District staff reports $14,262 federal grant termination, camera-system migration and audit dates

District finance staff told the Lowell Area Schools Board on April 14 that one federal grant used to fund part of the district's nursing services was terminated effective March 24, and estimated the direct fiscal impact to the district at $14,262.

Staff said the district discovered the grant termination after the fact, worked with the vendor (Health Bar) and Kent ISD to request and receive funds through the termination date, and expects Kent ISD to transmit the final amount this week. The district said it has an existing contract with Health Bar and will continue to honor that contract; staff said they plan to shift other state grant funds where possible to cover the shortfall and "work as much magic as we can to make sure that the district is whole and that our students are not impacted."

Separately, staff reported that the district needs to move its camera-system software from an on-premises solution to a cloud-based product because of network changes. Technology staff said they have identified a vendor on the REMI (pre-bid) list and will present the recommended solution to the board at a future meeting to take advantage of pre-bid pricing rather than conducting a full competitive procurement from scratch.

Staff also noted that the district's preliminary audit field work is scheduled for May 8 and May 9. Board members and staff were advised to prepare necessary materials for the auditors.

No new contracts beyond the described camera procurement were approved at the meeting; staff said they would return with a formal recommendation and procurement timeline for the board to consider.