John, the district's director of facilities, briefed the board on Aug. 11 about capital projects, operations and energy-efficiency work across district buildings.

John said he oversees 44 employees, 15 direct reports, seven school buildings and more than one million square feet of district facilities. He reviewed recent and ongoing work: construction of the new middle school, EV charging, upgraded switchgear, fencing, project coordination, and the installation of rooftop solar systems. John said Heritage has a 387-kilowatt solar array and the intermediate school has a 276-kilowatt array. He said the districts energy-management partner Data Wrangler helped save about $35,000 in an eight-month period by combining solar generation and usage analysis.

John described other operational improvements: electrical-meter alerting through Data Wrangler to notify staff when generators run or building power is lost; emergency backup generators now installed at all district buildings except the current middle school; and a planned third maintenance robot for tasks such as painting and field upkeep. He also said the new middle school opening is scheduled for 2026 and that the facilities team is coordinating integration of campuses, capital maintenance and an asset-inventory modernization project.

Board members asked about battery storage for solar; John said the district does not have battery systems for the arrays and that excess solar is exported to the grid. He also highlighted staffing needs at the new middle school and praised new hires such as Dustin, who is supporting safety work.