70-S0043-26-CP359_NM Gadsden sole source 2026-SREB.pdf.PDF

Sole Source Form

STATE OF NEW MEXICO

SOLE SOURCE REQUEST AND DETERMINATION FORM

A sole source determination is not effective until the sole source request for determination has been posted for thirty (30) calendar days without challenge, and subsequently approved in writing by the State Purchasing Agent or, for Professional Services Agreements, the Secretary of the General Services Department. The foregoing requirement is regardless of whether the sole source request for determination has been signed by the Agency and/or the Contractor.

I. Name of Agency: Gadsden ISD

Agency Chief Procurement Officer: Ashley Villalobos-Trujillo

Telephone Number: 575-882-6244

Agency Contact for this request: Ashley Villalobos -Trujillo

Telephone Number & Email Address 575-882-6760 aivtrujillo@gisd.k12.nm.us

II. Name of prospective Contractor: Southern Regional Education Board (SREB)

SHARE Vendor Number (must be active): 46800

Address of prospective Contractor:

592 Tenth Street, NW

Atlanta, Georgia 30318-5709

Contact Name, Telephone Number and Email Address:

Jenn Carter, 404-879-5542 ,jenn.carter@sreb.org

Amount of prospective contract before tax: $60,000

Estimated tax amount (tax is subject to change): N/A

Term of prospective contract: 9 months Note: For terms longer than one year, Request for Policy Exemption from DFA MUST be included.

III. Agency is required to state purpose/need of purchase and thoroughly list the services (scope of work), construction or items of tangible personal property of the prospective contract (if this is an amendment request to an existing contract, include current contract number issued by SPD):

Purpose/Need of Purchase

Gadsden Independent School District (GISD) seeks professional development, coaching, technical assistance, and continuous improvement services from the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) to strengthen the quality and effectiveness of its Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs. Services will support CTE educators and leaders in improving instruction, teacher capacity, coaching practices, leadership, and alignment with CTE goals, Program of Study requirements, CLNA findings, and workforce development priorities.

Scope of Work

SREB will provide professional services that include:

● Research-based professional development in high-quality CTE instructional practices.

● CTE teacher coaching and instructional support, including observation, feedback, and implementation guidance.

● Planning and facilitation of middle and high school instructional rounds.

● School and district continuous improvement support, including use of SREB frameworks such as Making

Schools Work, as appropriate.

● Support for professional learning communities and collaborative, data-informed improvement.

● CTE leadership development for administrators and campus leaders.

● District-level consultation and technical assistance aligned with CTE priorities, CLNA findings, Programs of Study, and student outcomes.

● Planning meetings, professional learning sessions, coaching, follow-up, implementation resources, tools, protocols, and sustainability support.

Tangible Personal Property/Construction

The contract is primarily for professional services. No construction is contemplated. Any tangible personal property will be limited to professional learning materials, instructional tools, protocols, digital resources, or other materials necessary to deliver the contracted services.

Expected Outcome

The services will strengthen GISD’s capacity to deliver high-quality CTE instruction, improve educator and leadership effectiveness, increase student engagement and achievement, and better prepare students for postsecondary education, industry credentials, and high-skill, high-demand careers.

IV. Provide a detailed explanation of the criteria developed and specified by the agency as necessary to perform and/or fulfill the contract and upon which the state agency reviewed available sources. (Do not use “technical jargon;” use plain English. Do not tailor the criteria simply to exclude other contractors if it is not rationally related to the purpose of the contract.)

GISD established criteria necessary to improve the quality, consistency, and effectiveness of its Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs. The criteria are based on the district’s instructional needs, CTE goals, student outcomes, workforce expectations, and college and career readiness priorities.

The selected provider must be able to:

● Provide CTE-specific professional development focused on effective teaching, student engagement, hands-on and project-based learning, critical thinking, problem solving, assessment, differentiation, and connections to academic, industry, and career expectations.

● Provide ongoing teacher coaching and support through classroom observation, feedback, modeling, co-planning, lesson and assessment support, and follow-up to help teachers apply professional learning in practice.

● Conduct middle and high school instructional rounds to identify strengths, instructional needs, student engagement, rigor, relevance, career connections, and opportunities for improvement. The rounds are intended for improvement, not teacher evaluation.

● Support middle school CTE readiness by strengthening career awareness, exploration, foundational skills, exposure to career pathways, and alignment with high school CTE Programs of Study.

● Provide districtwide CTE support to improve consistency across campuses, including assistance with curriculum, instruction, assessment, leadership, data use, work-based learning, industry connections, credentials, and state and federal CTE requirements.

● Use a continuous improvement process that assesses needs, plans and implements improvements, reviews results, and makes adjustments based on evidence such as classroom observations, student work, participation, achievement, credential attainment, and program data.

