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Board approves supplements, startup funding, grants and construction contracts
Summary
At its Feb. 5 meeting the Savannah-Chatham County Board approved a $924,155 academic supplement transfer, startup funding for new schools, federal grant adjustments and several contract renewals and awards including a $25 million construction manager-at-risk agreement.
The Savannah-Chatham County Board of Public Education on Feb. 5 approved a series of budget transfers, grant amendments and construction contracts, including a $924,155 transfer to create academic supplements, a $1,250,000 transfer for start-up costs at two new schools, a $814,711 adjustment to a Title IV grant and multiple procurement actions for construction and supplies.
Key votes at a glance (motions approved by the board at the Whitney Building unless noted):
- Academic supplement plan: approved a requested budget transfer of $924,155 for FY25 to fund academic supplements for roughly 800 non-athletic positions (grade chairs, department heads, coordinators and similar roles). District staff said the supplement program began prior to the pandemic and will continue to be refined.
- Start-up funding for new schools: approved a budget transfer of $1,250,000 for FY25 startup costs and supplies for Bloomingdale Elementary and Windsor Forest High School. Staff described the funds as covering classroom supplies and equipment.
- Title IV Student Support and Academic Enrichment: approved a budget amendment of $814,711 to align the district's Title IV budget with an additional allocation from the Georgia Department of Education; staff said the grant funds are reimbursable and reimbursements are requested as expenses occur.
- Savannah Arts Academy change order: approved GMP change order No. 1 with McKnight Construction reducing the guaranteed maximum price by $989,846.98 to a final contract amount of $21,990,153.02; staff said cost savings under the GMP are returned to the owner.
- Construction and procurement renewals and awards: renewed a geotechnical engineering, special inspection and materials testing annual contract (estimated $1,000,000) and approved the final annual renewal for district-wide media center FF&E under RFP C23-01 with an estimated $600,000 for the final renewal period.
- Georgetown K-8 renovations: awarded Construction Manager at Risk services to JE Dunn Construction Co. with an initial stated cost limitation of $25,000,000 and approved up to $2,913,000 for preconstruction costs and CMR overhead expenses (including a 3.5% fee) to allow early work on Largo/Tibet site renovations. Board discussion included questions about LWMBE participation; staff and procurement officers said JE Dunn has a multi-project track record with documented local and WMBE participation on prior district work. At least one board member raised concerns about visible, named local minority partner participation in the CMR role.
Why it matters: The approved funding and contracts affect staffing supplements and the opening and outfitting of new school facilities, and the CMR award moves renovation work closer to construction. Several board members asked staff for additional detail on who receives supplements, how extracurricular sponsors are treated, and for an inventory of existing supplemental payments ahead of budget planning.
Votes and formal motions appear in the board packet and transcript; in several cases the meeting record notes voice approval without a roll-call tally. District staff said grant reimbursements are requested monthly and that funds not yet received are reimbursable as expenditures are incurred.
The board also heard a public presentation from a community group that runs youth aviation introductory flights; that item was informational and not a formal board action.
