SAISD Board Votes to Buy $74K Portable Restroom With Bond Funds

SAN ANGELO, TX — The San Angelo ISD Board of Trustees voted 5-2 Monday to spend $74,265 in Bond 2025 funds on a portable restroom trailer, approving the purchase after a motion to table it and research cheaper options failed. 

Trustees Gerard Gallegos and Karla Cardenas voted against the purchase. Cardenas had moved to table the item so the administration could look at less expensive portable options and ask the city about cost-sharing when city utility work causes outages. That motion did not pass. 

Director of Purchasing Jason Henry and Chief Financial Officer Merl Brandon recommended the ADA-accessible, climate-controlled unit from Ready to Go Trailers. Brandon said the district faces water or sewer interruptions three to five times a year. Rental trailers have been difficult to secure on short notice, and the charter buses currently used as a backup are hard for students with disabilities to use. The recommended trailer includes a ramp, standard toilets, a sink, and heating and cooling. Brandon said that the ADA portion of the trailer significantly increased the price. 

Vice President Ami Mizell-Flint made the motion to approve the purchase; Dr. Kyle Mills seconded it. Supporters described the trailer as a multi-year investment that improves safety and reduces lost instructional time when restrooms are unavailable. 

“It’s not going to be a recurring cost,” Mills said. “This is going to be something that we could use in the district for 10-plus years, so you average that out. It’s $75,000 divided by 10 or 15 years. We’re talking $5,000 to $7,000 a year for kids to have safe, clean bathrooms whenever we need it. When emergencies arise, it doesn’t seem like a bad investment at all.”

Cardenas called the spending irresponsible and said the money could be better used on other priorities. 

“I just think it’s irresponsible of us to just have this money and say, OK, yeah, we got bond money now. Let’s spend it on this," she said. "What’s the next thing that we’re going to say? Oh, we got the money now. Let’s do it. Very irresponsible.”

Brandon noted that the purchase could be tied to the Bond 2025 ballot language, which authorized funds for “construction, improvement, expansion, renovation, and equipment of school facilities and safety and security enhancements.” He also said the district had $100,000 available in capital outlay if the board preferred not to use bond proceeds, but the approved motion used bond funds.