The Iroquois School Board voted Tuesday to approve a proposed capital improvement plan that would cost millions of dollars less than the one that district residents voted down last fall.

The 2010 Excel Capital Project calls for reconstruction, site improvements and equipment for the district’s six buildings at a maximum cost of $17.5 million. It allows tapping a capital reserve fund for $4.4 million.

A public vote on the proposal is scheduled from 7 a. m. to 9 p. m. Dec. 1 in the gymnasium of Iroquois Intermediate School, 2111 Girdle Road, Elma.

The proposal resoundingly defeated last year had called for $49 million in building and grounds upgrades — the largest capital project in the district’s history — and included the addition of a science and music wing at the high school.

School Superintendent Neil Rochelle said that this project would focus on health and safety items, energy efficiencies, compliance with the Americans With Disabilities Act and replacement of worn-out equipment.

“We listened to the community, and, based on the surveys, the feedback was ‘only do what you have to do,’ ” Rochelle said.

If voters approve, the project would have no effect on the local school tax rate, Business Manager Douglas Scofield said. The work is eligible for 70 percent reimbursement from the state. The rest would be covered by $924,000 in Excel funds from the state and money from the district’s capital reserve fund, Scofield added.

Scofield said that he was 100 percent certain of the funding for the project but that if something changed, he would suggest the board reduce the scope of the project.

Along with kitchen equipment replacements and chimney work, upgrades are planned for electrical, plumbing, and heating systems in at least half the buildings.