The International Falls School Board heard from several area community members Tuesday regarding school photos for the 2011-12 school year and keeping the contract local.
Ultimately, in a 4-2 vote, the board decided to award the contract to Enstrom Studio, Inc. of Bovey, Minn., which had submitted the lowest priced bids on six of seven of the photograph packages as well as nearly all of the a la carte photo options.
Neither of the two local photographers who bid, Capture Your Moment Photography or Cedulie’s Photography, were the sole lowest bid on any of the picture packages.
During the open forum period, which occurred before the board motion, three supporters of local photographer Cedulie LaVigne, of Cedulie’s Photography, spoke on behalf of the power of shopping local, as well as LaVigne’s background in photography.
“I know we always like to say ‘shop local’ whenever you can and I don’t understand why we would go outside of our local area when we have a very qualified photographer here in town,” said Barb Plasky.
“I don’t understand why the school wants to go with studio from out of town for the 2011-2012 school year,” questioned Jennifer McBride. “The school district wants to give thousands of dollars to another community.”
Rebecca Evens noted that not giving the contract to a local photographer was “not a good way of teaching our kids to go out of town when we have qualified people in our area to provide the job.”
LaVigne also spoke on behalf of herself and offered to match pricing in order for her to get the contract.
“I’m willing to lower my prices to match Enstrom’s portrait prices if you’re willing to give me a chance,” she asked the board.
However as multiple members of the school board noted, allowing LaVigne to change her prices after bids had been opened was unfair to the other four parties, who all bid on the same packages.
Superintendent Jeff Peura said the board chose, “what’s the best value for the parents in the district. ... We can’t rebid because it didn’t go the way some people wanted it to.”
Board members Will Kostiuk and Dena Wenberg voted against the motion to approve the contract with Enstrom Studio. Kostiuk agreed with the members of the public who spoke, reiterating the power of shopping local on the Borderland economy.
“We owe it to them to keep it local,” Kostiuk said. Wenberg agreed.
Board chair Michelle Hebner, who voted in favor of the low-priced bid, noted that parents are able to take their children to whatever photographer they choose for photo packages. The school contracts photographers each year to create a database of student photos for security purposes and the yearbook, as well as faculty identification cards. Where parents spend their money is an individual decision.
This same debate was held last year during a school board meeting, and the board voted to give the contract to Capture Your Moment Photography based on bids — even though it was not the lowest-priced option but because it was local.
