School District 54 is asking the province for more than $9 million to make improvements at schools in Houston, Telkwa and Smithers.
It also wants to replace two school buses at a cost of $312,000.
The list of wanted projects was approved by the district board Sept. 24 and will now be sent to the province as district officials ready their work and spending plans for the next budget year.
The two largest planned expenditures are at Smithers Secondary School where the district wants to spend $5.5 million and at Twain Sullivan where the district wants to spend $950,000 to replace boilers, ducting, heating units and electronic control systems with heat pumps in both facilities.
"This lowers operating costs, improves efficiency for ventilation, heating and cooling and lowers our carbon footprint," said school district secretary treasurer Dave Margerm of the work plan for the two schools should the request for money be approved.
"This also changes natural gas use to electrical use through new heat pump exchanges," he said.
The district also wants $500,000 to replace the roof of Houston Secondary and $132,500 to renovate the existing kitchen facility there.
A further $750,000 would be spent to upgrade the learning commons area at Smithers Secondary, a combined $600,000 to replace the electrical mainlines at Silverthorne in Houston and Telkwa Elementary in Telkwa, and $500,000 to improve the building envelope at Muheim in Smithers.
An accessible exercise playground is wanted for Smithers Secondary at a cost of $195,000.
The kitchen upgrade at Houston Secondary would mean new fixtures, appliances, counters and cabinetry and more room for food preparation.
