Cambridge voters should be alarmed by revelations that the Cambridge School Committee paid a search firm $40,000 more for the recent superintendent search than had previously been disclosed. The Committee hired The Equity Process (TEP) after rejecting three bids submitted in February from executive search firms. It said at the time TEP would do the work for $9,950.

That offer to TEP drew plenty of questions, because of a state requirement that service contracts over $10,000 must go through a bidding process. This requirement, codified at M.G.L. c. 30B , is rooted in ensuring responsible financial decision-making with taxpayer money. The idea is that when public money needs to be spent, competitive market forces should drive the price down. It also is meant to ensure that government of

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