Oddities in BEX IV
Perusing the BEX IV presentation and then what was presented to the Mayor's Educational Leadership Team yesterday, I see some things that I don't understand.
- BTA has been about major maintenance like roofs and yet there are five roofs to be replaced under BEX IV. That is troubling because BEX is about renovations and yet there are roofs and other "major preventative maintenance" under BEX IV. What is really troubling is the "major preventative maintenance" at $18M has no list of projects. Basically, it looks like a fund for something.
- Those five schools with roof replacements scheduled are Eckstein, Franklin, Gatewood, Laurelhurst and Whitman. However, checking the BTA work from previous years shows that Laurelhurst received a new roof in 2002, Whitman in 2006, and Eckstein in 2010. This is district data at their website. How could this be wrong? Or, how could these almost new roofs need replacement?
- I note - just as an observation - that Ingraham keeps its standing as the only school to appear on every single BTA and BEX list. This time it's for earthquake safety improvements which you think might have been done under BEX III.
- I also note that after the lack of security cameras at Roosevelt even after its renovation, that BEX IV has security camera systems listed for installation at 19 schools. Naturally, I think this is good but again, I also think this comes under BTA and not BEX.
- Also there is $3M in BEX IV for academics for STEM and IB. Again, this is passing off operating costs into capital areas. Meaning, we have created programs that cannot be paid for out of operating costs.
Comments
If this is accurate, it's patently dishonest from an agency that has a reputation for corruption and wasting money, with special thanks to the prior Board, SI, and of course, Mr. Potter. I hear these bias-confirming comments from my private school parents all the time. Good thing the economy is bad and people are opting for publics, otherwise, if more could afford private, SPS might be hurting worse than they are right now.
It's just money and basic math. Can we not practice basic honesty and transparency in SPS? WSDWG
This was senior staff being disingenuous with board members, again.
They can leave the downtown school off the project list and still do it. Especially since they have refused to clearly state whether they intend to do it or not.
In fact, their determination to evade making a clear statement about the downtown school suggests that they are going to imply one thing and do the other.