Broward schools behind in mold war

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http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/5846924.htm

Tue, May. 13, 2003

Broward schools behind in mold warGrand jury rips repair effortsBY STEVE HARRISONsharrison@...

A state oversight board may be needed to push the Broward School Board to take its mold and mildew problems seriously, according to a grand jury report released Monday.

A follow-up to a 1997 grand jury that was critical of Broward's school construction program, Monday's report focused mostly on the decade-long battle over mold and mildew caused by rainwater trickling into poorly built schools.

Parents at several Broward schools have complained bitterly about the problem in correspondence and public meetings, saying that mold and mildew made their children sick and that cleanup had been slow and ineffective.

Included in the 89-page report is testimony from an unidentified school official who said meetings with Virginia Shuman Young Elementary parents were ''dog and pony shows'' and that afterward he would tell his staff to ignore what he had told parents would be done at the Fort Lauderdale school.

That and other testimony led the grand jury to characterize the school district's mold and mildew efforts as unfocused and bordering on incompetent.

The grand jury found that while some schools, such as West Hollywood Elementary, were successfully cleaned up, others received little money or time. No money is slated to repair water problems at Chapel Trail, Eagle Point and Eagle Ridge elementaries, according to the report.

The report concludes that an oversight board might be needed if the School Board can't improve its performance. Miami-Dade's school construction program already is under the watch of the state.

A positive note: Many of the schools built since 1999 appear to be constructed soundly. The School Board has been building simple ''showbox'' schools after fancier designs from the late 1980s and early 1990s proved disastrous.

''The School Board has now realized how essential it is to build schools that don't leak,'' said Assistant State Attorney Countryman, who conducted the yearlong investigation. ``It's basic, but it wasn't getting through to them back before [in the late 1980s and '90s].

'But with mold and mildew, there has to be a direction that `we are going to fix this, we will make a list of schools that need it,' '' Countryman said. ``And they haven't done that. There are some schools that aren't even on their radar.''

LITTLE CREDIT

Broward School Superintendent Till said he felt the grand jury report didn't give the school district enough credit for recent construction improvements.

'I think it spent a lot of time going over previous boards' mistakes,'' Till said. ``I knew we would take a lot of criticism for mold and mildew, but you have to say that our building program has improved.''

The grand jury handed down no criminal indictments -- only documentation of what jurors said was a ``loss of confidence in the School Board.''

It also predicts a rash of potentially costly lawsuits from teachers and parents if the School Board doesn't improve cleanup efforts.

The grand jury also:

• Blamed the the school district's maintenance department because many of the mold and mildew problems resulted from routine leaks. It noted that the longtime head of the school district's roofing maintenance department was videotaped in 2001 spending much of his workday relaxing at home or at Dania Jai-Alai. The head roofer resigned after a story in The Herald noted his poor work habits.

• Questioned the ''bundling'' strategy, in which mold and mildew work was performed alongside other construction work at a school. It was intended to be more efficient, but the grand jury said it could delay cleanup work.

• Found that neither maintenance staff, school staff nor students were properly cared for when schools were cleaned of mold.

An employee at Riverside Elementary in Coral Springs testified that workers piled moldy wallboard a few feet from her office desk. No one told her to move or to wear protective clothing, and she soon had a ''disfiguring allergic reaction'' that required hospital treatment, according to the report.

School Board Chairwoman Lois Wexler said the school district must do better, although she said the grand jury report needed to differentiate between the nine elected board members and school district staff.

DEFENDS BOARD

''The board has been crying about this and listening to the community,'' Wexler said. ``But did we baby-sit it? Did we make sure they actually did this? Years go by and staff says they are going to do something, but they don't. And we're not aware.''

In January 2002, Countryman began a planned follow-up of the 1997 grand jury report on Broward school construction. The latest grand jury convened in January and heard from 78 witnesses.

The 1997 report was highly critical of the School Board for its entire construction program, especially the practice of using the same school design several times -- even though it contained costly errors. The district also was knocked for opening schools before they were ready.

Although some overall progress in the School Board's construction efforts have been made, there are still problems, according to the report. The grand jury:

• Criticized the influence lobbyists have when the School Board selects contractors.

• Found the school district was still allowing buildings to be occupied before they were finished. The grand jury cited a classroom addition at Norcrest Elementary in Pompano Beach, which opened with two weeks left in the 2002-03 school year -- over the objections of a building inspector. And it questioned the January 2003 opening of a replacement school for Rock Island Elementary, which was missing bus turn lanes. Off-duty police officers were hired to control traffic.

• Said) school officials have allowed contractors to begin construction with incomplete plans, making it difficult for inspectors to know what they should be looking for. Changing plans on the fly makes it easier for contractors to ask the School Board to approve costly change orders, driving up the total price.

• Recommended that if a contractor installs drywall before the building is watertight, the School Board should be extra vigilant that there is no mold and mildew growth.

Last summer, drywall at Westglades Elementary in Parkland was covered with mold while the building was still under construction.

STAFF CHANGES

The report comes at a time when the School Board's construction department is without a permanent leader -- and a plan for the future.

Tom Calhoun resigned earlier this year after two years on the job. His replacement, of North Carolina, resigned last week, before even starting the job. The reason: 's résumé listed degrees from an online school that is only accredited in the African country of Liberia. No one in the school system bothered to check 's credentials until after he was hired.

And last week a long-range construction plan prepared by a consultant was rejected by the School Board by a 5-4 vote because they believed it was riddled with errors.

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/5846925.htm

GRAND JURY REPORT

Major findings on Broward school district mold and mildew cleanup:

• The health of students and staff has not always been protected

• Some new schools open too soon, and maintenance is spotty

• Overall construction has improved since 1997