Board approves automated gate at Monroe High to improve safety, authorizes $70,644.71 from sinking fund

The Monroe Public Schools Board on June 23 voted to approve an automated perimeter gate project at Monroe High School at a cost not to exceed $70,644.71, funded from the site sinking fund. Facilities director Dave Payne said the work extends the gate inward to give buses better clearance from the road, adds lighting and conduit, supports automatic opening for district vehicles and provides programmable timers for event access.

Payne told trustees the package includes 50 transponders for district vehicles so buses and maintenance vehicles can open the gate automatically and that the gate would remain open during the school day so routine arrivals are unchanged. “Part of this proposal extends that gate inward… It addresses the whole too close to the road as a safety violation,” Payne said. Trustees asked about costs, transponder pricing, whether the project includes camera or access‑control upgrades and whether the expense was already accounted for in the approved site sinking fund spending plan; Cassie Shook confirmed it is part of the approved site sinking fund expenditures.

After discussion about operational logistics and long‑term security strategy, the board approved the purchase and directed administration to proceed with installation planning to meet a target for completion before the school year.