SAISD May Spend $75K in Bond Funds on Portable Restroom Trailer

SAN ANGELO, TX — San Angelo ISD administrators recommended Monday that the board spend roughly $74,265 in Bond 2025 funds on a portable restroom trailer.

This prompted questions from a trustee about whether the purchase fits the projects voters approved and whether leftover bond money should instead go toward reducing debt. 

Director of Purchasing Jason Henry told the board during its pre-agenda meeting that the ADA-accessible trailer would give campuses temporary restroom capacity when plumbing is shut off for construction or other repairs. He said the district currently sends a charter bus to schools in those situations. The recommended vendor is Ready2Go Trailers.

Trustee Karla Cardenas questioned the recommendation in the meeting, asking why the district would make the purchase while facing budget pressures and how often campus restrooms actually go down. 

Henry said that it does not happen often, but "often enough." 

"If they break a water main, then it affects our schools," he said. "I know over at Central, just recently, we had some bathrooms that were down because of water construction." 

Superintendent Christopher Moran said that the money would come from bond proceeds rather than the general operating budget. He added that the project is part of the bond construction program. 

Cardenas has since said publicly that she believes any surplus from bond projects should be used to pay down the debt, not spent on items outside the package presented to voters. She has also cited a statement Moran made during the bond campaign: “These bond funds will only be used on the projects identified in this bond package and on the ballot.”

Board Vice President Ami Mizell-Flint has said functional plumbing remains a priority as campuses are renovated and that the trailer was presented as a way to handle potential disruptions during the multiple construction projects planned under Bond 2025. 

District materials from the Bond 2025 campaign state that the $397 million package, approved by voters in May 2025, is limited to capital projects and cannot be used for salaries or other operating costs. The board is expected to take up the trailer recommendation on Oct. 19.

View the agenda HERE.