State issuing grant money

LYNN – The Massachusetts School Building Authority is processing over $200 million in school construction grant money several months ahead of the fiscal year 2009 payment schedule, but is yet to fund any new projects in the city of Lynn.The MSBA will still cut a check to the city this month, as it will send $1,069,082 in prior grant money to the school department. The money is earmarked for projects that are in the process of or have already been completed and are not a part of the MSBA’s five year, $2.5 billion school renovation plan that has eluded the city thus far.MSBA officials cite an “increase in financial flexibility” and an effort to “provide relief to cash-strapped communities in tough financial times” as the primary reason for the early payments.”Trying to make an early payment to communities under the MSBA school construction grant program has been a top priority,” said MSBA Executive Director Katherine Craven.The MSBA is the state government’s new school facility improvement arm, created four years ago under then-Gov. Mitt Romney. The MSBA has promised over $2 billion in new project funding over the next five years and has made approximately $5.5 billion in reimbursements to cities and towns for school construction projects inherited from the state’s old program.Under the prior system the state struggled to reimburse districts for school renovation projects, and once had $11 billion in outstanding obligations.The payment coming to Lynn this month covers completed renovation projects at the Shoemaker, Ingalls, Sewell-Anderson, Connery and Fallon elementary schools dating back several years.It is unclear whether the money has already been included in the fiscal year 2009 budget for Lynn or if changes will need to be made due to the early payment.Superintendent Nicholas Kostan and Inspectional Services Director Michael Donovan are both on vacation this week and calls placed to Business Administrator Kevin McHugh’s office along with Lynn Public Schools Director of External Grants Andrea Lapey were not returned as of Tuesday afternoon.Over the next five years, the MSBA will collaborate with municipalities in awarding $2.5 billion in grant money for school improvement plans. The MSBA asked each municipality to submit a list of schools that need repairs and proposals for how that work would be done.Based on need, the MSBA announced the first batch of districts that would receive money for renovation projects in late 2007, omitting Lynn from the list despite a dire need for repairs at several school buildings.The district submitted statements of interest for several schools, including all three middle schools, which require a plethora of structural repairs.The MSBA responded by asking Kostan to pick one school as Lynn’s top priority. The district then submitted a proposal for the Marshall Middle School, citing a need for a new roof among other repairs.But when it came time for the MSBA to grant funding for feasibility studies, the next step in moving renovation projects toward reality, Lynn was missing from the list entirely, leaving Kostan angry and surprised.Shortly after the decision Kostan told the Item that he met with MSBA Administrator Ralph Wallace who indicated that the repairs at Classical High School played a large role in the decision not to fund the Marshall with this round of grants.Because there is already ongoing construction in the district, the MSBA put the Marshall project on hold and should reconsider when the next round of funding becomes available late this year.