Representatives of LWPB Architecture led a lengthy discussion of proposed improvements at Gilmour Elementary School at Monday night’s Kingfisher school board meeting.

Because planned improvements of the building are just “repair, replace and renovation” and don’t include major alterations to the roof-line or removal or relocation of load-bearing walls, they can be financed from the school’s general fund, Superintendent Dr. Daniel Craig told the board.

In his treasurer’s report earlier in the meeting, Craig said the district should finish the year with a general fund carryover in excess of $11 million.

The district’s most recent gross production tax check was $375,000, and although down by almost half from last month’s collections, the total for the year is still trending $2.4 million over what the district’s auditors projected, due to skyrocketing oil prices, Craig said.

“I would think later this summer and into the fall, we’ll start to see some really big (gross production tax) checks,” he said. “We’re still in really, really good shape financially.”

Gilmour, which currently houses pre-K through first grade students, has not seen a major renovation in decades.

Jason Hukill of LWPB showed the board preliminary drawings of what might be done to upgrade the building, focusing on modernizing the restrooms, revamping the teacher workroom and updating classrooms.

Hukill said he and members of his team had toured the building, along with Principal Makylah Tollefson, and visited with members of the faculty and staff about their most pressing needs and desires for the renovation.

Part of the redo will include security enhancements, including a secure vestibule and building access controls, he said.

After an executive session, the board also approved additional steps in the compensation schedules for both certified personnel and support staff to reward employees with more experience and filled a number of open positions.

See Sunday’s edition for complete details.

Meanwhile, the search for a new superintendent was scheduled to continue Tuesday night with a special meeting scheduled to interview additional candidates for the post.