The Examiner U-46 News Feed

Expense proposals loom for U-46 board to ponder

By Seth Hancock
  The Board of Education in School District U-46 is set to vote on $312,924 in expenditure proposals at its upcoming meeting on Monday, Dec. 4.
  The items were presented at the Nov. 20 meeting.
  Included is $108,465, to be paid by the nation’s taxpayers through grant funds, with Haas Factory Outlet to purchase a 5-Axis CNC machine for South Elgin High School’s precision manufacturing program.
  “The Precision Manufacturing Lab at South Elgin High School is well equipped to provide students skills in this area and now is offering dual credit as well as a National Institute of Metalworking Skills (NIMS) certification,” the proposal states. “Adding 5-axis machining offers students another skill set that will give them a competitive edge. Currently, our students utilize Haas machines and controls to learn computer numeric control (CNC) machining.”
  With Panorama Education, the district is seeking $106,125 (coordinated early intervening services fund) to upgrade its student success dashboard and to provide professional development.
  “This dashboard addresses the ISBE (Illinois State Board of Education)-identified disproportionality in student identification for Individualized Education Programs (IEP) by streamlining data collection and facilitating the tracking and evaluation of student interventions,” the proposal states.
  Costing $61,000 (grant funds), the district is seeking a contract renewal with Electude, an automotive technology platform for preparation in automotive careers.
  A contract renewal with ZSpace has a price tag of $37,333 (grant funds). It provides an “augmented/virtual reality platform and software used for student learning” used for automotive technology and healthcare science courses, the proposal states.
  “Students have access to automotive software that allows them to manipulate components and assemble/disassemble them,” the proposal states. “The healthcare science platforms allow the exploration of anatomical and biological models and include virtual dissection.”
  Additionally, the board will vote on appointing Diane Belton as the district’s new authorized agent for the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund.