Now that the district’s amended general fund budget has been approved, Oxford school officials are crunching the numbers in the hopes of funding capital improvement projects over the next three years.

Assistant Superintendent of Business and Operations Sam Barna presented a list of recommended capital improvement projects at a recent board meeting.

According to Barna, the current list has been estimated to cost approximately $25 million in total.

Recommended projects for Oxford High School include replacing worn pool interior finish, carpeting, and damaged classroom blinds. Lighting in the parking lot was also recommended to be switched to energy-efficient LED lighting.

The irrigation system for the OHS athletics field was also recommended to be replaced, due to acidic water levels found within the current system.

Recommended projects for the elementary schools included the removal and replacement of worn playground equipment, updating fire alarm systems, and the replacement of parking lots and sidewalks.

Air conditioning units would also be installed and updated at Daniel Axford and Oxford elementary schools.

Roofs were noted to need updating throughout the district, including the roof at OHS, which is over 20-years-old and leaking in certain areas of the school.

The installation of electric and digital signage was also on the list, to allow for more effective communication throughout the district.

School officials said the plan is intended to address additional needs for the facilities and to ensure the current facilities are maintained properly.

“This (list) is needs-based. It’s not want-based,” said Barna. “We have infrastructure here that the taxpayers have afforded us the opportunity over the past 20 years to invest in our buildings and what we’re doing here is keeping those investments up.”

President Dan D’Alessandro said he agreed that the projects would be a wise investment for the district.

“Not only is it a big task… but at the end of the day we have to maintain our buildings at a certain point so that the money we’ve spent on them to this point isn’t just thrown away,” said President Dan D’Alessandro.

Trustee Heather Shafer said that she hoped the district-wide improvements could also help benefit students and staff.

“I think it’s important. We have to improve our buildings. That’s where everybody’s at and that’s what everybody sees. That’s where our kids are,” said Shafer.

To finance the projects, Barna said Oxford officials may need to consider a bond proposal in the future.

Should the district be unable to secure the full amount needed to complete the projects through a bond, Treasurer Mike Schweig said the board should be prepared to prioritize the list.

“We could quickly itemize that list,” Barna replied. “(Priorities are) safety, security, building operations… things that affect the operation (of) the buildings of the district, (those are) first and foremost.”

During the public comment portion of the meeting, Melissa Williams, a parent of an OES student, told the board that the installation of air conditioning throughout the elementary schools was “needed.”

“As a parent and a stakeholder, I wanted to say… I’m really happy to see (this list). Just to reassure you, as a parent of an OES student, the air conditioners… even when we started (school) this year, there was a lot of need for parents to bring in fans (for) the classrooms.”

In a later interview with this reporter, Barna added that, should a bond proposal come to fruition, taxpayers would not need to worry about seeing an increase in the district’s current debt service millage rate.

“A lot of people think (the district) had a bond pass last year. That wasn’t a bond, that was a non-homestead millage which was basically a renewal and that was part of our operating funds,” said Barna. “This isn’t that. This is a bond. It’s new debt … but because we’d be paying off some current debt, we can take on up to $25 million (additionally) in bonds to pay for these projects, without levying any more to the taxpayers. It would still remain within the 7.9 mills.”