All services standing committee to order on
February 20th, 24th, 24th
at 515. 517.
Can we go around the table and just state
your name?
Can you just state your name
for the roll call, please?
Margarita's Parrot Volunteer.
Dave Coffman.
Judy Haverstock Board.
Member. Terry Singer Board Member.
Kathy Sick or Board member.
And I'm sitting in for Donna Cronan, who was unable to make it.
Joe Mcfarlin Superintendent.
Or Maria Mommy board member.
John Miller Citizen Advisor.
Mike French Business Manager.
Do we have to?
You don't have to.
Can you make a motion to allow me to sit in for Donna Collins seat?
I'd like to make a motion to allow Kathy Seger to sit in tonight for Donna Cronin.
Second thing, all the others in favor.
I Motion passes.
Thank you. Thank you, Kathy.
The first
third item of business is election of committee chairperson.
So I have been the chairperson.
I don't mind being the chairperson, but if anybody else would like it,
I'm seeing none.
I'll nominate Maria.
Memory second.
Okay.
All those in favor.
I motion carries. Thank you.
Approval of summary minutes.
If any, everybody could just
take a quick glance at those.
I'd like to make a motion to approve the summary minutes.
Salmond
Second motion carries
and into the unfinished business
technology Update.
Why did you have anything you wanted in this room?
Just as a request from last meeting
we have on our agenda today
the 2021 capital plan
that was has been proposed that we've been discussing from last meeting.
There was a request to get an update from
from the technology department on the the
the staff computers that were part of that plan.
Okay.
So Dave and I are here this evening to talk about why we engage
in a three year laptop refresh program for the professional staff.
And we would be looking at refreshing the secondary staff
laptops in the 2021 CIP plan.
And the reason we have been engaging in the three year program for a long time,
well before Dave and I even assumed these positions
and that refresh cycle has has served us very, very well, are in general
our laptops are used very, very heavily and hard by the teachers.
They take them home daily.
They they work on them.
24 seven And we we do see that level of use.
They they really can't function if they don't have technology
and not only technology, but technology that is functioning properly and
to a high standard.
So we have been seeing the decline
in some of the laptops we currently have out with the staff.
We've been seeing some issues.
Certainly battery life is one thing.
We've been seeing happen a lot of times.
Teachers need to charge.
I know even with my own device I was presenting the other day
and my battery was gone before 930.
So we're seeing that that is really becoming a limitation of the devices.
We do have to replace batteries once in a while and when that happens
and that's a that's an expense of about over $130 to replace the batteries.
It's also a lot of time for our technicians and we have a very small,
you know, department of technicians to to complete some of that work.
We have Apple estimates the battery can last about a thousand charging cycles
just in general.
So we're definitely in three years over that timeframe charging cycle.
Just literally as the battery depletes and you charge it that that actually
replenishes the charge on the battery that counts as that as a full cycle.
So, you know, we're I mean a thousand doesn't get us very far
because sometimes people will drain their battery once, if not twice during,
you know, just a day of of classroom use.
So that's definitely we're seeing a lot of use in batteries.
So currently
we are in a situation where we have depleted all of our existing
spare devices that we would use to give out to not only day to day subs
which we loaned through the libraries, but also for long term subs.
So we would definitely be using any of the devices that we refresh.
We would be assuming bringing those devices back in
and using them in other ways to support areas that are less intense.
So we might be putting them out into libraries where they would stay
plugged in or using them with some of those substitute,
you know, areas that we have identified.
We have we do lose devices also through, you know, damage.
So we
sometimes have damage that we cannot fully repair a device
so that we lose it to it, attrition and then just pushing
any type of refresh cycle back will also push back the elementary cycle.
So when we do a refresh, we always have done historically secondary
devices first and then the very next year we would do the elementary devices.
So that would push us back.
If we if we did move to a different type of model in both both areas.
And Dave and I have a lot of concerns about supporting those devices.
For another year or even two.
Can you just explain that a little more?
I didn't catch what you said.
So three year refresh, secondary and then that puts elementary so or this.
No, this year would be three years for for secondary.
Next year is three years for elementary.
Oh so they would each then if we weren't able to do it in that CIP
timeframe that we have identified previously
that that would push both levels back if that makes sense.
Yeah, they're all following a three year refresh, correct? Yes.
Are you talking about only teacher laptops or kids lap, which is.
No, no. Only professional staff.
Yes. So they got new laptops three years ago.
