The Round Lake CUSD 116 board authorized an Adelante Educational Specialist extension ($38,500 from Title 3), a Catalyst for Educational Change contract ($48,854.40 from the Ill Empower grant) and a multiyear Incident IQ platform expected to save about $43,000 versus current systems. Administration described migration and professional development plans.
The board held a first reading of policy 701.50 on agency and law-enforcement requests and discussed future review of how electronic public comments are handled; the superintendent’s appointment to the Illinois Board of Higher Education was also announced.
Board authorized public sale (sealed bids) of a district parcel on Magna Drive with a minimum acceptable price of $145,000 (the district’s 2024 purchase price) and approved buying two Honda Odyssey minivans for $69,615.26 to return at least three outsourced routes in-house, projecting minimum annual savings of $141,000.
At the Jan. 12 board meeting Kent, the district’s food-service director (first-name only in the record), said average daily meal participation fell about 5%, roughly matching a 4% enrollment drop. He outlined menu changes, a Sonic Q cooler-monitoring rollout and asked the board for attendance data to better interpret participation trends.
The Round Lake Area Board of Education voted to authorize Kira Bucek LLC as a secondary law firm to provide specialized legal support, primarily in special education. The superintendent said the firm would be engaged only as needed and carries no retainer; public comment questioned the timing following staff layoffs.
The board approved a five-year copier lease and five-year print maintenance agreement totaling $132,466.73 and heard that roughly 6.5 outsourced special transportation routes will be brought in-house in January 2026, an action the superintendent estimates will save about $330,000 annually.
The board adopted a revised levy resolution for levy year 2025 that adds an explicit delineation for the health life‑safety fund; presenters said no levy figures changed and the certificate will be filed with the Lake County Clerk.
Lake County Health Department told the Round Lake Area board that the high school‑based health center has nearly doubled encounters in two years, offers medical, behavioral and family‑planning services and is Joint Commission‑ and FQHC‑certified; board requested a breakdown of visit types and data on medications, sports physicals and immunizations.
The board approved an agreement with Baker Tilly for a financial assurance review not to exceed $30,000 and approved Solution Tree professional development services for $21,300; the Baker Tilly engagement was presented as an external review following recent budget concerns.
At a Dec. 8 meeting and public hearing, Round Lake Area Board of Education outlined a reduction‑in‑force process tied to enrollment declines and state funding drops, heard community criticism over an '$11,000,000 miscalculation,' and voted to approve lists of certificated and support staff dismissals and stipend nonrenewals.
