KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) – Your child’s school could need major infrastructure updates to keep it a safe place to learn, but it comes with a big price tag.
A new report from the state Comptroller of the Treasury finds it will cost nearly $10 billion to address statewide school infrastructure needs over the next five years.
“We need to invest in our public education and that includes our schools and school infrastructure,” said Rep. Sam McKenzie, the Democrat representing Knox County.
Right now, local revenues fund the majority of K-12 capital spending, like property taxes or money from local governments. Tennessee doesn’t dedicate state revenue sources for school construction.
“That, to me, is not the way it should be,” said McKenzie. “It should be shared.”
McKenzie said he wants the state to help pay the bill. JC Bowman with the Professional Educators of Tennessee suggested pulling from sports gambling revenue as an idea.
“That’s one way of making sure you’re putting appropriation towards capital needs moving forward,” Bowman said.
Roughly 10% of schools statewide fall in the ‘fair’ and ‘poor’ condition category, meaning repairs are required. More than half are a step above in the ‘good’ category, which means it’s meeting code with preventative maintenance and minor repairs, but McKenzie said we can’t ignore that group.
“When you look at what the ‘good’ category says, it says the roof may give out in three-to-five years,” McKenzie said. “These are major fixes. It may be one year or maybe tomorrow.”
Bowman emphasized the urgency to find a fix sooner rather than later.
“We’ve had this habit of kicking the can down the road for a long period of time,” Bowman said. “We’ve refused to acknowledge it. What’s gonna happen is schools will end up being closed.”
Below is a full list of where East Tennessee schools rank:
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