In a 6 to 3 vote, the Pleasant Valley School Board approved a $1.1 million purchase of furniture for the elementary school.

Up for approval were three parts to the furniture purchase: PVE Teacher Mobile Storage Cart from Lakeshore Learning Supplies, cost of $121,524, to be paid through the Capital Reserve; PVE Teacher Furniture (desks, lecterns and chairs) from Premier Environments, cost of $327,014.78 to be paid through the Capital Reserve; and PVE Student Furniture (desk and chairs) from Premier Environments, cost of $669,153.59 to be paid through the Ready to Learn grant.

School board directors John Gesiskie, Denise Hopely and Janet Dooner voted no on the purchase of the furniture for the teachers, but voted yes for the furniture for the students.

Gesiskie said during the discussion before the vote, “I just want to see it used on the kids.”

Hopely questioned the purchase and was told by the business manager Tammy Smale that money from the Capital Reserve can be spent on capital improvement projects. The furniture can be considered as “part of the improvement to the building,” Smale said.

Hopely said she thinks of a capital improvement as an improvement to the building itself, not furniture. She thought the purchase should come out of the general budget.

Dooner said her stumbling block for the purchase is the property assessments that are coming up in Monroe County. She didn’t feel comfortable spending the money.

The three items up for approval were compiled from nine documents: a price quote and eight proposals. In all, the furniture includes 80 mobile storage carts for teachers; adult desks, lecterns and chairs; and student desks and chairs for a total cost of $1,117,692.37.

The nine documents are:

• Lakeshore Sales Quotation — PVE Classroom Storage: These units are the 80 mobile storage carts that will be ordered from Lakeshore Learning Supplies for a total cost of $121,524. This will be paid for through the school district’s Capital Reserve fund.

• Main Level Global Side Chairs Teacher: This furniture consists of four upholstered chairs for the Guidance Suite at a cost of $263.04 each for a total of $1,025.16.

• Main Level Teacher Chairs: This furniture consists of 76 mostly mesh back task chairs for teachers, but also some for the conference room and Guidance suite, and a stool for the main office. The total cost is $38,786.

• Main Level Teacher Furniture: The school district purchased 462 pieces of furniture that include whiteboards, desks file cabinets, activity table, lecterns, and some cantilever chairs for a total cost was $190,087.02.

• Lower Level Teacher Chairs: This is for the purchase of 36 chairs for a total of $13,935.

• Lower Level Teacher Furniture: This furniture consists of 214 desks, chairs, whiteboards, etc. for a total of $83,154.60.

• Music Room Student Furniture: This proposal is for 24 student chairs and freight charges for a total of $9,993.95.

• Main Level Student Furniture: The proposal consists of 2,506 pieces of furniture including chairs, activity tables and desks for a total of $427,439.16.

• Lower Level Student Furniture: This is for 1,211 pieces of furniture including chairs desks, activity tables for a total of $231,720.48.

The school board also passed the Ready to Learn Tax Equity Supplement Resolution during its meeting. This resolution indicates “that the district will use the funds for the specified purpose of — Reducing Debt.”

According to the resolution, the money is made available as a tax equity supplement through the Taxpayer Relief Act. This legislation allows a school district to use the money for the following purposes:

• To mitigate or prevent an increase in the millage rate of real estate taxes levied by the school district;

• To supplement the amount of the homestead and farmstead exclusion under the Taxpayer Relief Act;

• To establish, maintain or expand a school district program that supplements the rebates under the Taxpayer Relief Act;

• To mitigate or replace money lost by the school district due the a court decision regarding an assessment appeal within the last five years;

• To reduce debt.

The school board also approved to advertise a request for bids for cafeteria equipment at the Pleasant Valley Intermediate School, and the purchase of school furniture for the Pleasant Valley Elementary School.