Libertyville and Vernon Hills high schools could get an app

Do you want to know when the Libertyville Wildcats’ next game is, what’s on the lunch menu at Vernon Hills High or which District 128 students have won academic awards?

There may soon be an app for that.

Libertyville-Vernon Hills Area High School District 128 officials have been talking with a Washington, D.C., company about developing a mobile application for the two schools, Superintendent Prentiss Lea announced Monday during a program and personnel committee meeting at Libertyville High.

If the District 128 school board hires Blackboard Mobile to create the clickable software, the high schools would be among the first in the country to have their own app, Lea said.

Already popular for games, videos, comic books, sports and other activities, apps are becoming more common for colleges. Northwestern University is among the campuses with apps that provide information about sporting events, meal schedules, classes and other subjects.

“This thing has so many possibilities as people go more electronic,” Lea said. “It’s really limitless.”

District 128 officials would pay a $15,000 setup fee to get the project started, Lee said. An additional $10,000 payment would cover licensing the first year, he said.

The licensing fees for the second and third years would be $10,500 and $11,025, respectively, Lea said.

An initial version would be designed for Apple’s operating system, which runs the popular iPad, iPhone and iPod devices, Lea said.

Versions for Blackberry products and mobile devices that run Android software would follow, he said.

Lea believes a mobile app could save the district money over time by helping officials reduce paper-based communications. Putting the content of the quarterly Paw Prints magazine on the app and eliminating a print version, for example, could save $25,000 a year, he said.

Some committee members expressed concern about eliminating a hard-copy version of Paw Prints. Lea said some copies could be printed for people who want them.

The full school board could vote on the proposal April 23 when it next meets at Vernon Hills High School.