School board moves to advertise $1.8M carryover for public hearing after split among board members

At the Feb. 19 meeting the board considered a staff list of capital improvement projects to be funded from an audited FY‑25 carryover of roughly $1.8 million. Mr. Barnes told the board the projects were taken from the division’s approved Capital Improvement Plan and characterized them as necessary repairs, not discretionary extras.

"All of these projects with the exception of the last 3 and a half are on the CIP that you all approved this year," Mr. Barnes said, urging the board that delaying these repairs risks further failure and higher costs.

Several board members took a different view. One member said they would support only the roof project and prefer to roll the remainder into a capital reserve for future large projects such as a new school. Another member said the board should not appear greedy to the Board of Supervisors by immediately requesting additional county funds.

After discussion, board member Rob Ealy moved to approve the carryover CIP list for advertisement and public hearing on March 10; the motion was seconded and passed by roll call with a majority in favor and one recorded dissent. The board did not yet finalize which individual CIP items would be spent if the county approves the carryover; members discussed removing lower‑priority items before the public hearing.

Mr. Barnes and staff said some listed items — failing VAV box motors, sewer wet wells and worn high‑school carpet — pose operational risks: failing wet wells can force temporary school closures until repairs are completed, and failing VAV motors cause inconsistent classroom temperatures. Mr. Barnes said those items were not chosen at random but reflect the division’s CIP priorities.

The board directed staff to advertise the public hearing and to bring back any edits to the project list for the board’s March consideration.