Yeah. Yes.
And this is only the secondary 20.
Sixth. Isn't all staff.
It's just the secondary staff
at. Mr.
Gordon High School. Yeah.
That's the only state.
So elementary staff is not part of this refresh.
But you said they got new laptops in 2016.
Yeah, 2016, in the spring.
Okay.
And it would also be
some administrators as well in the secondary principals.
Isn't that four years. Yeah. Eight 2017.
Yeah. Sorry.
Yeah, I know.
It's hard, as you know to say.
Well, personally, but I can't help but think like
that's like excessive.
Like every three years I think about, I don't know, it just seems hearing it.
I mean, I trust you, both of you.
You know, I don't think that you're misleading us.
It just sounds excessive
to be swapping out a laptop every three years.
Yeah, I didn't add to that.
Trust me, if we can make them last longer, rewarding.
It is a huge undertaking to have these laptops out.
I mean, you you can't imagine we're talking 191 secondary staff,
just teachers and everybody has
files saved locally on these laptops.
So it is it is no small project to get those files
backed up and archived and hand out these new laptops.
And oh, by the way, when we give them the new laptop,
we want the old one back because we always use old equipment.
Like Tracey had said, we'll repurpose these in other areas
so we don't let people have two laptops at any one time.
It's a give and take.
And then once we get the old ones back and the new ones are distributed,
you know, then then they can put their files back
on the new device as well.
But it is not, not simple.
So really the other thing would be or just for anybody here, the
there's always a choice to be made with technology in that.
And, you know, they have it here that they have some staff that can do repairs.
But if the staff is doing repairs, they're not assisting
people in the schools.
And so we've made it our choice
that we chose to keep the staff as minimal as possible.
But to do that and to operate in that consistently
and consistently is the main word.
Refreshing them about every three years is what needs
what needs to occur to make sure that there's no break in,
there's nothing worse.
And we're going through a little bit of that.
When a teachers laptop doesn't work,
there isn't that we don't have a lot of fallback.
Well, what can you do
that could and does interrupt education while that's going on?
So part of this refresh is to make sure that's what is in everybody's
hands will work at its peak capacity the whole time they have it.
And I assume each time you get the laptops,
you're getting the newest, most, you know, the best out there
because I would hope that they'd be making improvements
as a you know, with technology,
You know, I can see what you're saying, Maria, because I know my kids
through college kept the same laptop and they're still using that. And
I don't know if it's worse.
There's different companies that have different laptops
that there's ones that have better battery life or so where
it could be extended to a four or five year instead of every three years.
I don't know if that's something worth looking at,
but I guess when you're already have started
with one company, it's probably hard to switch to a different.
But I think we've made the commitment to two Macintosh machines.
We buy our machines directly from Apple, so there isn't some.
We're going directly to the manufacturer currently.
We would have to totally switch the technology we use,
which then comes into the number of people
that we do have to remember too, like when we're talking
about our own personal devices at home, we're using them for our
our personal needs.
These are teaching tools.
So we use Canvas as their online platform.
That's where their courses are.
That's where they're operating from all day long.
And their presentations,
websites, whatever else they're using.
When you go into a classroom,
the textbooks are really the computers right now,
and they're using them all the time intensely.
So memory speed,
connect, ability, all of those things are critical to make sure they're happening.
When those don't happen on a timely fashion.
It's delaying instruction and education so it's used very differently than what
our personal devices are used for.
It just I I'm not arguing.
I'm just thinking out loud.
It's like you get one whether you need it or not.
Like it seems like like maybe somebody could have another couple of years.
I mean, because what's the bill for this?
Just how much does this cost.
So in the budget was
$291,000.
It's a lot of money for those computers.
So if we're saying, well, and I know you're kind of put on a spot.
So this again, I'm just saying this, it's expensive.
Ah, we have to pay people to put a battery in.
But we're looking at,
you know, $300,000 every three years like that is a lot of money
and maybe
some one teacher's laptop hasn't expired in those three years.
So are we getting rid of a perfectly good machine?
I don't know, because you're on the front line. Right.
And again, we're not if they are
if they're viable, we're going to use them in areas that aren't as intense,
Like they could be plugged in and used in a library.
Like the elementary library historically got the last roll over
so they can use a set of these these devices that are teachers.
So we would keep them
make sure, you know, take a look at what's available that we can salvage
and then use anything that's viable in some of those other use cases.
