Aileen Seedorf and Larry Snow, the two minority members of Huntley District 158 School Board continue to call for the janitorial contract to be put out for bid.

And, last Thursday night, they seem to have won the battle.

I first wrote about this $2 million contract a month and a half ago.

If you haven’t read the story and are interested in how the largest employer in Huntley could have blithely ignored the possibility that another firm might save the district some money on a contract that amounts to about 5% of the non-salary operating budget, take a look.

It’s the largest contract outside of health insurance.

The school administration saw no need for competitive bidding.

The contract is administered by Glenn Stewart, Chief Operating Officer and school board member until he was appointed by the board majority to the over $100,000 a year job.

Just extend the contract beyond the third year.

That was the recommendation.

But, the Financial Advisory Committee (separate from the Finance Committee) agreed with Seedorf and Snow.

The Building Committee agreed, so going out to bid got put on the board’s consent agenda.

Snow pointed out that the District could go out to bid and depending on the results,the board exercise an option to extend the current contract.

At the last board meeting, Stewart and the administration were overruled. But not before board member Kim Skaja took the issue off the consent agenda.

But her motion to not go out to bid was defeated 5 -1. Mike Skala was absent.