District leaders presented a list of capital priorities they plan to seek in FY27 and described an early-education feasibility study budgeted in FY26.

At the meeting Mike (Michael Piffling) and other staff reviewed facility needs across the district: upgrade high-school security alarms, gym and auditorium sound panels, flooring and subfloor repairs at several schools, playground surface and safety concerns at Glover, fence and snack-shack repairs at the Village multipurpose field, and technology refreshes for wireless access points and classroom devices.

"We need to make sure that's probably the big question — how much money to allocate to capital," the assistant superintendent said as staff outlined projects that have not yet been costed. The committee was asked to rank and prioritize once staff returns cost estimates.

Early education feasibility study

Committee members said the district has budgeted a feasibility study to determine whether the district should expand preschool (pre-K) beyond the current program that primarily serves students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). The study will examine facility needs, program design, revenue potential from tuition or fee-based seats, and whether the Ebla (often spoken as Evelo/Eveless in the discussion) School site could host an expanded program.

Staff described the study as both programmatic and facilities-focused: an educational program design, an architect/owner's project manager review of the physical site, and a financial assessment of revenues and operating costs. "Part of that feasibility study is building facility, but also a big part of it is educational and finance because you would be charging revenue for this," a committee member said.

The study will also consider related offerings such as coordinating early-intervention (EI) services in the same facility and whether the district might be a local provider for state-funded early-intervention services. Committee members raised equity and special-education considerations, including options for in-district 18–22 transition programming so older students with disabilities can remain in-district rather than being placed elsewhere.

Technology, rolling stock and buses

Staff flagged expiring leases and refresh needs for wireless access points and classroom devices and noted the district must plan multi-year purchases or leases to avoid one-time large spikes. The district also identified aging small and medium buses used for routes that require maneuverability on narrower streets; staff said two buses (a 2013 14-passenger and a 2015 28-passenger) are approaching replacement windows.

Next steps

Staff will price the capital list and return with a ranked recommendation to the committee and then to town capital planning. The feasibility study will produce a programmatic and financial recommendation that the committee said should be used to decide whether to proceed to a larger planning study or capital project request.

Ending: The committee scheduled a follow-up joint meeting to develop a standardized staffing and enrollment data worksheet for FY27 budget planning; staff promised to supply capital cost estimates and the scope/timeline for the early-education feasibility study.