Board approves classroom furniture purchase and five-year copier contract

The USD 443 Board approved two business-services purchases: new classroom furniture for three elementary schools and a districtwide copier-and-printer contract. Patrick said the district will buy Virco-brand classroom furniture for Beeson, Lynn and Ross elementary schools for $170,128.15, funded from capital outlay. He said the procurement process began in November 2023, and direct purchase from Virco saved about $7,000 versus earlier bid attempts. The board voted 4–0 to approve the purchase and authorized disposal of old furniture. The board also approved a five-year contract with Century Business Technologies for district copiers and printers. Patrick described a financing arrangement through U.S. Bank for equipment and a separate annual service/managed-printing cost to Century. He said the annual cost to the district for the proposed service arrangement is $325,910 and that the contract includes toner for district devices; the package includes 160 black-and-white and six color machines integrated into the service. The board approved the contract 4–0. Ending: Staff said the purchases are planned to standardize classroom furniture and replace aging equipment under an existing capital-outlay and equipment replacement plan.