Scott Williams, swilliams@wolfrivermedia.com
The Shawano School District has signed a three-year deal with a photography firm to handle all class portraits and other photos in the district.
Officials hope the all-inclusive contract with Countryside Photographers of Seymour will bring parents and students more consistency in service and costs.
Louise Fischer, the district’s business manager, said recent practice has been for individual schools to bring in their own photographers, and for athletic teams to sometimes hire their own, too.
As a result, some parents and students were confused by the inconsistent options and prices being offered by different firms operating throughout the district.
The school board on Monday voted 6-2 to sign a three-year deal with Countryside Photographers, starting July 1.
Board members Marcia Yeager and Rich Belongia voted against the deal, both saying they would have preferred the district to hire a local photography firm rather than one in Brown County.
“That’s a lot of money to be taken out of our community,” Belongia said.
Fischer told board members that the district solicited proposals from about a dozen firms, but that there was no response from any locally.
She also noted that the contract involves no cost to the school district, because photographers deal strictly with parents.
The other finalist for the contract was Lifetouch Photography in Green Bay.