Waukegan board approves multiple contract renewals, training purchases and transportation agreement; details and votes

Waukegan Community Unit School District 60 board members approved a series of vendor renewals, professional-development contracts, facility expenditures and a transportation agreement during their Jan. 28 meeting, voting on items ranging from $6,855 in emergency life-safety repairs to hundreds of thousands of dollars for student transportation and training.

The board approved renewal contracts and purchases including: Amplify Education reading assessments ($83,020); Pearson (formerly Edulastic) Pair assessment for 6-12 math ($49,700); TI-84 online graphing calculator licenses for Chromebooks ($42,700); emergency Oakdale Elementary water-main repairs ($6,855); Frontline Professional Growth subscription ($53,328.23); science tables for Lewis Middle School ($32,643); a multi-year GLA D (GLAD) teacher training pilot ($280,000 for school year 2025–26, as amended on the record); a pilot partnership with WestEd’s Formative Insights team (not to exceed $31,250); a one-year transportation agreement with Special Education Systems Inc. for students placed at Menta North (retroactive to July 1, 2024, estimated $422,000); and the purchase of Renaissance/“DNA” assessment/learning tools for 2025–26 (amount not specified in the meeting record). The board also approved a waiver of facility-use fees for a family funeral visitation at Waukegan High School’s Washington campus and concurred with the superintendent’s modification of a mandatory expulsion to five days out-of-school suspension and an individualized safety plan for a student referenced as xxx641.

Why it matters: The package includes recurring instructional platforms, professional development and student-support contracts that affect classroom instruction, special education transportation and facilities maintenance. The…