Vicksburg Warren board approves new financial software, contracts and international hires; tables weapons-detection award

The Vicksburg Warren School District board on Thursday approved a series of contracts and personnel items and moved forward with a plan to replace the district’s financial software, while tabling a separate award for weapons-detection equipment.

The board voted to enter into an agreement with Courage Technology for district financial software and related modules, approved a three‑year contract for removal and disposal of district assets with Next Tech Operations, awarded a five‑year bow‑hunting lease on 16th Section land to South Park Bow Hunters and approved a districtwide copier/printing services contract to Taseva. The board also approved selection of Stepping Stones Group LLC to provide speech‑language pathology (SLP) services after a request‑for‑proposals process, and approved the personnel agenda that included teachers hired through an international recruitment program that uses H‑1B visas. A bid for weapons‑detection equipment was tabled for further review.

Why it matters: the software and service contracts affect how the district manages money, inventory and outsourced services; the personnel approvals respond to an ongoing teacher shortage. Board members pressed staff on cost, transition risk and contract terms before approving several items.

Most consequential vote: financial software and transition plan

District staff recommended replacing the current finance platform with Courage Technology’s suite, citing lower recurring costs and vendor implementation support. ‘‘We’re looking to do an implementation in 2026, but there’s leg work to get that software in place for 2026,’’ a district staff member reported during discussion. Laura Hughes, a district staff member, told the board the first‑year cost is $45,700…