HARLINGEN — The Harlingen school district has awarded a $450,000 contract to School Specialty and Gateway Printing and Office for the purchase of paper, pencils, construction paper, pens and other school supplies.
The contract is for one year and can be extended two extra years.
Julio Cavazos, chief financial officer, said the money from the general fund has been set aside to purchase school supplies as needed.
Another contract for $50,000 has been awarded to Valley Radio Center for the purchase of portable radios as the need arises.
Cavazos said administrators, maintenance personnel and other school district employees use the radios to communicate when they’re on opposite sides of a campus. The contract calls for radios which are hand-held radios and vehicle-installed.
The $50,000 has been set aside to replace them as they break down. The money can potentially purchase 300 portable radios, although he doubts that many radios would need to be purchased this year.
Valley Radio has been doing business with the district for quite awhile. In January 2014, the district solicited bids and then awarded a one-year contract to Valley Radio. The contract included the option to renew for two years. The company agreed this year to renew for its final year with no changes.
