The Examiner U-46 News Feed

Series of expenses given Dist. U-46 board approval

By Seth Hancock
  The Board of Education in School District U-46 approved of $7.3 million in expenditure items at its June 6 meeting.
  The votes were 6-0, board member John Devereux was absent.
  Two items were presented and approved that evening, including $1.6 million from the education fund for a three-year contract with Pace Systems, Inc. for cybersecurity through CrowdStrike.
  The proposal stated that the district needed to find a new cybersecurity vendor because its current cybersecurity and anti-virus provider, through Kaspersky Lab, “has been banned by the Department of Defense (DoD), U.S. General Administration, Homeland Security Department, and other government agencies.”
  The reason for that ban is because Kaspersky is headquartered in Russia.
  Bruce Phelps, director of business services, did say that the district’s contract with Kaspersky “is expiring” soon.
  Also presented and approved was a $112,000 contract (education fund) with Proximity Learning for summer school online instruction.
  The proposal stated the district is “struggling to fill Summer School teaching vacancies,” and this “agreement will provide online instruction with certified teachers for students enrolled in these sections…. The cost of the agreement is not to exceed [$112,000]. School District U-46 is in the process of finalizing summer school staffing. Thus, this cost could fluctuate slightly.”
  The board approved of a contract totaling $3.2 million, to be paid for by the nation’s taxpayers through federal grants, with the Boys and Girls Club of Elgin and Right at School for before and after school programs.
  Also approved was $629,940 (education fund) with Sentinel Technologies, Inc. for replacement core switches, $110,000 (operations and maintenance fund) with EHS Industries, Inc. for asbestos abatement and lead mitigation at the Educational Services Center, $84,374 (education fund) with Warehouse Direct for science tables at Streamwood High School, $63,400 (education fund) with Zoom and $33,240 (education fund) for membership dues with the Illinois Association of School Boards, a taxpayer funded lobbyist group for government schools.
  The board also approved, via a 6-0 vote, a resolution for renewal of membership in the IHSA, which governs high school athletics, and $14.4 million in itemized bills.