The Examiner U-46 News Feed

U-46 Board to vote upon $6.5 million expense items

By Seth Hancock
  The Board of Education in School District U-46 is set to vote on $6.5 million in expenditure proposals at its upcoming meeting on Monday, Aug. 7.
  The items were presented on July 17.
  The largest item is a $3.4 million amendment to a service agreement, paid from the education fund if approved, split between Right at School ($1.9 million) and the Boys and Girls Club of Elgin ($1.5 million).
  It is for before and after school programs for students at 12 elementary schools, and the amendment specifies “that the district will pay the program costs for participating students at schools in U-46 identified as Schools for Rigor and Equity,” the proposal states.
  A bid for 8,500 Chromebooks was presented with a price tag of $2.9 million (operations and maintenance fund) from Vivacity Technologies.
  “Student devices distributed during the COVID-19 pandemic are in need of replacement,” the proposal states. “A four-year replacement schedule will be implemented during the 2023-2024 school year. Each year, students in first, fifth, and ninth grades will receive new Chromebooks.”
  A contract with American Association of School Administrators has a cost of $76,000 (education fund). It is for participation in the National Principal Supervisor’s Academy which “is in-person and convenes for two days, three times per year (6 total days) in Mesa, Arizona. Seven Executive Directors and the Assistant Superintendent of Schools will attend these sessions,” the proposal states.
  Costing $70,000 (education fund), the district is seeking a contract with Dr. Michelle Thompson of MQDI4Kids, LLC “to provide continuity of curriculum and instruction work as the Language and Libraries goes through a leadership transition,” the proposal states.
  The district is also seeking $55,220 (education fund) for a contract with Baragar Systems, which provides software for “enrollment projections and prepare boundary proposals,” the proposal states. “The suite also includes tools to assist with teacher staffing, as well as determine capital and functional space needs across all locations.”