The Platteville School Board voted Monday night to do four additional building projects as part of work on the school district’s buildings.

The additional work will be funded by unallocated and contingency funds from the $16.62 million building project, as well as $113,000 from the school district’s fund balance.

The nearly $518,000 in additional work includes renovating the existing Platteville Middle School boys locker room into boys and girls locker rooms, replacing exterior and interior doors at Neal Wilkins Early Learning Center, hooking in the school district office into the PMS generator, and renovating existing Platteville High School staff and work rooms into a new faculty lounge and work room with two bathrooms.

The school board decided against a proposal to renovate the existing PMS girls locker room and office area into fitness and storage rooms. The school district plans an additional $245,000 in one-time expenses for technology equipment, furniture and asbestos removal.

The work, along with a previously planned drawdown of $1 million for the project, will reduce the school district’s fund balance from $4.19 million, or nearly 25 percent of the school district’s budget, to $3.073 million, or 18 percent of the school district’s budget. School district policy requires a minimum fund balance of 15 percent, and Platteville Public Schools superintendent Connie Valenza said a fund balance of 16.64 percent is required to eliminate short-term borrowing. 

PPS voters approved $15 million in borrowing for the project.

Valenza said a fund balance of 25 percent means “you’re essentially taking taxpayer dollars, and those dollars are sitting there and not doing anything for kids.”

“It’s cheaper” to do the work now because “they’re here already set up,” said school board member Josh Grabandt of contractors for the projects.