Yeah.
That's the warranty contract you have with Apple for these.
We usually
buy them with well, actually we buy them.
It depends.
The first year we bought them,
we bought them with three years of AppleCare.
But we find that the AppleCare is truly not worth the money we spend on it.
So we buy one year it comes.
They come equipped with one year of AppleCare.
So the refresh here is for laptop replacement and one year of AppleCare.
Yeah, absolutely.
And so you're saying it's not really worth just every three years
getting new batteries for them because that won't fix the problem?
No, no, no.
What what kind of laptop do you buy?
The MacBook Air.
The other special discounts
that Apple provides to school districts or have various school districts
bundled together and cooperatively to try to drive down the price?
Apple for education does give us a discount.
I don't think it's
you know is substantial but it's it is an apple for education discount
we have not entered into any consortium pricing
nor do I know that that's something that they entertain know
Mike, is this already budgeted for?
Are you having a presentation because we need to budget for it.
It's in the capital plan.
It would be the normal part of the refresh.
I think one of our citizens advisers had a question about this.
And the reason. Is that at the last.
Presentation is occurring.
But some of the good questions as well, I think are good
for everybody to hear that this is a process.
So even in I can understand how you would think,
but in any of the situations you've mentioned, they don't actually
they don't automatically equate to saving dollars.
So if we were to replace every battery of the battery when it's needed,
there has to be a technician or somebody here to do that.
I can't we can't expect the teachers to service their own computers.
We also need to make sure that those computers are open and viable
all the
time, every time, as well as if we run them too far into the ground.
As they've just discussed.
They don't have the the secondary use in this case.
We might take some of these and put them in an elementary school.
If those aren't coming down to the elementary school, then
we're making a request for you to buy the ones at the elementary school. So
these are all good processes or good questions,
but this is truly a process that has been set up
over the last while when we inherited.
For sure it does work with the way we currently have set up,
but it is kind of overarching in terms of how it rolls through
and it has a domino effect on.
So if we would stop that,
there would be additional dominos that we haven't even discussed here
that we may come back to you and say, Well,
if we're not doing that now, I still need to do this and I still need to do that.
So hopefully you can understand the process
that has been developed and it's meeting the needs of the students,
which is first and foremost what we're what we're here for.
How many staff are in the technology department?
Well, we have three building tech, three and a half building technicians,
or one is a part time, not full building technician.
We have a network technician, two computer technicians.
They're housed in the buildings and they are the ones that would do
the break fix.
There's a district have servers.
Yes, we do.
And do you have backup servers offsite?
Yes. That's your business continuity plan? Yes.
Yeah.
Okay.
Is there anything else?
Just a question concerning the laptop replacement process.
You had said when the switch happens,
you know, the teachers have local facility transfer.
Do you have a OneDrive storage or similar storage that they could utilize?
So that would make that process faster.
I mean, it wouldn't be so much of a headache for the time
when that replacement comes in, because that's that's a really good question.
We we became a Google Labs Fred District
before both Tracey and I became directors.
And actually Derry Township was one of the first adopters
of Google Apps and everybody has storage there.
So what we encourage people to do is download backup and sync
on their on their laptops and do exactly what you're describing.
But and even though we have access to OneDrive, we use Google
and then that way they can restore the files back.
You had mentioned
lost or stolen devices who incurs that cost.
If that were to happen, I guess responsibility
or the staff's responsibility.
Is lost or stolen as we incurred damage.
Yeah. Yeah. We don't. See that.
Not from staff.
Damaged that you know I threw it out the window versus it fell off the counter,
that sort of thing.
Fortunately it's always been accidental.
I mean at least what we were told by
the staff person, if and when that happens, it's accidental.
I know there have been times where there's.
Yeah, I can't say that this is procedure, but like we had a former
high school principal that would issue a letter.
So we typically we have a standard set of procedures
where if somebody does damage their laptop,
they're to report it to the administrator in the building and let them know.
And then,
you know, letters formally drawn up that it's happened.
We'll make our best effort to either repair or repair or replace it and
and get them at least in a situation where they're working again.
So does anybody have anything else?
Just quick question.
Does Apple offer a under the lease
program that that would be considered?
Yeah, they do.
We we typically have not leased these devices in the past.
We we purchased them and more for the reason that Tracy had described
earlier that we can take this device will take
you know, if we collect 190 of them we're going to take 160 of the best
and put them in locations throughout the district in at least situation.
