While it has only been a week since the beginning of summer break, leaders with Dowagiac Union Schools have already made a huge dent in their back-to-school shopping list.

On Monday, the Dowagiac Union Schools Board of Education approved the next batch of purchases for the ongoing overhaul of Dowagiac Union High School during its meeting at Dowagiac City Hall. The board approved contracts with the following firms:

• Ryan Fire Protection Inc., of Noblesville, Indiana, for fire suppression services, in the amount of $298,500.

• Brainard Enterprises, of Rockford, Michigan, for new metal lockers, in the amount of $82,865.

• Parkway Electric & Communications LLC, of Holland, Michigan, for new classroom technology, in the amount of $257,565.

• School Specialty, of Greenville, Wisconsin, for new student and teacher furniture, in the amount of $318,700.

The first contractor will provide a new fire suppression system for the high school, which will include fire alarms and sprinklers to help extinguish blazes. The equipment will enhance the safety and security of students once in place, as the school currently only has alarms installed, said Superintendent Paul Hartsig.

The new lockers, on the other hand, will replace the current ones installed in the high school, having a similar combination lock as the older fixtures, Hartsig said.

District leaders intended to purchase the first two items when the firm managing construction of the new high school, Skillman Corporation, submitted their recommendations for contractors for the project to the board in March. However, board members voted to reject the bids for fire suppression and new lockers due to the estimates coming in far higher than originally anticipated.

However the figures from Ryan Fire Protection and Brainard Enterprises are much more competitive, the superintendent said.

The last two items, for the new technology and furniture, will stand out the most of the new equipment to students.

Machines purchased from Parkway Electric & Communications LLC include interactive touch screen displays, display monitors, document cameras and other devices, which will be installed in every classroom once the renovation project is completed. The new furniture includes more comfortable chairs, tables and desks for students, as well as upgraded desks and lecterns for teachers.

The district purchased the new equipment now in order to give contractors enough time to deliver and install it, while crews handle the first phase of renovations in the school this summer, Hartsig said.

“Our goal is to have 11 classrooms finished by the time our students return in the fall,” Hartsig said. “We want to make sure to have the furniture and new technology installed by the time they arrive.”

Work on the more than $16 million worth of upgrades to Union High School began shortly before the end of the school year in May, and is expected to continue through 2018. The district plans to renovate the entire high school interior, build a new competition gym, and install a new heating and cooling system and secure entrance vestibule, similar to the one at Dowagiac Middle School.

In addition to construction at the high school, contractors will install new ADA-compliant bleachers at the football field this summer as well. The new seating should be in place before the start of the Chieftain season in August, Hartsig said.

The project, as well as planned improvements to the district’s elementary buildings and Chris Taylor Alumni Field, is funded through the $37 million pair of school bonds approved by district residents in 2015.

Design work is underway for the improvements to the elementary buildings. The district should have plans in place for presentation to the public by the fall, the superintendent said.