School board’s building budget frozen
Province’s surprise decision stalls at least 12 construction projects, six redevelopment projects at TDSB
Overspending on new buildings — most notably a $10-million cost overrun on a landmark school renovation in Regent Park — has prompted Queen’s Park to slap a startling freeze on funding for new school buildings and renovations at the Toronto District School Board.
Trustees were outraged at a meeting Wednesday night to learn of the province’s decision to put a hold on funding new major projects except ones related to full-day kindergarten.
More than 12 construction projects and six redevelopment projects, worth tens of millions of dollars, have been put on hold.
“If we don’t have capital funding we will not be able to accommodate hundreds of students, including all-day kindergarten, by 2015,” said Mari Rutka, trustee for Ward 12, (Willowdale).
The board planned to build a school by 2014 and had already begun designing it and selecting architects, Rutka said.
It was to take in some students from four other schools in Rutka’s ward that she said are bursting at the seams.
Trustee Shelley Laskin (Ward 11, St. Paul’s), said the announcement puts on hold a renovation at Davisville school that has been in the works for three years.
Board chair Chris Bolton said TDSB staff planned to meet with the ministry next week to come up with creative solutions.
Bolton said he met with ministry officials Tuesday and they discussed how the ministry could regain confidence in the board’s planning of major projects.
“The ministry says we are running 25 per cent of our projects over budget by the time they are completed. And even with that, they are not being completed within timelines. I think it’s very concerning.”
In a letter to the board Wednesday — just hours before its meeting — assistant deputy minister of education Gabriel Sekaly expressed the government’s concern that the board is “at significant risk of not eliminating its capital deficit by 2012-13 as required.”
The letter cited the increasing capital costs and scope of projects, especially the showcase renovation nearing completion at Nelson Mandela Public School in Regent Park, due to open January, four months after originally planned.
“It is our understanding that until recently, the TDSB was unaware of these over-runs in excess of $10 million on the Nelson Mandela project,” said the letter. “The cost overruns at Nelson Mandela raise serious concerns about the board’s internal processes around oversight on major capital projects.”
The September reopening of Nelson Mandela school on Shuter St. was abruptly postponed in August because of construction and permit delays. The $21.7 million remake, funded by Queen’s Park, keeps the historic façade.
While the ministry’s letter noted the board has generated some cash by selling a number of closed schools, it hasn’t been enough to keep pace with rising capital costs.
Ministry spokesperson Paris Meilleur said that, despite the freeze, “no full-day kindergarten capital will be impacted.
The letter noted that while boards are expected to set budgets for capital projects that meet tight new government construction benchmarks, many TDSB projects do not. It also suggested the board consider identifying more properties it can sell to generate more revenue.