The Examiner U-46 News Feed

U-46 board approves extensive list of expenses

By Seth Hancock
  The Board of Education in School District U-46 unanimously approved, by a 7-0 vote, of $2.6 million in expenditure proposals at its Monday, April 24 meeting.
  The largest item was a two-year contract with Canvas costing $1.5 million from the education fund. Included is a pilot program of Mastery Connect.
  “This system would house curriculum, assessments, and resources,” the proposal states. “With the addition of Mastery Connect, the system will also provide customized reports and student and family-friendly reports on progress towards meeting standards. It would also house personalized professional learning for staff, students, and parents.”
  Anther education fund item was a $60,267 contract renewal with Advancement Via Individual Determination, a college and career readiness program.
  Several items will be paid by the nation’s taxpayers through federal grants including an amendment to a service agreement with both Right at School ($313,200) and the Boys and Girls Club of Elgin ($270,000), $271,691 with Easterseals Metropolitan Chicago for special education professional development, $165,928 with Discount School Supply to purchase kindergarten furniture and $35,496 with Automotive Equipment Specialists to purchase an alignment machine for Elgin High School’s automotive program, the proposals state.
  Several operations and maintenance fund items were approved: Asbestos abatement projects at Elgin’s Channing Memorial Elementary and Kimball Middle School ($96,000 with Celtic Environment, Inc.); asbestos abatement ($37,250 with EHC Industries, Inc.) and hallway tile replacement ($35,122 with Floor and Wall, Inc.) at Elgin’s Ronald D. O’Neal Elementary School; a loading dock concrete repair project at Elgin High School ($44,654 with Abbey Paving) ; and a concrete repair project at Independence School for Early Learners in Bartlett ($39,300 with Murphy Construction Services, LLC).
  The board also voted 7-0 on $10.4 million in itemized bills as well as approval of closed session minutes and destruction of closed session recordings.
  Sue Kerr, the board’s president, said “the need for confidentiality still exists as to all or part of closed session minutes.
  The closed session minutes included 14 meetings, between October 2022 and March 2023. The closed session recordings to be destroyed are from 13 meetings, between April and October 2021.