Requests for Proposals - Due June 13, 2025
Open RFP | Special Education Related Services
Background:
Aurora Charter School, established in 2000, is a public charter school located in south Minneapolis, which serves 420 primarily native Spanish-speaking students in preschool-8th grade from Minneapolis and the surrounding communities. Nearly all of our students are English Learners or have gone through and tested out of our English Learner program, 75% of our students also qualify for Free or Reduced-Priced meals, and over 13% of our students receive special education services.
Purpose and Objectives:
The purpose of this Request for Proposal (RFP) is to obtain proposals from qualified special education service providers in the following areas. Services can be bid together, or separate proposals can be submitted for individual services.
- Special Education Director
- Special Education Coordinator
- School Psychology
- ASD Support
- Occupational Therapy
- Speech/Language Pathology
- Additional Direct and Related Services
- Program Support (as needed)
District-Identified Services to Be Provided by Qualified Special Education Providers:
- Deliver all mandated services outlined under IDEA Part B to support students receiving special education, in accordance with their Individualized Education Programs (IEPs)
- Conduct appropriate components of comprehensive evaluations to determine students’ eligibility for the related service in conjunction with the evaluation team
- Contracted services providers in the school setting, such as a Speech-Language Pathologist, are responsible for carrying out all caseload and due process duties, including but not limited to: service delivery, progress monitoring, collaboration (general education staff, caregivers, and Child Find Team), evaluations and re-evaluations, IEP development, documentation and reporting, and ensuring legal compliance.
- Provide individualized support and targeted professional development to special education teachers to strengthen due process compliance, data-informed decision-making, and goal-driven instructional practices that promote student growth and achievement, despite the presence of a disability.
- Deliver professional development to general education teachers to deepen their understanding of various disability categories and related behaviors, and to strengthen instructional strategies that effectively support students with disabilities in the general education classroom, fostering improved academic growth and achievement.
- Consult with the school's Child Find Team, including the Special Education Director and contracted service providers, responsible for identifying, locating, and evaluating all children who have, or may have, disabilities and who may require special education and related services.
Submission Timeline and Instructions:
- Proposals will be due at 4:00PM on June 13, 2025.
- Email a PDF copy of the proposal to Naomi Christianson, [email protected], and Matt Cisewski, [email protected]. Please use subject line ACS-2025-Special Education Proposal. Please only consider the bid received when a confirmation email is received.
- Questions on the proposal should be directed to Naomi Christianson, [email protected], and Matt Cisewski, [email protected].
- Aurora Charter School reserves the right to reject any bids and to waive any informality in bidding and/or make the award for all or part of the work to be done, as appears to be in its best interests.
- Decisions are anticipated after the June 18, 2025 board meeting.
Evaluation Criteria:
Requests for proposals will be evaluated by the Business Office. ACS will base its evaluation on the following criteria:
- Price
- Completeness and timeliness of Proposals
- Demonstration of complete, thorough, and high-quality work
- Experience and proven track record with providing services to diverse and historically underserved student populations
- Demonstration that the provider meets the requirements
- Willingness to collaborate on contract specifics
Provider Requirements:
- All service providers are fully licensed by the state of Minnesota.
- All service providers submit and pass a background check or verification that employees completed a background check as part of their hiring process.
- The related service provider maintains liability insurance and provides a COI each year of active agreement.
- The related service provider can ensure all services, even if there are cases where there are personnel changes for the provider.
- Provider provides assurances regarding data handling/privacy
- Provider includes indemnification language in its agreement with ACS
- Provider will provide prompt billing that is Net 30
- Provider includes “failure to perform”/early termination language in its agreement
Open RFP | Transportation
Overview of Aurora Charter School:
Aurora Charter School, established in 2000, is a public charter school located in south Minneapolis, which serves 420 primarily native Spanish-speaking students in preschool-8th grade from Minneapolis and the surrounding communities. Nearly all of our students are English Learners or have gone through and tested out of our English Learner program, 75% of our students also qualify for Free or Reduced-Priced meals, and over 13% of our students receive special education services.
Scope of Services:
- First-tier transportation
- Morning and afternoon services
- Adherence to school calendars, start/end times
- Flexibility to accommodate route and enrollment changes
- Primarily house stops
- Door-to-door service as required by IEP
- Homeless and Highly Mobile (HHM) transportation
- Per-bus pricing for field trips
- Occasional after school activity transportation
ACS currently operates ten buses, two vans, one Special Education van, and one HHM van. We are hoping to reduce or eliminate the number of general education van routes this upcoming school year.
