This story was initially printed by the Illinois Solutions Undertaking.
Amongst Chicago Public Faculty staff, nobody has been an even bigger cheerleader for an invention designed to cut back harmful quantities of lead in water from college ingesting fountains than prime administrator Robert Christlieb.
Christlieb, the district’s government director of amenities, operations and upkeep, has labored for no less than seven years on the issue of lead in ingesting water at CPS faculties, a vital concern for scholar well being.
He’s appeared on panel discussions, in information articles and podcasts to spotlight the district’s methods, which has included putting in an invention referred to as Noah — a tool that routinely flushes scholar ingesting fountains on a set schedule to cut back the construct up of lead in stagnant water. Christlieb has touted the system as a less expensive answer than doing intensive plumbing work in a whole bunch of getting old college buildings.
In public, Christlieb says Michael Ramos, who works for a CPS contractor because the chief constructing engineer at Von Steuben Excessive Faculty on the Northwest Facet, is the inventor of Noah. Christlieb tells the story of how Ramos wished to guard his college students from lead and labored to create a low-cost, dependable system to do exactly that.
(Victor Hilitski/For Illinois Solutions Undertaking)
“Michael [Ramos] has solved the lead downside in public faculties, not simply in Chicago,” Christlieb was quoted as saying in a 2019 Seattle Occasions article,. He added within the story that the district had permitted increasing Noah to 25 faculties as a part of a pilot program. However the enlargement by no means occurred, “on account of sources, staffing and the COVID-19 pandemic,” in line with CPS. For now, the Noah system is in 5 CPS faculties — three excessive faculties and two elementary.
Christlieb, who makes greater than $170,000 a 12 months at CPS, neglects to say one key element as he tells the story of the system’s creation.
He’s greater than only a fan of Noah. He’s listed because the co-inventor of the system he’s been selling for years. Christlieb and Ramos share the U.S. patent for the Noah system, federal data present.
Nor does he point out that he as soon as fashioned a enterprise with Ramos to promote the system — a enterprise that has since dissolved.
CPS declined to make any college official out there to Illinois Solutions Undertaking reporters to debate the district’s actions. CPS repeatedly didn’t deal with questions concerning whether or not Christlieb violated any of its battle of curiosity insurance policies however stands by him persevering with to advertise autoflushing, regardless of him having a patent on the Noah system. CPS mentioned Christlieb doesn’t supervise Ramos or oversee the contract with the CPS contractor that employs him.
The district explicitly prohibits its staff from working as a vendor and doing enterprise with the varsity system. Christlieb fashioned an organization with one in all his buddies and Ramos in March of 2017 referred to as RCS Water High quality Options to promote Noah. RCS listed as its company deal with a residence Christlieb owns in Wisconsin.
Within the fall of 2017, CPS says it realized of the partnership and advised Christlieb that he couldn’t proceed to work at CPS if he didn’t divest.
On the identical day that Christlieb dissolved RCS, he accomplished paperwork to create a brand new enterprise referred to as Lead Out Manufacturing and listed Ramos because the registered agent. He once more used his residence in Wisconsin as company headquarters, company filings present.
CPS mentioned in a press release that Christlieb “volunteered” his time to assist Ramos fill out the executive paperwork to arrange Lead Out and allowed Ramos to make use of his Wisconsin deal with however has nothing to do with the corporate.
CPS mentioned it has no proof that Christlieb ever profited from the Noah units. Christlieb wrote in solutions to questions that he didn’t make a revenue, and Ramos, in an interview, agreed that Christlieb by no means made any cash from them. Each males indicated that they’d been interviewed by the CPS inspector normal’s workplace concerning their ties to Noah, and no motion was taken towards them.
“Mr. Christlieb helped develop a product that helps take away lead from ingesting water and saved his title on the patent as a matter of mental property,” CPS mentioned in a press release.
Christlieb used CPS testing information to assist the patent for the Noah system in addition to for a white paper designed to advertise autoflushing at Orr Excessive Faculty, the place Noah had been put in. When requested whether or not Christlieb’s use of the testing information for private use violated CPS coverage, the district famous that water testing information will be obtained by anybody by means of a public data request.
Regardless of Christlieb’s important function within the college water testing, CPS argued that the truth that he has a patent on the Noah system didn’t compromise its water testing.
