Capital Projects Budget Approved, Focus on Technology Improvements

The Lexington-Richland 5 Board of Trustees approved the district's capital projects budget for 2012-2013 fiscal year, with the focus on funding for technology.

"We're hoping to be able to equip all of our students and teachers with the technologies that are appropriate for teaching and learning," Superintendent Dr. Stephen Hefner said during Monday night's regular meeting. 

"We're focusing on a proposal for using technology to enhance and increase our students access and teachers access to technology and to improve instruction," he said. 

With a 6-1 vote, the board approved a budget of $15,392,183 minus $1.7 million in unbudgeted funds from 8 percent bonds sold last year. The remaining of the proposed capital budget for fiscal year 2012-2013 will come from 8 percent bonds the district has yet to sell. 

Board vice chair Beth Watson made the motion, which called for the approval of the "capital projects budget as presented and to also declare the board's official intent to have any expenditures incurred prior to the issuance of general obligation bonds for approved capital projects be reimbursed with the proceeds of such general obligation bonds."

The motion also gave administration "flexibility with regard to technology after each school has had the chance to re-evaluate their technology request in light of the district's new technology vision."

Board member Kim Murphy voted against the motion. 

Dr. Karl Fulmer, the district's chief financial services officer, clarified the use of the language in the first part of Watson's motion and said that the capital budget is dependent upon the sell of bonds.

"Any time that we approve a budget like this and have expenditures prior to the selling of bonds then we need language in there of the board's intent that those expenditures be reimbursed by the bonds once they're sold," Fulmer said. 

With the district moving forward on expanding its access to technology, Fulmer asked for flexibility to go back to the high school principals and make sure the right equipment or devices were being purchased. 

The funding plan for technology in the district will be over a course of five years. The district is proposing to spend $3.6 million each year on devices such as iPads and infrastructure upgrades and other equipment. 

See the attached PDF file of Hefner's latestest Vision 2015 update that discusses the five-year funding plan for technology. 

Some highlights of the proposed capital budget include:

• Ongoing maintenance to include computer and camera replacements
• $229,000 to purchase iPads for all high school teachers
• $830,000 (per school) for installing artificial turf at all three high school stadium football fields
• $50,500 to create a science lab in an existing classroom at Lake Murray Elementary School

In other business, the board approved the following:

• Textbook adoption recommendations for elementary English language arts
• Board policy IHAM "Health Education" with the recomended changes from board members

The board's next scheduled meeting is on April 23 at Chapin Middle School.