The Bainbridge Island School District board met Feb 29 to discuss the district’s long-term plans and facility updates.

Despite talks of cost-saving measures, proposals and conversation were buoyed by the cessation of controversial school closures last month and a resoundingly supportive levy election Feb 13.

BISD approved its first large-scale project of the calendar year: almost $700,000 for a two-year upgrade to the district’s network switches, pieces of technology essential for internet connectivity. Costs would be offset by a federal rebate program, which would pay about $280,000 of the cost.

Kiyomasa Toma, director of technology, explained that the 96 switches in the district are reaching the end of their eight-year lifespan. They’ve already seen some failures at Blakely Elementary and Woodward Middle schools, but a district-wide failure would be disruptive and catastrophic, Toma said.

While the service provider Toma’s office chose offered the most expensive package — about $200,000 more than the next provider — the quality of infrastructure was paramount. “We want these switches to last the next eight to ten years, and we don’t want to be coming back asking for more money,” he said.

Also, the board continued to review the budget with interim financial director Peggy Paige and financial consultant Stephen Nielsen, recalibrated its internal organization for the third time this school year, and refined a few committees. Acting superintendent Amii Thompson gave a quick financial update by saying, “We are very closely monitoring all our expenditures and our revenues.”

The update was overall positive: income was slightly up in January due to some federal funds, and a revised budget for district special education programs may have freed up between $100,000 to $400,000. Thompson projected that the district will be able to fall within the best-practice 5% fund balance by the end of the year, but that lean months are still ahead.

The general fund will peak in April, she said, which will have to sustain the district until June.

On the other hand, Thompson also began following through on her strategy to reduce expenditures, which includes cutting overtime. The acting superintendent is reviewing “every single time sheet to ensure that any overtime claims are absolutely necessary.”

There was no update on the search for a new financial director. The previous one resigned when it was discovered errors were made in district budget shortfalls just prior to the recent election.