School board workshop reviews $7.5 million in recommended capital projects; HVAC, roofs and buses prioritized

District staff presented a recommended $7.5 million package of capital projects funded in part by the district's half‑cent sales tax at a school board workshop, saying projected revenue and existing encumbrances leave limited unallocated funds.

Tina Giro, a district staff member who led the presentation, said the half‑cent sales tax fund currently has about $8.6 million available and staff is projecting roughly $6.8 million in revenue from March 1 through next February, producing a total available balance of about $15.0 million. Giro said prior years' projects already encumber $7.4 million and staff is recommending $7.5 million in new projects; that recommendation would leave roughly $545,000 available before accounting for a customary athletic task force allocation.

The nut graf: the recommended package emphasizes structural systems first ' HVAC, major roofing work and safety systems ' with other equipment and smaller site repairs included only if bids leave additional funds.

Giro walked the board through line items: $1.3 million for the COPS payment tied to two buildings; $1.2 million set aside to replenish the bus fleet; $1.0 million for MIS computer equipment and software; about $1.4 million for HVAC installations; roofing projects (including an estimated $2.0 million for Avon Park High, half funded from local capital improvement funds and half from the half‑cent sales tax); a $900,000 final reroofing phase at Lake Placid High; a roughly $400,000 gym roof at Lake Placid Middle; and about $839,000 in miscellaneous work (windows, bathroom remodeling, fire alarm systems and paving).

The plan preserves conservative revenue assumptions. Giro said the district has taken a conservative estimate of incoming sales tax revenue (about $6.8 million) even though recent receipts have been closer to $9 million per year; she said the lower projection is intended to leave "wiggle room" before fully encumbering anticipated revenue.

On buses, Giro said the number the district can buy this year depends on whether vehicles include handicap‑accessible equipment; last year the district ordered eight buses, and under current budgets staff estimates they can buy between six and eight buses depending on specifications.

Several specific campus projects cited in the recommended list include: HVAC and chiller installations at Avon Elementary and other campuses; replacement of Building 2 roof at Avon Park High and parking‑lot and repaving work at several middle and elementary schools; installation or upgrade of security cameras and single‑point entry work funded in part by school‑hardening grants; and campus‑wide fire alarm pull‑station work at Sebring High, which staff said is already out to bid. Giro described a targeted repair approach at Sebring High that would address perimeter edge failures rather than a full roof replacement to buy time and reduce immediate cost.

Board members and staff discussed smaller items as well: a $50,000 placeholder for repairs to the teacherage (district housing for teachers) with an estimated termite treatment of about $15,000; capital equipment allocations to schools (examples: $177,000 cited across schools based on FTE formulas); $30,000 set‑asides for cameras and $30,000 for radios at the county level; $75,000 for irrigation repairs; and a $350,000 athletic task force allocation that the board has historically approved out of the fund.

Giro said staff intends to put major HVAC and roofing packages out to bid immediately and will return to the board with updated, actualized costs after bids are opened. She told the board three AC bid openings are scheduled for next Tuesday and additional bids (including the Sebring High fire alarm work) will be opened by the end of the month; staff expects to return with revised figures in April and proposed reallocation of any leftover funds.

Board members asked about routine maintenance priorities such as painting and pressure washing; Giro and facilities staff said painting and other exterior work are expensive (one past painting job was cited at roughly $90,000 and current guesses range up to about $150,000 per school) and will likely wait until structural projects are completed. Staff said interior painting is handled by plant operators and summer crews, while larger exterior painting projects are done by contractors as funding allows.

No formal board votes or ordinance actions were recorded during the workshop; staff framed the meeting as a review and planning session. Giro said staff will bring bid results and updated fund balances back to the board at a future workshop to seek formal direction on reallocations.

Ending: Staff emphasized structural and safety projects as the immediate priority and scheduled follow up after bid openings; board members thanked staff for the work of compiling the list and updating project statuses.