Southern High pulled from ARP-funded refurbishment; library, gym remain closed amid procurement and scope issues

Southern High School was removed from a planned American Rescue Plan (ARP)-funded refurbishment package after department officials said a contract scope discrepancy required the package to be rebid, leaving the school with multiple cordoned areas and closed amenities, officials and community members said at a Feb. 25 town hall.

Principal Michael Meno and Superintendent Dr. Eric Swanson told community members the school was initially included in an ARP-funded refurbishment bundle but was taken out after the Attorney General’s Office determined that scope language for canopies and other items was inconsistent across the bundled contracts and that changing the scope for one school would require rebidding the entire package. Dr. Swanson said the proposed package for Southern High had been priced at about $24,000,000.

Why it matters: Community members, students and teachers said the school’s library, gymnasium and other spaces remain cordoned off and limit student activities and school culture. School leaders said the…