● Provide sustainable systems and resources that enable district and campus leaders to continue supporting high-quality CTE instruction after the contracted services conclude.

These criteria are directly related to the purpose of the contract and reflect the district’s need for a coordinated approach that combines professional development, coaching, instructional review, leadership support, and continuous improvement. The criteria were used to review available sources for providers with the appropriate experience, services, and capacity to meet GISD’s identified CTE needs.

V. Provide a detailed, sufficient explanation of the reasons, qualifications, proprietary rights or unique capabilities of the prospective contractor that makes the prospective contractor the one source capable of providing the required professional service, service, construction or item(s) of tangible personal property.

(Please do not state the source is the “best” source or the “least costly” source. Those factors do not justify a “sole source.”)

The Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) has partnered with Gadsden Independent School District since 2011 to support Career and Technical Education (CTE). Through this longstanding partnership, SREB has developed specific knowledge of the district’s CTE pathways, instructional goals, staff needs, and implementation processes.

SREB’s unique capabilities directly align with the required services, including:

● Specialized expertise in CTE instruction and Project-Based Learning (PBL), which are central to the district’s CTE programs.

● Powerful Instructional Practices professional development that strengthens teacher instructional skills and supports consistent implementation across CTE classrooms.

● Established knowledge of GISD’s existing instructional systems and CTE pathways, allowing services to build upon prior implementation rather than requiring the district to restart or duplicate professional learning.

● Ability to provide customized face-to-face and virtual professional development, coaching, and technical assistance based on campus and staff needs.

● Established capacity to provide professional development that supports the district’s Perkins-funded CTE professional development requirements.

Because SREB has developed institutional knowledge of GISD’s CTE programs and has established instructional frameworks and practices within the district over many years, replacing the provider would require significant transition and retraining and could disrupt ongoing implementation. SREB’s existing knowledge and specialized CTE and PBL capabilities allow the required services to be delivered as a continuation of established district initiatives rather than as a new implementation.

Based on these specific qualifications, established capabilities, and continuity of services, SREB is the one source capable of providing the required combination of CTE-specific professional development, Project-Based Learning support, Powerful

Instructional Practices, coaching, and customized district implementation assistance.

VI. Provide a detailed, sufficient explanation of how the professional service, service, construction or item(s) of tangible personal property is/are unique and how this uniqueness is substantially related to the intended purpose of the contract.

SREB’s Making Schools Work model is unique because it provides a structured, research-based continuous improvement process that combines professional development, instructional coaching, leadership support, collaborative problem-solving, instructional rounds, and ongoing implementation support. Unlike one-time training, the model connects professional learning directly to classroom practice, evidence of student learning, and school improvement goals.

This uniqueness is directly related to the purpose of the contract because GISD requires an integrated approach to strengthen CTE instruction, provide teacher coaching, conduct middle and high school instructional rounds, and support districtwide CTE improvement.

Key unique features include:

● Sustained professional learning and coaching that helps CTE educators apply and refine instructional practices over time.

● Distributed leadership that engages district leaders, administrators, teachers, counselors, and other stakeholders in coordinated improvement efforts.

● Instructional rounds that examine actual teaching and learning practices, identify common needs, and inform targeted improvement efforts at both the middle and high school levels.

● Alignment across CTE programs and grade levels, supporting a coherent pathway from career exploration through high school Programs of Study and postsecondary transition.

● Integrated continuous improvement, connecting professional development, coaching, leadership, instructional observation, and data-informed decision-making within one framework.

● Sustainability, providing systems and practices that can continue beyond the contract period.

The uniqueness of Making Schools Work is substantially related to the intended purpose because it addresses CTE improvement at the teacher, campus, and district levels simultaneously. This comprehensive approach will strengthen instructional quality, build educator capacity, improve alignment across CTE programs, and support student preparation for postsecondary education, industry credentials, and careers.

VII. Explain why other similar professional services, services, construction or item(s) of tangible personal property cannot meet the intended purpose of the contract.

Other professional development providers may offer general instructional training, leadership development, or individual CTE workshops; however, they cannot meet GISD’s specific need for an integrated, sustained CTE improvement process that combines instructional professional development, teacher coaching, instructional rounds, leadership support, and continuous improvement.

The district requires a provider capable of delivering all of the following as a coordinated system:

● CTE-specific Powerful Instructional Practices professional development.

● Sustained teacher coaching and implementation support.

● Structured middle and high school instructional rounds.

● Districtwide CTE supports addressing classroom, campus, and district needs.

● A continuous process of identifying needs, implementing improvements, reviewing results, and making adjustments.

● Leadership development and distributed leadership involving administrators, teachers, counselors, and other stakeholders.

