CORRECTION: This story has been updated to show the district purchased a vehicle for its MiStem director. That information was incorrect in an earlier version of this story.

ALPENA — The Alpena-Montmorency-Alcona Educational Service District Board of Education voted Thursday to buy a new vehicle for the district’s MiStem director.

The new vehicle is a 2019 Ford Escape 4×4 for $21,350 from MiDeal.

MiDeal is a cooperative purchasing program that allows government units to buy from the state’s contractors. Reynolds said MiDeal leverages the buying power of the State of Michigan for substantial savings to the district and meets all bid requirements.

AMA ESD Superintendent Scott Reynolds said the vehicle is part of an 11-county Regional MiStem grant for 2018-19 that covers four Intermediate School Districts in Northeast Michigan.

Reynolds said purchasing from MiDeal helps the AMA ESD fulfill its requirement of the grant and for the district to reach its the maximum value of the grant.

“It’s the greatest value we can get,” Reynolds said.

Reynolds said the state has given the district approval to purchase a vehicle.

The new vehicle will take approximately six to 10 weeks to be delivered.

The board voted at its meeting last month to purchase three new vehicles from MiDeal for Pied Piper School. Those vehicles were a 2018 or 2019 Ford Escape and two 2018 or 2019 Dodge Caravans. Those purchases were not to exceed $23,500 per vehicle.