School board discusses serious construction flaws that occurred during the expansion of elementary school
The Citrus County, Florida, school board recently met to discuss serious construction flaws that occurred during the expansion of Homosassa Elementary School. The board had appointed a blue ribbon citizens committee to investigate and make recommendations. The Florida Department of Education (FDOE) also conducted an investigation of the construction and issued a draft report that echoes the blue ribbon committee's recommendations. The recommendations include: (1) prioritizing future construction projects to give the Facilities and Maintenance Department a more realistic workload; (2) contracting out work during peak times or when work does not require a full-time position; (3) considering allowing qualified retired citizens to voluntarily supplement clerical staff; (4) developing a standardized process, reporting and evaluation system for the district's construction projects; and (5) rewriting job descriptions to describe clearly the roles of employees. Committee member Priscilla Watkins believes the board needs to require greater accountability from contractors. She said, "You don't require written, signed, dated reports from anyone. That's standard operating procedure. It's not a responsible way to run your business." Board chairwoman Pat Deutschman said that board also intends to address FDOE's criticism that the board has not been involved enough in school planning processes. In addition, the board is considering a new policy requiring contractors to ensure that sexual offenders do not work on school construction jobs. John Couey, a registered sex offender who had worked at the Homosassa Elementary School as a masonry helper, is charged with killing Jessica Lunsford, who had attended third grade at the school.
St. Petersburg TimesBy Barbara Behrendt
[Link to full story]Bay News 9By Staff
[Link to full story]Citrus County ChronicleBy Cristy Loftis
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