lacks transparency, presents potential conflicts of interest, and study validity.

According to the firm's website, CSG is a strategic planning firm that partners with school districts, state education agencies, higher education institutions, and non-profit organizations.

Hired by LPSS to conduct a district optimization study, CSG's proposed cost-saving recommendations included the closure of six schools, among other things.

"There [are] some major decisions out there like in Duson. They're going to close down our school that's been there 100 years, just on a whim of using some bad metrics, or someone's coming in saying, 'Well just trust us because we have our accolades, we've done all this, just trust us. we know what's best,'" the stakeholder said.

(Note: LPSS voted to keep Duson Elementary open.)

The optimization surveys CSG conducts are a way the firm collects data to propose these recommendations. However, the stakeholder said there is a lack of verifiable evidence to show CSG's track record in optimization studies which raises questions on the data's validity.

"I don't know what weight they're putting on the community surveys, but it was poorly designed where it's pitting one district against the other where one district can vote to close a school in this district, and they don't have anything in the district," says the stakeholder.

In a previous statement, LPSS said it contracted CSG for $184,500 to conduct the district optimization study.

The stakeholder said there are also concerns about who is affected by the recommendations and if the survey reflects that.

"Who's going to be affected by it, who's going to benefit from all this? It comes out that those are economically disadvantaged and minorities are being affected by it the worse," the stakeholder said.

News 10 reached out to both LPSS and CSG for a statement on their partnership ahead of the highly anticipated meeting where a vote on the final recommendations will be made. However, we were not able to get one as of news time.

View the 25-page analysis from the stakeholder below:

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