The Examiner U-46 News FeedUnanimous board ratifies series of U-46 expenses By Seth Hancock
The Board of Education in School District U-46 unanimously approved, via a 7-0 vote, of $919,500 in expenditure items at its Dec. 13, 2021 meeting.
Included was an 18-month contract costing $584,000 with Northern Illinois University for 35 paraeducators to receive learning behavior specialist (LBS1) licenses by June 30 2023 through the Licensed Educators’ Accelerated Pathway (LEAP) program. The cost is up from $500,000 presented on Nov. 15, 2021 but no board members questioned the increase nor are there any changes in the proposal.
It will be funded initially through the education fund with the nation’s taxpayers expected to reimburse it through Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds.
Paraeducators who receive the LBS1 endorsement must commit to five years with the district in a LBS1 position, the proposal stated.
Presented and approved that evening was a $335,500 (education fund) with Pace Systems Incorporated to provide a “dedicated network and systems engineer” and a “security vulnerability assessment of all of our systems to identify and address potential threats and ensure maximum protection,” the proposal states.
The proposal added: “Two of our senior network engineers have given notice that they are resigning from their positions in U-46 in January 2022. There is a very competitive market and high salary expectations for positions like these which has made it difficult for the district to fill with permanent replacements. The school district requires specific skill sets to protect the district infrastructure and our digital assets from harmful ransomware attacks and other threats that would compromise our data. This contract with Pace Systems will ensure that these needs are met at a reasonable cost to U-46.”
Also unanimously approved was $15.3 million in itemized bills as well as a personnel report with three new positions, two human resources generalists and a food and nutrition services manager.
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