Summit Hill 161 Approves $48K Tech Upgrade, Board Divided on New Teacher Hire

Article Summary: The Summit Hill District 161 Board of Education approved a five-year, $48,305 agreement for a virtual server upgrade and separately hired a new junior high teacher in a contentious 6-1 vote. Board member Joy Murphy cast the dissenting vote on the new hire, marking a rare split decision for the board.

Summit Hill Board of Education Key Points:

• A five-year hardware and software agreement with Scale Computing from VirTek was unanimously approved for a total of $48,305.

• Johnna Armellino-Ker was hired as a 7th-grade teacher at Summit Hill Jr. High School.

• The motion to hire Armellino-Ker passed on a 6-1 roll call vote, with board member Joy Murphy voting against the appointment.

The Summit Hill District 161 Board of Education on Wednesday, August 13, 2025, approved a significant technology upgrade and a new teacher hire, with the latter decision revealing a rare division among board members.

The board voted unanimously, 7-0, to approve a five-year, $48,305 hardware and software agreement with Scale Computing from VirTek. The item, which involves upgrading the district’s virtual server, was pulled from the consent agenda for a separate vote by President Amy Berk but passed without opposition. The contract specifies an initial cost of $29,997 for the first year, with subsequent annual costs of $4,577 for years two through five.

In a separate action, the board voted 6-1 to hire Johnna Armellino-Ker as a 7th-grade teacher at Summit Hill Jr. High. The motion, made by board member Adrian Chavez and seconded by Secretary Ronnie Petrey, drew a “nay” vote from board member Joy Murphy. Voting in favor were President Berk, Chavez, Petrey, and board members Melissa Ryan, Patrick Oliphant, and John Winter. The reason for Murphy’s dissenting vote was not discussed in open session.

This vote on the new hire was one of two items pulled from the consent agenda by President Berk for separate consideration. The other, an item related to the first employee listed under the “Approval of Employment of Staff” section, was not voted on separately in the manner described, as the board took up the Armellino-Ker hiring instead.

In other business, the board unanimously approved several large-scale service contracts. A contract with Premistar for HVAC services under the Omnia cooperative contract was approved, as was a purchasing agreement for office and miscellaneous supplies from Quill, also through Omnia Partners. Both motions passed 7-0.