But according to Tonganoxie school Super-intendent Richard Erickson, the deficit can be made up by drawing from the district’s capital outlay fund.

“I want us to make sure that we get everything that we told our public we were gong to get and everything that our kids need,” Erickson told board members at Thursday’s meeting. “I think this package does that for us, but I think we’re going to have to use some of our capital outlay for it.”

Erickson noted that voters approved a $25.3 million project last November. The work includes a new middle school and renovation and construction at the elementary school and high school.

Kris Roberts, construction manager, presented to board members the final bids for combined work on the grade school and high school.

She noted that two items would be re-bid — a plumbing bid which the bidder withdrew within the allowed timeframe, and a bid for an elevator at the high school.

Board president Leana Leslie asked if the re-bidding would slow construction.

“We’ll just have to hustle,” Roberts said.

So far, Roberts said, work on the middle school will come in at about $13.5 million. And the bill for the combined construction at the grade school and high school will be about $12.8 million.

The middle school came in about $800,000 to $900,000 under budget, Roberts said.

“We used that surplus for the high school and grade school,” she added.

In approving the bid packages, board members also approved these items that had been listed as alternates:

• The addition of a second floor wrestling room at the high school above the locker rooms, $264,259.
• Finishing the interior of the vocational technical building at the high school, $431,917.
• Replacing the flooring in the high school gym, adding 2.5 feet in length to bring the basketball court up to regulation size, $95,266.
• Arranging the construction schedule for work at the existing grade school and junior high school to be done during the summer of 2007 so construction won’t disrupt the school’s schedule, $100,461.
• Installation of an operable partition in the existing high school auditorium to convert it into a lecture hall and computer center, $21,900.
• Two wireless microphones for the lecture hall, $2,384.
• Video system for lecture hall, $18,761.

Board members also approved advertising for a new position — full-time technology assistant. Carl Robison, director of technology, said when he started working for the district in 2001, there were 250 computers in the schools. Now, he said, there are more than 600.