SPS moving forward with classroom technology upgrades
July 13, 2010
At its July meeting, the Springfield school board approved three contracts for the purchase and installation of LCD projectors and interactive white boards to be installed in classrooms that do not currently have the technology. This project was part of the $50 million bond issue approved by voters in November 2009. Installation and training of staff members will begin in August and is expected to be wrapped up by October.
The board also approved the purchase of 31 new school buses in order to replace many of the aging buses currently in use. Springfield Public Schools’ bus fleet consists of 148 buses. Of those buses, 51 are at least 15 years old and 41 are at least 20 years old. According to the trade journal School Bus Fleet, the retirement age for buses in areas that use salt to treat roads is 14.1 years.
The total purchase price of the 31 new buses is $3.06 million. The purchase of the new buses is being financed through an eight-year lease/purchase agreement with a base interest rate of 3.14 percent.
The new buses are expected to be on the road in October 2010.
Administration presented the board with a revised policy regarding minority and local preference in the areas of architectural/engineering selection and construction bidding. The board asked district administration to review and revise the policy in January 2010. Administration worked with community members to draft the policy. The updated policy will next be reviewed by the district’s legal counsel before coming back to the board for a vote.
The fourth quarter report for the 2009-2010 school year was also presented at the meeting. The report revealed significant progress for the school year in student performance. It showed major gains in the number of Springfield students scoring at the advanced and proficient level on the Performance Series test which measures academic gains over the course of the year. Read more about SPS test scores.
Other action taken at the meeting included:
- Repairs to parking lots at Delaware, Wanda Gray and Weller elementary schools.
- Setting the tuition rate for the 2010-2011 school year.
- An update to board policy regarding graduation requirements.
A complete meeting agenda is available online along with all related documents presented at the July 13 board meeting.