Pricing Structure:
Vendors must include:
- Base cost per route (AM/PM)
- Payment terms Net 30
- Additional mileage fees for field trips if applicable
- Pricing for specialized transportation services
Route Changes and Communication Procedures:
Route and Boundary Updates
- Detail your process for updating routes due to enrollment shifts or boundary revisions
- Timeline and stakeholder involvement
- Tools and mapping technology used
Communication Protocols
- Notification of procedures for delays, incidents, or route adjustments
- Languages supported - English and Spanish preferred
- Parent contact systems (calls, SMS, apps)
Technology Integration:
Provide a description of onboard and backend technologies, including:
- GPS tracking systems (real-time parent access preferred)
- Behavioral monitoring systems (cameras required)
- Communication tools or systems for route alerts and emergencies
Organizational Information:
Please include:
- Years in business
- Legal business name and structure (is the company local, regional, national, etc.)
- Number of buses and vans owned (and their age/maintenance protocols)
- Number of drivers and training/certification practices
- Primary business address and contact information
- References from 2-3 similar-sized schools/districts
Insurance and Risk Management:
All vendors must provide:
- Proof of commercial vehicle liability insurance (minimum $5M coverage)
- General business liability insurance
- Workers’ compensation coverage
- Indemnification clause stating that the vendor holds Aurora Charter School harmless in case of incident caused by negligence
Submission Timeline and Instructions:
- Proposals will be due at 4:00PM on June 13, 2025.
- All proposals must be submitted electronically in PDF format to Naomi Christianson, Business Manager, at [email protected] and Matt Cisewski, Executive Director, at [email protected]. Please use the subject line ACS-2025-Transportation Proposal.
- Aurora Charter School reserves the right to reject any bids and to waive any informality in bidding and/or make the award for all or part of the work to be done, as appears to be in its best interests.
- Decisions are anticipated after the June 18, 2025 board meeting.
Evaluation Criteria:
Proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
- Cost and value
- Vendor experience and capacity
- Safety and technology offerings
- References and customer service
- Flexibility and communication capabilities
Open RFP | Auditing Services
Overview of Aurora Charter School
Aurora Charter School, established in 2000, is a public charter school located in south Minneapolis, which serves 420 primarily native Spanish-speaking students in preschool-8th grade from Minneapolis and the surrounding communities. Nearly all of our students are English Learners or have gone through and tested out of our English Learner program, 75% of our students also qualify for Free or Reduced-Priced meals, and over 13% of our students receive special education services.
Scope of Services
The selected firm will be expected to:
- Conduct an independent audit of financial statements for Aurora Charter School
- Conduct single audits when applicable
- Ensure compliance with MN charter school finance laws
- Provide risk assessments and financial analyses, including state pension considerations
- Prepare and submit audit reports by the end of December at the latest
- Present findings to the Finance Committee and the full school board
Fieldwork and Submission Timeline
Fieldwork must begin in or before October with final report submissions completed by mid-December at the latest. The selected firm must be available for presentations to the Finance Committee and full Board upon finalization. These presentations may be virtual if necessary.
Submission Requirements
Each proposal must include:
- Company profile including years in business, staff size, and licensure
- Experience working with Minnesota charter schools and nonprofits and related references
- Summary of relevant experience in MN state laws, pension systems, and nonprofit financial regulations
- Estimated costs, including hourly rates and/or capped totals
- List of deliverables (draft and final reports, board presentation materials, etc.)
- Indemnification language and failure to perform clause
- Proof of business liability and other applicable insurance coverage
Submission Timeline and Instructions:
- Proposals will be due at 4:00PM on June 13, 2025.
- All proposals must be submitted electronically in PDF format to Naomi Christianson, Business Manager, at [email protected] and Matt Cisewski, Executive Director, at [email protected]. Please use the subject line ACS-2025-Auditing Proposal.
- Decisions are anticipated after the June 18, 2025 board meeting.
Evaluation Criteria
Proposals will be evaluated on the basis of:
- Relevant experience and qualifications
- Understanding of MN charter school finance regulations
- Cost effectiveness and clarity of deliverables
- Quality of references and prior performance
- Capacity to meet the required timeline
Open RFP | Cleaning Services
Overview:
Aurora Charter School (ACS) is seeking professional evening cleaning services for our school starting on August 12, 2025 for student and staff contact days. The building spans roughly 50,000 sq ft, mostly on one floor with a mezzanine, with classrooms, offices, restrooms, hallways, a library, a gymnasium, a cafeteria, a kitchen, and one set of stairs.
