Board approves contracts, technology purchases and budget allocations; E‑Rate funding contingent on FCC decision

The DuPage HSD 88 Board of Education approved a series of motions Monday night to finalize routine financial reporting, renew vendor contracts and purchase district technology equipment.

The board accepted the treasurer's report for the month ending Jan. 31, 2025, showing a total balance of $74,281,413.92 and year-to-date interest income of $2,506,386.88. It also approved the January budget status report, which noted continued pressure in the transportation and operations & maintenance funds and projected an ongoing focus on rebuilding the transportation fund and addressing O&M repair costs.

On separate-action items the board voted to: - Approve a $435,330 purchase of network switches and access points from CDW Government to replace aging data-infrastructure equipment. The district expects an 80% E‑Rate discount on the eligible portion of this purchase; the district’s 20% share is contingent on receiving that funding commitment from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). - Accept a 36-month secondary Internet service from Comcast at $683 per month, also projected to receive an 80% E‑Rate discount subject to FCC approval. - Approve renewal of Cottage Hill (transportation) for a five-year contract averaging a 5.65% annual increase to provide regular and special-education buses and related maintenance/service terms unchanged. - Approve a one-year extension with Canteen for the district’s beverage and snack vending program with the same commission structure (36% on snacks; 20% on cold beverages). - Approve the purchase of bus cameras from Safety Vision for $47,393.11, expanding the originally requested scope from 10 buses to 31 because the bid came in under budget; Safety Vision provides a three-year warranty and installation is included. - Approve 2025–26 building budget allocations for supplies, capital outlay, purchase services and athletic programs (principals’ supply allocations remain weighted by projected enrollment; capital outlay baseline restored to $50,000 per building in earlier years and two driver-education vehicles are planned for replacement next year).

All motions on these items were approved by roll call. Several motions carried unanimously with no recorded no or abstain votes.

Why it matters: The equipment purchases and Internet redundancy work are intended to reduce classroom and operational disruptions, a point board members raised while discussing E‑Rate dependency and the risk that federal funding programs could change. The transportation renewal seeks to stabilize service amid district and regional driver shortages; the vending renewal and building allocations affect student activity budgets and building-level operations.