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Board questions UniFirst uniform contract signed without prior board approval
Summary
Administrators presented a UniFirst uniform agreement that included maintenance and transportation; staff said IT uniforms were added without a specific line item and suggested options for funding, and the board asked for more information before committing.
Administrators told the board that a UniFirst contract covering uniforms for maintenance and transportation had been executed in December, and that uniforms for the IT department were subsequently added without an explicit line item in the IT budget.
Staff said the UniFirst contract runs 60 months and would cost roughly $2,400 a year for the IT inclusion; because IT lacks a specific uniform line item, staff proposed funding the IT uniforms from the superintendent's budget or rolling IT into maintenance's existing allocation. The superintendent acknowledged signing an estimate she had thought was part of an existing contract and said the execution was an error in process; she said she takes responsibility and will follow up.
Board members asked whether the contract could be canceled or modified, requested the superintendent speak with the vendor to understand cancellation timelines and whether charges are imminent, and asked staff to identify internal budget adjustments if the board choses to continue. Several board members said they wanted a conversation with the company before approving any ongoing expense that would draw on fund balance.
No final action was taken. The board asked the superintendent and procurement staff to speak with UniFirst, confirm the contract terms and timing of any invoices, and bring a recommended path (cancelation, amendment, or budget amendment) to a future meeting.