Purpose: Maintain a clean and healthy work and learning space for our 420 students and 60 staff members.
Scope of Work:
- 25 classrooms
- 19 offices
- 41 sinks
- 42 toilets/urinals
- 14 fountains
- Reception area
- Library
- Teacher work area
- Staff lounge
- Middle school plaza/common space
- Hallways
The kitchen, cafeteria, and gymnasium would not be part of the proposal.
Main Activities:
Entrances
- Spot clean and disinfect high touchpoints daily
- Remove trash and recycling daily and replace liners as needed
- Sweep/mop/vacuum floors and mats daily
- Dust surfaces and baseboards weekly
- Wash and squeegee entrance glass and glass doors as needed or weekly
Offices, Conference Room, Testing Areas
- Spot clean and disinfect high touchpoints daily
- Remove trash and recycling daily and replace liners as needed
- Vacuum floors weekly and as needed
- Dust surfaces and baseboards weekly
Hallways
- Spot clean and disinfect high touchpoints daily
- Remove trash and recycling daily
- Sweep/mop/vacuum floors and mats daily
- Clean and polish drinking fountains
- Dust surfaces and baseboards weekly
Restrooms
- Refill supply dispensers daily
- Sweep and mop all floors daily
- Empty and remove all trash daily and refill liners as needed
- Clean and disinfect restroom fixtures (toilet tanks, urinals, seats, sinks, faucets, counters, handles) daily
- Dust weekly
Classrooms
- Spot clean and disinfect high touchpoints daily
- Remove trash and recycling daily and replace liners as needed
- Vacuum floors daily
- Dust surfaces and baseboards weekly
Note any damaged cleaning equipment or areas to the facilities (location, description of damage) and report to maintenance. Report low supplies to the Business Manager.
Term: The academic school year (August 12, 2025-June 10, 2026) student and teacher contact days only, with reduced services from June 15-July 3, 2026, with the opportunity to renew annually for four years.
Under no circumstances will Aurora Charter School enter into a multi-year or automatic annual renewal agreement with an outside term greater than five (5) years; provided that the foregoing limit will not apply to a lease for school facilities.
Additional Information:
- Onboarding will occur in early August 2025.
- Provide (3) professional references including: name, title, phone, email company name, relationship type and years of relationship.
- Provide a summary of your company’s history, staff description, and financial position.
- Those interested in submitting a bid should contact Naomi Christianson at [email protected] or 612-200-9590 to arrange a tour prior to submitting a proposal.
Submission Timeline and Instructions:
- Proposals will be due at 4:00PM on June 13, 2025.
- All proposals must be submitted electronically in PDF format to Naomi Christianson, Business Manager, at [email protected] and Matt Cisewski, Executive Director, at [email protected]. Please use the subject line ACS-2025-Cleaning Proposal.
- Aurora Charter School reserves the right to reject any bids and to waive any informality in bidding and/or make the award for all or part of the work to be done, as appears to be in its best interests.
- Decisions are anticipated after the June 18, 2025 board meeting.
Evaluation Criteria:
- Licensed and bonded companies only.
- Previous commercial and school janitorial service experience preferred
- Proposals will be evaluated on cost, alignment of the proposal to STA’s stated needs, experience, local location, and performance feedback from references. K-12 School client experience and charter school experience and references preferred.
Open RFP | Accounting Services
Aurora Charter School (ACS), established in 2000, is a public charter school located in south Minneapolis, which serves 420 primarily native Spanish-speaking students in preschool-8th grade from Minneapolis and the surrounding communities.
ACS currently operates with an Executive Director; an Associate Director, who conducts HR services and prepares payroll locally; a Business Manager, who manages many of the daily financial operations; and outsources its payroll processing. ACS is currently seeking bids for financial support services from an experienced service provider to aid in the management of the school business services.
Proposals will be accepted for part or all of the below services:
- Budgeting - short term & long-range forecast
- Monthly financial reporting
- Monthly bank reconciliations
- Grant management (SERVS, SEDRA, MEGS, etc.)
