Merced City School Board approves HVAC assessment, upholds expulsion; adopts interim budget

The Merced City School District Board of Education approved several formal actions at its Dec. 9 meeting, voting to commission a districtwide HVAC inventory, uphold a student expulsion and adopt the district’s first interim budget for the 2025‑26 fiscal year.

The board approved a contract with Net Positive Consulting Engineers Inc. to catalogue and assess the district’s HVAC units and recommend prioritized replacements and repairs. Doctor Williams, representing the district’s facilities staff, said the work will produce a campus‑by‑campus inventory, model and serial numbers, ages and an implementation plan tied to the district’s long‑range facilities and deferred maintenance priorities. Hannah Bridal, Net Positive’s principal engineer, told trustees her team would perform rooftop inspections and identify permit or DSA constraints. After deliberation about timing and cost, trustees voted 3–2 to approve the contract (motion passed on roll call). Supporters said the study will move the…