Austin Public Schools will have a similar Operating Capital Budget as last year.

The Austin Public Schools Board approved the Operating Capital Budget at its regularly scheduled meeting Monday evening.

Finance and Operations Director Mark Stotts recommended the capital budget be approved for the 2015-16 fiscal year. Capital revenues and expenditures are projected to be about $1.5 million, resulting in a break-even budget. The projected fund balance as of June 30, 2016, is about $285,000. Stotts said the budget needed to be approved so the construction projects the district is planning for the summer can start receiving bids and making contracts.

“Nothing has really changed from last year to this year,” Stotts said. “Some of the projects are a little different, but for the most part everything stays status quo, and of course we allocate funds off to the buildings so that they are able to make discretionary purchases out of operating capital funds.”

Stotts noted that over the past five years, the district has spent about $20 million on capital projects,which included HVAC upgrades, roofing projects, fixing parking lots, asbestic removal and other maintenance projects.

“Maintaining facilities within an education system is extremely important,” he said. “We try to keep the schools in the best shape for the students and the public as a whole.”