Administrators in the Hamilton County (Tenn.) School District are trying to decide how to address more than $1.36 billion in capital needs that have been identified in a facilities study.
The Chattanooga Times Free Press reports that the study found that 19 of the district's 74 school buildings are considered to be in poor or unsatisfactory condition.
For several months earlier this year, assessors from MGT Consulting looked at every school and evaluated the physical conditions of the buildings and grounds, the suitability of existing classrooms and resources for the education programs the building is meant to provide, and the technology readiness of each building,
The consultant's report recommends renovating 11 schools, adding to 10 schools, erecting new buildings for three schools and closing 15 school facilities.
The district’s chief of staff, Nakia Towns Edwards, has said the situation is “a facilities crisis.”
District officials say it will take months to finalize a recommendation and even longer to figure out if there is funding for any solution deemed viable.
The district has spent $93 million on a backlog of maintenance and facilities improvements in the past decade.
