Mercer Island School District trustees voted to find Superintendent Fred Rundle in compliance with Board policy OE‑11 on facilities and capital assets, after staff presented a facilities review and trustees discussed building use, security upgrades and future bond priorities.

The board’s compliance finding, moved and seconded during the April meeting, followed a staff overview that said the district is maintaining facilities and capital assets and identified items that were not applicable (for example, land acquisition). Staff noted set schedules for capital projects, recurring maintenance such as roofing and painting, and a routine building‑condition review used to develop the consent agenda.

Staff emphasized how heavily district buildings are used outside school hours. Facilities staff reported more than 1,400 scheduled outside‑user events since July 1, plus more than 4,800 district and PTA uses, totaling roughly 15,000 extra facility hours. Board members and staff said that level of community use increases wear and maintenance needs.

Trustees pressed staff on campus safety and middle‑school design. District leaders said recent investments—door‑locking upgrades, front‑entry vestibules at most sites and daily School Resource Officer presence—have improved security. The district said vestibules remain to be installed at one elementary building and that electronically controlled door locks at the middle school have reduced the number of unsecured exterior access points, while acknowledging tradeoffs: students now must carry access cards when moving between buildings.

Staff and trustees discussed a recurring bond proposal item: the possibility of rebuilding or reconfiguring the middle school to create a more enclosed campus. Staff said a proposed design would create an interior courtyard and a more contained campus layout—improving controlled entry without perimeter fencing common at many elementary schools—but that such improvements depend on bond funding and prior assessments.

Trustees also asked about surveillance cameras and privacy. District staff said the district operates more than 300 cameras for forensic coverage—intended to support police investigations after incidents— and that the district has trialed different optics and platforms, including license‑plate capture. Staff said live monitoring and advanced analytics would involve significant additional costs and potential vendor partnerships.

Why this matters: Trustees and staff framed the discussion around balancing daily campus operations, community use of district facilities and investment choices that affect safety and student experience. The board’s compliance finding affirms the superintendent’s current stewardship of capital assets while leaving open decisions about future projects and bond priorities.

Votes at a glance: On the OE‑11 compliance item the board voted in favor of the motion to find the superintendent in compliance. The board recorded an oral affirmative vote; no member was recorded as opposed.

Next steps: Trustees and staff said the district will continue to bring bond planning, capital project schedules and safety assessments back to the board as design and funding decisions mature.