Booster club asks to ease rules on travel meals and takeaways as board weighs facility upgrades and marquee plan

Kelly, speaking for the booster club during public comment, asked the board to review policies that have limited boosters’ ability to provide travel meals and team items that athletes keep. “We were under the impression that as long as we adhered to the $500 value allowance, we didn’t have to work through the school,” Kelly said, urging clearer processes and better communication so booster funds raised in a year are spent that year.

Trustees agreed to involve the rules committee and at least one trustee, the athletic director and the high‑school principal to review policy language and operational procedures. Board members emphasized adherence to MHSA rules but said they wanted to avoid blanket denials that prevent boosters from supporting teams.

Separately, the facility‑planning and building committee reviewed urgent summer maintenance and longer‑term projects. Immediate priorities include painting office spaces, repairing high‑school windows, addressing sprinkler/irrigation pumps and a phone/PBX upgrade estimated at about $20,000. The committee also identified about 40 outdated security cameras needing phased replacement (preliminary cost estimate $50–60,000), perimeter fencing, kindergarten classroom renovations, and improvements to commons and outdoor activity spaces.

Trustees and community members discussed a proposed LED marquee at a key intersection to improve district communications and a possible metal outbuilding to expand weight‑room and wrestling space. Participants noted funding could come from PTO/booster partnerships or phased budgeting; the board reaffirmed a preference to avoid new bonds while the current 2036 bond is still in effect.

Next steps: administration will convene the rules committee to draft policy options for booster support of team items, provide detailed cost estimates and phased funding options for facility priorities, and return to the board with recommendations for summer projects and any donor/partnership agreements.