BUTLER TWP — Butler School Board members tonight will review the proposed building consolidation plans.

The meeting begins at 6 p.m. at the Butler High School auditorium.

Several district administrators, along with Jon Thomas of Thomas and Williamson Project Management, will speak about transitions that need to be made if the board approves the plan next month.

Broad Street, Center Avenue, Clearfield, Meridian and Oakland elementary schools would close in proposed consolidation plans. The remaining elementary schools would become kindergarten through fourth grade buildings, and fifth and sixth graders would attend a middle school together at the junior high building downtown.

The consolidation plans in total are estimated to save $3.5 million.

Tonight’s meeting will be public, but residents will not be allowed to speak.

Board member Bill Halle on Monday sent an e-mail to other board members, district administrators and the media saying he’s disappointed with the meeting agenda. In February he had called for a special meeting.

“My request for a special meeting that was scheduled for April 8th was meant to finally provide time for the board of school directors to openly question, debate and discuss specific details of the consolidation plan,” he said. “The attached agenda appears to once again provide the most significant amount of time for Mr. Thomas and district staff to present information that has already been presented multiple times at the prior consolidation plan meetings held at the intermediate high school and community elementary schools, and the smallest amount of time for board debate and discussion at the very end.”

The meetings at each of the five elementary schools detailed transition plans from principals and administrators. Questions from the public also were answered.

However, Dale Lumley, superintendent, said tonight’s meeting will provide a planning update since board members took a preliminary consolidation vote in February.

“I put the agenda together. Several of the board members did not attend any of the community meetings ... so we’re going to bring all the board members up to date,” Lumley said.

Halle also outlined several questions he’d like answered before considering the consolidation plan, including the educational impact of the consolidation plan and how other rising costs will be curbed.

David Korn, school board president, said some of those issues will remain unknown, while other topics already have been addressed.

“Obviously, we’re always trying to better ourselves from an educational impact,” Korn said. “Consolidation or no consolidation, we’re always trying to improve the educational experience.”

Lumley said the board will meet May 6 to take a final vote on the consolidation plan. The current plan was approved in February in a preliminary vote 6-3.