>>>ED CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOL

SYSTEM IS UNDER FEDERAL

INVESTIGATION, THE CHAIRMAN

CONFIRMED TODAY WHILE THE FEDS

ARE IN THE DIVUNGING ANY

INFORMATION, SPECULATION IS

SWIRLING AROUND CEO BARBARA

BYRD-BENNETT AND HER TIES TO A

CONSULTEDDING COMPANY.

>> Reporter: ACCORDING TO TWO

HELP LEVEL SOURCERS THE

INVESTIGATION IS FOCUSED ON CEO

BARBARA BYRD-BENNETT AND SUPES

ACADEMY A COMPANY SHE USED TO

WORK FOR BEFORE SHE GOT THE JOB

AT CPS, THEY GOT AWARDED A $20

MILLION NO-BID CONTRACT TO

PROVIDE PRINCIPLE TRAINING TO

CPS PRINCIPALS.

THE CHAIRMAN ACKNOWLEDGED AN

INVESTIGATION WAS GOING ON AND

DID NOT TALK ABOUT SPECIFICS, HE

ISSUED A STATE SAYING: YESTERDAY

THE BOARD OF EDUCATION WAS MADE

AWARE FEDERAL THORTS ARE

INVESTIGATING A MATTER AND HAVE

REQUESTED REVIEWS WITH SEVERAL

EMPLOYEES.

WE TAKE ANY ALLEGATION OF

MISCONDUCT SERIOUSLY AND WE ARE

COOPERATING WITH INVESTIGATORS

WHO REQUESTED WE NOT DISCUSS ANY

SPECIFICS REGARDING THE ONGOING

INVESTIGATION.

THE MAYOR WAS ALSO ASKED ABOUT

THIS INVESTIGATION TODAY.

HE SAID BYRD-BENNETT INFORMED

HIM BRIEFLY YESTERDAY BUT DIDN'T

TELL HIM WHAT IT WAS ABOUT.

HE WAS ASKED REPEATEDLY ABOUT

WHETHER IT INVOLVED BYRD-BENNETT

AND WHETHER SHE STILL HAS HIS

CONFIDENCE

>> IT IS AN ONGOING ACTIVE

FEDERAL INVESTIGATION AT THIS

TIME.

AND CPS IS FULLY COOPERATING, AS

HE NOTED IN HIS STATEMENT.

AS PART THAT HAVE INVESTIGATION

BY THE FEDERAL AUTHORITIES, THEY

ASKED US NOT TO GIVE A LOT OF

INFORMATION OUT, AND THOUGH WE

DON'T HAVE A LOT OF INFORMATION.

AND WE WILL HONOR THAT.

>> HAS THE FBI SPOKEN WITH THEM?

>> I DON'T KNOW THE ANSWER.

>> DOES SHE HAVE YOUR CONFIDENCE

NOW?

>> I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW WHO THEY

ARE LOOKING AT.

>> PARIS, MORE THIS PRIVATE

COMPANY AND WHY BARBARA

BYRD-BENNETT'S TIES MIGHT BE

UNDER INVESTIGATION.

>> Reporter: THE CPS INSPECTOR

GENERAL OPENED ITS OWN INQUIRY

INTO THIS $20 MILLION NO-BID

CONTRACT, FIRST WRITTEN ABOUT BY

CATALYST CHICAGO AND ABC-7, THEY

REPORTED BYRD-BENNETT WORKED

THAT SUPES ACADEMY AND DID NOT

DISCLOSE IT ON FINANCIAL FORMS.

REPORTS DISCOVERED THAT SHE HAD

TIES TO ANOTHER COMPANY RUN BY

THE SAME PERSON WHAT RUNS SUPES,

AND BENNETT MIGHT HAVE BEEN

WORKING THERE WHILE SHE WAS AT

CPS.

THE CONTRACT RAISES QUESTIONS

BECAUSE IT WAS NO-BID.

AND ACCORDING TO CATALYST

SEVERAL OTHER ORGANIZATIONS IN

CHICAGO THAT PROVIDED SIMILAR

PRINCIPAL TRAINING SERVICES.

>> A LOT OF QUESTIONS INITIALLY

AS TO WHY THIS CONTRACT DIDN'T

GO TO MANY UNVFRSITIES IN THE

CITY OF CHICAGO WHO HAVE LONG

DONE THIS TRAINING.

WHO IS THIS ORGANIZATION?

WHY THIS ORGANIZATION?

YOU KNOW, THERE IS A LOT OF

FINANCIAL SORT OF SUSPICION

BETWEEN THEM AND CPS.

AND IT IS BETWEEN BARBARA

BYRD-BENNETT AND CPS.

IT SEALS LIKE THEY ARE TOO

ENTANGLED.

AND ONCE SHE LEAVES CPS, IS A

JOB WAITING FOR HER?

THAT IS A QUESTION IN

EVERYBODY'S MACHINEDS.

AND WE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT THE

INVESTIGATION IS ABOUT, I'M

THINKING THEY HAVE SOME HARD.

>> Reporter: IT IS UNCLEAR IF

ANYONE AT SUPES ACADEMY HAS BEEN

INTERVIEWED BY THE

INVESTIGATION.

MULTIPLE MEDIA OUTLETS ARE

REPORTING THAT THE INVESTIGATION

IS CENTERED ON SUPES AND BARBARA

BYRD-BENNETT'S TIES TO THE

COMPANY.

WE LEFT A MESSAGE FOR THE CEO OF

SUPES AND DID NOT GET A CALL

BACK.

>> ANY REACTION FROM THE CPU?

>> I CALLED THE VICE PRESIDENT

OF THE CPU, JESSE SHARKEY, HE

SAID HE HEARD THE SEAM THING,

THAT REPORTERS HAD HEARD THIS IS

WHAT THE INVESTIGATION WAS

ABOUT.

HE SAID THAT HE WANTED TO HOLD

OFF COMMENTING UNTIL HE HAD THAT

CONFIRMED.

BUT IT WOULDN'T SURPRISE HIM AS

HE HAS HAD ISSUES WITH THIS

CONTRACT FOR A LONG TIME.

OUR BRANDIS FRIEDMAN CALLED

KAREN LEWIS, THE CPU PRESIDENT

AND SHE SAID THEY TALKED TO

BARBARA BYRD-BENNETT YESTERDAY

AND SHE DID NOT KNOW WHETHER OR

NOT BARBARA BYRD-BENNETT WAS THE

TARGET OF THIS INVESTIGATION.

BUT ACCORDING TO TWO SOURCES WE

TALKED TO, IT IS CENTERED AROUND

HER TIES TO THIS COMPANIANT $20

MILLION NO-BID CONTRACT IT GOT

IN 2013.

>>> UP NEXT LOOKING AT PLACES

WHERE THE STATE MIGHT BE ABLE TO

FIND SOME MONEY.