- Audit preparation and coordination
- Accounts payable
- Accounts receivable
Qualified firms will be assessed on the areas listed below:
- Depth of experience with charter school finance and related building companies
- Ability to attend committee and board meetings as needed
- Ability to process accounts payable (SmartFinance)
- Organizational capacity
- Scope of service
- Pricing
Proposals:
Please provide proposals that distinguishes between and separates pricing for different services unless services are offered at a flat monthly rate. Please send proposals via email to Naomi Christianson at [email protected] and Matt Cisewski at [email protected].
Submission Timeline and Instructions:
- Proposals will be due at 4:00PM on June 13, 2025.
- All proposals must be submitted electronically in PDF format to Naomi Christianson, Business Manager, at [email protected] and Matt Cisewski, Executive Director, at [email protected]. Please use the subject line ACS-2025-Accounting Proposal.
- Aurora Charter School reserves the right to reject any bids and to waive any informality in bidding and/or make the award for all or part of the work to be done, as appears to be in its best interests.
- Decisions are anticipated after the June 18, 2025 board meeting.
If you have any additional questions, please contact Naomi Christianson, Business Manager, at [email protected] or 612-200-9590.
Open RFP | Managed IT/Technology Services
Overview: Aurora Charter School (ACS) is a charter school located in south Minneapolis. In addition to one staff member who manages technology on site, it relies on information technology (IT) equipment, software, and services maintained and supported by an IT supplier. The following outlines the July 1, 2025 - June 30, 2026 IT system needs of Aurora Charter School. The supplier must always be willing to make the best-possible efforts to provide support and rectify problems as requested and in a timely manner to ensure continuation of services for our students and staff members.
Purpose: Provide an IT System that meets business operations and academic programming needs as outlined below.
Scope and Nature of Work:
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- Onsite and On-Call support - as needed, including mentoring and support of onsite resources for Windows, MacOS and IOS devices
- System Security / Internet Protection - Proactive scanning/testing coordination, virus/spyware/adware removal
- Network Support - Design, setup, troubleshooting, wireless security, file and printer sharing, etc.
- Cloud Server Support - Manage Azure cloud server and computing
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- Hardware Support - Install or upgrade devices, coordinate hardware repairs and recycling.
- Software Support - Windows and MacOS System and software installation and updates
- School Specific Software/Systems Support - Including GSuite, standardized testing administration, and eRate support
- Data Services - Online backup systems, data recovery
- Remote Management of iOS or Chrome Devices - using mobile Device Management
- System Protection / Internet Security - Proactive scanning/testing coordination, virus/spyware/adware removal
- Maintenance and Cleaning - Device tune-ups, cleaning
- Vendor Coordination - ongoing coordination of phone, security system and copier vendors, and software service vendors
- IT Consulting - ongoing IT support, strategic technology planning, budgeting support, recommendations, and lifecycle planning
- Hardware Procurement Assistance / Set-up - Assist with the purchasing and setup of new devices, software or additional external services, configure to ACS standard and troubleshoot problems
- Inventory Control - Create and maintain hardware inventory and management plan
- Audit Support - Support client with hardware and service data for external audits as required
- Project support beyond existing services listed in this contract
- Reactive support as encountered by ACS to investigate and respond to the problem appropriately
Current Renewals/Softwares Used:
- Azure
- Microsoft 365
- GSuite
- Google Classroom Premium
- JAMF
- Apple/JAMF/Securly/DEP Push Cert
- Edlio Domain
- Digium Switchvox
- Meraki Switch
Term: July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026 with the opportunity to renew annually for 4 years.
Under no circumstances will Aurora Charter School enter into a multi-year or automatic annual renewal agreement with an outside term greater than five (5) years, provided that the foregoing limit will not apply to a lease for school facilities.
Submission Timeline and Instructions:
- Proposals will be due at 4:00PM on June 13, 2025.
- All proposals must be submitted electronically in PDF to Naomi Christianson, Business Manager, at [email protected] and Matt Cisewski, Executive Director, at [email protected]. Please use the subject line ACS-2025-Technology Proposal.
- Decisions are anticipated after the June 18, 2025 board meeting.
Additional Information:
- Onboarding will occur between our current service provider and incoming service provider as soon as possible.
- Provide (3) professional references including: name, title, phone, email company name, relationship type and years of relationship.
- Provide a summary of your company’s history, staff description, and financial position.
- For questions and additional information, please contact Kristin Knoble-Swanson at [email protected].
Evaluation Criteria:
Proposals will be evaluated on the base of:
- Cost
- Alignment of the proposal to ACS’s stated needs
- Experience
- Local location
- Performance feedback from references
- K-12 School client experience and charter school experience and references preferred