District facilities and technology staff presented the Mentor Exempted Village Board of Education with a five-year capital improvements and technology plan that outlines ongoing building repairs and a multi-year device and infrastructure replacement schedule.

Facilities director (Mr. Vaccarello) reviewed recent and planned work: completion of high-school door and window replacements (this year ~45% complete), roofing replacements at several schools (Lake, Fairfax, Shore, Hopkins, Sterling Morton) staged across summers 2025–2029, elevator replacements at the high school and Shore, and ongoing paving and concrete repairs. A separate CARES house project — funded with CARES dollars rather than capital-improvement funds — was presented; staff said the CARES house includes an interior “help” switch and could generate additional tuition revenue by accepting out-of-district students in a specialized program.

On technology the IT director outlined a device- and infrastructure-focused five-year plan: continued replacement of rooftop HVAC control units, replacement of access switches and wireless access points (largest projected expense in the near term), and a planned shift to districtwide staff MacBooks on a multi-year purchase plan. The district will continue multi-year refresh cycles for student devices: incoming kindergarten iPads, fourth-grade and ninth-grade Chromebooks distributed at the end of the prior year, and a MacBook buy that will be concentrated in 2025–26 then again in 2030–31.

Staff explained the shift was driven partly by changes in resale values for devices after the COVID-era device glut and by the need to make management and security more efficient. Administration said the district would spread large purchases across multiple years and funding authorizations to avoid spikes in any single budget year. Trustees asked about parent and teacher surveys on technology use and about communicating the balance between device use and screen-free instruction; staff said periodic surveys have been used and a return of regular family-facing newsletters was planned.

The board did not take action on the capital plan at this meeting; staff said projects would continue subject to board authorization of funding and the capital-improvement budgeting process.