Yuma District hearing outlines backlog of school facility projects, delays for bleacher replacement

The Yuma Elementary School District 1 governing board received an update on facility funding and the state School Facilities Board grant process that district officials said has left dozens of maintenance projects unfunded or delayed.

Chief Financial Officer Keith Ponder told the board the district is working through three main capital funding sources: per-pupil capital (district additional assistance), the state School Facilities Board (SFB) grant program, and local options such as bonds or overrides. He said the building-renewal program once provided formula funding but now operates as a grant and is currently funded at roughly $200 million statewide.

Ponder said the shift from a per-pupil building-renewal formula to a grant model has made the process slower and less predictable. "Currently, it's funded at about $200,000,000 a year for the entire state," Ponder said. "More than half of that was spent on just trying to catch up on last year's projects." He added that the SFB requires districts to show a malfunction or failure before a project can be funded, and that approval does not guarantee immediate award of funds.

The facilities presentation listed roughly 52 projects the district has active in the SFB process, including envelope assessments, roofing, window and door replacements, HVAC repairs, cooling towers and chillers, cafeteria flooring and bleacher replacements. Ponder told the board that since 2020 the district has had about 99 projects approved and processed, totaling roughly $6.2 million paid to date — helpful but far short of the district's needs.

Board member Keith Stoner had raised bleacher safety earlier in the meeting during his school visit report, saying the bleachers "are not gonna be able to be fixed. They are gonna have to be replaced." Ponder confirmed bleacher projects can take years to progress through the SFB pipeline and that timelines vary by project type: "All of the above. A lot of it depends on the issue as well. If it's an HVAC, those have been fixed fairly quickly. They do jump on those fairly quickly ... but, you know, the bleacher has been an issue for over a year, and we're still waiting on that."

Facilities staff were also praised for improving record-keeping; David Tamayo has been digitizing historical work orders and project records, a change board members said has already improved tracking of past requests.

Board members discussed other options for addressing urgent needs, including applying for specific grants and considering local bond or override measures for capital projects. Ponder noted limits on what state funds will pay for, and that locally generated bond or override revenue has statutory restrictions on how it may be spent.

District staff emphasized the scope of deferred maintenance dating back to statewide funding cuts after 2008 and the ongoing effects of construction-cost escalation. The presentation included a review of the Arizona Administrative Code standard cited for minimum school facilities and noted the SFB will not replace items such as carpet unless they present a hazard.

Looking ahead, staff said the district will continue to submit projects to the SFB, pursue grants where available, and evaluate local funding options; however, they cautioned that funding availability and timelines remain the central constraint.

Ending: Board members asked staff to keep the board apprised of SFB awards and timelines, and several directors emphasized continuing to pursue grant opportunities and improved project tracking while district leaders evaluate local funding options.