Mill Creek board approves block of instructional software, facility bids and personnel actions; AI purchase tabled

The Mill Creek Township School District Board of Directors on March 24 approved a block of instructional-software renewals, facility repair and improvement bids, personnel recommendations and routine financial reports, while tabling a proposed AI instructional purchase pending additional information.

Board members voted by voice on grouped agenda items that committee members had reviewed in March. The approvals included one-year renewals or extensions for a range of instructional platforms, authorizations for district-wide building repairs and roofing work, and standard personnel actions and leave requests presented in the personnel committee report. A motion to table the district’s proposed AI purchase was approved after trustees said outstanding questions remained.

The approvals covered dozens of line items presented in committee. Instruction items approved as a block included renewals for Accelerated Reader ($16,530.03), Edpuzzle ($18,137), ESGI ($14,760), Forecast5 ($28,515.38), Formative (add-on and renewal, $35,000), additional IXL licenses ($38,400), CAMI ($19,195), MAP ($50,075), Membeam ($28,760) and Mystery Science ($14,950). The board approved a separate six-year Spanish adoption and related materials (listed as $158,209.41). The board also approved a professional-development contract for speaker Holly Clark ($13,900) and several university and AP scoring agreements.

On facilities and operations, the board approved district-wide bids and vendor agreements that included door replacement ($79,000), roof ladder replacement ($159,770), carpet and flooring replacement ($315,185), boiler/HVAC work ($87,975), fencing ($36,500), exterior restoration (approved at $1,014,000, below the estimate), multiple ADA restroom bids (electrical $28,800; general $47,500; plumbing $314,500), and several roofing restorations and skylight work with A.W. Farrell and others. The board also accepted Wilkins Company contracts for annual fire alarm inspection ($13,680) and alarm monitoring ($15,552).

Financial and administrative items approved included student activity account reports, budget transfers, bond-money summaries, the treasurer’s reports and an accounts-payable report. Board members discussed a roughly $2 million year-to-date variance in federal fund revenue; district finance staff said timing and recognition of prior federal relief funds explained the gap and that an $1.8 million shortfall was not expected as an actual year-end deficit tied to federal funding.

During the superintendent’s report, the board accepted bids for ADA restroom work and for an electronic messaging sign project; trustees asked whether the $165,000 bid covered both sign hardware and installation and were told it did. The board indicated intent to install digital signage at all buildings lacking such signs.

Votes were taken as voice votes; recorded tallies were not specified in the meeting minutes. Where committee motions and voice votes passed, the board clerk recorded the motion as approved.

The proposed one-year AI instructional contract was tabled at the request of trustees who said follow-up questions from the March 10 committee meeting had not been fully answered. The chair called for tabling the item, a second was made, and the motion carried by voice vote.

The board also approved the February 2025 meeting minutes, committee minutes, and adjourned following the routine reports and committee updates.