Broward school bond projects’ costs questioned

Broward County schools used data that School Board members are calling flawed to estimate the cost of construction projects in its$800millionbondprogramin 2014, and it could force a shakeup over which schools get the most money.

In addition, current estimates to build classrooms in Weston and Pembroke Pines are now 57 percent higher than they were two years ago, potentially cost- ing the district $15.9 million more. But there is no explanation for that cost increase yet, when the projected cost increases of other projects are only 5 percent to10 percent.

The biggest question, though, iswhy a new report based on the 2014 data used by the district to rank the priority of bond projects contains different estimates than the numbers posted at the time on the district’s website.

School Board members are pondering whether to review more than 240 projects in the bond program to see if the process was fair to the neediest schools. The district has yet to start construction on any projects funded by the bond, whichwas approved by voters in November 2014.

“We have to check this, and if it’s wrong, we have to fix it,” School Board Chairwoman Rosalind Osgood said. “We owe it to the public and children to do it right.”

The original estimates were prepared by Jacobs Engineering Group, a consulting firm the district used in 2014 to help it evaluate school needs.

District officials said at that time that if the cost to renovate a buildingwas 65 percent or more of the cost of replacing it, they would consider demolishing it and building a new structure. About 35 buildings at schools across the district were recommended to be replaced. The district plans to renovate the other aging facilities, replacing roofs