Board hears $2.7 million subtotal error on Taylor High athletic renovation; bid transparency questioned

Contractors presenting the final recommendation for Taylor High School’s athletic renovations told the school board on April 8 that a clerical spreadsheet error left a roughly $2.72 million discrepancy between the previously circulated recommendation and the project subtotal.

"It was that number that $2,72,000 basically that number shown on there it just when I put it on Excel clear error didn't click the last cell to populate," the contractor said, describing the error as a miscalculated subtotal. Barton Malow's representative explained the project includes roughly $500,000 in allowances and another roughly $500,000 in contingency — about 10% of the project cost, an industry standard for site work — set aside to address unforeseen conditions.

Why it matters: the change pushed the project estimate closer to $11.8 million when contingency is included, versus earlier figures board members thought were near $9.8 million. Board members said the size of the clerical error and limited prior access to bid results undermined confidence in the procurement process.

"That's a pretty big clerical error. So I've lost all faith in the process. So we'll be voting no," one board member said during public discussion, citing prior requests for bid documents that he said went unanswered.

Contractors and the district said the district will share the public bid tabs and that the allowances and contingency are not spent until used, and remaining contingency would revert to the district if unused. The presenters said some alternates and scope adjustments could reduce overall cost without sacrificing core elements.

The board pressed several operational questions: whether the project had been bid with a natural-grass option (presenters said the bid package called for turf and no all-grass alternate had been solicited), how the district had vetted the lowest bidders (presenters said their process preferred the lowest fully responsive bidder), and whether all bid packages had been shared with the board (district staff said public bid results are available on request and committed to emailing bid tabs to board members).

No formal motion was considered at the April 8 meeting. Board members were told the recommendation and any motion to approve final contract awards and scope changes will be brought back at a later meeting after members have received the bid documents and additional clarifying information.

What’s next: staff said they would send the public bid tabs to board members and bring a formal motion at an upcoming meeting. The board also asked staff to provide the construction management and owner's-rep agreements that govern cost guarantees and contingency use.

Quote attribution: direct quotes and speaker identifications come from the April 8, 2026 Taylor School District committee-of-the-whole transcript.