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Merced City School Board approves HVAC assessment, upholds expulsion; adopts interim budget
Summary
At its Dec. 9 meeting, the Merced City School District board approved a $180,000 contract for a districtwide HVAC inventory and assessment, upheld an expulsion (4‑1), and adopted its first interim budget for 2025‑26. Trustees also approved several program contracts and a revised classified salary schedule.
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 district from reactive maintenance toward a predictive plan; opponents said the $180,000 price and timing deserved fuller review before committing general‑fund dollars.
In a separate disciplinary action, the board voted 4–1 to approve expulsion number 4‑2025‑2026. Before closed session earlier in the evening, a student, D’Angelo Mendoza, and his mother addressed the board asking the trustees to reconsider expulsion and outlining alternative supports, including counseling and site day placement. Trustee Brooks cast the lone nay on the final roll call when the expulsion item returned to the open meeting.
On district finance, Chief Business Officer Linda Parker presented the first interim budget report. Parker said the district projects current‑year revenues that include carryforward of federal and state funds and a projected 17% minimum reserve target to protect against economic downturns. The budget presentation noted a preliminary enrollment decline of 214 students versus the prior year and described ongoing work to identify which positions funded with one‑time dollars can be sustained. The board adopted the 2025‑26 first interim certification and associated resolution by voice/roll call as presented.
Other actions taken: • The board approved a contract with the California Teaching Fellows Foundation to supply 12 staff for second‑semester support of the MARS after‑school program (unanimous vote). • The board approved a revised 2025‑26 classified salary schedule reflecting increases in the minimum wage (unanimous vote). • A second‑reading job description for a Supervisor of Technology Services failed on roll call (2–3).
The meeting packet and staff presentations list additional background materials and financial schedules. Trustees asked staff to provide follow‑up reports on reserve assumptions, the planned procurement timeline for HVAC work, and options for funding and oversight of the vendor‑provided ELOP (expanded learning) contracts. The board also scheduled a special organizational meeting to select officers before Dec. 20.
Votes at a glance (recorded in meeting minutes): • Expulsion item C (expulsion number 4‑2025‑2026): passed 4 ayes, 1 nay (Trustee Brooks). • Job description (Supervisor of Technology Services), second reading: failed (2 ayes, 3 no). • Net Positive HVAC assessment contract (approx. $180,000): approved 3 ayes, 2 no. • California Teaching Fellows Foundation contract (CTFF): approved unanimous. • First interim budget certification and resolution F‑05‑2026: approved (vote recorded in minutes). • Classified salary schedule (2025‑26 revision): approved unanimous.
What happens next: Net Positive will begin field inventories and produce a prioritized HVAC replacement/repair plan the district will use to shape bids and capital spending; staff will return with follow‑up budget detail and procurement timelines, and trustees requested additional materials about vendor payment terms and program accountability for expanded learning proposals.
