WILSON — Central Plains Middle School in Bushton could be a template for lighting and HVAC improvements throughout Central Plains Unified School District 112, Superintendent Greg Clark said Tuesday. The district is considering a bond issue to fund similar improvements to its six other buildings scattered among four communities.

It was at the USD 112 School Board meeting Monday night at Wilson Junior-Senior High School that officials heard a report from Knipp Lighting about work done at Bushton, Clark said. The Wichita company oversaw the retrofitting of light-emitting diode (LED) lighting and the installation of new heating and air conditioning.

Due to the dire condition of the HVAC at the middle school, Clark said the work was done via a lease-purchase agreement. But, “for the rest of the district we want to do a bond issue.”

As a point of reference, the Bushton HVAC cost around $530,0000 and the lights cost around $70,000, he said. But, Knipp representatives said the systems could pay for themselves in two-and-a-half to three years due to increased efficiency.

Knipp will come back to a later meeting with cost estimates and proposals for the other district facilities.

In the meantime, “we have a lot of work to do on this bond issue,” Clark said. However, he is confident.

“We have a lot of people who support our schools,” he said. “I feel positive about it.”

In other business Monday night, the School Board:

• Heard the district’s audit report from Adams, Brown, Beran and Ball. 

“It was a good clean report,” Clark said. “There were no major violations.”

• Approved the hiring of David Hanzlick as Wilson High School assistant boys basketball coach and Kiley Morse as a part-time custodian at Wilson.

• Took no action on a roofing project at the Claflin Recreation Commission. The building is owned by the City of Claflin, but Claflin High School uses it for basketball and other practices.

“We have to review the lease to see what our responsibilities are,” he said. 

• Following an executive session, the board emerged to approve Oct. 20 as a paid day off for all district employees. The day had originally been set aside as an in-service/work day for teachers.

• Learned there were no nominations for the district Hall of Fame.

With a district office and elementary school in Holyrood, USD 112 has high schools at Claflin and Wilson, middle schools at Bushton and Wilson, and an elementary school and Lakeside Learning in Wilson.

The board rotates its monthly meeting schedule from community to community. It will meet in Claflin in November.