A £23 million plan has been lodged to replace two of Perth and Kinross’s most dilapidated schools.
Council chiefs want to demolish and rebuild ageing primaries at Tulloch and Kinross.
The two buildings were ranked bottom in a recent study of Perth and Kinross Council’s school estate.
It has emerged that both projects will now be entirely funded from the authority’s capital budget, despite £14.5m being pledged by the Scottish Government specifically for the rebuild two years ago.
The council has struck a deal with Holyrood to reallocate the funding to other school replacement schemes.
Planners have now taken the wraps off radical new designs for the replacement schools.
And the public will now get its say on the schemes before a final decision on planning consent is made in the coming weeks.
Work is scheduled to begin on both sites in October 2016, with doors due to open in December the following year.
A spokesman for Glasgow-based consultants Norr, who have put the proposals together, said: “The design is based on the key principles of flexibility, sustainability, high quality and affordability.”
Both buildings are earmarked for land right next to the existing schools.
Plans to replace the schools were originally raised four years ago. At the time, locals were worried there would only be enough cash to create one new building.
However, in 2014 the Scottish Government announced it would contribute £14.5m towards the overall project. The remaining £8.5m would be paid for by the council.
It is now estimated that Tulloch will cost about £11m to build, while Kinross will be slightly more expensive at £12m.
A council spokeswoman said: “The council is committed to improving pupils’ learning experiences. We have plans for a major school replacement programme which is funded jointly by the council and the Scottish Government.
“In order to deliver the projects in the most efficient way, the council and Scottish Government have agreed to redirect some of their respective funding commitments to align with this replacement programme.”
Last month, The Courier revealed that council bosses face spending millions on its ageing school estate.
A fresh strategy is being drawn up to address the failing conditions of primaries at Aberuthven, Forteviot, Methven, North Muirton and Ruthvenfield, as well as Perth High School and Pitlochry High School.
Plans are already being produced for a brand new 1,000-capacity secondary school at Bertha Park.
Perth City South councillor Willie Wilson welcomed the report into school buildings.
“We may have done a lot so far, but there’s a huge amount more to do in terms of investing,” he said.
“Also, it is important to note that some of our newer buildings will, in about five or six years’ time, start to show decline and there will be financial consequences which go with that. We are on a pretty big treadmill of continuous work.”