Laura Pacino, Lawton Public Schools executive director of finance, told the board the Richcrest safe room is under construction and that the district is preparing for future facility needs as it considers another bond issue. "I'm happy to say that is now being built," Pacino said of the Richcrest safe room, noting the district will use the superintendent's teacher advisory committee to gather feedback on bond priorities.

Pacino described an inventory of building systems (HVAC, roofs, parking lots and sidewalks) and said many buildings are aging; she cited Lawton High and MacArthur high school as examples. She recommended including a facilities planner in upcoming planning and said the district expects to bring in financial advisers to determine timing and size of any bond the district runs, with an expectation a bond may be needed in roughly the next 18 months.

On technology, Pacino said the district upgraded many devices (Windows 11 and refreshed iPads), installed a new firewall (replacing a Palo Alto system with Fortinet), rolled out a new phone system, and increased cybersecurity measures including two-step authentication. She noted cybersecurity training for staff is ongoing.

Pacino also summarized grant awards and program funding the district has leveraged this year: Lawton Public Schools Foundation grants (reported in the meeting as $175,349.69 to teacher projects); a $1,000,000 gift from the McMahon Foundation designated for high-school auditorium renovations; TSET grants for playground equipment and walking paths; Perkins innovation grants (second year, $50,000 per grant per year) supporting programs including a cybersecurity program at the LRC; a $45,000 CTE lottery grant for EMS woodworking; Oklahoma Department of Aerospace and Aviation grants (about $12,500 for flight simulators and $14,000 for wind-tunnel equipment); and a $4,000 award from the Oklahoma Space Industry Development Authority for 3D printers in makerspaces.

Pacino closed by saying the district will continue bond planning outreach and site-level conversations and that many of the grants provide new hands-on learning opportunities across district schools.