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Sunday, 28 November 2010 01:52
My letter is in response to the Nov. 21 Forum commentary "Start Cutting Here, Gov. Corbett." The article references the monumental decision facing the Carlynton School District's board: renovate or replace its two elementary schools.
PlanCon indeed encourages overspending and unnecessary new construction. According to the piece, architects are paid a percentage of total construction costs; therefore, they have a financial incentive to make projects as extensive as possible rather than promote cost-effective solutions. I have seen this firsthand in Carlynton. The cost-effective option of updating mechanicals, wiring, lighting, windows, security systems, etc., in our structurally sound elementary schools was not given by the architects.
Our schools are not failing schools. Consider that PSSA scores' evidence that 91.6 percent of Carnegie Elementary fourth-grade students are proficient or advanced in math and 95.5 percent of Crafton Elementary fourth-grade students are proficient or advanced at math. In comparison, only 84.9 percent of fourth-grade students across Pennsylvania are proficient or advanced in math. These are schools worth keeping.
Carnegie, Rosslyn Farms and Crafton are covered with yard signs urging the school board to save the neighborhood schools. I have attended numerous school board meetings where residents urge the board to consider a cost-effective renovation option. To date, the school board has refused to seek such an option.
If eliminating the school construction subsidy program, titled PlanCon, will get school districts to pursue cost-effective options that benefit the taxpayers and preserve educational excellence, then please, Gov.-elect Corbett, start cutting here.
APRIL WEITZEL
Crafton Borough Council
Crafton
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written by PghGirl412, November 29, 2010 - 09:37 AM
Having worked in school construction for a few years, I can attest to the many & very severe flaws in the system. The inherent flaws drive away good companies so most of the big players are bottom-of-the-barrel companies who can't hang in the many more competitive sectors of construction.
They gravitate here because the board HAS TO award the contract to someone no matter how bad the company's track record may be. They compete with one another through collusion & low-balling, confident that they will make a nice windfall from change orders & extras -- and they do. They also use unprofessional, unqualified subcontractors, sometimes because they have to -- respectable companies won’t do business with these notorious scofflaws. This results in subpar labor at a generous union/fringe scale all at taxpayer expense, with the additional burden on citizens of delays & extra costs which are unavoidable when unqualified personnel are doing the work. It’s a travesty.
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Your issue relates to renovating a school(s) or consolidating into one school. School boards have become rather cavalier in spending money. They've become like little kids with a fistful of money in a candy shop.
School boards have to watch these architects and sub-contractors with an eagle eye. If not, they will eat you alive with "extras". That drives up the bottom line.
I know. I saw it first hand in my school district. We are still paying for extras for the construction that was done LAST YEAR. We are still paying for a new school built 10 years ago.
Quite frankly, I agree with you. I would rather opt for cost solutions by renovate schools than build new ones. Once again, we are still paying for our new school. The debt is killing us.