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Fort Wayne Community Schools trustees approve contracts, curriculum adoptions and grants; board member Anne resigns
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Summary
Trustees approved multiple procurement contracts and multi‑year curriculum adoptions, accepted federal grants for multilingual learners and teacher appreciation, heard a presentation on a Higher Education Coalition expanding free dual credit, and received a resignation letter from longtime board member Anne.
Fort Wayne Community Schools trustees met in a regularly scheduled board session and approved a slate of contracts, curriculum adoptions and federal grant acceptances while hearing a presentation on expanding college partnerships and receiving a resignation letter from a longtime board member.
The board voted to approve a two‑year contract with GoSolutions to provide Medicaid reimbursement services for eligible special‑education health services and transportation, including an annual software license fee and a one‑time implementation charge. District staff said reimbursements will help offset special‑education expenditures that otherwise come from the education fund.
Trustees also approved recurring or single‑year services tied to federal grants and operations, including an annual evaluation contract with EduShift for the district’s mental‑health grant and a one‑year renewal of Microsoft enterprise licensing to cover district devices and data‑center products. A two‑year contract with McMahon’s Best‑One Tire for bus tires and related emergency services was approved to support the district’s fleet.
The board approved several construction and facilities items. Facility staff described contract amendments and reallocations that allow athletic improvements at Snyder and Northside and site work at Wayne, funded through prior bonds and program budgets. A construction contract for Southside Athletic Annex baseball and locker improvements was approved for $810,380, and the board approved replacing middle‑school classroom and STEM furniture across multiple schools using bond and lease funds.
Trustees accepted additional procurement authority for nutrition services to purchase shelf‑stable and specialty items not available through primary vendors and approved multiple federal grant awards: a Title III grant for multilingual learners (reported in the meeting as approximately $615,734), Title IV Part A and Title II Part A allocations to support safe‑and‑healthy‑students, technology integration and professional learning.
On curriculum, the board approved renewals and multi‑year adoptions: a district license for Lexia adaptive literacy for elementary schools, a six‑year renewal of Quaver music (K–5), Discovery Education elementary science (adopted after a teacher pilot), McGraw Hill adoptions for high‑school science and social studies, and Savas Science for middle‑school science. District staff described a multi‑step pilot process with teacher representation across buildings that informed selections and said the purchases provide a mix of classroom hard copies and digital student access.
Adrienne Shroyer, director of college and career readiness and school counseling, presented the Higher Education Coalition initiative. Shroyer said coalition partners — including several regional universities — have agreed to offer free dual‑credit opportunities, targeted summer camps and counselor tours, and to work on credentialing and curricular crosswalks so credits are more likely to transfer within the coalition. She said partners offered conditional admissions promises and other supports intended to expand postsecondary access for FWCS students.
Near the end of the meeting the board received a written resignation from a longtime trustee identified in the meeting as Anne. The resignation letter, read aloud to the board, said in part that she was stepping down after nearly 12 years of service and urged continued public advocacy and vigilance regarding state policy and school funding. Trustees and district leaders paid tribute to Anne’s mentorship and public‑education advocacy and said they plan formal recognition.
Most motions were approved by voice vote with no recorded roll‑call tallies provided in the meeting transcript. Several administrative leaders and program directors were present and answered questions during the agenda: those named included the superintendent, district curriculum directors, the facility director and grant directors. The meeting was adjourned after instructions about the public‑comment process and an invitation for community participation.
What’s next: the board noted its next meeting date on the posted agenda and several items (implementation details for contract projects, grant reporting and continuing curriculum rollouts) will return to staff for follow‑up.
