The Examiner U-46 News FeedDistrict U-46 Board to vote on three proposals By Seth Hancock
The Board of Education in School District U-46 is set to vote on three proposals totaling $753,708 at its upcoming meeting on Monday, Jan. 14. The items were presented on Dec. 17, 2018.
The highest costing proposal would cost $382,000 with Anderson Lock Company, Ltd. of Des Plaines which would come out of the operations and maintenance fund if approved. The winning bid was the lowest of five.
The proposal would provide the installation of lockdown hardware equipment at Larkin High School and the Dream Academy.
“This is the fourth phase that will complete the installation of replacement classroom, office and staff bathroom door lock hardware at the two high schools noted,” the proposal states. “The replacement of locking hardware, select new doors and frames allows staff to lock the door from the inside of the room, providing an increased level of safety by not needing to open the door and lock from the hallway. This is a continuation of a multi-phase project of the middle school and elementary lockdown hardware project.”
The work on the project is required to be finished by the end of July this year.
With Hampshire-based Northwest Contractors, the district is proposing a $316,388 expenditure (operations and maintenance fund) for renovation of a passenger elevator at the Education Services Center which was originally installed in 1983 according to the proposal. Work is scheduled to begin on June 3 this year with completion expected on July 19 with a required completion date of Aug. 16.
The proposal states that work “includes the replacement of the motor, power units, door operators, call indicators and other code upgrades to the existing hydraulic passenger elevator. In addition, the interior of the elevator will be modernized with new finishes and LED lighting.”
Board member Phil Costello asked prior to the meeting about there being only one bidder for the project. He noted that 10 contractors were invited to bid by the district’s architect.
The district’s response: “The lack of response can be attributed to the number of elevator projects happening in the City of Chicago right now. The abundance of projects in the system has a direct correlation to the lack of response we received. There is currently more work than available vendors.”
Board member John Devereux asked if the bid price was in line with expectations to which Sheila Downs, director of plant operations, said: “That was in line with the architect’s expectations.”
The board will also vote on a proposal costing $55,320 (education fund) with PCM Sales to purchase 1,200 “handheld digital recording devices required by the College Board for the administration of the Advanced Placement (AP) Spanish Language and Culture Test. The Chromebooks currently available to students do not meet the approved recording methods established by the College Board,” the proposal states.
PCM was the lowest of three bidders with a price of $46.10 per unit.
Board member Sue Kerr asked if other AP language courses, such as French or German, would use these devices and Jacob Vandemoortel, social studies and world languages coordinator, said: “We don’t [actually] run AP for those languages besides Spanish.”
Kerr said “oh we don’t. I did not realize that…. But if someone wanted to take” the exam in other languages would they have access to which Vandemoortel said: “They have the opportunity if they have experience.”
Noting Streamwood High School’s world languages academy, Kerr asked if students there have access to the Chinese exam. Vandemoortel said: “Yeah, if they have the ability they can take it.”
The district projects 886 students will take the Spanish exam this year and originally requested a bid on around 800 devices. U-46 projects 1,200 students taking the exam in 2020.
Costello asked if there was a volume discount by purchasing 1,200 units as compared to about 800. Bruce Phelps, senior business official said: “The price went down a little, but it wasn’t that much noticeable.”
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