PDP senators seek probe into $38 million contract involving family secretary

By THE STAR STAFF

Popular Democratic Party (PDP) Senate Minority Leader Luis Javier Hernández Ortiz said Wednesday that Senate Resolution 556 has been filed to order the Senate Government Committee to investigate questions surrounding the possible awarding of a $38 million professional services contract funded through the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, known as TANF, to NOLA Education LLC, a Louisiana-based company.

The proposed investigation centers on reports that the company was close to receiving the contract to implement an educational program known as Star Academy in 25 schools, reaching nearly 2,000 students. Hernández said questions have emerged about the process, including reports that the Family Socioeconomic Development Administration (ADSEF by its acronym in Spanish), did not take part in it.

“Allegedly, the goal was to implement Star Academy in 25 schools and reach close to 2,000 students, but concerns have surfaced about the process through which NOLA Education LLC was about to receive the contract,” Hernández Ortiz said. “According to public reports, ADSEF did not participate in this process. Moreover, it is alleged that the project was developed even though the Department of Education had notified officials that Star Academy was already contemplated as part of the agency’s curriculum.”

The resolution also points to a Dec. 7-10, 2025 trip to Louisiana by Family Secretary Suzanne Roig Fuertes. PDP lawmakers say the details of that trip remain unclear, including with whom the secretary met and whether reports or documents exist explaining the purpose of the visit. The resolution further states that the Family Department used the independent firm LAP Consulting to evaluate and award the proposed $38 million contract.

Hernández said government agencies in Puerto Rico are ordinarily expected to have proposal evaluation committees, making it important to determine whether the Family Department or any of its entities has such a committee, who serves on it and when it was created, among other concerns.