Robla board adopts procurement changes, sets GMP for Main Avenue preschool, buys two diesel buses and hires district chef

The Robla School District Board of Trustees on Sept. 15 unanimously approved a package of routine fiscal and operations actions, including revised procurement procedures, a guaranteed maximum price (GMP) for a Main Avenue preschool/Transitional Kindergarten project, purchase of two diesel school buses and the hiring of a full‑time district chef.

Board members adopted resolutions to update procurement procedures under the California Uniform Public Construction Cost Accounting Act (CUPCCAA) to raise informal bidding thresholds (allowing staff to solicit three quotes and authorize purchases up to the new limit), a step administration described as standard practice to speed facility work and to permit the district to file the CUPCCAA declarations with the state.

The board approved Amendment No. 1 to the construction services agreement with Maguire Hester to establish a GMP for the Main Avenue preschool/TK classroom project. Staff said the contractor competitively bid subtrades, and the district will track proposed change orders with backup documentation; staff described a district contingency and a contractor contingency (each described in the meeting as roughly 3%, together making a working contingency near 6%) and said the board would be notified if major, unforeseen events required additional funds.

Trustees also authorized purchase of two new diesel-powered school buses after a discussion about electric-bus reliability and maintenance. Staff said service and parts access for the district’s existing electric buses has caused long repair times; trustees noted that the electric buses required significant installation and that, as presented in the meeting, two new diesel buses were comparable in cost to a single electric bus once installation and hardware were included. The board voted to move forward with the two diesel buses unanimously.

In staffing and nutrition services, the board created a 1.0 full-time equivalent district chef position (effective Sept. 11, 2025) and approved employment of Sergio Cardona as district chef effective Oct. 1, 2025. District staff said the new in‑house position will assume services previously contracted with Brigade — menu and recipe consultation, kitchen efficiency and staff training — and that the salary-and-benefits cost will come from the nutrition services fund and is lower than the total cost of the outgoing contract.

The board also ratified routine contract approvals under the prior $15,000 threshold, adopted the district’s annual Gann-limit calculation and other budgetary resolutions, and approved a parent-engagement contract with the Roberts Family Development Center for 2025–26. All motions passed by unanimous voice vote.

The board did not record roll-call vote tallies in the meeting transcript; meeting minutes should be consulted for any formal roll‑call numbers or contested votes that might not be reflected in the audio transcript.