Pritzker Taps Fed Cash To Promote Pet COVID-19 Testing Operation

CHICAGO — Gov. J.B. Pritzker keeps pushing to make sure his pet coronavirus saliva testing operation at the University of Illinois cashes in on federal pandemic relief money.

[COMMENTARY]

Illinois school districts already are eligible for federal reimbursement for coronavirus testing in an effort to get some kids back in schools amid pandemic shutdowns.

But last week, Pritzker announced his plan to set aside $225 million in funding from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and American Rescue Plan to entice school districts to sign contracts with SHIELD Illinois for coronavirus testing when kids are expected to fully return to in-person learning next year.

The exclusive funding offer that appears to steer federal cash away from testing competitors is just the latest in a series of moves that appear to be an attempt to make good on the governor's promise to make the state SHIELD's "biggest customer."

MORE ON PATCH: Is Pritzker Steering School COVID-19 Testing Contracts To U of I?

Earlier this year, Pritzker's administration informed school districts the state wouldn't approve federal funding for COVID-19 tests done by SHIELD's top spit-test competitor, SafeGuard Surveillance — which filled a testing void that allowed some districts to return students to classrooms while rollout of the U of I-based operation waited for federal emergency use authorization.

A Patch investigative report that revealed the Pritzker administration's behind-the-scenes interest in finding opportunities for SHIELD inspired legislation from state Rep. Michael Zalewski that forced the state to change that policy, which would have left local taxpayers on the hook for millions of dollars already spent on SafeGuard tests.

On Twitter, Pritzker touted the coronavirus cash earmarked to use SHIELD tests in state middle schools and high schools as evidence he's "taking every step to help students get back into the classroom."

What the governor doesn't mention is why one of those steps is earmarking federal cash for the U of I test at a time when school districts officials across Illinois and the nation are debating whether testing asymptomatic students and staff — many who have been vaccinated — will be necessary in the fall.

Could it be that SHIELD has built out its operation based on a funding plan that relies solely on capturing federal cash dolled out to local taxing districts, such as school districts and county health departments?

After all, that's how SHIELD's for-profit arm, SHIELD T3, pitched the Biden administration on expanding the testing system launched at U of I beyond its Champaign-Urbana campus' borders as the national standard for coronavirus testing.

SHIELD's plan to roll out tests in Illinois and across the country may have been a useful tool last year before coronavirus vaccines were approved by federal regulators. But the U of I effort hit a roadblock. Despite Pritzker's October claim in public statements and news releases that the test had won emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration, the FDA didn't give the test the go-ahead until March.

That made SHIELD a late arrival to COVID-19 testing efforts. By then, school districts around the state had found alternative coronavirus surveillance testing methods — including, for instance, the SafeGuard saliva test in more than 20 suburban districts, and a mix of Abbott Labs rapid antigen tests and PCR testing in Chicago Public Schools.

In the suburbs, SafeGuard — which charged nearly half the price of the U of I test — won COVID-19 testing contracts while in direct competition with SHIELD Illinois.

One of those loosing bids led to discussions between top SHIELD officials and Pritzker administration bureaucrats about what to do next, according to emails obtained by Patch.

In January, after the Wednesday Journal reported Oak Park River Forest School District 200's decision to select SafeGuard's $11 test over SHIELD Illinois' $20 test to the tune of a $400,000 contract, SHIELD Illinois Managing Director Ronald Watkins emailed Deputy Gov. Jesse Ruiz asking for "any suggestions you have."

Months later, thanks to the $225 million in federal cash Pritzker earmarked for SHIELD testing at Illinois schools, the price of a U of I test for districts that don't qualify for free testing dropped $10 each — a buck less than SafeGuard test.

"I'm shocked that it took $225 million for SHIELD to get to our price point," SafeGuard founder Ed Campbell said.

"Many of the schools we are talking to about testing are making that connection as well as they work through decisions about whether to test next fall. … Obviously, Illinois has had the favored player in this game from the beginning. And as long as these efforts are in the best interest of public health, who am I to tell the state how to spend federal tax dollars?"

The move certainly made University of Illinois System President Tim Killeen happy. He called the governor's May 12 edict to use federal cash to promote SHIELD an "exciting and pivotal moment" for SHIELD's saliva test, "and a welcome commitment from the state of Illinois that will make certain that thousands more of the state's young people and those who educate them benefit from it."

Prior to Pritzker's exclusive-funding announcement, Illinois State Board of Education officials encountered some resistance to SHIELD's testing protocol for a pilot program in high schools, which requires districts to commit to testing either 50 percent of students and staff or at least 10,000 tests by December, according to emails and public records obtained by Patch.

In a letter to school district leaders, Watkins — an associate dean at U of I's Gies business school — wrote that failing to test at least 50 percent of a school district population dramatically increases the risk of spreading COVID-19. The letter also urges school districts to test all students once a week, and more often for those who participate in extracurricular activities and sports.

Some school district leaders bristled at the terms of the SHIELD testing program. Rock Island Milan School District 41 Superintendent Dr. Reginald Lawrence II declined the testing offer.

"I reviewed the testing protocols with members of my cabinet, and it seems that this tracking of test results is pretty pervasive. You have to test ALL students and teachers in your building each week as well as receive consent from parents in order to do so. At this time, we continue to have a low number of positive cases district-wide for both staff and students and look forward to continuing our current process," Lawrence wrote on April 1. "Sorry for the news."

Chicago Public Schools officials also turned down the SHIELD testing offer. CPS leaders said they'll stick with the testing system that has already allowed parents to voluntarily send kids back to in-person learning.

As of Tuesday, 10 of nearly 860 school districts in Illinois had signed up to use SHIELD's testing services.

Across America, politicians and school district officials are debating whether regular coronavirus testing of asymptomatic students will be necessary in a few months. Officials in some states, including Iowa and Utah, have already turned down federal funding for coronavirus testing in schools.

Dr. Monica Gandhi, a professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, told the Associated Press the national vaccination effort makes the tests less useful because immunized persons are so much less likely to get infected, and false positives in schools could force a return to remote learning.

Those were among the concerns cited by Zion Benton School District 126 officials when declining the state's offer to participate in the SHIELD testing program, according to emails obtained by Patch.

"Testing is a no-go at this time. With over 80% of staff vaccinated and what I perceive as a lack of interest in the community to voluntarily sign up, I feel it is best to wait and see what the future holds," student services director Jacob Carlson wrote in an April 30 email forwarded to Watkins.

In an email, SHIELD Illinois director of external engagement Beth Heller described District 126's decision to opt out as the "same situation as we spoke about in our call yesterday. They don’t want [students] to be out of school or extracurriculars [because] of a close contact due to testing."

"Well stink," Watkins replied. It's easy to understand the SHIELD Illinois boss' disappointment.

But nearly two weeks later, the Pritzker administration carved out hundreds of millions of dollars from the federal coronavirus relief funds to entice districts to use thousands of spit tests even as demand for them appears to be declining while the percentage of vaccinated Illinoisans climbs.

I'm not saying the move stinks. But I'm not saying it passes the sniff test, either.

Mark Konkol, recipient of the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for local reporting, wrote and produced the Peabody Award-winning series, "Time: The Kalief Browder Story." He was a producer, writer and narrator for the "Chicagoland" docu-series on CNN, and a consulting producer on the Showtime documentary, "16 Shots."

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