I think they've done a good job, said school board member Jimmy Fahrenholtz. The reason some want them out is strictly politics. They're outsiders. - As much good as they've done, now is not the time to get rid of them. We're in crisis mode.The A&M employees are aware of the politically charged environment but they avoid being into it when possible. They spend between 14 and 18 hours per day fixing the payroll system, opening schools in Algiers and elsewhere in the city and working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency to repair damaged buildings.We're business professionals, said Doug Lambert, an A&M director who is working as the school district's chief financial officer. We're not politicians, we don't choose sides. We try to present the facts. We don't deal in emotions and politics, that's not our game. Alvarez & Marsal representatives had to defend their firm's work at an April 19 school board meeting. It wasn't the first challenge to their presence in New Orleans. This is a fixed-fee contract, Lambert said. We're not billed out per hour. If I work 45 hours, I make the same as if I work 60 hours. I'm making half of what I would normally bill out at.Lambert estimates the 36 Alvarez & Marsal employees working for the school district would bill out between $200 to $600 per hour in the private sector.The A&M contract changed in December last year when more employees were added in the real estate and insurance departments. The contract increased to $18.6 million with $2.6 million reimbursable through FEMA, leaving the district to pay about $16 million.A&M defense We're pleased at what we've accomplished, Lambert said. I don't think there's one person here who isn't putting their heart and soul into this.