The district mentioned in a press release: “CPS implements a proactive lead testing program that goes above and past any state necessities and makes use of one of the best recognized practices for testing and stopping lead construct up in ingesting water. A flusher system … is in a handful of our greater than 600 faculties and we stand by our district’s proactive practices and testing procedures. The district’s lead mitigation program is overseen by a crew of execs in our amenities division. Mr. Christlieb’s invention of 1 software on this subject — and that software’s use in a small fraction of the 600-plus faculties within the district — has no influence on the standard or veracity of the district’s program to check for lead, mitigate lead in water and/or restore/resolve for lead in water.”
Conflicting tales
In separate interviews, the 2 males, as soon as companions in promoting the system, disagree on fundamental details about who invented the system, what cash they contributed to get it patented and what roles they performed within the enterprise, referred to as Lead Out Manufacturing. Christlieb has supplied various accounts of his function within the agency, from initially writing in response to questions from reporters that he had 49 % possession of Lead Out, to saying in a CPS assertion that he divested from the corporate quickly after it was created, to indicating, in a ultimate CPS assertion, that he was by no means an investor in any respect. Ramos, in an interview, mentioned Christlieb was concerned for “a pair years” in Lead Out.
In an interview, Ramos mentioned he’s the only inventor of Noah and he put Christlieb on the patent to steer Christlieb to change into a associate with him. Ramos famous that Christlieb as a high-ranking CPS official had “an enormous attain” and having him as a part of the corporate might assist gross sales of the system to different college districts. He mentioned that they weren’t “essentially” going to go after CPS enterprise.
“His title does seem on the patent, however that doesn’t imply that he had something to do with the invention,” Ramos mentioned in an interview with Illinois Solutions reporters earlier this 12 months.
Ramos mentioned initially after they met in 2016 each males “have been principally planning on beginning a partnership to take it to New York, New Jersey, and do all these different issues, you already know, as a result of Rob has an enormous attain. And I felt like, wow, what a greater associate than having Rob, you already know, so … as an indication of like, good religion to, like, attempt to deliver him in and say, Rob, you already know, I’ll put you on a patent with me.”
“I’m attempting to introduce this to districts,” Ramos mentioned. “The faculties want it. I figured that is one thing that’s reasonably priced, the districts might use. Why wouldn’t I attain out to somebody like Rob, who has the title, who has the title and has the respect within the trade?”
Earlier this 12 months, Houston Public Faculties discovered elevated lead ranges inside some college buildings, prompting Ramos to textual content Christlieb.
“Good morning Rob, that is one other candidate for Noah. Is there any manner you possibly can attain out to them? I can attain out, however they normally don’t reply as a result of i appear to return throughout as promoting snake oil. If it comes from you, they may see it as legitimate.” Information offered by CPS don’t embrace Christlieb’s response.
Ramos mentioned the lads labored collectively for a pair years attempting to promote the system to high school districts throughout the nation however by no means realized a lot success. Ramos mentioned he and Christlieb parted methods after he realized the association might look suspect to CPS however argued the lads by no means did something improper and that Christlieb by no means acquired any cash from the corporate.
In an interview at Von Steuben Excessive Faculty in December final 12 months, Christlieb credited Ramos with inventing the system and marveled at how Ramos was capable of construct what Christlieb might solely take into consideration. He talked about how simply the month earlier than he got here out to Von Steuben Excessive Faculty, the place Ramos labored, to see his Noah system, he had simply been pondering the month earlier than about such an invention.
“So the attention-grabbing factor was, earlier than I got here out right here in October of 2016, to see what he had finished. In September of 2016, I had sat down one evening, and I sketched out the thought of doing a bypass filter and having some kind of controller on it,” Christlieb mentioned within the interview with Illinois Solutions reporters. “And I’m like, ’Man if I might construct one thing like this.’ However I didn’t have the talent set, proper? And Michael did, and Michael should have been listening to me throughout the town as a result of we didn’t know one another at the moment after which swiftly I’m being referred to as out right here a month later and I’m like that is precisely what I hoped for. However somebody was really capable of put it collectively and the idea works and the mechanics work. It’s quite simple … Simplicity is essential for us.”
After reporters found that Christlieb’s title was on the patent, they tried to interview him at his Wisconsin deal with the place he was staying. He declined to reply questions in individual however responded to a set of written questions.
Christlieb wrote that he was on the patent as a result of he had made substantial contributions to the invention of Noah. He didn’t reply follow-up questions that requested him to element these contributions.
The lads additionally disagree on different points concerning the patent. Ramos mentioned he paid all of the authorized charges for the patent work on the Noah system. Christlieb, although, mentioned he contributed about $5,000 for the authorized work. The patent was granted to Ramos and Christlieb in 2021.