Other providers may offer individual components of these services, but using multiple providers would create separate training efforts rather than one coordinated improvement system. This could result in inconsistent implementation, duplicated training, and reduced continuity between professional learning and classroom practice.

SREB’s Making Schools Work framework provides the integrated structure necessary to connect professional development, coaching, instructional observation, leadership, and continuous improvement. These combined services directly address GISD’s identified CTE needs and support sustainable improvements in instructional quality, program effectiveness, and student preparation for postsecondary education, industry credentials, and careers.

Therefore, similar individual or general professional development services cannot meet the intended purpose because they do not provide the same comprehensive, coordinated combination of CTE instructional support, coaching, instructional rounds, leadership development, and sustained continuous improvement required by the contract.

VIII. Provide a narrative description of the agency’s due diligence in determining the basis for the procurement, including procedures used by the agency to conduct a review of available sources such as researching trade publications, industry newsletters and the internet;; contacting similar service providers;

and reviewing the State Purchasing Divisions’ Statewide Price Agreements. Include a list of businesses contacted (do not state that no other businesses were contacted), date of contact, method of contact (telephone, mail, email, other), and documentation demonstrating an explanation of why those businesses could not or would not, under any circumstances, perform the contract; or an explanation of why the agency has determined that no businesses other than the prospective contractor can perform the contract.

Gadsden Independent School District (GISD) conducted a good-faith review of available sources to determine whether other providers could meet its need for an integrated CTE professional services program. The District’s review focused on providers with demonstrated experience in CTE instruction, professional development, teacher coaching, instructional rounds, leadership development, and sustained school improvement.

The District reviewed:

● Internet and provider websites.

● Professional and industry resources and publications.

● Available information regarding K–12, CTE, instructional coaching, and school-improvement providers.

● New Mexico General Services Department/State Purchasing Division resources and Statewide Price

Agreements.

● The availability of providers capable of delivering the complete scope of services through one integrated approach.

Providers were evaluated based on their ability to provide CTE-specific professional development, job-embedded coaching, middle and high school instructional rounds, leadership support, customized technical assistance, and continuous improvement within a coordinated framework.

Determination

The review determined that GISD requires one provider capable of delivering the entire integrated scope, rather than separate providers for individual services. Using multiple providers could result in fragmented professional development, inconsistent instructional approaches, duplicated training, and additional coordination.

SREB was identified as uniquely capable because its Making Schools Work model integrates CTE instructional practices, professional development, coaching, leadership development, instructional rounds, and continuous improvement. SREB also provides CTE-specific teacher development and customized follow-up coaching that directly align with GISD’s identified needs.

Based on the review of available sources, State Purchasing Division resources, and other potential providers, GISD determined that no other identified provider could provide the required combination of services within one coordinated framework. This determination supports procurement from SREB as the sole source for the required professional services.

Certified by: Date:____________________

Agency Chief Procurement Officer

Agency Approval by: Date: ____________________

Cabinet Secretary/Agency or Entity Head or Designee

APPROVED: Date:____________________

State Purchasing Agent

If this sole source is being submitted by a governmental agency or governmental entity not under the final authority of the State Purchasing Agent, the State Purchasing Agent’s signature is not required. The signature line may be removed from this form or marked as N/A. Hard Copy Documentation for Courtesy Postings do not need to be submitted to SPD for approval.

SREB

Southern Regional Education Board

592 Tenth Street, NW

Atlanta, Georgia 30318-5790 Phone 404-875-9211

Fax 404-872-1477 www.sreb.org

August 5, 2026

Gadsden Independent School District 4950 McNutt Road Santa Teresa, NM 88008

RE: SREB Sole Source Letter

The Southern Regional Education Board (SREB), the sole source provider of Making Schools Work (MSW), is pleased to partner with participating school districts and states to deliver targeted services for the 2026-2027 school year.

SREB offers nationally training specific to the needs of Making Schools Work network schools. All services, including project-based learning and STEM workshops, site development workshops, review visits, professional development sessions, on-site coaching services, data analysis and evaluation of assessment instruments relating to MSW, are the exclusive rights of SREB.

These services are designed to assist sites with the deep implementation of the research-based Key Practices and to make focused plans to address the goals for continuous improvement.

SREB-trained coaches and directors deliver workshops and provide technical services that are aligned to both the MSW frameworks and proven school improvement priorities. A unique benefit of the SREB services and resources, as compared to other services and resources available in the marketplace, is no other service and resource provides substantially equivalent or similar benefits. Considering the benefits received, the cost of the services and resources is reasonable, when compared to conventional methods.

We look forward to our partnership with you. Please contact me at (404) 875-9211 if you have any questions.

Sincerely, Dale Winkler, Ed.D.

Vice President – Office of School Improvement http://www.sreb.org/