Board signs off on internet contract, CESA 6 coaching and pilot rollouts; DPI audit finds no violations

The Germantown School District board on July 21 moved forward with a series of vendor recommendations and informational briefings, approving a three-year internet and EPL (Ethernet private-line) service contract recommendation, advancing a CESA 6 math-center contract and hearing updates on ed‑tech pilots and summer facilities work.

Internet and network: Nick Kleinhofer, director of technology, told the finance committee that an RFP process produced a three‑year renewal proposal from Charter Spectrum. The contract covers the district's campus internet and the Ethernet links that tie campus buildings together; the vendor will manage the EPL service. Kleinhofer said the contract is eligible for E-rate reimbursement (roughly 40%), so the district would pay about 60% of the listed annual amount. "This service has been reliable for us and, given our staff size, having the provider manage the EPL makes sense," Kleinhofer said. The finance committee recommended the contract and the full board approved bringing it forward (not to exceed $50,292 annually before regulatory fees).

Math coaching and curriculum pilots: Jake Mysiak summarized work on middle-school resource pilots and a proposed extension of professional-development coaching with CESA 6. For middle-school science the review team recommended Issues and Science (kit-based, NGSS-aligned) and the social-studies team recommended materials from Savas; both resources include physical materials plus tech components and will be piloted in late fall. The board also approved recommending a CESA 6 agreement to finance for math instructional coaching and targeted high-school math PD (contract not to exceed $23,410 from the general fund). "This coaching helps teachers implement new materials with fidelity," Mysiak said.

Classroom-management pilot: The committee heard about a Securly hall-pass pilot that was tested at Kennedy Middle School and Germantown High School. IT staff said Securly replaces paper passes with Chromebook or teacher-initiated requests, provides a dashboard to track students in the halls, warns about conflicting passes and can produce reports for administrators; the pilot feedback was positive and the district plans a one-year subscription at roughly $3,000 if it continues.

Facilities and summer work: Frank Lord, Buildings & Grounds, presented the monthly work-order report and summer-project updates, including the GHS batting-cage revamp, gym-floor resurfacings, hydroponics lab progress and a scheduled tennis-court resurfacing in early August. Lord said June had 191 completed work orders and noted that several long-dated items were summer projects intentionally scheduled outside the regular work-order flow.

Food service and audit: Food and Nutrition Director (Miss Ciefel) reported that the 2025–26 school year saw roughly 19,907 breakfasts (average 115/day) and 269,730 lunches (average 1,559/day). She said DPI conducted a federal audit of the district's summer-feeding program on June 23 and found zero violations and no corrective action required.

Other board actions: The board approved routine items including coaching stipends, an overnight trip for Germantown High School's Poms team (Aug. 6–8, Schaumburg, Ill.), adoption of K–12 academic standards for 2026–27, staff handbooks for 2026–27 and a commendation for Eagle Scout Carson Depis. The board also designated a single board member to publish factual previews and recaps of board meetings on district-authorized social platforms; the motion set limits on content to publicly posted agendas, open-session discussions and official board actions.

What's next: Staff will finalize vendor contracts and complete implementation steps for approved services; district administration said it will return to the board with pilot outcomes and next-year rollout plans for any resource that clears classroom pilots.