We may not have that ability, but our student iPads, on the other hand,
we do lease the other thing with the lease
with the this is being paid for out of the capital fund.
In the capital,
if it was a lease, it would have to go into the operating budget.
So we wouldn't be able to spend these dollars on that.
In that way, it would just be split in their
their operating budget throughout.
When you mention was made how the computers are used 24 seven
Does a district have a written policy around computer use personal use?
We do have an acceptable use policy for staff.
I don't mean to rush anybody, but we have to go to the capital plan.
So does anybody have any other questions?
Just one more.
One more quick question for staff.
Is the possibility of using iPads versus a laptop
available for potential cost savings If that were.
To be done, I think they can use an iPad for some instructional purposes,
but not all instructional purposes so that at the elementary
and middle school and high school,
they use a program called Active Inspire, and they use that to deliver
a lot of their content that would not run on an iPad.
There's also other simulation software packages that they would
that they do use in science and math and also are not compatible.
In elementary only. Is that.
No I would say there's there's situational
things
in all levels
where the iPad couldn't be the primary.
It can be a supporting device for instruction,
but it could not be their primary.
Maybe you have iPads for everyone, but then a general use set of laptops,
let's say ten per, I don't know, grade level,
just as a number so that they could share those, knowing when those events happen.
Or is it more it could happen at any time, any day.
That's really just trying to understand.
Yeah.
I mean I yeah, the level of care best use as Mr.
McFarland said, they're they're just there's so much that they use
instructional on their laptops that I think that would be hard
information system on it.
Grading the grade book that they use daily
they take attendance and record grades and the discipline of referrals.
It it's not supported on an iPad
at this time so it's it's and that's been another issue too.
Thank you.
Okay thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
Thank you.
Okay.
The next item on our agenda is capital
plan 2020 to 2021.
Mike, is that you?
This has been the same document.
We've been kind of going over our last couple of meetings,
and this is just one more opportunity.
So at this point, we have just shy of $1.3 million in projects
that have been identified on the technology.
We just received that presentation there,
there at the bottom for the 291.
So this is what we're looking at.
This group, this these are the requests that we receive
from all departments for their capital needs.
For 2122, we would look to the General Services Committee
to at least
at some point approve this to the full board
so that the full board could approve that for implementation
for our capital needs for 2021, as we've done in prior years for those.
So my only review is to bring this back up if there's any.
We had asked this question last month and the only thing
or not last month, I guess the last met in December,
the only thing that was requested more information
was the secondary MacBook replacement.
So seeing if we're comfortable approving
what is moving on from there, as you can see, there's
as we've discussed before, the busses
that are on there for transportation are part of our regular
schedule of replacement busses for that
between three and six busses every year are replaced.
These will be as our prior recent prior replacements.
They will be propane busses.
So this will bring us up to well over 50%
of our entire fleet being propane.
But once again, that's a normal or a reoccurring item
that is normally on there so that we can make sure that
essentially what it provides
is no bus in our transportation fleet is older than ten years.
And a lot of that has to do with the
the body's rusting and the amount of anybody that drives
or has a vehicle that has to get around in snow realizes
the duration, all the salt, things that have.
So those busses have to pass very specific inspections because they carry students.
And so that's part of their normal
replacement.
In our Finance committee meeting, Greg talked about some of the things
for food services and his needs at the high school.
You can see as always, his needs for all the other buildings are going through.
And then finally, the 322 field.
I just had a question on clarification and just
and I think they mentioned it, but I didn't quite catch it
with the district wide and the administrators, staff computers.
Are they also every three years the MacBooks PC
for the administrative staff, is that an every three year thing
or just kind of
because I'm assuming
they're not as heavily used or some might just use their desktop and I didn't know
if like if they have a personal computer, if they're also getting the laptop.
So one or the other.
The administrative has the same refresh process.
And actually that's,
you know, the item above it.
People either get either or.
So if you have a desktop, you don't have a laptop.
We're trying to move more and more to people having laptops
because they do everything a desktop to do plus
can be mobile at some point in time.
Example for my office,
Regis and myself have laptops, my other staff does not.
That's a little bit of a challenge when we get into snow in those types
of things because pay doesn't payroll doesn't care if it snowed or not.
That's still has to get done whether or not we're coming in.
So those are some pushes that I'd like to see
some some laptops for some people in my office so that
they can still do that work at home when they're snowed out of here.
