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Board approves $83,000 radio repeater upgrade after communication gaps during tornado response
Summary
After a tornado exposed gaps in school-to-bus radio communications, the board approved an $83,000 upgrade to radio repeaters, with $22,408 contributed by the county 911 commission and the district covering the remainder.
The Hickman County Board of Education on July 7 approved an $83,000 purchase to upgrade the district's radio repeater network after staff reported communication failures during a recent tornado response.
Director of Schools Mullins told the board the district learned some buses did not receive all‑call messages during the tornado event and staff traced the problem to aging repeaters. Mullins said the radios were installed through a joint arrangement with the sheriff's office and that some repeater equipment has been exposed to weather for decades.
Under the approved plan, Hickman County 911 will contribute $22,408 toward the $83,000 purchase; the district will cover the remaining approximately $60,600. The vendor was selected through a purchasing cooperative (Sourcewell) and will make a temporary adjustment to get Hickman County High School's repeater functioning before school starts, with final installation to occur during a fall break to avoid class disruption.
Board members who had worked on emergency communications said the upgrade is a timely priority and approved the purchase by roll call vote.
