Pearl River School District Director of Operations Quinton Van Wynen said he expects work to set up the district's five school buildings with wireless internet access will be completed by the fall during Tuesday's board of education meeting.
Among the bids approved by the school board Tuesday were 10 items of cabling supplies that are part of the process, with eight going to Graybar Electric Company in Teterboro, NJ for $15,218.49 and two going to CDW Government, LLC of Vernon Hills, IL for $1,528.
"The wiring is on schedule to be done by the end of the summer," Van Wynen said.
The district built increased spending on technology into the 2013-14 budget due to the directive that schools should be prepared to administer state tests online by the spring of 2015. The jump to $48,836 in technology spending in the upcoming budget includes 300 desktop computers costing $195,000, 60 laptop computers at an expense of $35,000 and server upgrades and wiring to allow for wireless internet access. During a budget presentation in February, Van Wynen projected a cost of $62,000 for adding wireless capacity at the elementary schools alone.
Van Wynen called the directive an unfunded mandate from the state.
The school board also approved bids for envelopes, letterhead and printed materials to Phoenix Business Products ($3,040.50), Star Press ($4,880) an Courier Printing ($5,016). The full breakdown of the bids can be found here. This includes items such as the 2013-14 district calendar, report cards and commencement programs.
"Going out to bid proved advantageous because we came in with lower bids," Van Wynen said.
Then district will have a new food service provider for 2013-14. Aramark Educational Services won the contract with a maximum per meal rate of $2.26.
"We met with Aramark today to make sure we're on the same page," Van Wynen said. "They have over 60 school district contracts, so they are not new to the business."
Editor's note: Check back with Patch for more from Tuesday's meeting.
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