The Mexico School District Board of Education approved a bid for the purchase and installation of interactive flat panels, along with other items, at the Oct. 21 meeting.

The board unanimously voted to award the bid for 21 interactive flat panels to replace the aging Promethean boards at Hart Career Center to Marco Technologies. The upgrades are being funded through the Perkins Innovation and Modernization grant.

The board also approved new programming lab equipment to support computer science instruction, DC programming, and applied programming in gaming and augmented/virtual reality at HCC, as well as the replacement of the forklift used by the Diesel Technology program.

These measures, also funded by the PIM grant, passed unanimously.

“There is kind of a narrative and an art to PIM grants,” Superintendent Troy Lentz said.

The district was originally awarded three years of funding through the grant.

As a result, Lentz said that the district planned to partner with Partners for Rural Impact, and the organization was going to hire representatives to work in its schools.

However, grant funding was cut, and the district received $1.3 million to spend by January.

“It wouldn’t be fair to hire people just to turn around and fire them,” Lentz said. “So it opened up an opportunity for us to spend on equipment for the Hart Career Center.

“We’re trying to get wise purchases made in a short amount of time.”

Last year, the school district used its PIM grant to pay for students’ dual-credit courses. It was able to do the same for the first semester this school year.

“If we can just get the mechanics of it worked out, our intention is to pay for all second semester dual credit for our kids,” Lentz said. “That’s going to be our last hurrah with PIM funds.”

At the meeting, the board also discussed the ongoing building renovations that include area schools as well as the central office.

“Everything, I’m just glad to say, is pretty much staying on budget and on schedule,” Lentz said.

At the meeting, it was reported that phase one of HVAC replacement at the central office, Eugene Field Elementary and Mexico Middle School were complete as well as playground upgrades at McMillan Early Learning Center, Eugene Field Elementary and Hawthorne Elementary. Softball field upgrades at Mexico High School were also reported to be complete.

Approved bond projects for 2026 continue with the approval of phase two of HVAC mechanical system upgrades at McMillan Early Learning Center and the central office as well as the installation of a fire alarm system at the central office.

According to Lentz, the next big bid package that will go out will be for a new secure entryway at Mexico High School.

Plans call for a complete redesign that includes moving the front office off of Circle Drive and creating a single point of entry with a vestibule where visitors can be properly screened.

“That’s going to be a multimillion-dollar project, so that will probably be most of what’s left of the $21 million that voters approved,” he said.