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Board weighs $500,000+ secure‑vestibule proposals and an SRO; safety committee to review plans
Summary
Board reviewed updated cost estimates for secure vestibules (elementary $270,000; middle school $236,000) and discussed the tradeoffs between one‑time capital investments and the ongoing expense of a school resource officer; police chief said close law‑enforcement ties and patrol coverage are strengths but funding questions remain.
Brandon told the board he had received updated cost estimates for secure vestibules: about $270,000 for the elementary and $236,000 for the middle school, and that contractors recommended separate contracts to allow staging and closeout. "They're numbers way higher than I thought they'd be," a trustee said.
Joe Mler, introduced to the board as the police chief, praised the district’s relationship with local law enforcement, summarized recent active‑shooter drills and access‑card fixes, and discussed pros and cons of a full‑time school resource officer versus capital improvements. "We have a great working relationship with the school right now," Mler said, and added that an officer in the building can deter incidents and assess situations in real time but that long‑term salary costs and placement (which building, how many officers) are practical hurdles.
Board members and staff agreed they need design drawings and specifications before committing to multi‑hundred‑thousand‑dollar construction; trustees asked Brandon to locate construction drawings and specifications and to place secure‑vestibule options on the safety committee agenda. The board scheduled a safety/operations committee meeting for Dec. 10 to review designs and discuss grant opportunities and partnership models for school resource officers.
No final financing decision was made. Trustees discussed that some grant programs require law enforcement–school partnership applications and that partnerships (rather than district‑only hires) could be a funding path. The staff indicated they will gather plans, check specifications and report back with clearer cost and funding options.
