School Committee approves expenditures

By Natasha Clark

Assistant Managing Editor

LONGMEADOW Several expenditures were approved at the Aug. 20 Longmeadow School Committee meeting.

The first expenditure addressed some of the technology needs at Glenbrook and Williams middle schools and Center Elementary School. One hundred desktop computers and 20 laptops will be purchased at four payments of $33,000.

Committee Clerk Mary Vogel said the School Committee had discussed going to the Capital Planning Committee about their computer needs but stated that Capital Planning already has the school district's network needs in from of them.

According to Capital Planning meeting minutes, Kevin Warenda, technology manager for the school district, went before the board in January and expressed the immediate capital need for servers designed to establish a modern functional hardware/software base for the data center which supports all school facilities in the district. The replacement would "increase system functionality, improve badly needed user response times, reduce maintenance needs and reduce the likelihood of system failure."

The School Committee approved the utilization of $23,000 in School Choice funds, allocating $17,000 for social studies textbooks for grades three and five and $6,000 to upgrade the network at Williams Middle School.

The school district will also seek to fill eleven positions in the Special Education department nine assistants, one community vocational specialist and one special needs teacher. These positions will cost between $211,000 - $222,000. Committee member Robert Aseltine also recommended that the Special Education department provide a quarterly financial report to the School Committee.

Committee member Robert Barkett asked how quickly the positions would be filled.

Superintendent E. Jahn Hart stated that some positions have been advertised since July pending available funds and with the knowledge that the School Committee would have to approve it.