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Aurora East USD 131 committee reviews donations, treasurer appointment and equipment purchases
Summary
The Aurora East USD 131 Finance and Personnel Committee met June 2 at 5:30 p.m. and reviewed donations, recommended a treasurer appointment, and discussed upcoming purchases and vendor agreements.
The Aurora East USD 131 Finance and Personnel Committee met June 2 at 5:30 p.m. and reviewed recent in‑kind donations to schools, recommended a new district treasurer, and discussed several purchasing and vendor items that will appear on the district board agenda later this month.
A staff member told the committee the district had received multiple donations for Special Olympics and school staff, including large canisters of coffee and related supplies from Starbucks; 10 dozen bagels from Big Apple Bagels; 50 children's ice cream cones from Overweiss; three boxes of popcorn from Double Good Popcorn for Allen Elementary staff; and 10 cases of Girl Scout cookies donated by “troop 14 26.” The staff member also said a large donation of 6,000 new snow pants intended for distribution at elementary schools would arrive for winter distribution. An anonymous $500 donation for staff lunch, two $25 gift cards from Altrio restaurant for an East High fundraiser, and a $2,000 gift from the Navy League of the United States, Aurora Council, for the NJROTC program at Aurora High School were also reported.
The committee also reviewed routine finance items: the calendar of committee meeting dates for fiscal year 2026 and consolidated monthly financial and payroll reports for March and April.
On governance and financial controls, staff recommended appointing David Rickard as district treasurer to replace Dr. Rob Grossi, who is retiring after serving as treasurer since February 2018. The staff member characterized that recommendation as "housekeeping that's typically done annually" and said the formal appointment and an accompanying treasurer's bond will be presented to the full board at the June 16 meeting. The committee was told a treasurer's surety bond is being requested in the amount of $20,000,000 for FY26; staff said the bond documentation is not yet in place and will be included as an exhibit at the June 16 board meeting. The staff member also referenced a separate numeric cap related to the district's coverage (stated in the meeting as a $200,000,000 figure).
The district presented a renewal of its bank depository arrangement naming BMO Harris Bank as the official depository for accounts payable and payroll, an annual housekeeping item.
On equipment and vendor matters, the committee reviewed a vendor quote from The Piano Man for two Yamaha pianos — a C5 grand with artist bench and a U1 upright with bench — with an after‑trade price presented as $20,387 for both instruments. The staff member said the district will trade in an older concert piano (noting a trade‑in allowance of approximately $10,000) and keep one piano in the auditorium and one in the band room to avoid moving instruments between locations. The staff member added both pianos would include warranties and tuning.
Finally, staff summarized a proposal to expand Arbiter Sports, a third‑party referee payment system used at the high school, to middle school athletics; that item was described as scheduled for action at the June 16 board meeting.
No formal votes were recorded during the committee meeting; several items were described as informational or recommended for action at the full board meeting in mid‑June. The committee adjourned at 5:42 p.m.
