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District approves communications-audit contract, applies for grants and moves forward on LED lighting bids
Summary
The committee reviewed a $25,000 contract for a communications audit, grant applications including a Minnesota grant to buy 26 AEDs and an Essentia HOSA grant, and accepted competitive LED lighting bids expected to save the district several hundred thousand dollars annually.
Duluth Public School District staff presented several contract and grant items and highlighted potential annual savings from LED lighting upgrades.
Interim HR leadership told the committee the district plans a communications-audit contract with NESPA to evaluate how the district communicates with families and staff, including focus groups aimed at historically underserved populations. The contract cost was stated as $25,000; the interim HR director said the district expects improved communication to support enrollment growth and called the contract “an investment” that could yield recruitment benefits.
On grants and equipment, staff described a grant application to the Minnesota Department of Education to purchase 26 AED devices and noted an Essentia Health grant giving $600 for HOSA (Health Occupation Students of America) travel and memberships for East and Dunfield. The district said AED purchases are mostly additional devices rather than replacements for previously existing units.
Finance and operations staff also reviewed LED lighting bids for Lowell and Lincoln Park and characterized the upgrades as both energy- and cost-saving. “We estimate that these bids will save several $100,000 a year,” the interim HR director said, linking savings to potential reinvestment in technology and staffing.
What’s next: the NESPA contract is in the packet for committee review, grant applicants will be notified in January for some programs, AED procurement will proceed if grant funding is awarded, and LED lighting work will move forward with the accepted bids for overnight installations to minimize disruption.
