# 09/28/26 Regular Discussion School Board Meeting


**Body:** Portage Township Schools Live Stream
**Date:** September 27, 2026
**Jurisdiction:** SLED

**Tags:** Education, Construction & Infrastructure, Physical Infrastructure, Grants & Funding


At the September 28, 2026, Portage Township Schools regular board meeting, the board held a public hearing on the proposed 2027 budget, bus replacement plan, and capital projects plan; no public comments were made. The advertised budgets were approximately $57.6 million for Education, $25.2 million for Operations, and $12.1 million for Debt Service. The presentation described capital work including high school exterior door replacements, paving, HVAC and flooring improvements, energy-saving projects, and bus purchases. The board was scheduled to consider budget adoption two weeks later. The district also reported that the $99 million renovation program is being financed through bond issues and that the next bond payment cycle was included in the debt-service budget.

The board unanimously approved bid awards for the Portage High School renovation project, with a reported total project cost of approximately $8.51 million (the transcript’s exact total is unclear). Listed awards included Gibson Lewis, $544,400; Toban and Sons, $170,695; Midwest Tile, $356,100; Stafford-Smith, $1,773,223; and Hill Fire Protection, $52,150; an alternate wrestling mat hoist was listed at $148,800. The board also approved a Baker Tilly Advisory Group consulting and managed-services agreement, capped at $112,000, for tax-credit work related to the Ellsworth Middle School geothermal system; annual subscriptions of $14,500 for Communications EDO website software and $11,683 for ClassLink analytics; and a $67,448 high-ability education grant. It approved the 2027 GEO bond resolution and related disclosure and paying-agent agreements. The superintendent said the high school renovation remained within budget, though furniture and other loose equipment costs were still being assessed.

**Source:** Portage Township Schools Live Stream