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Board approves up to $62,000 for robotics and CNC equipment after auction bid confusion
Summary
The Southgate board approved bidding and purchase authority up to $62,000 for robotics and CNC equipment from an online auction after staff corrected a miscalculation in the packet; funding will come from bond capital funds, and the board noted limits on using CTE‑funded assets.
The Southgate Community School District board on March 10 authorized staff to bid at an online auction and spend up to $62,000 to acquire robotics and CNC equipment for the district’s robotics programs.
Mark Hanson, assistant principal and CTE director, told the board that the equipment — including a jet lathe and two Haas CNC machines — became available after a plant relocation and could be acquired at lower cost than buying new. Hanson said starting bids for the items ranged from $1,000 to $5,000 and that the district was seeking authority to bid up to specified limits per item to secure necessary pieces for the robotics program. “These two machines are very lightly used,” Hanson said, arguing they would ‘‘greatly improve our robotics capabilities.’’
The discussion revealed an arithmetic error in the written recommendation. Staff originally listed a $32,000 total; board members noted that the item-by-item maximum bids and estimated moving costs would raise the total to a higher figure. After clarifying questions — including that the equipment was purchased originally with CTE grant funding and therefore must be sold publicly if not used in CTE programs — the board voted to approve the purchase motion as amended to authorize up to $62,000 (including moving and related costs), funded from bond capital funds. The motion was moved by Dr. Camponio and supported by Mr. Green; the motion passed by voice vote.
Board members and staff said they expect to target specific items below the approved maximums and that the district’s robotics coach provided internal guidance on fair bid limits. Staff also noted additional logistical steps: the equipment removal requires plant and union approval and a separate moving cost estimate, which the board allowed to be covered within the authorized amount.
The board’s approval authorizes staff to place bids within the approved caps and to proceed with purchase and removal logistics; no specific items or final sale prices were recorded in the meeting minutes.
Next steps: staff will execute bids within the approved limits and return with any material updates if the full authorized amount is needed.
