Musings on our newest high school

To head off any misconceptions up front, I think Hardin Valley Academy's prinicpal, Sallee Reynolds, is as dedicated, motivated and energetic an educator as you'll find. She's a world-class professional. I'm happy that Reynolds, her fellow administrators, the teachers and the students at Hardin Valley Academy have a gleaming new school they are obviously proud of.

But questions about the process that built the school have been hanging in the air for many months, and those questions remain. Why, for example, was the Public Buidling Authority (PBA) tossed into the mix, acting as the "agent/owner" for the school system? The state law which governs school construction, TCA 49-2-203, seems unambiguous: the local education agency, i.e., the school system, is to contract directly with either a contractor or a construction manager. The school system is responsible for soliciting bids, evaluating bids and paying the invoices. A construction manager may assist, but ultimately it is the school system's responsibility to make sure that everyone plays by the rules.  

The Hardin Valley Academy project took the school system out of the equation. In fact, except for paying the bills, Knox County government played virtually no oversight role. PBA and the general contractor, Merit Construction, solicited bids and awarded jobs to subcontractors. At least that is what was supposed to happen; talk of jobs awarded after an "interview" continues to circulate.

A project originally budgeted for $30 million will now cost $39 million for the work of Merit and its subcontractors alone. When the last invoice paid is the tab will total $50 million. The school was completed a year behind schedule.  

There are enough questions to warrant some serious scrutiny of the project.