But for the most part,
duty there.
When you ask those that aren't heavily used,
it's they're not heavily use.
They shouldn't have them because these are our major tools
that are used every single day, every hour.
So, you know, it's much different than home
use when you're when you're working with it every day.
All the time in which most of our computers that we have out
there are are the expectation is that that they're used heavily.
Yeah.
I just wanted to clarify because it said PC and MacBooks
and I assumed it was one or the other.
And not that people are.
Well and even like so myself, I will not get a MacBook, so drive me
kicking and screaming.
I'll, I'll get a Windows based laptop
and a lot of that's because of the finance software
I use and some other things I use.
And not that it
can't be done on Mac, but it's just simpler.
More a global question but would you expect the
the computer line and the bus line to be re-occurring each year?
Absolutely no amount, because that that represents about 60% of your budget.
60% is on computers and busses.
So 40% is right then
all you have left on buildings.
Right?
So you got to get the kids to school and educate
like so I meant it makes sense, but it is a lot of money.
There may be one or two down years because everything for the staff
is on a three year cycle and administrative and secondary is here.
Elementary will be on next year,
so it is foreseeable that there a year or two where yeah, we wouldn't
have that that request in those years but for the most part absolutely
that's what they're saying you do the one time
maybe it would be 50% or less
if there's some headroom for building.
Mike, the two ovens that are on here, the $39,000
one in the 29, is that part of what Greg needed to do, baked items or no.
Different?
No, those are different because they are at the different
the conveyor oven.
They're both at the high school.
The conveyor oven is not because that is one that moves through.
So that is not what he's talking about.
To go to substitute for the fryer is the one that he is noting
that he would need.
The Camby oven is not the substitute for the.
Fact that is correct.
It's one of those combo ovens that sits in the back.
Okay, he didn't put those on this list because as we were,
we would have finalized this before he got to where he got to in terms of.
But he said one was on there.
The one of the items that is on here he can do
is he can kick to the next year and do without.
So what he was referencing was actually that
the can convey oven for 29 971
is the item that he would be able to to do without and swap out.
So he noted that he had $29,000 that's what he was referring to.
Of the 81 total.
Correct? Yes, Correct. 81 and then 48.
And it was
I think he should add another 20 to that 48.
It should have been 68 instead of 48. Okay.
And related to that, the
the federal National School Lunch program money cannot
be used for equipment as well as meals are one of the limitations.
There are no limitations, but
those dollars are baked into operating.
So those are going to be used to pay salaries.
In other
other operational bills.
Mike, are you looking for us
to put this to the full board?
Yes. Yeah, that was
so what we talked about the last meeting was any additional information.
And so the additional information, if what you were presented today
makes you feel comfortable moving forward, that's what I'd like you to do.
If you still have additional questions
or what you heard today gives you pause or something like that.
That's we should have that discussion to to get you what you need to
to make the decision.
Do we need to take a roll call vote or do we just.
Say you can do it in voice?
So just one more question.
I'm sorry, Maria, and this makes you feel comfortable.
I mean, as far as knowing all our other budgetary needs
and everything else with the budget, you are comfortable with this number?
Yeah.
So this incorporates so every year as part of our operational budget, there
is $1,000,000 in there.
And I was comfortable
going up to the 200 going to 190 above that
because we have some some funds from the 1819 year that
we have about 400,000 or no, I'm sorry, about $600,000.
And there was no earmarked for that.
So if if that's what the board would be comfortable with,
I'm comfortable with with providing those and moving forward, it's
it's really only $290,000 above what we would normally be doing anyway
in our capital plan and feel comfortable those dollars are there.
Okay.
And because you have that surplus somewhat for that cushion that we went over,
I just want to clarify that because I knew that's why we were looking at all this
and trying to scale it down
and move the ones to the yellow that we did to try and get it correct.
Okay. Thank you for the appliances listed.
Are they replacing existing appliances or are they in addition
to specifically the cafeteria items in addition to what's in there currently?
Every everything on there is a replacement,
something already in place.
I'm comfortable
with the way that this looks at the moment.
If we want to do what I move that we move the capital
Plan 2020, 2021 to the full board for approval.
Second motion carries.
We get a vote.
All those in favor.
I rushing Harris All right.
And so will you present that at tonight's meeting.
No it'll be well we'll update the board that we decided this it won't be on
presented to the full board until the next meeting.
So we'll update them tonight that this was approved.
