District 11 has resumed discussions on how it will spend $130 million in upgrades throughout the district.

Wednesday night during a work session, the Board of Education gave the go-ahead to determine how exactly it will allocate the funds through a certificate of participation (COP) approved back in November.

Rather than a bond or a mill levy override (MLO) passed by local taxpayers, a COP uses existing revenue within a school district’s general fund or other existing resources as a lease obligation that is not viewed as debt under the state constitution and can get paid off over a set period of time.

This means that a district can cover the costs of capital projects like building renovations and upgrades without additional tax funding.

The main needs identified in the district that could potentially get addressed through the COP included $100 million in renovations to Palmer High School, $20 million in heating, ventilation and air conditioning, $6 million in bathroom upgrades and $5 million toward general educational adequacy throughout the district.

Over the past year, the board held multiple work sessions to discuss the possibility of a COP to fund district needs instead of a bond passage, since D-11 hasn’t had one pass since 2006 and recent ballot measures have failed throughout the Pikes Peak region.

Current construction costs along with future projections also were factored into exploring the COP now.

In Palmer High, the oldest operating school at 150 years, it was recognized that the facility has become in need of numerous upgrades to improve facility conditions and overall educational adequacy. Upgrades identified included classrooms without windows, poor circulation and HVAC needs and overall outdated learning environments.

“We have plenty of work to do across the district, [but] Palmer is our school that is in greatest need,” D-11 Chief Resource Officer Brandan Comfort said.

With all schools currently in the process of installing HVAC, one that would be addressed through the COP’s funding will be determined at a later date.

The bathrooms in the district’s remaining high schools along with West, Galileo and Mann middle schools were all highlighted as needed greater privacy and safety due with student violence and harassment frequently occurring there.

“We have kids that are not using our restrooms in secondary buildings because of their condition, because of their safety,” Comfort said.

Educational adequacy refers to more general improvements throughout the district yet to be determined and could potentially include new furniture and potential for new instructional approaches and educational environments.

The specific schools and their needs were determined by faculty, parents and students through surveys and town hall meetings conducted in recent years.

Board members acknowledged that another intention for the COP is to demonstrate responsible spending by maximizing current taxpayer dollars. In addition to merely gaining and building public trust, the eventual hope is to present the voting public with eventual bond votes for future renovations following these upgrades.

“This is going to be a catalyst for future work in our school district,” board President Parth Melpakam said.

There are currently no start or completion dates determined, nor have there been any specific COP renovation projects presented to the board.

Having already received feedback on the future of Palmer High in particular, the board emphasized that the next step would involve meeting with the public to guide decisions on how to ultimately proceed with the funds.

“There will be lots of opportunity for community and school input on what these designs will look like for Palmer,” board Treasurer Lauren Nelson said.