Brecksville‑Broadview Heights board reviews permanent‑improvement balances, lists priority repairs

The Brecksville‑Broadview Heights City Board of Education met in special session April 14 to review the district’s permanent‑improvement (PI) finances and near‑term capital needs, including a planned campus driveway and a camera upgrade funded in part by an Attorney General’s office grant.

Board members heard that the district’s combined unencumbered balance across PI and related building accounts was about $3.8 million at the time of the meeting, with an expected additional homestead‑rollback payment of about $99,000 and roughly $1.9 million in property‑tax receipts projected for the next fiscal year. After setting aside funds already planned for the campus driveway and other previously approved PI items, staff estimated roughly $876,000 would remain available for future planning.

The update, presented by district staff including Jeff (staff member) and Craig (staff member), reviewed items added or advanced since the November priority list. Recent work funded from PI included a subterranean drain repair that returned the softball field to playability this spring and long‑jump pit covers; the high‑school chiller replacement is nearing completion, and two new maintenance vehicles were added to the capital plan at an updated cost of about $103,000. Bus orders were confirmed and expected to arrive in July; one recent asphalt quote for the transportation/maintenance bus lot came in under budget at about $208,000. The transportation fuel system project was budgeted at roughly $15,000.

Staff explained the district added the softball repair to the PI list after a collapsed drain was found about 17 feet below the surface. “That was a successful repair and has led to being playable this spring,” Brian (staff member) said during the briefing.

A planned campus driveway — a central item carried into the campus master plan discussion — was estimated at $2.4 million and would be paid from the elementary school building fund balance. Staff noted that final cost will depend on full design and bid results, and that bid‑day savings are possible. Presenters also answered questions about whether recent tariff activity would affect project prices; staff said many materials and much labor for district projects are sourced domestically and that the contractor (AVG, consultant) had not yet indicated expected escalation on the driveway work.

Security upgrades were highlighted: district staff said a grant from the Ohio Attorney General’s Office will cover a one‑for‑one replacement of exterior cameras, consolidation onto a single system and about eight additional cameras at no net PI cost. The district expects to deploy the combined system (including vendors referenced as PACE World and Syntagix) across buildings and add coverage where the new driveway will be located.

Staff told the board they will present a list of surplus equipment for formal approval at the board’s April 16 regular meeting; that surplus list includes six buses, two trucks, three vans, one trailer and food‑service equipment that operators no longer use. Staff said the district is trimming an aging fleet and will retain only regularly used vehicles.

Why it matters: PI fund decisions determine which capital repairs and purchases the district can make without dipping into the general fund or asking voters for new levy or bond authority. Board members asked follow‑up questions about timing, the projected carryforward into fiscal 2027, and contingency planning if state rules change the maximum fund balance districts may retain.

Next steps: staff will present the surplus disposition list for board action April 16 and continue design work and permitting for the campus driveway and the consolidated camera system. The district also plans public outreach about PI‑funded projects as part of its regular communications.