But they will we won't give them any more detail than that.
So committee approved? Yep.
And then they'll be on the the march.
Thank you.
The final numbers are that this this.
Yeah. This document.
Okay.
So we'll be discussing it as a full board March 9th.
All right.
It's tough to know what to say tonight. Okay.
Moving on to the item number six, New business
Middle school auditorium.
Mr. Anderson.
You know, go through
go through this, as you recall,
and this was actually something that came up at our last public
board meeting, I don't know, two public more meetings ago.
Somebody came up and started talking
about some of the deficiencies at the middle school auditorium.
We were already and had already been working on that information.
So Mark has
has the information for that this evening.
We still have not figured out
the funding mechanism or where that's going to come through.
And some of those challenges once again come back to the safe in schools.
Safe and supportive schools project that
once we figure out what we're doing there,
that should free up some additional budget dollars
for some of these things, but thought it was a good idea for Mr.
Anderson to update the board and go forward where we're at as of today.
Good evening.
A couple of things.
We had engaged more engineering
to look at the middle school project and it's kind of been an issue last year
at opening day, Joe wasn't made presentation and the lights went out.
And I know last winter during a progress high school
program there, there was a problem with the lights and
they're old.
My understanding is
they were actually in the high school at one point and brought over here
the company that manufactured the parts for the lights part of it
is no longer in business.
So it's not a not a matter of being able to go in and just buy replacement parts.
At this point, we're very reluctant is the best word to use
to absolutely shut the power off by the by the actual equipment.
So we actually kill the breakers as not to touch the equipment.
It's just that old and that sensitive.
So what we did was myself and Bob Bixler met with Eric. No.
Mr. Stover, who has a responsibility for the auditorium.
And we were looking for basically
a very minimal redo
of the lighting structure to get rid of the old older equipment.
And then we also looked at the audio equipment
because I understand that's a bit of a patchwork also.
So in going through that process, we came up with a a
a propose based outline of what we're going to do.
And the estimate from the engineering firm was approximately
$198,000.
We just talking about in the confines of the auditorium.
Okay, that's it.
And and sharing that with with
the administration, I was asked to go back and try to
reduce that number.
So we met about two weeks ago, and we're in the process of waiting
with some information to learn exactly more scaled
the scaled back approach to the the audio system.
Because when they did the play this past fall,
they had rented some cordless or wireless mikes.
So that would always be an option for them to use for larger presentations.
But we thought we needed to have a couple there for the speakers
and those kind of things.
And the lighting is going to be a much more
reduced approach in terms of what we're going to do.
We were looking initially to go to a new lighting system
that would ultimately lead us over to LEDs,
but you can't incandescent and LEDs on the same the same same dimmer package.
So that was what we looked at initially.
Now we would have
we what we're looking at now is staying incandescent for the time being,
which does mean at some point you're going to basically have an older
piece of equipment that will
not integrate with newer equipment, which isn't the end of the world,
but it will require some additional wiring as the process goes forth.
So at this point, I'm waiting for some information from Mr.
Stover and Middle School Administration as to what the particular issues
are with the audio system and what they're looking for, for it to be improved.
And I'm waiting to hear back from the engineer
examining what we can do in terms of making the system
functioning, but not as not moving over to the LED area.
So you're talking about fixing what's there.
Correct.
And how old is what's there
original to the building?
No, no, no. It's from high school originally.
So it's like the new high school was built in 1997.
Do you think it came when they redid the high school?
That's what I've been told.
It came the high school.
Because if they build a new high school, then they got the middle school
at the old lake.
Maybe, I don't know.
And then how old was it at that point?
You don't have to answer this. But I don't know.
They they upgraded the lights in the high school auditorium early.
2000s, maybe somewhere in there.
That's what they got.
Because the remember, the high school was a new build.
The middle of current middle school was the old high school
is the leading.
Are you talking about like stage
lighting for presentation or are you talking about general lighting?
What was the issue that they were trying to
remediate.
For the first time we had a middle school play for
and that kind of all these issues got flushed out of the auditorium.
Audio lighting.
They bring someone in to try to troubleshoot what the what the issue is.
And that's what we're doing and that's what we're in the process of doing.
Okay. Sorry.
They told us about somebody came and gave a talked at the
the regular board meeting
and said that there were a lot of issues which brought it to our attention.
And then we asked, that's how this that's why we're having this conversation.
