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Board approves radio equipment, transportation contracts, hires and authorizes budget advertisement
Summary
The board approved several routine items: replacement radios (recommended vendor RCS), a joint transportation agreement for visually impaired students with hourly pay rates listed, multiple personnel hires (with three recused from the main vote), several conference requests, a lawn-care contract award, and authorization to advertise the budget with proposed figures including $12.5 million for the education fund and a $500,000 rainy-day cap.
The Southwestern Schools Board of Trustees approved a series of routine operational items in a single meeting block, including procurement, personnel and budget advertising.
Radio equipment: Jason briefed the board on a request to replace administrative radios and recommended purchasing from RCS of Louisville after reviewing four quotes; a board member moved to approve, a second was recorded and the board approved by voice vote.
Transportation: Staff presented a joint transportation agreement to resume providing rides for students attending the school for the blind or deaf, noting hourly pay in the contract: $25 per hour for a driver if only a Southwestern student is on the run and $30 per hour when a routed trip includes a student from another member school; monitors were listed at $20 per hour. Named drivers and monitors were provided in the packet. The board moved and approved the agreement by voice vote.
Route extensions and event support: The board approved small increases to daily route mileage for named routes (Terra Cash +16 miles/day on route 18; Mark Cash +20 miles/day on route 17; Wanda Blair +16 miles/day on route 7; Kayla Hubard +10 miles/day on route 14) and approved a request from Madison Municipal Airport to hire several district drivers and use district buses for shuttle service during an air show.
Personnel and coaches: The board reviewed an extensive personnel slate—including Shelby Holloway (middle school teacher) and many ECA sponsors, summer coaches and part-time staff—and approved the hires after removing three names with conflicts of interest from the main motion and voting on those individually.
Lawn care contract: After reviewing bids (examples included Bar Family LLC $700/week, Barker Property Management ~$770/week, Scrolls Elite $785/week), staff recommended awarding the lawn care contract to Barker Property Management at $770/week; the board approved that award. Staff noted one bidder withdrew and that the recommended contractor would coordinate with the district landscaping class for hands-on opportunities.
Budget advertisement: Business manager Laura reviewed budget planning and said she planned to advertise the education fund at as high as $12,500,000 and anticipates debt service near $700,000; she proposed advertising a rainy-day fund of up to $500,000 to avoid later additional appropriation steps. The board moved to authorize advertising the budget and approved by voice vote.
Votes at a glance: radio equipment contract — approved (voice vote); transportation joint program agreement — approved (voice vote); route extensions — approved (voice vote); airport shuttle use — approved (voice vote); personnel batch approvals — approved (voice vote; three names removed and voted separately); lawn care contract — awarded to Barker Property Management at ~$770/week (voice vote); budget advertisement — authorized (voice vote).
What this means: The approved items allow operational continuity (updated radios, transportation coverage, grounds maintenance), finalize many personnel appointments for the school year and permit the district to proceed with public advertising of budget figures; the budget advertisement does not finalize appropriations, which will return to the board for adoption.
Attribution and evidence: Jason provided details about the radio quotes; Laura provided budget figures and planning rationale. The meeting did not record roll-call tallies; outcomes were recorded as voice approvals.
