Tom Ritzenszaler of CSR and Ben Olling of Jacobs updated the Facilities Committee on the district’s new Career and Technical Education (CTE) building, reporting that the structure is largely enclosed and internal work is advancing toward a target completion and turnover date that would let the district occupy the building for the 2026–27 school year.

Presenters said the construction contract with Pike was awarded last July and construction began in September, with a formal groundbreaking in October. The team cited an anticipated turnover date of July 31, 2026, followed by a district move-in period and a planned program start in September 2026. "We're certainly working on the furniture side of it," a presenter said, and the team detailed coordination on FF&E (furniture, fixtures and equipment), technology devices and warranties.

Budget details presented to the committee showed $11,944,439 in approved change orders to date, the presenters said, and they called out roughly $1.9 million of that amount as site-work costs tied to unsuitable soils and on-site rock. The presenters showed a contract subtotal of $72,428,440 (contract plus approved change orders), additional state contracts totaling about $4,152,812 and an FF&E estimate set at 6 percent of the overall contract value. The presenters noted that some projects planned under the 2019 bond referendum may not be achievable with current funds.

Committee members raised FF&E procurement timing concerns related to manufacturers’ pricing updates and tariffs. The presenters said the district uses state-contract purchasing for many FF&E items and that technology teams were already securing pricing for district-furnished items such as wireless access points, switches, telephones, cameras and computing devices. Tom Ritzenszaler said the interiors team is emphasizing locally serviceable equipment and vendors with regional representation to ensure preventive maintenance and service availability.

The district also said the State Education Department’s Office of Facilities Planning will tour the CTE site on Aug. 12; presenters described the invitation as recognition that CTE is a select statewide project. The committee did not record any formal budget approval or additional funding motion in the meeting transcript.

Presenters and board members said they will present the CTE project as a workforce-development case study at the October School Boards convention.