Trustees debate district phones; administration says five work phones remain in limited use

During consent business discussion, trustees raised concerns about paying for separate district cell phones. One trustee argued that taxpayer money should not cover personal devices and suggested reimbursing a secondary number instead of issuing two phones. Administration said the district currently maintains about five work phones for positions that need a separate number (facilities directors, supervisors and transportation) to protect personal numbers and to coordinate vendor meets and emergency responses.

Trustees asked administration to return with the number and cost of phones; administration agreed to look up last year’s expenditures and report back. No changes to policy or reimbursement were adopted at the meeting, and board members encouraged exploring cheaper options such as adding a second number to personal devices at modest monthly cost.