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Council member presses district on AC failures as staff says debt funds are restricted
Summary
A council member questioned using excess revenue to pay debt while air-conditioning failures persist; staff said debt-service funds cannot be reallocated to general repairs and outlined trade-offs made to balance the budget, including eliminating 16 positions and cutting supplies.
During the budget workshop a council member raised the district's ongoing air-conditioning problems and questioned whether excess revenue should be used to pay debt rather than address immediate facility repairs.
The council member asked, "what is the plan for dealing with the AC issues in the elementary and middle school campuses that have been ongoing," and said prioritizing debt paydown while AC systems need repair would seem "the wrong thing to prioritize." Dr. Stevens and staff responded that debt-service funds are restricted: "So this is not, general funds. This is debt service funds. This can only be used to pay off debt," they said, and explained the district has leaned on the maintenance note, cut 16 vacant positions from the general operating fund and reduced supplies by about $1.2 million to free resources for urgent facility work. Staff said they will continue to prioritize urgent repairs (roofs, puddling, critical AC units) while seeking grants and other funding sources for capital needs.
