Scranton board approves multiple construction and tech contracts; narrowly backs wiring for future PA system

The Scranton School District School Board on March 4 approved a series of construction and technology contracts, including a renovation bid for West Scranton High School and smaller construction and flooring projects, and narrowly approved a change order to prewire classrooms for a future public-address (PA) system.

In an item tied to capital projects, the board approved awarding bids for project 033034 (West Scranton High School technology and renovations) subject to final approval from the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s Division of Federal Programs. Administration said the district’s budget revision and prior-approval capital form were accepted, which allows the use of ESSER funding for the work.

The board also approved an exterior door replacement project (033000) to begin the design phase and authorized a West Grant Intermediate weight-room floor contract not to exceed $55,000. Administration said the weight-room work was competitively bid through the Keystone Purchasing Network/Gordian cooperative and was coordinated with building staff.

A more contested vote approved change order ECCL 003, a $62,362 authorization to install one data jack per classroom at West Grant Intermediate to support a future PA system and to avoid disturbing finished walls later. Director Rucker explained the rationale for running conduit and wiring now: the work "allows us to put these jacks in before finished walls go up, so there’s no disruption once those sections of the building are complete." Board members questioned why the jacks were not included in the original design; staff said it was not captured in initial plans and that the PA functionality had been considered separately.

The PA-jack measure drew detailed technical discussion. Director Rucker provided network context, saying the district maintains a 10-gig backhaul and that basic device “heartbeat” traffic is minimal: according to his description the network can accommodate the devices and a one‑year contractor warranty would cover installation defects initially. He also said vendor estimates for installing a jack later ranged from $900 to $1,200 per installed jack and that the change order would be aligned with market rates.

Some directors voiced timing and oversight concerns. Opponents worried about committing funds for wiring before selecting a PA vendor and asked who would be responsible if wired jacks later failed to function with a chosen system; staff replied that the contractor would warrant the installation for one year and the district’s IT team or a third party would be responsible thereafter. After extended debate about compatibility, bandwidth and the district’s testing plan, the board approved the change order on a 5‑4 roll-call vote.

Other approved items included a $10,633 change order at Robert Morris Elementary to revise wall finishes (the board approved this on a 7‑2 vote) and multiple personnel and contract items presented in consent. Several votes were unanimous or near-unanimous; the PA prewiring item was the closest split.

The board president said administration will provide a briefing packet with technical and cost details for the approved projects. The projects will move forward per contract timelines and any items dependent on external approvals (including ESSER usage) will proceed after final signoffs.