Previous GPS bond spending covered wide range

Oct. 10—Bond money spending in the fiscal year that ended June 30 covered a wide variety of repairs and additions at Gilbert Public Schools campuses.

They included 400 additional security cameras, lights at Highland High's auxiliary field, painting the interior and exterior of Playa del Rey Elementary and building more collaborative spaces for students to gather at Mesquite and Campo Verde high schools.

Four years since the last bond approval, the district is going back out to voters Nov. 7 for approval on a $100-million measure.

Voters approved a $98-million bond in 2015 and a $100-million bond in 2019. Both bonds did not include funding for district office spaces.

"Since 2015 to date we have had $198 million worth of spending authority provided to us to meet those critical facility, technology and transportation needs," said Bonnie Betz, associate superintendent of business services, told a recent Governing Board meeting.

Betz gave a mandatory annual update Sept. 12 of the district's spending of its override and bond money.

"We've made many investments into converting our computer classrooms into regular classrooms," Betz continued. "Those are just examples of the structural projects."

The district has about $7 million remaining of the 2019 bond, which will be spent during the 2023-24 school year.

Betz noted that it would have been "very difficult" for the district with 33,000 students to undertake the projects without the bonds.

"From 2013 through 2017, the total accumulative loss in unrestricted capital (from the state) was over $73 million," she told the board. "So, it's been really great that we've had the support of our taxpayers over this time."

The district's $170.5 million in expenditures from the 2015 and 2019 bonds included $73 million or 43% for structural projects; $37.8 million or 22% for technology; and $18.4 million or 1% for mechanical such as HVAC equipment, lighting and electrical projects.

Board member Sheila Rogers Uggetti noted that the HVAC at Greenfield Junior High campus broke down this year and asked what would happen if the air conditioning could not be fixed because there was no bond money.

"Ultimately we'd look at a closure at that point...especially a year that we had record heat," responded Albert Dutchover, director of maintenance and operations

Students were sent home for a day or so while the system was being repaired.

"Definitely we'd be looking at a closure if we didn't have the funds to remedy the issue quickly or at least they have something for the intermediate," Dutchover said, adding that air conditioning problems are widespread in the district.

"I think we hit 53 days over 110 (degrees)," Dutchover said. "We've just been running these things like crazy and fortunately some of these are just that — outliers in a sense because some of this money has gone to those sites as well that have newer HVAC equipment."

Charts also were presented showing the bond amount spent and projects for each campus since Fiscal Year 2016.

According to Betz, $66.3 million has been spent or planned to be spent during the 2023 school year. The majority or 61% was allocated for facility reinvestment; 32% for technology; 4% for security and 3% for student transportation.

A project currently underway at Camp Verde High includes putting in a covered awning and roll-up door at the school's resource center to create a patio space for students to collaborate under the awnings during the nicer months of the year.

"At Mesquite High School, as well as is Campo Verde, we're looking for more collaborative space for their students to gather not only during class time as well as well as during lunch or in between periods," Dutchover said.

Part of a large lighting project at multiple campuses included installing lighting at Highland High's auxiliary field, he said.

"Obviously with lighting this is something used for preparation for band performances and orchestra performances," Dutchover explained, adding it was "a need and a lack that they had so we addressed it by putting lights on the field,"

According to Jon Castelhano, executive director of technology, security camera installations are completed at the district offices, high schools, junior highs and 16 of the elementary school campuses.

In the last fiscal year, 424 cameras were installed around the schools' perimeters, hallways, entryways and classrooms, he said. The district may look at installing cameras in parking lots later.

The other 10 campuses are expected to be done by February, Castelhano added.

"I think everyone thinks security cameras are just (for) people breaking in at night," he said "But that's just not it. There's so much more.

"It's really done a lot to even help find a student that may be missing on an elementary campus or maybe hiding somewhere.

"The project's been going very well. There's been a lot of positive feedback."

Transportation Director Trace Tolby detailed the 2023 bond spending on transportation, hampered by a supply chain that was still broken.

"All vehicles are horrible to get right now," Tolby said. "We're still two years out if we ordered something. So a lot of these were ordered way back when and they 're just finally coming in."

What the district has been able to get so far include three, 37-seat, special-ed buses, two 54-seat, multi-use buses and two 84-seat buses, according to Tolby.

Betz also updated the budget override spending.

The district used the bulk of its voter-approved 15% override approved in 2019 or over $30 million annually for employees.

In Fiscal Year 2023, the override added $34.8 million to the district's maintenance and operations budget, which pays for day-to-day expenses.

A majority of that override amount or $25 million went for competitive pay to retain and attract staff as it had for the two prior fiscal years.

"We have made it a priority to ensure that we are providing as best we can competitive wages," Betz said.