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Tennessee must spend about $9.8 billion on repairs, upgrades, or development to maintain its Okay-12 public faculty buildings protected and conducive to studying, in response to a brand new state report.
That’s a mean of about $6,557 per pupil over 5 years, to enrich the minimal of $7,075 that Tennessee spends yearly per pupil to cowl the price of their training.
And whereas Tennessee’s almost 1,700 conventional faculty campuses are typically in good or wonderful situation, the report says greater than half of the state’s 95 counties must prioritize a minimum of one pricey capital mission for his or her college students, whether or not it’s constructing a brand new faculty, including classroom house to an present campus, or making upgrades throughout a district — issues like new roofs, plumbing, and heating and cooling programs.
The findings, revealed Wednesday by the training analysis arm of the state comptroller’s workplace, aren’t shocking. They’re in keeping with earlier assessments of the state’s public infrastructure wants, together with the most up-to-date stock performed in 2022, which ranked training behind transportation and utilities as Tennessee’s costliest wants.
However the newest assessment by the comptroller’s workplace, which was requested by Home Training Committee Chairman Mark White of Memphis, comes amid competing priorities for educating Tennessee college students.
With rising development prices, momentum has been constructing amongst state lawmakers to establish a brand new income supply to assist native governments and taxpayers shoulder the prices of faculty upkeep and development. These wants escalated in September when flooding from Hurricane Helene prompted a whole bunch of tens of millions of {dollars} of injury to roads, bridges, utilities, and colleges in northeast Tennessee.
However the GOP-controlled legislature, which is accountable for passing an annual state price range, is dealing with stress from Republican Gov. Invoice Lee to create a statewide faculty voucher program. Lee’s Training Freedom Act would give tens of tens of millions of {dollars} in public funding yearly to households who need to ship their kids to non-public colleges.
Lee’s newest personal faculty voucher invoice contains proposed new cash for public faculty infrastructure, an try to realize assist from public faculty advocates. Along with giving a one-time bonus of $2,000 for Tennessee’s public faculty lecturers, the invoice would redirect 80% of tax revenues from Tennessee’s sports activities betting trade towards faculty constructing wants, particularly for emergencies and the almost 40 rural counties designated as distressed or in danger.
In the meantime, state economists’ mission declining or stagnant revenues subsequent fiscal 12 months, as a result of Lee’s administration pushed by way of a $1.9 billion tax lower for companies this spring.
Constructing wants are acute in Memphis and Nashville
In its separate infrastructure report launched in January, the Tennessee Advisory Fee on Intergovernmental Relations recognized 18 faculty buildings, together with 11 in Nashville, which can be in poor situation.
This week’s comptroller’s report stated it could value $2.3 billion simply to improve colleges from poor or truthful situation to good or wonderful situation.
The wants are acute in Memphis, which has a number of the state’s oldest faculty buildings. Leaders there are struggling underneath the burden of a protracted checklist of upkeep and development initiatives.
Whereas no buildings in Memphis-Shelby County Faculties are rated in poor situation, 45 are thought of in truthful situation. Meaning they’re structurally sound however require upkeep or repairs to fulfill constructing code or purposeful upgrades to enhance their use.
As well as, the Memphis district is making an attempt to construct two new excessive colleges in Frayser and Cordova, however the $385 million price ticket for each initiatives might put a minimum of one among them in jeopardy.
“We are able to’t afford two new excessive colleges proper now,” faculty board member Amber Huett-Garcia stated Tuesday night time throughout a workshop the place Superintendent Marie Feagins fielded questions on their standing.
Huett-Garcia stated the district is working in a “fiscally constrained setting” that just lately required leaders to reallocate $94 million for operational bills that initially was supposed for varsity upkeep.
“Our buildings are worsening,” she added, “and so my worry is that we find yourself with two half-built excessive colleges.”
District seeks a brand new funding supply for infrastructure
Whether or not it’s air con issues in the summertime, heating points within the winter, or water fountains and intercom programs that don’t work in any season, Memphis faculty leaders say a brand new long-term funding supply is crucial for addressing these wants.
Subsequent month, the board is anticipated to incorporate state infrastructure funding amongst its legislative priorities forward of the Tennessee Normal Meeting session that begins Jan. 14 in Nashville.
To assist defray faculty constructing prices, the board needs lawmakers to look into redirecting revenues from gross sales, use, and excise taxes; lottery income; or proceeds from the sale and use of state lands.
Feagins stated Tuesday that her administration just lately accomplished a yearlong, districtwide constructing evaluation, which can be used for prioritizing all future capital initiatives.
Tennessee doesn’t put aside income for varsity amenities, as 5 neighbors do
The state already gives some funding for Okay-12 capital initiatives, together with facility funding for constitution colleges, infrastructure stipends for fast-growing districts, and grants to enhance constructing safety and vitality effectivity.
White, the Memphis lawmaker who requested for the comptroller’s assessment, additionally requested a rundown of how different states assist native governments pay for varsity constructing initiatives.
Analysts cited three major methods: appropriations, financing help, and devoted revenues.
“Tennessee leverages appropriations and financing help however doesn’t particularly dedicate revenues to Okay-12 capital expenditures,” the report stated.
Attainable income sources embrace gross sales and use taxes; tax levies on the acquisition of alcohol, nicotine merchandise, and marijuana; in addition to proceeds from lotteries or use taxes on timber logging, oil and fuel extraction, and public land gross sales.
In keeping with the Training Fee of the States, 19 states dedicate revenues for school-related capital initiatives. 5 of these states — Alabama, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina and Virginia — border Tennessee.
Marta Aldrich is a senior correspondent and covers the statehouse for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Contact her at maldrich@chalkbeat.org.
