Ellis Middle School’s auditorium will get a new roof this summer.

At a Monday evening meeting, the Austin Public Schools Board approved a bid by John A. Dalsin and Son Inc. for a roof improvement project. Dalsin made the low bid of $113,305 for the project, and construction is slated to start July 8. It should take five days.

The district made an insurance claim after the auditorium sustained wind damage on Jan. 25, according to Mark Stotts, finance and operations director. The school’s insurance company covered temporary repairs, but a claim for the project itself was denied because the roof has outlived its life expectancy of about 30 years. The work will replace the auditorium roof and remove a temporary ballast in place there.

The district was aware the roof needed repair before the winds hit, Stotts said, but did not have the funds to perform the work. Many of the district’s buildings are aged, and the district does not have enough operating revenue to tend to all such repairs.

“There are certain items we just can’t get to,” he said.

Look to Tuesday’s edition of the Herald for more on the school board meeting.