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Board approves contract to upgrade Farmersville High fire alarm; funding source to be decided
Summary
The school board approved moving forward with a contract to upgrade Farmersville High School's campus-wide fire alarm system and agreed to defer the funding decision until the next meeting, asking staff to invite the Measure C bond committee to provide input.
The Farmersville Unified School District Board voted to authorize the district to proceed with a contract to upgrade the campus-wide fire alarm system at Farmersville High School while deferring the decision about which fund will pay for the work.
The motion to proceed with the contract was made by John Alvarez and seconded by Sabrina Gomez; the board voted unanimously to approve it. Board members said they wanted the bond committee involved in deciding whether Measure C bond funds or the district general fund should cover the project cost.
Board members framed the upgrade as a safety priority but disagreed on the proper funding source. One trustee said the community expected Measure C bond proceeds to be used for promised construction and improvements; another said safety projects can legitimately use bond funds and that the district should not deplete the general fund.
District staff confirmed the contract is ready to start and committed to providing the board with a binder containing the original Measure C bond project list that was included in public materials during the bond election. A district staff member said the district has been nearly three years without a full fire alarm at Farmersville High School and supported moving the contract forward without delay: “We're we're 2 and a half, almost 3 years without a fire alarm at Farmersville High School,” the staff member said.
Because the board approved the contract and tabled the funding question, staff will invite the Measure C bond committee to the next meeting and provide a printed binder and priority list for review. The board also directed staff to report back with options for funding the project, including whether to use bond funds or the general fund.
Why it matters: the project is presented as a campus safety upgrade; approving the contract allows work to start while the board and community review which funding source is most appropriate.
