Board hears proposed change order for field infill and discusses board budget increases for legal fees and web services

District staff briefed trustees on a set of finance items tied to capital work and the board’s own operating budget.

Field infill change order: Construction and facilities staff described a proposed $56,000 change order to use a newer infill product for the upcoming turf replacement at the multi‑purpose field. Staff said the upgraded infill lowers surface temperatures and improves user comfort on hot days compared with a standard infill; the product was used on a recent track and field project and became available after the earlier turf installation. Several trustees expressed concern that the item had not been included in the initial contract specifications and criticized the late change order process; staff said the product surfaced during the submittal process and that the increase would be handled in the construction budget and reflected in upcoming budget documents.

Board operating budget: Staff presented the Board of Education’s draft budget for the coming fiscal year. Notable changes included migrating board agenda/meeting services from the current vendor to a new platform at an estimated additional cost of $6,000 (staff said the vendor transition is driven by the provider) and a recommended increase of $50,000 in legal/attorney fees to align the budget with recent actuals. Trustees asked for historical actuals against budgeted amounts for travel and legal spending and suggested the administration provide a clearer contingency approach for items that are difficult to quantify in advance.

Yearbook and other routine items: Staff described a yearbook contract renewal that represents a 4 percent increase in cost (from $39.45 to $41.03 per copy) and said the district would bring the stipend and other budget items to the board for routine approval. The multi‑topic finance discussion included requests from trustees for more detail about the legal fee increases, and suggestions that the administration bring actual spending history to inform budget decisions.

Ending: Staff said the field change order and several budget items will return for formal action at a future board meeting; trustees asked for better upfront specification of capital contracts to avoid late change orders and requested historical spending detail for key board budget lines.