Hamilton Southeastern Schools administrators are preparing to ask the school board to broaden the district’s use of cooperative purchasing, a procurement method they say could stretch district dollars further on major purchases.

HSE Chief Financial Officer Tim Brown told LarryInFishers the district has used purchasing cooperatives in the past, but administrators now want the board to approve a wider use of what school officials describ as a “special purchase process.” During Thursday morning’s meeting of the board’s Finance and Facilities Committee, Brown cited technology equipment as one example of a purchase that could be made through a cooperative, sometimes referred to in Indiana law and practice as a purchasing agent arrangement.

Under Indiana’s public purchasing law, governmental bodies generally must use a formal bidding process for supplies unless another purchasing method is specifically authorized. State guidance also recognizes that a purchasing cooperative may handle the competitive steps a public agency would otherwise have to perform on its own, including advertising, receiving bids, obtaining quotes and securing contracts.

The pitch from administrators is straightforward: if several school districts combine their buying power through a cooperative, they may be able to obtain lower prices than a single district could secure on its own. Indiana law allows special purchases in certain circumstances, including when doing so offers efficiency and economic advantages or when purchases can be made through contracts already available to governmental units.

The matter is expected to come before the full board at its April meeting.

The committee also reviewed other district business items Thursday.

Administrators said the February student count submitted to the state showed HSE Schools enrolling 40 fewer students compared to the February count. Because state tuition support is tied directly to student enrollment, that decline will reduce state support by about $141,000.

Committee members also received an update on construction of a new bus parking lot at Hamilton Southeastern High School. During the work, staff members will need to use alternate parking locations. Access from Olio Road to the parking area will be closed during the summer, with the project expected to be completed in September.

In addition, school officials said they are developing plans for future renovations at Hamilton Southeastern High School. Those plans are expected to include Career and Technical Education, commonly known as CTE, as part of the broader building proposal.