CPS seeks two‑year educational supplies agreement; board asks about local vendor participation and equity

Chicago Public Schools asked the board to authorize a new two‑year agreement with Lakeshore Learning and School Specialty to provide classroom and instructional supplies with a not‑to‑exceed value of $22,000,000 over two years.

Why it matters: The agreement would establish district‑level vendor authority so schools and central offices can purchase classroom materials such as crayons, markers and construction paper. Several board members framed the purchase question through equity and local economic impact lenses.

What staff proposed: Kara Thorstenson, director of digital learning and libraries, said the vendors are trusted longstanding partners and that the requested agreement is needed because the prior contract has expired. “These agreements will allow schools as well as district departments and networks to purchase traditional classroom supplies including things like crayons, markers, construction paper to support day to day student learning,” Thorstenson said. She told the board historical annual spend with these vendors in recent years has been “approximately $17,800,000 a year.”

Board questions: Members asked whether the district pool would reduce parents’ ability to supply materials; staff replied that parent‑provided supplies remain a local school decision. A board member asked whether students could be given an ID‑based discount at Lakeshore; staff said the district does not operate a storefront with the vendor and purchases are handled through distribution and shipping.

MBE/WBE and local vendor participation: Tina Lohrey Harris, executive director for Office of Business Diversity, described aspirational MBE/WBE goals for contracts and said the district is monitoring compliance. “For the MBE, you notice it's 22,000,000, but we're only getting 75% for our aspirational goals because of the market share,” she said, adding that the vendors historically exceeded MBE goals in prior performance reviews.

Equity questions: Board members raised equity implications for schools with less discretionary funding. Staff said supply spending and prioritization are managed through local school budgeting and the district’s school funding model, which allocates more resources to schools furthest from opportunity. Staff offered to produce analyses of supply spending by school on request.

Next steps: Staff asked the board to approve the agreement at the May 29 meeting.

Ending: The proposal would maintain a district purchasing channel for classroom supplies while leaving individual schools discretion over parent‑provided materials; board members requested additional data on vendor performance and the distribution of supply spending to assess equity and local economic impact.