Unit 40 Board Acts On Bid Awards, Insurance

Effingham Unit 40 school board members this week approved health insurance rates for the 2018-2019 plan year.

The rates included a 3.5% across-the-board reduction from the previous year.

The Board also approved a bid from SEPCO for purchase of food items. The co-operative is utilized by a number of area school districts to save money by buying in bulk.

The Board approved a fuel bid from The Equity, a mowing contract with Jerry Herrmann, and a 10-year contract with Pepsi with no increase in cost over the life of the agreement.

The Board discussed a security camera software management contract that would save the District $10,000 over three years, and discussed a change in policy regarding the maximum amount of an expenditures before it would take Board approval. The bid limit has been $25,000, but there is some sentiment on the Board to lower the limit to $10,000. Some agreement is still needed on emergency situations and how those should be handled. The change was approved for first reading, with a vote to adopt at next month's meeting.

Board members and district teachers, meanwhile, await the next contract bargaining session. The session will begin at 10am Friday.