Board approves DSA exemption for Von Renner classroom, awards cabling contract and adds conference approval

Trustees approved several operational items Feb. 9, including a Division of the State Architect (DSA) exemption application for a Von Renner classroom project, authorization to award an internal‑cabling contract to ams.net, and an addition to the consent calendar to permit out‑of‑state conference attendance.

Superintendent Pruitt told the board the new classroom at Von Renner “qualifies for an exemption for the environmental study because we're actually replacing a current footprint,” and staff requested board approval to apply for the exemption so the district need not pay for an extra study.

Board discussion on technology infrastructure included a staff presentation that described replacing outdated Ethernet cabling in portable classrooms, installing a new fiber‑optic link to the high school gym, and adding access‑point cabling in multipurpose rooms. Staff noted the project will leverage E‑rate funding for substantial discounts. A motion to authorize award of the RFP to ams.net was moved and approved by roll call.

Trustees also considered the California School Boards Association delegate assembly candidate listed in the packet and voted to approve the provided candidate. The consent calendar was amended to add approval of out‑of‑state conference attendance under Government Code section 54954.2(b) and was adopted by roll call vote.

These approvals permit staff to proceed with contract execution and DSA filings; funding for the cabling project will be offset in part by E‑rate discounts and budget account allocations.