Chicago Public Schools staff asked the board on Sept. 10 to authorize a first-and‑final two‑year renewal of SchoolLinks, the district’s centralized postsecondary platform, with a not‑to‑exceed cost of $1,600,000 covering Jan. 1, 2026–Dec. 31, 2027.
Dr. Heidi Truax, executive director of school counseling and postsecondary advising, told members SchoolLinks replaced the district’s prior vendor (Naviance) and now serves students in grades 6–12 for college and career planning, scholarship tracking, virtual campus visits and transcript and recommendation management. Truax said district usage rose to 70% of students in grades 6–12 last school year and that SchoolLinks reduces per‑student costs from $5.84 to $3.67 compared with the previous vendor.
Why it matters: SchoolLinks centralizes critical technical functions — transcript dispatch, recommendation letters, exposure to careers and postsecondary options — and Truax said failure to renew would leave the district without a centralized technical support for postsecondary services.
Truax said the vendor is minority‑ and women‑founded though not MBE/WBE certified under CPS rules, and highlighted translation features, accessibility supports for students with disabilities and the platform’s ability to document non‑college pathways including apprenticeships and internships. Board members asked clarifying questions about trade/apprenticeship tracking and device lifecycles; staff confirmed the platform supports all pathways and that Apple device lifecycle is typically five years (question arose later in a different presentation).
No vote was recorded at the agenda‑review session; the administration requested authorization at the Sept. 25 regular meeting.