School Board accepts bid from NETech as part of grant application

At a five-minute special meeting before its work/study session on March 23, the Van Buren Public Schools Board of Education approved an $84,811 bid from NETech of Wixom to include as part of its E-Rate grant application.
The district has received the bid through the RFP (request for proposals) process for internal connections at Belleville High School, McBride Middle School, Owen Intermediate School, and Tyler, Rawsonville, Edgemont, and Savage elementary school buildings.
The bid was presented to the board by Financial Director Shareen Barker, who said the $84,811 was the base cost and the board has to approve the bid to apply for the grant. If the grant is awarded, the board doesn’t have to do the project, she said.
The grant calls for 20% matching funds of $16,802 from the school district.
She explained the district’s E-Rate consultant missed the deadline to submit the request for approval of this grant for the March regular board meeting, thus the special meeting. The board has to approve it by April 13.
E-Rate Universal Service Funds is accepting grant applications to cover 80% of the costs for internal connections to Broadband and additional technology infrastructure.
During the work/study part of the March 23 meeting, the board:
• Was informed by Owen Principal Jeff Moore on the involved process necessary to prepare for giving the M-Step tests to students. Curriculum Director Diane Kullis was absent due to a personal family issue. Moore said the M-Step used to be the MEAP test. He said the new state assessment test will involve three weeks of testing for 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th grade students. School Supt. Van Tassel said he predicts more than 75% of the students in the state will fail this test.