Arlington Public Schools Paid Panorama Education $288,750 Over Five Years for Three Surveys

Attorney General Merrick Garland’s memo to the head of the FBI, directing him to work with local law enforcement “to address threats against school administrators, board members, teachers and staff” has received plenty of attention.

Recently, it has become clear that Garland’s son-in-law is Xan Tanner, co-founder, board member, and president (2012-2020) of Panorama Education.

Panorama Education sells surveys to school districts across the country that focus on the local “social and emotion climate.” These surveys are then used as justification for new curriculum from other providers that some parents call critical race theory and find objectionable.

Critics say Garland is weaponizing the DOJ and trying to silence parents who are concerned with what their children are being taught in schools. 

It’s a conflict of interest for the AG to instruct the FBI to investigate parents who might pose a financial threat to his son-in-law’s business, critics also allege.

Tanner’s company has a large footprint with contracts in 50+ of the nation’s 100 largest school districts. The company describes its business as supporting “13 million students in 23,000 schools and 1,500 districts across 50 states.”

A 2017 contract between Panorama and Arlington Public Schools in Virginia shows the data company provided three school-wide surveys over five years, costing taxpayers $288,750.

The 28-page contract includes a fee schedule that shows 345 hours billed at $250 per hour for consultants to design surveys and render “analysis and reporting,” while project managers billed $125 an hour for 1,230 hours.

The spring 2020 Arlington social and emotional climate survey is posted online.

Questions include: “how clearly do you see your culture and history reflected in your school?” and “how often do you feel that you are treated poorly by other students because of your race, ethnicity, gender, family’s income, religion, disability, or sexual orientation?”

While that’s not nearly the totality of the survey, it feeds into parents’ fears that their children are being subject to sensitive race-related teachings. It also supports the argument that the AG is conflicted in calling in the FBI in an area where his son-in-law is heavily invested.

The #WasteOfTheDay is presented by the forensic auditors at OpenTheBooks.com.