The Douglas County School District 4 Board of Directors voted unanimously at a board work session to prioritize up to $95,000 from the district’s Major Maintenance Fund (fund 404) for privacy upgrades in the high school locker rooms.

Board members moved to fund installation of modular privacy stalls and other changes designed to increase private changing and shower options for students. Superintendent Jared Horton, who presented the proposal and cost estimates, told the board the upgrades could be implemented quickly but that contractor schedules and material availability could affect timing.

Horton framed options in a “good, better, best” framework and reviewed existing blueprints for the high‑school locker rooms. He described proposals the administration had costed: modular privacy stalls (roughly $5,000 per stall, including labor), adding ADA‑accessible changing rooms, and converting open shower bays into a smaller number of private shower stalls. Horton said the draft scope would include approximately eight enclosed changing spaces on the girls’ side, three on the boys’ side, one ADA‑accessible changing room per side, and up to three private shower stalls per side as a possible configuration. He said the $95,000 figure is a rough estimate based on those quantities and could come in under that amount depending on final materials and labor costs.

Horton said the district would prioritize reusable, modular components so materials could be repurposed in other facilities if the community later approves a larger capital rebuild. “It’s about $5,000 per privacy stall. We anticipate work could happen quickly on this, if the board wants to make a motion for that,” Horton said.

Board members discussed expected student uptake and participation in physical education if more privacy were available, and one member asked that administration treat the approved amount as a “not to exceed” cap and seek cost savings where possible. The board’s motion to prioritize fund 404 dollars up to $95,000 carried unanimously.

District staff identified the funding source as the district’s 404 major maintenance fund. Horton said this money has been appropriated through the district’s budget process and that using it for the privacy improvements would not require a new appropriation: “The funding for this would not be additional funding. It’s already appropriated within the 4‑0‑4 major maintenance fund,” he said.

The superintendent said administration would move promptly if the board’s motion was formalized, begin procurement and scheduling, and keep the board informed of progress. Horton also said staff would seek feedback from students at the high school after installation to assess whether the changes affect participation in PE and student comfort.

Implementation considerations noted by staff include contractor scheduling and the availability of materials; staff said permitting is not expected to be a major obstacle. The administration emphasized that the installed stalls would be modular and reusable in other buildings, rather than a one‑time fix that could not be repurposed.

The board’s action authorizes the administration to proceed with planning and contracting within the prioritized funding; the superintendent will report back on scheduling, costs and student feedback.