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Buildings & Grounds requests modest staff increase at Sapphire, proposes $585,000 in capital improvements for 2025‑26
Summary
Director Andre Rudiak presented the buildings & grounds budget: staffing stable overall, a requested 0.5 FTE custodial increase at Sapphire to support expanded breakfast and Pre‑K needs, routine maintenance and a package of proposed capital projects including playground replacement, stair repairs and track maintenance.
Andre Rudiak, director of buildings and grounds, presented the department’s proposed 2025‑26 budget and a list of proposed projects on Feb. 19.
Rudiak said the department’s headcount would remain essentially flat year‑to‑year at 79 positions overall, but he requested a 0.5 full‑time‑equivalent custodial increase at Sapphire Elementary to address heavy dual‑use space demands (cafeteria/gym) and expanded Pre‑K services. He told the board the current single morning custodian at Sapphire cannot safely cover simultaneous breakfast service, cafeteria turnover and routine custodial needs.
The custodial force covers roughly 1,000,000 square feet nightly and the grounds team maintains approximately 229 acres, Rudiak said. He outlined renovation work completed in 2024‑25 — auditorium AV upgrades at the middle school, a music‑suite renovation at Central Valley completed in‑house, stair tread replacements at the high school — and proposed 2025‑26 projects including a $300,000 playground replacement and a $100,000 kitchen floor replacement at Sapphire, further stair replacements and carpet work at the high school, and track power‑washing and restriping to preserve the track’s life for another six years.
On accounting codes Rudiak summarized year‑to‑year changes: maintenance (code 16100) rising to roughly $2.06 million (a 6.8 percent increase driven by inflation, contracts and a building‑condition survey), building improvement (code 16190) increasing from $300,000 to $585,000 to fund the set of proposed capital projects, and modest increases in grounds and custodial operations tied to materials and lease equipment (for example, a leased robotic field‑striping machine).
Board members asked about the track maintenance frequency and whether six years between major resurfacing is typical; Rudiak said resurfacing every five to six years is common and that interim cleaning and line‑restriping this summer will extend the track’s life.
Rudiak said the buildings & grounds program’s goals are to maintain cleanliness and safety, preserve capital assets and actively support the capital project that will cascade more work to the department in coming years. No formal board action was taken at the presentation; the budget request will be considered as part of the overall district budget process.
