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Facilities staff outline security upgrades, radio needs and capital requests as some items remain unfunded
Summary
Facilities and operations staff reviewed requests including a $60,000 radio replacement, a $100,000 incident/reporting system and vehicle replacements; committee members pressed for clarity about unfunded items and heavy reliance on contracted services.
Facilities and operations staff reviewed line items in the FY26 draft budget Thursday, including security equipment, capital vehicle replacements and contracted maintenance services.
Committee members asked why a $60,000 radio purchase and a $100,000 system-wide incident-reporting program appeared in the facilities narrative when those amounts were not included in the operating total. Facilities staff said some of the radio stock may be funded from year-end surpluses or capital lists rather than the operating budget, and that the district already owns some newer radios that can be redistributed. The $100,000 item was described as a program request to build a reporting tool while the district tests a lower-cost approach using Google Docs; staff said they would return to the committee if an external system were required.
“A lot of this work is contracted,” the facilities director said, pointing to a contracted services line of about $2.9 million in the packet, which pays for HVAC and major PM and installation work the small maintenance roster cannot absorb. Committee members pressed whether there was room to reduce contracted services by increasing in-house capacity and asked for an audit of the department’s operations and controls (see separate HR/audit article).
Committee members also asked about replacement vehicles and vans for courier and transportation support. Facilities staff said several purchases approved in previous cycles have been completed; a new van and a work truck were shown as requests that are not included in the operating FY26 budget and would be sought only if available funds remain at year-end.
Staff and members discussed vacancies in security staffing, recruitment difficulties tied to pay, and the district’s goal to have security coverage at all schools. Facilities staff said turnover was driven largely by compensation gaps and that the department hopes to stabilize staffing before expanding headcount.
Ending
Facilities staff said they would provide a clearer unfunded list and inventory schedule, and that they expect to pilot internal reporting tools before requesting full funding for a district incident-management system.
