Finance committee forwards positive recommendations on co‑op membership, Chromebooks, signs and gym resurfacing

The finance committee on March 17 moved multiple procurement and capital items to the full board with positive recommendations.

WISN purchasing cooperative: Britney Altonorf and Jill Seaffeld recommended joining the Wisconsin School Nutrition Purchasing Cooperative (WISN), noting a reported membership fee of $300 per year and advantages in bulk purchasing, vetted contracts and administrative compliance. A motion to forward a positive recommendation to the full board carried.

Chromebooks: Technology staff recommended a four‑year refresh for Chromebooks (grades 3–5 and grade 9) totaling 1,200 devices this cycle. Nick Kleinhoffer said BDJ Tech provided the lowest device pricing and First American the lowest financing; staff asked the committee to forward a positive recommendation to purchase under a lease‑purchase in an amount not to exceed $46,720 with annual P&I not to exceed $19,442.99.

Library touchscreen Chromebooks: Kleinhoffer also brought a purchase of six carts (180 touchscreen Chromebooks) for elementary library checkout, noting Google licenses are included (a typo in the packet was corrected). The committee forwarded a recommendation to approve the purchase using common school library aid; the packet’s dollar figure appears garbled and staff will confirm and post corrected numbers in the packet.

Monument signage: Buildings and grounds recommended standardizing exterior monument signs at Amy Bell, County Line, Rockfield and the district office to improve wayfinding. The committee approved forwarding a recommendation to the full board to proceed with Lmberg (quote in packet cited an amount not to exceed $117,47624; staff noted electrical hookup and any village approvals would be handled separately and that the packet contains typographical errors that will be corrected).

GHS gym floor: Frank Lord described peeling finish, worn lines and bent floor sleeves in the Germantown High School main gym and recommended resurfacing. Schmidt Flooring’s quote of $89,875 was recommended as part of the 2025–26 capital projects; the committee recommended the project to the full board.

Bridges transition kits: Jake Mizak described the transition kits to move from Bridges edition two to edition three for elementary classrooms. Staff said kits cost about $500 per classroom and that a first‑year discount on student workbooks reduces district consumable costs by roughly $14,000. The committee forwarded the purchase to the board.

Each procurement item was carried forward with a positive recommendation; where packet figures were garbled staff committed to correct the published packet and ensure electrical or permitting steps are completed before work begins.