Amid frustration, Nashville schools board approves next year's $382M capital needs budget

The Nashville schools board is requesting the city fund nine building projects and a list of over 30 priorities that includes maintenance, construction and school bus needs in the 2020-21 school year.

Next year's $382 million project list approved on Tuesday night by the board — an unusually high request for the district — seeks to address a lack of capital funding this year.

But even as the district looks ahead to next year, the frustration from school board members about Mayor John Cooper's communication over this year's budget was evident. District officials and the board have yet to hear when Cooper will address the current year's request.

"The silence is deafening," said board member Gini Pupo-Walker. "Deafening."

It is unclear when the city will address this year's capital budget, but Cooper's office has said to The Tennessean that the process to approve the current year budget is expected to be completed before March 31. The approval process usually is finished in the fall.

A Cooper spokesman has said the mayor's focus "has been on ensuring the gap of the operating budget is filled before creating new spending plans." Cooper has been working to wrangle the city's finances after a recent state comptroller report warning that the city is spending more revenue than it is generating.

The project list

This year's yet unfunded capital budget calls for about $296 million in capital needs, including funds for a new Bellevue High School.

The Bellevue school will again be requested to be funded by the school board in the 2020-21 school year request approved Tuesday night by the board.

The board also is looking toward construction projects at eight other schools, including Goodlettsville elementary and middle schools and Percy Priest Elementary. The district pushed a tenth project to renovate Lillard Elementary onto a future list.

The district is also projecting about $170 million in deferred maintenance.

The district should be spending about $60 million annually on maintenance of its buildings, according to David Proffitt, who heads the facility planning and construction department.

The district has only been able to spend, on average, about $8.8 million over the last 14 years. Deferred maintenance includes buses, information technology, computer upgrades, roofing and HVAC repairs.

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Reach Jason Gonzales at jagonzales@tennessean.com and on Twitter @ByJasonGonzales.