The Examiner U-46 News Feed

Dist. U-46 Board primed for vote on expenditures

By Seth Hancock
  The Board of Education in School District U-46 is set to vote on $4.9 million in expenditure proposals at its upcoming meeting on Monday, June 26. The proposals were presented on June 5.
  The proposals include $3.5 million in items to be paid for by the nation’s taxpayers through grants, the largest being $2.4 million for 23 speech language therapists split between 12 agencies ranging from $65,000 with Cheryl Hoika to $346,000 with Community Therapy.
  There’s a $479,900 proposal split between AMN Healthcare ($366,300) and Joyce Gronewold Educational Services ($113,600) for three psychologists, $263,625 with AMN Healthcare for three social workers and $171,597 with News2You/Unique Learning System for what the proposal states “curricular resources for K-12 students identified with mild to severe cognitive disabilities.”
  With Adelante Educational Specialists Group, the district is asking for $118,900 to audit the dual language program “to affirm some of our current practices and identify areas for growth within our program in order to ensure that we are best meeting the needs of our Dual Language students,” the proposal states.
  Split between five agencies, ranging from $1,970 with School Specialty to $42,156 with AbleNet, the district is asking for $74,511 to purchase “essential adaptive items and equipment” for “students with moderate to profound disabilities,” the proposal states.
  There’s $1.3 million in education fund items, the largest item being $442,161 with the College Board for Advanced Placement exams for eligible high school students.
  There’s $168,000 with Northern Illinois University for the principal preparation program “to identify up to seven U-46 sites that will host a ‘resident administrator,’” the proposal states, $150,000 with Northwest Evaluation Association for MAP tests, $130,198 with the College Board for PSAT exams, $129,251 with CDW-G for Microsoft licenses, $109,120 with Learning Genie for a digital communication platform, $75,561 with Global Datebooks for secondary student planners, $59,146 with Riverside Insights for CogAT tests and $30,000 with Language Testing International for Assessment of Performance toward Proficiency in Languages tests.
  There’s one proposal to be paid for through the operations and maintenance fund, costing $38,835, with Armstrong Relocation to relocate furniture and other equipment from Bartlett’s Hawk Hollow Elementary School as it undergoes renovations to be converted into a middle school.