MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Last year Shelby County Schools received millions of dollars to rebuild Westhaven Elementary School.
But it has been a year, and nothing has been built on the new location.
Parents wanted to know why.
“Where did the money go? They got the money. Now they need to do something with the money,” said father of four, John Robinson.
He said he expect the schools to provide the best education possible.
So just how much taxpayer money did SCS received last spring for a variety of projects?
WREG was told it was close to $47 million.
Now, the ones who wrote the check want an update and so far they said they don’t like what they are hearing.
“Why is it taking so long to take action on these projects?” asked Steve Basar.
SCS officials told County Commissioners it would take about 6-8 months to draft plans and get the project out to bid.
Well it’s been 13 months.
“When you add up all the dates and everything we are pretty much on schedule. As far as it takes to get from design to construction,” said one representative from SCS.
Delores Malone, who has worked in the school system for 36 years, said she wasn’t surprised at all.
“It depends on who is the lead person over the finances. Sometimes you can ask for things, but if they don’t approve it there is nothing you can do,” she said.
The money was meant for several schools to replace drafty windows and leaking roofs.
Students in some schools were stuck in portable classrooms while they waited for new wings to be added on.
And it looks like they’ll have to wait another year at least.
“We think something needs to be done with all that money,” said Robinson.
We’ll have to wait and see if this prolonged planning process affects projects down the line.
“It`s hard for me to keep wanting to give money to education when I see this kind of attitude,” said Basar.
