The Phoenix Central School District Board of Education awarded seven prime contracts and five vendor direct awards for the second phase of its 2024 Capital Project at its March 9 regular meeting, including a $13,015,500 HVAC contract to Ontario and an $8,564,000 general contractor award to Bette & Cring. The full slate of Phase 2 awards, moved by Jim Graham and seconded by Cliff Pelton, carried 8-0 and went to the lowest responsible bidders in each trade: general contracting to Bette & Cring, $8,564,000; HVAC to Ontario, $13,015,500; electrical to S & L Electric, $2,736,000; sitework to Landmark Enterprises, $1,772,700; plumbing to Lovett Mechanical, $642,670; kitchen and equipment to Main Ford, $924,799; and environmental work to Abscope, $525,000. The board also approved five vendor direct awards: Facilities Equip. & Svc., $162,528.78; Western New York Flooring, $108,900; Day Automation, $644,979.89; Energy & Environment, $76,740; and Facilities Commissioning, $68,050. The minutes state all of the awards are contingent on the winning contractors timely providing required bonds and insurance certificates. The board took up the contracts after Business Official Jennifer Woody gave an initial draft presentation on the district's 2026-2027 budget. She told the board the governor's executive budget, released on time this year, proposed an overall school aid increase of $1.6 billion, or 4.3%, and a new $561 million Universal Pre-K expansion proposal, with $779 million, or 2.96%, for foundation aid; 461 districts remain on "hold harmless", with a proposed minimum 1% increase for all districts. Phoenix's own foundation aid is $20,673,400 for 2025-2026, and a "Save Harmless" amount of $3,632,123. Woody said the district is looking to replace three 66-passenger buses and one 28-passenger wheelchair-accessible bus. Later, the board took up two propositions — worded almost identically — to ask voters on May 19, 2026 to approve purchasing and financing four passenger buses. One motion set the not-to-exceed amount at $735,432; a second, separate motion set it at $735,435. Both are recorded in the minutes as carried, 8 Ayes, 0 Nays, 0 Abstentions. The minutes do not explain the discrepancy between the two figures or why two separate propositions for what appears to be the same bus purchase were brought to a vote. The board also voted 8-0 to ratify and extend the district's collective bargaining agreement with the Phoenix Central School Teachers' Association through the 2027-2028 school year, and voted 8-0 to authorize closure of the Class of 1962 Scholarship fund effective March 10, 2026. A resolution declaring a proposed action exempt from further environmental review under the State Environmental Quality Review Act was recorded in the minutes as "Motion Tabled", alongside a recorded 8 Ayes, 0 Nays, 0 Abstentions; the minutes do not otherwise reconcile the tabled label with that recorded vote. In routine business, the board approved February 2, 2026 meeting minutes, personnel appointments, retirements and resignations based on the Superintendent's recommendations, and recommendations from the Committee on Preschool Special Education and Special Education, each 8-0. The board also considered a travel proposal for the JCB Varsity Soccer team's trips to Charlotte, NC and Copenhagen, NY (Watertown); the minutes record the motion and second but no vote tally. In his report, Superintendent Chris Byrne complimented Tim Ristau and the district's Professional Development Committee on a recent Professional Development Day, highlighted a presentation on the state's NY Inspires initiative given by CiTi Superintendent for Instruction Roseann Bayne, congratulated the Unified Bowling team and Coach Conklin on a championship, and noted the Phoenix indoor percussion ensemble placed fourth in finals at Toms River Regional — the first time, he said, the ensemble reached the top five in power regionals.