The St. Paul school board has asked staff for an update on the facilities master plan to be delivered at Tuesday night’s board meeting.

“The school board wants to know where we are with planning and financing of our facilities plan,” board chairwoman Zuki Ellis said in an email released Monday by the school district’s spokesman, Kevin Burns.

The Pioneer Press reported Sunday that since 2016, the estimated cost of 18 key school projects has grown by $179 million, to $471 million.

The newspaper also found the school district finished the last fiscal year with a $27 million negative balance in a capital account because it failed to line up appropriate funding for three projects.

Further, the district cashed out a $25 million emergency fund in January.