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Oak Park board approves transportation extension, athletic training center upgrades and multiple renewals
Summary
Board approved a three‑year extension with First Student, purchases for the athletic training center (equipment, furniture, AV) totaling about $224,509.69, and renewals of benchmarking and digital subscriptions; a Square 1 board workshop proposal failed.
Oak Park — At its Aug. 25 meeting the Oak Park Board of Education approved several contracts and purchases the administration recommended, including a multi-year transportation contract amendment, equipment and furnishings for the renovated athletic training center, and renewals of instructional and assessment subscriptions.
Transportation: Trustees approved a contract amendment with First Student Inc. to extend districtwide transportation services three years — from July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2028 — with an option for up to two additional one-year extensions and the addition of five buses to the fleet. Trustee Scott made the motion, which passed on a roll call.
Athletic training center: The board approved the purchase of weight-room equipment from Design 2 Wellness not to exceed $101,996.33 and furniture from HPS not to exceed $36,053.04. The board also approved a vendor-by-vendor set of AV, networking and related systems, with individual vendor amounts read into the record and a stated total project cost of $224,509.69 to be paid from cooperative pricing and bond funds. (Note: one line read aloud at the meeting—"Low voltage, Kathleen Division, $2,713,846.87"—appears to conflict with the stated total and may be a transcription or reading error; the board recorded a total of $224,509.69.)
Instructional tools and assessments: The board renewed benchmark assessments (I-Ready and NWEA MAP) for the 2025–2027 school years and approved renewals and purchases for textbooks, consumables, digital licenses and learning resources, including IXL, for all schools for the 2025–2027 cycle. District administration said most digital resources are accessible at home via Google Classroom and Clever; the board asked whether students are provided devices (administration: the district provides access but not devices to all students).
Personnel and special services: The board approved recommended personnel actions as presented in the administration packet. After a closed session on collective bargaining strategy, trustees approved a letter of agreement with the Oak Park Education Association to hire third-party school psychologists and speech and hearing therapists.
Votes at a glance: motions approving personnel actions, the First Student contract amendment, weight-room equipment, furniture, AV/systems (total stated $224,509.69), benchmark assessment renewals, Capturing Kids' Hearts renewal, instructional materials and digital licenses, NSBA conference attendance authorizations, and the post-closed-session agreement with OPEA all passed on roll-call votes. The Square 1 Strategy Group workshop proposal (listed at $15,000 in the motion) failed.
The board also heard a public comment from Rommel Miles requesting reinstatement of a school bus route through the Palmerwood subdivision for safety and convenience of elementary students; the administration did not make a public commitment during the meeting. The board adjourned at about 7:15 p.m.
