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Tennessee must spend about $9.8 billion on repairs, upgrades, or building to maintain its Okay-12 public college buildings protected and conducive to studying, in keeping with a brand new state report.
That’s a median 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 schooling.
And whereas Tennessee’s practically 1,700 conventional college campuses are typically in good or glorious situation, the report says greater than half of the state’s 95 counties have to prioritize at the least one expensive capital undertaking for his or her college students, whether or not it’s constructing a brand new college, including classroom house to an current campus, or making upgrades throughout a district — issues like new roofs, plumbing, and heating and cooling programs.
The findings, printed Wednesday by the schooling analysis arm of the state comptroller’s workplace, aren’t stunning. They’re per earlier assessments of the state’s public infrastructure wants, together with the most up-to-date stock carried out in 2022, which ranked schooling 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 building prices, momentum has been constructing amongst state lawmakers to determine a brand new income supply to assist native governments and taxpayers shoulder the prices of college upkeep and building. These wants escalated in September when flooding from Hurricane Helene induced lots of of tens of millions of {dollars} of harm to roads, bridges, utilities, and faculties in northeast Tennessee.
However the GOP-controlled legislature, which is accountable for passing an annual state price range, is going through strain from Republican Gov. Invoice Lee to create a statewide college voucher program. Lee’s Training Freedom Act would give tens of tens of millions of {dollars} in public funding yearly to households who wish to ship their kids to non-public faculties.
Lee’s newest personal college voucher invoice contains proposed new cash for public college infrastructure, an try to achieve help from public college advocates. Along with giving a one-time bonus of $2,000 for Tennessee’s public college lecturers, the invoice would redirect 80% of tax revenues from Tennessee’s sports activities betting trade towards college constructing wants, particularly for emergencies and the practically 40 rural counties designated as distressed or in danger.
In the meantime, state economists’ undertaking 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 college buildings, together with 11 in Nashville, which might be in poor situation.
This week’s comptroller’s report stated it will value $2.3 billion simply to improve faculties from poor or truthful situation to good or glorious situation.
The wants are acute in Memphis, which has a number of the state’s oldest college buildings. Leaders there are struggling beneath the load of a protracted record of upkeep and building initiatives.
Whereas no buildings in Memphis-Shelby County Colleges are rated in poor situation, 45 are thought-about in truthful situation. Which means they’re structurally sound however require upkeep or repairs to fulfill constructing code or useful upgrades to enhance their use.
As well as, the Memphis district is making an attempt to construct two new excessive faculties in Frayser and Cordova, however the $385 million price ticket for each initiatives could put at the least considered one of them in jeopardy.
“We are able to’t afford two new excessive faculties proper now,” college board member Amber Huett-Garcia stated Tuesday evening 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 meant for college upkeep.
“Our buildings are worsening,” she added, “and so my concern is that we find yourself with two half-built excessive faculties.”
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 college 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 Common Meeting session that begins Jan. 14 in Nashville.
To assist defray college 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 might be used for prioritizing all future capital initiatives.
Tennessee doesn’t put aside income for college amenities, as 5 neighbors do
The state already offers some funding for Okay-12 capital initiatives, together with facility funding for constitution faculties, infrastructure stipends for fast-growing districts, and grants to enhance constructing safety and power 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 college constructing initiatives.
Analysts cited three foremost 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 embody 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.