I mean, I'm all for
saving money, but I just don't want in the long run,
end up spending more because it's not matching with what we need.
Do you know what I mean?
Like putting a patch on the old only to find out in a few years
we're going to have to do the new anyways and it would be more expensive and
so I don't know, it just is something to look at.
What would be the difference
if we did it one way versus the other when you had data?
Yeah.
When you have all the,
the you know, numbers in place and we just had a comparison, if we did it
all now versus patching it and it would be okay then, you know,
when we have to redo it again because it's Band-Aids only going to last
so long, that kind of a picture when you know everything.
To your point, one of the things that I did do
was I talked to Joe and asked for permission,
have a conversation with Eric and basically said Eric, what is
what is the use of the auditorium?
Is it primarily for speakers events
and really didn't need the the full
capabilities, if you will, that the high school has.
So that was really where our target was going initially.
But we do have some some lighting issues, both in-house issues and stage issues.
And the the LED payback in there is going to be a long time
till that actually happens.
But the technology is going to ultimately evolve to that.
So you may be left to the train station only because
you know it is what is happening.
So at this point, I'm waiting to gather those two pieces of information
and then I'll be back to report to the administration.
Judy, our our state of the art theater is in the high school.
We don't need that at the middle school.
We need a functioning middle school auditorium that has workable lighting
and sound, but it doesn't have to be at the quality of the high school.
Right. And that makes sense. I just didn't want.
Right now understood
exactly.
What you're thinking about.
This is a 2021, 22 type thing,
not next year.
We still don't know the answer.
I really think.
There's other things coming down the pike, too, right?
Yeah. And I think that's that's why Mr.
Anderson is looking for that interim, because, you know, that initial price we
even as he shared with you, you set that up, that's a quarter of $1,000,000.
I don't know that we answer that question of yes, we can do that.
So that's why he's turning back.
So it might not be the most advantageous,
but it is what we can get to keep this
useful in rolling down the road.
Ultimately, you know, the renovation would probably be the best.
It's just the timing at which it's it's coming up.
We have another lot of other needs that I think are trumping that.
So based on what you said to Judy, Joe, it
it would seem important to me.
And just a couple of thoughts.
These are arts, right?
Performing arts for our students.
So we want them to have a good experience.
This whole
situation with the middle school, it's been amazing this year what happened.
So but you're saying,
can we have a new system in there for them that's functioning, but you're saying
it doesn't need all the bells and whistles, correct?
Is that what I'm hearing? Correct.
So it doesn't need all it.
Needs to be functioning and it needs to to work consistently and well.
But does not have to be have all the bells and whistles that the high school has.
And maybe I'm not understanding,
but I feel like it should be new.
Like I feel like, yes, okay, we're talking okay.
We're saying the same thing. Okay. Yes. It's just
which type of correct?
Correct Okay.
So I'm just curious with Mark,
in these kinds of situations, this isn't something that we do often.
Where where do you go for the expertise on something like this, I wonder?
Like the Hershey Theater that we started, I initially we started out
I went to Claire Brothers because they were kind of the name that I'd recognized.
And just to get a ballpark figure and in a conversation
I had on another or another topic, I understand that more engineering does
all of the electrical work for the stuff that the Claire Brothers installed.
So I try to cut to the chase there to get something
that was a little more directed at what we needed
and what more came back with was kind of a base improvement to
what's there for roughly 180, $85,000
with some options that we could add to it just in the electrical side.
So that's that's who I turn to.
I just wonder I mean,
I just wondered if I don't know how the Hershey Theater
buys all their stuff, how the Hershey Playhouse buys all their stuff, but
maybe there's some expertise or some group, you know, folks,
they've worked with that they've found satisfactory.
And if you want to gin up some competition, I don't know
that really, the reason I took the approach that I did was
I was looking to try to resolve the issue without making it more elaborate
than necessary. I can certainly reach out and find out.
But that was the reason that I took the approach that I did.
Well, we certainly appreciate the update.
I don't mean to rush anybody at 6:00.
We have a full executive session ahead of us, so we're a little bit pressed.
Does anybody have anything else
on this topic?
Any other questions?
Thank you. Mike.
You want me to discuss the parking lot?
Well, now I want to know what?
The parking lots.
Okay.
You know, it's more or less. Okay.
Okay.
I have a motion to adjourn the meeting.
Some of second meeting is adjourned at 6:00.
Thank you, everybody.
Sorry for, like, talking fast and starting late and rushing.