For more than a decade, the South Butler School District has conducted studies regarding the need for various improvements at Knoch High School and South Butler Intermediate Elementary School.

Terry Thompson of the Foreman Group said that his firm had mulled and mapped construction options for the district as far back as 2008 and, in 2013, an $80,000 master plan was commissioned to determine the district’s most pressing needs.

But Donna Eakin, school board president, said at a Tuesday meeting that she is concerned about the lack of improvements in learning areas stemming from the recommendations. We share that concern.

No major renovations have been made since the commissioning of the master plan, and Thompson noted that no requests for improvements to learning spaces have been made by the district in the past 10 years.

At Tuesday’s meeting, a number of recommendations were made for renovations at the intermediate school. These include a new roof, windows and doors; making exits more accessible; changing from movable to solid walls, a new heating and air conditioning system and upgrades to plumbing and wiring. The total cost for the projects was estimated at $9.8 million to $12 million.

And Thompson said the high school could be rebuilt on campus for an estimated $47.2 million to $57.7 million. Other renovation options include flipping the auditorium bleachers to the entry side, renovating administration offices to improve student security and moving the cafeteria and kitchens.

In other words, there’s a decent amount of work required to upgrade the building, which is now 63 years old.

Thompson told school board members they should work with bond counsel consultants to come up with an amount the district intends to spend on renovations. Then, the Foreman Group would work with school officials to complete the projects deemed most urgent within the allocated amount.

The South Butler School District has a variety of upgrades it can undertake at the high school and intermediate school. Some of these upgrades are urgent — such as ones involving emergency exits or others regarding student safety — while others are of a more cosmetic nature.

Now is the time to start implementing them, and especially concentrating on areas where students learn — such as classrooms.

One resident in attendance at Tuesday’s meeting adequately summed up the scenario. “Something needs to be done,” said Trisha Bogan. “We need to stop kicking the can down the road and do something.”