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Pleasant Valley board advances three renovation change orders and a $600,000 furniture reallocation to the March 26 vote
Summary
District staff presented three change‑order requests tied to the high‑school renovation and asked the board to reallocate $600,000 from the project contingency to furniture for phase‑three; trustees debated timing and scope and agreed to place the measures on the March 26 voting agenda.
The Pleasant Valley School District on March 11 advanced three contractor change orders tied to the ongoing high‑school renovation and a proposed $600,000 transfer from contingency to the furniture, fixtures and equipment (FFE) line for phase‑three purchases, sending both items to the board’s March 26 voting meeting.
The change orders — described by staff as additional work for the general, electrical and plumbing prime contractors to address failing storefront doorways, TV‑studio sound treatments, a single‑user team‑room restroom and various electrical and sanitary adjustments — were presented as necessary work discovered during renovation. "We're finding things in a 60‑year‑old building that no one could know about until it's opened up," said Mike, the operations presenter, who briefed the board on construction progress and the rationale for doing the work now rather than reopening finished areas later.
Not all trustees agreed. One board member objected to tapping contingency funds while constituents face higher living costs, saying, "We don't have this money to spend. We don't have this money to spend," and requested the original contracts and signed scopes showing why the items were not included in the base contracts. Supporters of the change orders said the district set aside a $4 million contingency for unanticipated needs and that delaying these items would increase cost and risk the renovation schedule.
Separately, the business office asked the board to transfer $600,000 from the same contingency to cover an estimated shortfall in high‑school furniture for upcoming phases. Staff reported that phases one and two used about $578,336 of the originally budgeted $1 million for furniture; phase three is estimated at $675,000 and phase four at $325,000. Board members agreed to add the reallocation to the March 26 vote but recorded continuing objections from at least one trustee who urged more transparency about what was in the original contract and what constitutes a pivot versus an unanticipated need.
Next steps: the three change orders and the furniture reallocation will be considered for formal approval at the board’s March 26 vote. If approved, staff said the work will proceed to avoid the cost of reopening completed areas and to keep the renovation schedule on track.
