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Board renews ARIES, NWEA MAP and Paradigm contracts and acknowledges 45‑day budget revision
Summary
The board approved annual renewals for the ARIES student information system and NWEA MAP assessments, renewed Paradigm Healthcare Services for medical billing (including new CYBHI billing), and acknowledged a 45‑day budget revision that increases revenue by $9.1M and reduces the projected deficit.
The Santa Maria‑Bonita School District board approved a slate of contract renewals and acknowledged the district’s 45‑day budget revision, addressing data systems, district assessments and student medical billing.
ARIES: Mr. Ricky presented a one‑year renewal of the ARIES student information system, which the district has used for more than 15 years to manage attendance, grades, health records and state/federal reporting. Staff noted the contract includes a year‑over‑year price cap expressed in the contract at 7–12 percent and emphasized ARIES’ wide use across California districts and the value of vendor interoperability for data exchange.
NWEA MAP: Miss Grock asked the board to renew NWEA MAP growth licenses for reading, math, science and selected grades; staff highlighted the RIT score’s longitudinal consistency and that the district administered more than 74,000 MAP assessments last year. The district said it will continue to evaluate other platforms over time but cited the existing multi‑year data set as a reason to renew for 2025–26.
Paradigm Healthcare Services: Dr. Palmerson presented a renewal of the district’s contract with Paradigm to provide medical billing and a student health network database. Staff said Paradigm supports LEA‑BOP billing for special education and will also enable billing under the Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative (CYBHI) for mental‑health supports offered to all students; staff noted expanded onsite staffing this year, including wellness coaches and school‑based therapists, and described how billable services will be documented and transferred for reimbursement.
45‑day budget revision: Mr. King briefed the board on changes required by Education Code 45‑day reporting following the governor’s 2025–26 budget. The revision increases district revenues by about $9.1 million, including a TK add‑on LCFF increase from $3,150 to $5,545 per ADA, more than $1.5 million restored for learning recovery funds, and a $5.1 million one‑time student support and professional development discretionary block grant. The presentation said $2.4 million of the increase is ongoing and the revision reduces projected deficit spending from $49.0 million to $39.9 million.
Each contract renewal passed on roll call votes. The board also moved to "acknowledge review" of the 45‑day budget revision; staff said some federal funds were still pending state allocation and that the district will report further as federal amounts are clarified.
What happens next: staff will continue annual reviews of vendors, provide comparative pricing or per‑student comparisons where requested, and incorporate the 45‑day revision figures into upcoming interim budget reports.
