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Trustees press administration on funding for windscreens, tennis courts and facility repairs
Summary
Board discussion highlighted that many facility repairs are being funded from trustees' discretionary accounts; trustees sought clearer funding sources and asked staff to report back on capital improvement plan capacity and potential $14,000 cost for tennis windscreens.
Trustees at the Oct. 16 Laredo ISD board meeting discussed repairs and replacements for athletics facilities, including windscreens and protective nets for tennis courts and concession-stand rotations at Shirley Field. The conversation focused on whether these items should be paid from trustees— discretionary funds, maintenance budgets, or the district—s capital improvement plan (CIP).
Coach Lucas Escamilla (head director for athletics) and facilities director Angel Velasquez participated in the discussion. Trustees said windscreens and similar items are maintenance needs tied to campus facilities rather than extracurricular spending, and several said they were uncomfortable using their discretionary funds for long-standing maintenance issues.
Key details from the discussion included:
- A trustee said the capital improvement plan had not been budgeted for the year and that the district was planning to bring an item next month to use approximately $1.5 million for CIP purposes.
- A cost of $14,000 for replacing windscreen material at one facility was mentioned during the discussion; trustees asked facilities staff to coordinate and provide a clearer estimate.
- Facilities director Angel Velasquez said maintenance could "absorb" the cost at this point in the fiscal year but acknowledged that doing so repeatedly could create shortfalls later in the year.
- Trustees requested administration report back with where funds can be found (maintenance, CIP, or other sources) so trustees would not have to consistently use discretionary funds for work that appears to be facility-level maintenance.
Why it matters
Trustees noted that discretionary funds are finite and intended to support campus activities and student programs; repeated reliance on those funds to pay for repairs that appear to be facilities' maintenance shifts the fiscal burden to trustees and away from central maintenance budgets and long-term capital planning.
Next steps
Administration agreed to coordinate with finance and facilities staff (including Mr. Velasquez) to clarify available funding, provide updated cost estimates (the $14,000 figure will be verified), and return to the board with recommendations. Trustees asked that a report on CIP capacity and maintenance budgets be prepared so discretionary funds can be preserved for student-facing programs.
Ending
The board did not take a formal vote on this item; discussion concluded with staff commitment to report back at a future meeting or workshop with cost and funding options.
