Colin Hilpert, of Stifel, a global wealth management and investment banking company, reported on the district’s Series 2026 General Obligation School Buildings Bonds during the May 19 Bourbon School Board meeting.

“So, we sold $8 million of bonds today in the public market,” Hilpert said. “Total debt service over the financing will be a little over $13 million.”

The board is expected to receive an $8.5 million project fund deposit on June 4, which means they may have some extra money to cover any contingencies or cost increases.

A motion was made to adopt the resolution that authorizes and directs the issuance, sale and delivery of the principal amount, $8 million, of general obligation school building bonds. The resolution defines the details of the bonds including levying and collecting an annual tax to pay the principal and interest on them. It was passed with a 6-0 vote.

The district’s priority project is the elementary and middle schools’ roof replacement, which has already been discussed and approved. The district wants to quickly move forward with it to help prevent further deterioration and damage to both facilities.

Due to recent storm damage, Superintendent Brian Witt said that more roofs are going to be addressed “through insurance coverage,” but not in this first bid project.

Tim Uelk, with KRJ Architecture, said they have made some adjustments, but they will be in a later bid package.

“As not to curtail or push off the most prominent and most crucial roof areas to get resolved and recovered,” Uelk said. “So we’d like to move forward with the roof areas that we’ve discussed and get those under contract with a contractor to get that underway.”

The next bid package will include work to be completed on the remainder of the roofs at the elementary and middle schools, the high school roof and a new entrance piece.

A motion to move forward with the roofing repairs as part of the district’s bond projects, including preparing bid documents, bid solicitation and authorizing Witt to execute necessary documents, was approved with a 6-0 vote.

The front entrance and parking lot expansion project is also moving forward.

The board voted 6-0 to approve THD Design Group for geotechnical subsurface exploration services, Archer-Elgin for land survey services and to authorize Witt to execute the necessary documents related to the proposed high school entrance and parking lot expansions on behalf of the district.

To help improve the district’s curriculum, Witt said that they have looked into Step Up Consulting Services over the last several years.

It is a customizable K-12 digital curriculum management system that is designed to align the district’s curriculum with Missouri Learning Standards and Comprehensive School Improvement Plan (CSIP) goals.

The proposal from Step Up Consulting Services for the 2026-27 school year in the amount of $18,000 was approved with a 6-0 vote.

BudgetingHQ, which the board has been using for financial planning purposes, has made a few changes. Witt explained that they were able to use the Forecast module, but now it is an add-on.

“I wouldn’t have said this a year ago, but now that we got to use it, I can’t imagine not having it,” Witt said.

A motion to accept the BalanceHQ Forecast Module agreement and authorize Witt to execute the necessary documents on behalf of the district was approved with a 6-0 vote.

To help protect the district’s accounts, the board has also researched the Positive Pay Agreement, offered through Town & Country Bank, which establishes fraud prevention and check verification services for the district’s accounts.

A motion to approve the Positive Pay Agreement was approved with a 6-0 vote.