Maintenance and transportation staff outline facilities upgrades, LED retrofit and new work-order system
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Summary
MOT director Ryan Carr and assistant Melissa Martin reported on Norris district maintenance projects including a nearly $1 million gym renovation, in-house LED retrofits expected to touch ~1,000 fixtures and rollout of Incident IQ (362 closed work orders), plus transportation staffing and fleet plans.
Ryan Carr, director of the district's Maintenance, Operations and Transportation (MOT) department, briefed the board on recent facilities and operations work and on the department's priorities.
Carr highlighted the Norris Middle School gym project — flooring, new bleachers, LED lights, motorized hoops and replacement of swamp coolers with packaged HVAC — and estimated the aggregate cost for the gym work at "close to 1000000 dollars." He then described an in‑house LED upgrade across campuses (exterior and interior fixtures at BMAT, Norris Elementary and Veterans Elementary) that he said will touch nearly 1,000 fixtures and save roughly $100,000 in labor costs alone.
Carr also described the district's new work‑order platform, Incident IQ, which the district began using in late September; staff reported 362 closed tickets and 32 open tickets so far, and praised the platform's communication features.
Melissa Martin, assistant director of transportation, said the transportation department includes 18 bus drivers, 6 transportation aides, one administrative assistant and one certified instructor; the department operates nine general education routes and six SDC routes and transports 1,295 students daily. Martin told the board the department drove 158,471 miles this year and is pursuing one diesel replacement bus plus grant applications for seven electric buses targeted for the 2027‑28 school year.
Why it matters: Facilities upgrades, energy retrofits and a new work‑order system affect operating budgets, long‑term energy costs and daily student experience. Transportation fleet planning and staffing impact safety and reliability for students who rely on buses.
Next steps: Staff will continue LED retrofits, monitor savings versus estimates, close outstanding work orders and pursue grants and procurement for fleet replacement.