Technology staff present copier and printer lease review; recommendation due April 24

Rachel Gorton, the district's director of technology, and Beth (Elizabeth) Kopp, technology specialist and project lead, briefed the ISD 191 Board of Education on April 10 about the upcoming copier and printer lease renewal. The current lease began in February 2017 and will expire June 30, 2025. Gorton said staff solicited quotes from three vendors and will return to the board with a recommendation on April 24.

Gorton said the project covers three device types: high-capacity production copiers, floor-model multifunction devices and smaller desk printers. Goals include replacing aging machines (some devices are more than 18 years old), modernizing print management to reduce waste and improving end-user functionality. "We wanted to modernize the management... having some sort of efficient management system is one of the things that we're looking for as we move forward," Gorton said.

The evaluation process included site tours, surveys of administrative operators, usage-data analysis and mapping of existing equipment. Kopp led the fall analysis identifying where larger, more efficient machines were needed and where low-use devices could be removed.

Board members asked about historical print volumes and vendor service levels. Director Hugh asked whether staff could compare current print-job counts to pre-2017 levels; Gorton said that data was not on hand but could likely be retrieved for the next meeting. Director Ault asked about service guarantees; Gorton said the request for proposals specifies a minimum four-hour service-response expectation (example: a 3 p.m. service call should be addressed by 10 a.m. the next day).

Ending: Staff will return April 24 with a recommendation based on three vendor proposals and further vendor adjustments discussed during the solicitation process.