Knox County School Construction and the PBA

At the School Board workshop this week Dale Smith of the PBA (Public Building Authority) was there to answer questions. Powell Middle School has supposedly become a PBA project. There is no vote of the school board giving the PBA the project and their success with the Hardin valley High School is suspect. PBA guaranteed that their $500,000.00 dollar management fee would come out of what they saved the school district and the county.

Well, let’s see it was a $40.0 million dollar project, the geo-thermal was an additional $4.0 million and then they (PBA) asked the schools to go back to the county for $6.0 million more. I haven’t seen any savings, yet. But anyway.

In the Mayor’s budget last year he paid for a study. The study will prioritize all the construction needs and will rank where the construction dollars need to be spent. A good idea, however, sources indicate that the study was complete in October 2006 but PBA will not release it until the Commission and School Board can meet in joint session. That is scheduled for January 11, 2007 at 11:00 am.

School Board Member Robert Bratton explained what the problem is at the workshop. The school board is not being able to see the finished report before the January 11 meeting. Dale Smith appears to have indicated that some in county government may have seen it. The problem with that is that the school board were given $600,000.00 in their capital plan to pay for the study. The study is completed and the entity (Schools) that paid for it can not see it. They will be expected to submit a Capital Plan with 4 – 6 weeks without having the time to commit due diligence to examining the study.

Rumor indicates that Carter Elementary School and New Hopewell Elementary may leap frog (jump ahead) of the new Southwest Knox County Elementary School.

January 11, 2007 is not that far off, it would have been helpful for the study to be released when it was completed or at least share the draft report with the school board since they are the client.


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