The Examiner U-46 News Feed

U-46 Board approves varied expense proposals

By Seth Hancock
  The Board of Education in School District U-46 unanimously approved of $246,871 in expenditure proposals at its September meetings.
  Included were two emergency items that were presented and approved on the same evening.
  At the Sept. 27 meeting, the board approved $66,600, to be paid by the nation’s taxpayers through grant funds, for 2,400 COVID-19 test kits from School Nurse Supply, Inc.
  Superintendent Tony Sanders said the district is waiting to receive the tests, and “if we can’t get them from this vendor in a timely manner, we will not sign the contract.”
  The proposal claims district staff must submit to a COVID-19 shot or weekly testing under Gov. JB Pritzker’s state dictates, but no legislation has been approved granting that authority.
  “The district is working to establish weekly SHIELD testing for staff members in our facilities, but we are anticipating it may be several weeks before our testing partner is able to secure the needed personnel to accommodate this testing,” the proposal states.
  At the Sept. 13 meeting, the board approved $41,000 (grant funds) to purchase 200 picnic tables from Uline. The tables will be used in lunchrooms “to abide by the three-foot social distancing,” the proposal states.
  Also approved was $72,000 (grant funds) to Northern Illinois University for English as a second language special education courses, $37,872 (grant funds) for specialized student services consultant Don Johnson and $29,399 (education fund) for Footprints software. Additionally, $12.8 million in itemized bills on Sept. 13 and $6.8 million in itemized bills on Sept. 27 were unanimously approved.
  The board also voted 7-0 to seek School Maintenance Project Grant funds on Sept. 27. Sheila Downs, director of plant operations, said the district received $50,000 through this grant for a project last year, and they expect $50,000 again this year to go towards a fire alarm project at Wayne Elementary School estimated to have a $400,000 total cost.