The Fort Dodge Community School District board approved a plan to renovate Cooper Elementary School.

The project — which is estimated to cost just under $8 million — will include a new HVAC system in the school, plus new ceilings, lighting and flooring. The renovation will also widen the doors in the building to make them handicap accessible, said Ryan Utley, FDCSD director of buildings and grounds.

The project will be paid for using Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds, Utley said.

The district will open the project to bids over this next month.

Over winter break, Cooper classrooms will transition to the former Riverside Elementary School for the remainder of the school year. The classes will return to Cooper in the fall of 2022.

The board also approved a bid from Hoglund Bus Co., of Marshalltown, for $415,436 for the purchase of four new 77-passenger buses. This price includes $16,000 trade-in credit for four retiring buses.

According to FDCSD Director of Transportation Brad Niemeyer, two of the trade-in buses are about 10 years old and “not usable,” and the other two have around 85,000 miles on them.

The district also received a bid from Thomas Built Buses, of Council Bluffs, for $428,984 with $15,500 trade-in allowance; and from School Bus Sales, of Waterloo, for $468,268 with $12,000 trade-in allowance.

In other business, the school board approved the transfer of the remaining balance of the 2016 General Obligation Bonds to the Physical Plant and Equipment Levy Fund for use on facility improvements. The $128,797.37 was what remained after the $28,460,000 GO bonds issued in May 2016 for the purpose of building the new Duncombe Elementary School, the new auxiliary gym at Fort Dodge Senior High and making safety and security improvements around the district.

The board also approved a multi-year agreement with Leader in Me, the district’s social-emotional learning curriculum. Using ESSER “Loss of Learning” funds, the district will spend $98,185.01 for the 2022-2023 school year and $92,335,01 for the 2023-2024 school year for district and building-level online membership, coaching and materials for implementing Leader in Me each year.