AUBURN – School officials will try to leverage higher efficiency to help pay for new heating systems at four area schools.

Representatives from the Auburn School Committee presented their capital improvement budget to city councilors Monday. It includes new boilers for Auburn Middle School and the Fairview, Sherwood Heights and Walton elementary schools.

The capital spending plan calls for $400,025 in bonded debt to pay for the new boilers. That’s about 40 percent of the cost. Tom Morrill, interim Auburn school superintendent, said boiler manufacturer Siemens USA has agreed to let the school department pay the remaining $637,675 over the next 10 years.

Morrill said the school expects to save at least that much for the next 10 years because the boilers are more efficient. The schools effectively pay the bulk of cost of the new boilers out of its operating budget on money already set aside for heating costs.

The city is also protected if the boilers are not that efficient, Morrill said. Siemens will refund money to the district if heating costs increase.

“We’re protected, and if we save more than we budgeted, that money goes to our bottom line,” Morrill said.

The capital plan also includes work on the stairs at Edward Little High School’s parking lot and new carpeting and floor tile replacement around the district.

Councilors approved the $900,000 spending plan last spring when they adopted their budget but asked to have it come back before them in fall, after school consolidation discussions wrapped up. Councilors then said they didn’t want Auburn taxpayers to foot the bill for school capital spending under a new, consolidated district.

But Auburn school officials scrapped the idea of consolidating with SAD 52, Union 29 and any other school districts.

“The issue I had was school consolidation, and we asked to have them bring it back before us once that was settled,” Councilor Eric Samson said. “But we approved this then, and I don’t think we need much more now.”

But Councilor Ray Berube said he was not so sure. Berube said he wanted more detailed numbers than Morrill presented.

“We made it quite clear we would not pass this until we saw specific numbers and actual bids on this projects,” Berube said. “I have not seen that, and I think we need to send a message.”

But Councilor Dick Gleason said that wasn’t necessary.

“We approved this last spring,” he said. “We’re not in a position now to micromanage the School Department.”

The city’s capital improvement bond is scheduled to go on sale late in November.