Board approves cooperative food bid and $700,000 laptop purchase order

The Preston County Board of Education on March 9 approved multiple finance items including a cooperative purchasing agreement for school nutrition and a large purchase order for student laptops.

The board approved joining the Mountaineer Highlands Cooperative — a 22-district group purchasing cooperative for school nutrition programs — to accept a Gordon Foods bid that scored highest under the cooperative’s metrics. Nutrition director Mr. Hog explained cooperative scoring and noted questions about how credit-card fees are treated; administration said pricing still looked favorable even if fees are assessed.

Under policy 8200 the board also approved purchase order number 2601448 to Zones LLC for roughly $700,000 to replace student laptops for the 2026–27 academic year. Administration said planners had initially estimated higher unit prices earlier in the year but that current pricing dipped; staff emphasized a need to secure favorable pricing now and to use grade-span surveying to determine exact quantities. The superintendent said some of the laptops represent standard replacement cycles for older student devices.

The board additionally reviewed the levy check report and approved the schedule of checks and payment of bills. Administration called attention to two checks over $100,000 related to facility work (a boiler project at East Preston and work associated with Kingwood Elementary), both previously board approved.

Board members voted on each item; both the cooperative agreement and the laptop purchase order were approved by vote during the meeting.