A $110,000 check to the Taylor Independent School District from Samsung Austin Semiconductor is the latest incentive from the global company to enhance local high-tech training for future careers.
The money will be invested in the school district’s career and technical education program and aid the district in “developing the semiconductor talent pipeline,” according to officials.
In other business, trustees also began considering how to boost wireless signal strength across the district.
That discussion and the check presentation took place at the Oct. 21 board meeting. “This gift really is about the entire community and the entire school district,” said Michele Glaze, Samsung’s director of communications and community affairs. “We want every child to have a great future. We believe career and technical education is a great way to do that.”
The company previously the donated $1 million to th school district to fund the expansion of Taylor High School’s CTE facility in November 2023. The new facility should open next fall.
The school board also approved a furniture purchase for the CTE facility using bond funds from 2022.
Stantec, the design and consulting company in charge of the facility’s design, suggested three potential vendors that could provide furniture for future teachers and students in the space and an additional vendor offering welding booths.
The school district previously used all four vendors to furnish CTE spaces in the elementary schools and the middle school.
Vendors one through three quoted prices of $509,629.44, $618,147.21 and $517,101.50, respectively. All quotes include warranty, delivery and installation fees in addition to the furniture prices.
While the last vendor previously provided CTE furniture for the school district, it no longer had the items in stock. However, officials said it was the only vendor meeting the specifications for welding booths requested by the welding teachers, with a quoted price of $106,475.
Meredith Watassek, a senior associate planner at Stantec, recommended the board choose vendor number one out of the three.
“When you compare apples to apples and oranges to oranges, they’re all giving you the same warranty. They’re all giving you the same delivery and install,” she told trustees. “So, a $100,000 difference doesn’t make a whole lot of sense from that perspective.”
Trustees did not publicly name a selected vendor, but the district has until Nov. 1 to submit a purchase order, according to Watassek.
In a related matter, trustees also approved a marketing agreement with Diamond Communications to improve wireless cellular connection across the district.
According to James Reese, a regional facility services manager with the Texas Association of School Boards who attended the meeting, many school districts have issues with cellular connection, which Reese experienced firsthand at Taylor High last week.
Dale Shumaker, Diamond Communications vice president of strategic partnerships, discussed the cell signal strength of each school. Taylor High has almost no cell signal on the campus, he said.
Trustee Marilyn Tennill questioned the relevance of signal strength, since students are encouraged not to use their cellphones in school. Reese said cellular connection is needed for emergencies.
“I had to walk all the way to the front of (the high school) to be able to make a phone call — if somebody had a heart attack or something … You’re taking a good 45 seconds to get to the front of the school before you can call,” he said.
The marketing agreement will allow Diamond Communications, a wireless infrastructure company that works with other Texas school districts, to begin contacting popular cellular carriers, such as T-Mobile, AT&T and more, to place more antennas or towers on Taylor ISD campuses to improve connection.
The carriers will pay rent on any antennas or towers placed on-site.