CPS offered two paperwork that it mentioned confirmed that Christlieb had nothing to do with Lead Out. One is a the newest Wisconsin company submitting that reveals Ramos is the registered agent for the agency, however whereas Christlieb’s title is just not on the doc, it doesn’t deal with possession. The doc lists Lead Out’s company deal with as Christlieb’s Wisconsin deal with.
The opposite doc offered by CPS and Christlieb includes him assigning his rights to the patent on the Noah system to Lead Out. The doc is dated June 2018, greater than six months after Lead Out was fashioned. The doc is signed by Christlieb, however not by Ramos, and as soon as once more lists Christlieb’s Wisconsin deal with as Lead Out’s company deal with.
Beginning with Flint
The district started specializing in assessing its ingesting water in 2016 after the water disaster in Flint, Michigan, and commenced a 10-year testing program by sampling its over 12,000 water fixtures for lead ranges.
Within the first 12 months of testing, 60% of the 490 faculties examined returned no less than one pattern with a lead stage over 5 elements per billion, exceeding the state’s motion stage for lead in water. Final 12 months, the district examined 174 faculties, and 92, or 53%, had no less than one pattern exceeding the state restrict.
Since changing all lead pipes might value as much as $2.5 billion, in line with district estimates, CPS first centered on limiting the stagnant water in pipes, the place lead collects, by having constructing engineers manually flush all ingesting water taps in its 528 campuses. Constructing engineers, tasked with sustaining the HVAC, electrical and plumbing techniques, are required by district protocols to flush faculties after a “interval of nonattendance,” corresponding to a weekend or break, as soon as per week.
At a campus like Von Steuben, the place Ramos works, handbook flushing would require him and his crew of two engineers to individually run the water on all 42 fixtures within the college for 3 minutes earlier than college students arrive on Monday or after a protracted break, Ramos mentioned. Moreover, they’d nonetheless want to finish different obligations corresponding to preventative upkeep and repairs earlier than college students arrive. Consultants say that whereas flushing can lower lead ranges, the handbook course of doesn’t assure water is secure to drink as a result of it’s vulnerable to human error. The district employs 685 engineers who oversee 800 buildings, that means some engineers cowl a number of faculties.
Christlieb and Ramos argue that Noah works effectively as a result of the system routinely flushes the water fountains and doesn’t depend on staff to do it.
Along with Von Steuben, the units have been added to ingesting fountains in CPS faculties at Orr Excessive Faculty, Belding Elementary, Onahan Elementary and Kelvyn Park Excessive Faculty.
All of the units put in at CPS faculties have been donated by Ramos or bought by native college councils. There aren’t any data displaying that CPS has lower a verify to Lead Out Manufacturing, however in some cases, CPS paid a contractor to put in the units. The units value about $395.
The units even have been put in at two suburban college districts — Crete-Monee Faculty District and Indian Springs Faculty District 109, in line with paperwork obtained by Illinois Solutions.
Years of selling autoflushing — and Noah
Christlieb has promoted the Noah system for years, at occasions utilizing CPS sources, beginning as early as July 2017.
In that month, Christlieb drafted a case research in regards to the Noah flushing system at Orr Academy. And Christlieb shared the Orr case research extensively to a number of college districts and metropolis governments utilizing his CPS electronic mail account.
In March of 2019, he appeared in a Chicago Well being Journal article that promoted autoflushing and appeared in a photograph with Ramos within the story.
In a podcast interview, Christlieb mentioned he put in Noah in his own residence and that it labored “completely.”
And as lately as Could of this 12 months, Christlieb, utilizing his CPS title, appeared with Ramos as a visitor speaker at a Noah-hosted seminar for Chicago Water Week, wherein he mentioned the Orr Excessive Faculty pilot program and Noah’s profit to the district.
CPS emails and textual content messages present that Christlieb and Ramos additionally talked in the course of the workday about selling Noah to colleges in Chicago corresponding to Metropolis Faculties and outdoors Illinois together with Philadelphia Public Faculties and New York Metropolis Public Faculties.
Christlieb seems to have performed a job in efforts at establishing Noah’s credibility as an efficient answer.
In March of 2021, Christlieb emailed the white paper he wrote on Noah’s use at Orr as effectively a whole bunch of pages of testing information to a Philadelphia college official, who was within the invention and who thanked him for his time “explaining the advantages of your Noah system.”
Christlieb responded to the official by telling him who else at CPS was concerned within the challenge.
“For Noah,” Christlieb added, “I’d advocate speaking with Michael Ramos.”
Cam Rodriguez is a former information reporter for the Illinois Solutions Undertaking, now serving a fellowship at The New York Occasions. Jewél Jackson covers schooling for Illinois Solutions.
