Tonganoxie ? During a time of financial uncertainty, education leaders in Tonganoxie are getting creative.

“There are a lot of schools doing this, but there are a lot of schools that are going to be doing this also,” says district Assistant Superintendent Kyle Hayden.

Earlier this week, board members unanimously voted to reallocate some of the districts spending. It’s all part of an effort to go green.

Tonganoxie Elementary School Principal Tammie George said everyone seems to be on board.

“I think it’s very important for us to be progressive,” she said.

The new facility conservation program is a movement advocated by the governor and the State Legislature to stimulate students learning by making things more comfortable in the classroom.

“The lighting is old fashioned so it will make a huge difference in the amount of work the kids can do,” George said.

Keven Ward, an education facilities consultant with TRANE, has been instrumental in helping this project come to fruition. He says the plan simply makes sense when looking at school finance.

“The visual comfort, the indoor air quality, the thermal comfort, being able to do that while reducing energy and water consumption and operational costs that can be used to fund the project makes it very favorable,” said Ward.

The project will simultaneously ease the strain on the district’s pocketbook. The upgrades are 100 percent self-funded. The district will look to save $217 thousand annually, easily paying for the project with the money being saved.

“We are going to go into older buildings and provide a tremendous learning environment,” Hayden said.

Although many parents and students throughout the district are still relatively unaware of the impact and changes for the district, those who have learned of the project are in full support.

“That’s big because any little distraction with a little kid, you know how it is, so if it’s better for them, I am all for that,” said Kasey Robbins, a parent of two children in the district as he learned of the project.