Richland One board approves $26 million in capital projects; members question weight-room relocation, laptop policy timeline

The Richland One Board of School Commissioners voted unanimously May 12 to allocate $26 million in bond proceeds to proposed capital projects recommended by the administration.

Chief Operations Officer Bob Grant presented the capital list and the administration's recommendation. After discussion, Commissioner Divine moved to approve the recommendation; the motion passed unanimously.

Commissioner Weston asked whether a weight room at Lower Richland that appears on the list as a renovation had in fact been relocated, and whether a relocation should have come back to the board for approval. "Shouldn't it have come back to us if it was going to be moved rather than just renovated?" Weston asked. Administrators said the renovation authorization covered facility work within the school and that the district team determined renovating the current space best met the school's present and projected needs.

Board members also asked about a district policy to address damaged laptops. The administration said staff are drafting policy language and expect to present it at a future meeting to strike a balance between device care and students' access to devices.

The board recorded the vote as unanimous. The motion to allocate bond proceeds will allow project planning and procurement to proceed; staff said specific schedules and implementation details would be provided to the board as individual projects move forward.

What happens next: administrators will finalize project drawings and schedules for the listed sites and bring policy language on laptop damage and device management back to the board for review and action.