School Boards Association: School Incentives Can Raise School Construction Costs

ALBANY, NY (12/28/2008)(readMedia)-- State incentive programs designed to aid schools with construction projects can raise total costs according to Timothy G. Kremer, executive director of the NYS School Boards Association. Kremer discussed the problems school districts face controlling costs in the second part of an interview conducted for the Empire Page.

Incentive programs put a burden on the State Education Department as well as dry up the source of experienced construction professionals resulting in some projects costing more than necessary according to Kremer. Those problems exacerbate the impact of the Wicks Law, which requires local governments to issue multiple prime construction contracts for all public works over a monetary threshold. NYSSBA is calling for the threshold to be raised to $10 million from the current $3 million if the Legislature is unwilling to abolish the law altogether.

The complete interview – in which Kremer discusses charter schools, special education, health insurance costs and consolidation -- can be found in the Improving New York section of the Empire Page.

The Improving New York section of the Empire Page explores solutions to New York's government-related problems. Future interviews will examine educational funding, government waste and property tax issues.

The Empire Page is published by PoliticalNewsToday.com, LLC, which seeks to provide information and opinion on the key issues of the day through websites that aggregate news and opinion and provide useful content for people active in government and politics. The partnership consists of Peter G. Pollak, who is the majority shareholder and actively manages the company, Schwartz-Heslin Group and Wynantskill Capital.