The Examiner U-46 News FeedU-46 expense proposals slated for board vote By Seth Hancock
The Board of Education in School District U-46 will be voting on several expenditure items totaling just under $2 million at its upcoming meeting on Monday, April 23. The proposals were presented on April 9.
Among the items are two math related contract and license renewals listed on the agenda as “summer program resources” which will be paid for out of the education fund if approved. The items include FASTT Math from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt ($75,000) and ST Math from Mind Research Institute ($149,643).
Both proposals stated the products are “the best math intervention to support our elementary students.” ST Math has been used in Title I schools in the current school year and the proposal said that early “data review for this year saw a marked increase in math scores for schools that used ST Math with fidelity” and the district is seeking to renew it for Title I schools and purchase for the remaining schools.
Board member Sue Kerr asked a clarifying question that the items were not only for summer programs, and the administration responded: “Yes, FASTT Math and ST math are renewed in the summer for the coming school year. They can be used during summer programming.”
Board memo Melissa Owens asked if the board could be given the supporting data which the administration said it would prior to the next meeting.
Board member Jeanette Ward asked how the prices compared to last year. Amy Ingente, math coordinator, said they were the “same value” with a slight price drop for Title I schools for ST Math.
Another proposal is a three-year contract renewal with Raptor Technologies ($88,740, education fund) which is visitor/volunteer tracking software. Owens asked if the entire cost is paid up front and Bruce Phelps, senior business official of business services, said “we’ll get invoiced every year.”
Another proposal the district is seeking to purchase 120 iPads along with 3-Year AppleCare+ with from Apple Computer Inc. ($59,760, education fund). The iPads, if approved, will initially be placed in public libraries over the summer.
Kerr asked who is responsible for the iPads while at the public libraries.
The administration said the “iPads are used by students in the summer reading program at each of our libraries while under the direct supervision of teachers” and they “are then distributed to each elementary school library where they can be used under the supervision of our library (paraprofessionals) and the classroom teacher and can be checked out by the classroom teacher for use in their classroom.”
Owens asked if the iPads will go back to the libraries each summer to which Trisha Shrode, director for curriculum and instruction, said “we’re kind of bringing new each year and adding.”
Two proposals would be paid for by the nation’s taxpayers if approved, a $79,181 proposal with Key Coe Media through career and technical education improvement grant funds and a $41,298 with Custom Education Solutions through Title III funds. The Key Coe Media proposal would go towards infrastructure and equipment updates for the BEACON Academy at South Elgin High School, and Custom Education Solutions proposal states it’s “to expand the Spanish resources available at the school libraries of the 28 dual language elementary sites.”
A $180,052 proposal with DELL Marketing LP (education fund) is for replacing “10 physical servers” located at the district’s “main data center.”
A $143,000 proposal with Trico Mechanical, Inc. (plant operations fund) would go towards renovations to the locker rooms at Millennium Field at Streamwood High School.
A two-year contract renewal with Catalogic Software ($51,422, education fund) for an eight terabyte backup system was proposed as were a pair of food and nutrition fund items: A $845,183 proposal with Muller-Pinehurst Dairy, Inc. to purchase milk products and a $35,000 proposal with Equipment Depot to purchase a used fork lift for the commissary.
The board will also be asked to renew the district’s membership with the Illinois High School Association allowing athletes to compete in IHSA sanctioned events as well as a final plat for a Bartlett subdivision known as Jacaranda next to Hawk Hollow Elementary School which will allow the district to auction off and sell land it currently owns.
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