That was the over-riding theme during budget discussions at the school board meeting Aug. 3.

“Now that the state is doing a better job funding for kids, we have to plan how to spend it,” school board director Pete Lundberg said.

In the past five years or so, the district has been spending money on a crisis basis, only if it was definitely needed.

“If he had it he shared it,” Lundberg said finance director Jim Baker.

Baker said, “If it was unsafe we’d deal with the crisis.”

Director Bruce Larsen added, “We don’t want to deal with crisis to crisis.”

Baker added, “Now that we are back on our feet we can plan ahead and not just for emergencies.”

“We haven’t seen a budget with money in it,” director Chris Nation said.

Another hot topic at the meeting was the restoration of personnel cut during the recession. In 2009 an audit said the district needed more nurses. But because of the recession, a nurse was actually cut.

“You haven’t restored that yet,” said Brandon Tippy, a union spokesman.

Colleen Bradley said another nurse is needed badly.

“They have to make care plans for 2,500 students,” she said, adding they have to work with parents and medical professionals on each plan then make teachers and others aware of the issues.

Mike Rainwater said he has worked in security at Marysville-Pilchuck High School for 22 years.

“It’s more efficient than ever,” he said.

He added that instead of hiring a security director, which is in the budget, he would like to see that money spent on more nurses and paraeducators.

“We’d all like to do something right away, but I’d like to do something right,” Lundberg said. “You may not get what you want tonight, but it’s coming.”

Baker mentioned the district already spends $30 per student more than in surrounding districts. He suggested a study on health needs and options.

The security management position also was discussed.

Marysville police assigns uniformed school resource officers who work with staff and students, but their job is to develop relationships.

In the wake of the shooting at Marysville-Pilchuck High School last fall, the district is looking at more security.

“We haven’t had leadership in that area before,” assistant superintendent Ray Houser said. “The picture we got from the recovery efforts is we need to prepare staff and students for disasters.”

Lundberg asked, “Is this a bigger danger if we don’t fix it right now, considering what we’ve been through?”

Superintendent Becky Berg said, “We need to look at how vulnerable we are.”

Tippy said more also needs to be spent on maintenance.

“Paint is falling off ceilings and walls,” he said, adding electricians also work as locksmiths.

“What I’m hearing tonight is we can’t restore everything at once,” he said, adding a multi-year maintenance plan needs to be developed. If that doesn’t happen, he said Marysville could end up like Ferndale, where part of a school was condemned.

“We’re headed that way,” he said.

Discussions centered around creating plans so items could be replaced on a scheduled basis in many different areas.

Nation said money should be set aside for a preventive maintenance fund.

“There’s such a need for grounds upkeep,” he said.

Motor vehicles is another area of need. Baker said in the budget is money for five vans.

“We can’t do it all in one cycle,” he said.

Berg said she had a dream about vehicles.

“A piece of junk was going down the highway, and it had Marysville School District on it,” she said.

Baker said setting aside money to replace two vehicles each of the next four years would be a good start.

Nation also expressed concern for the condition of desks and chairs at most schools.

“Unless the school is fairly new it’s got a bunch of junk,” he said. “They gotta have a life expectancy” of maybe four years?

Try 30 years, Berg said.

“With a plan we would have priorities,” Baker added.

The school board directors said now that the district has money, more needs to be spent on upkeep and replacement.

“I just wanted something (in the budget) after four years of saying no,” Baker said of the comparably small amount set aside in the budget request.