Kingfisher Public Schools has a laundry list of needs.

It also currently has financial means.

Those two roads could very well intersect in the near future.

The Kingfisher Board of Education last Monday voted unanimously to authorize LWPB Architecture to begin schematic designs for three potential projects to go with designs the firm had already made for a fourth.

The moves came after Superintendent Dr. Daniel Craig delivered yet another glowing financial report to the board.

At the time of the meeting, the district had just over $10.1 million in its general fund.

“I’ve gone through years and years of records,” Craig said at the meeting. “That’s the most we’ve ever had in the month of January and I could only find one other month where we’ve had a little bit more.”

And the general fund is still growing as ad valorem checks continue to pad the balance.

KPS also has nearly $1.8 in the building fund, a number that should grow by about $500,000 as leftovers from the bond issue for the construction of the new junior high.

While Craig said it’s important to spend responsibly in order to be prepared for a rainy day, he said he also feels it’s prudent to spend some of those reserves.

First of all, the district, at some point, will be penalized and have state aid withheld if it continues its current fund amount.

The state allows a 17% carryover of general fund revenue, a threshold Kingfisher is well past, though there is a time allowance districts are given.

“We have a few years until the penalty would kick in,” Craig said, also noting there’s currently a bill in the legislature that would extend the grace period even longer.

Even bigger, in Craig’s mind, is withholding from current students and staff.

“Philosophically, I believe we should spend money on the staff, students, programs and buildings we have now,” Craig told the Times & Free Press after the meeting. “Parents are paying taxes on these students right now and instead of saving it all, we should spend money on our kids right now.

“This is within reason, of course.”

Even prior to Craig’s arrival, board members have discussed multiple projects that could be addressed within the district.

Among them are renovating Gilmour Elementary School, the district’s oldest building.

An expansion to the ag barn was discussed as another area of need as well as renovating the current concession stand and restrooms at the football field and a locker room for students at the new junior high building.

LWPB had already been hired to design the ag barn addition and delivered those plans. Bids were actually sent out for the project last year, but rising construction costs made those bids come in well over projections.

The project was shelved for the time being.

At Monday’s meeting, LWPB was tasked with providing designs for Gilmour, the concession stand and the locker room.

The district has worked with LWPB on a number of previous projects, including the new junior high building.

Jason Hukill, the architect who has designed several of those projects, including the ag barn expansion, was at Monday’s meeting.

He brought with him preliminary design ideas for the locker room, which was the first item on the agenda.

The other projects, he said, will take more extensive tours of the facilities and discussions with personnel and the community before work begins on them.

Board member Terry Payne, once a principal at Gilmour, wanted to ensure the public was aware no one project inappropriately took precedence over others.

Craig noted that all the projects are viable needs and said the process for all of them could begin at the same time.

In the case of the locker room, seventh and eighth graders who make the move to the new junior high will have nowhere to dress for extra-curricular activities.

“They’ve got to be able to dress somewhere,” Craig said.

The locker room could serve needs of junior high athletes, but also soccer teams as well as be a locker room for visiting football teams.

“We need it,” said board member Carly Franks during discussion at the meeting. “We have the money and we need to invest it in the kids.”

Added Craig after the meeting: “We do need it, but I want to make sure we are addressing our other facilities’ needs at the same time.

“And Gilmour has a lot of need.”

While Hukill said Gilmour “has great bones” as a building, much of the rest of it is outdated, including much of the electrical work and plumbing.

Representatives of Joe D. Hall Construction, the firm serving as the construction manager for the current junior high construction, toured Gilmour recently.

Van Storm told board members at a recent meeting that renovations could run anywhere from $200,000 to $2 million depending on how extensive the board wanted the work to be.

The ag barn addition has been waiting in the wings for several months.

The concession stand has had a number of repair issues, including pipes bursting during a recent cold spell.

The renovations to it could be tied into the locker room.

As far as funding it all, state law determines how certain funds can be spent.

General fund dollars cannot be used for new construction.

They can be used for renovations, repairs and equipment.

Building bond monies are set aside for new construction as well as more nuanced renovations when they deal with load-bearing walls and roof lines.

No matter the funds used for the construction, Craig said once plans are approved for all the projects, they can essentially work toward starting them simultaneously.

“We can do it all at the same time,” he said.