Since 2013, the Tupelo. Miss., and Lee County school districts have made major additions and improvements to their school campuses. Besides the obvious benefits of those construction projects to the school districts, the improvements have pumped nearly $40 million total into the local economy and employed hundreds of local residents.
That's because wherever possible, district officials say, they try to support local businesses through those projects.
Andy Cantrell, Tupelo Public School District assistant superintendent, said it's difficult to pinpoint the exact economic impact of the district's $44 million bond issue on the local economy.
The bond issue passed in the spring of 2015, allowing the school district to make infrastructure, technology and security upgrades to its campuses.
"Wherever possible, we try to support our taxpayers in this community," Cantrell said. "That's not only good for the city of Tupelo, it's good for our region."
There are some constraints, though, on districts as they use bond-issued funds. By state law, districts are required to use the contractor that provides the best and lowest bid on any project that costs more than $50,000, local or not.
"A lot of where that money goes is sort of out of our control," said Lee County Schools superintendent Jimmy Weeks. "When we don't fall under bid laws, we try to spend locally."
The Lee County School District passed a $13.5 million bond issue in 2013.
Tupelo's projects alone have put more than $20 million back into the local economy so far, according to district officials, and that figure doesn't account for things like new buses and the FEMA storm shelters completed or currently being built on multiple campuses.
Even if the contractor selected for a project isn't local, Cantrell said, the contractors will often hire local subcontractors to do the work, which still employs local people and puts the district's dollars back into the pockets of the taxpayers who support it.
School construction projects employ a range of professionals from subcontractors, electricians, plumbers and roofers to carpenters, HVAC specialists and data and communications experts who ensure campuses are equipped for 21st-century learning.
Ashley Traxler with Magee-based Sullivan Enterprises said school construction projects make up nearly half of all of the group's work.
According to Traxler, Sullivan consistently takes on school construction jobs, making them a dependable source of income.
"It's probably about 50 percent of what we do," Traxler said. "Every summer, we pick up about three to four school jobs."
Each project employs 50-55 people on average, Traxler added.
Sullivan worked on renovations at Milam Elementary School last summer and is currently working on renovations at Lawhon Elementary and Tupelo Middle School.
Although Sullivan isn't based in Northeast Mississippi, Traxler said the company works with school districts all over the state.
"We need to keep these things going," Traxler said. "It's good for everyone."
Local contractors and businesses TPSD has worked with throughout its bond projects include McCarty King Construction, Maloney Glass and Door, Conditioned Air, Prime Logic, Kline Mechanical, Ferguson Plumbing, Consolidated Electrical Distributors, Tupelo Lumber and the Tupelo Lowe's store.
LCS has spent a total of more than $16.5 million on school construction projects since 2013, all of which was paid to local contractors, according to LCS director of finance Michael Martin.
"We used bond proceeds, but we also used funds we'd saved for building projects, so the total spent was more than the bond issue," Martin said.
Local contractors and architects used by LCS for construction projects include Belmont-based Burton Builders, CIG Contractors from Corinth and Tupelo-based Century Construction, Pryor & Morrow Architects and Architecture South.
Weeks said reinvesting in the local economy is beneficial to everyone involved.
"When we spend that money locally, that's tax dollars that come back to the school district, so it's a win-win for everyone," Weeks said.
Although LCS has completed its bond projects, TPSD still has a few coming down the pipe.
The largest construction project left on the district's to-do list is a combination FEMA storm shelter and athletic facility on Tupelo High School's campus.
Like shelters at other Tupelo schools -- Joyner, Thomas Street and Carver elementary schools -- the THS shelter will be used by the city of Tupelo as a public shelter outside of school hours.
Cantrell said sharing resources like the storm shelters is another way the district tries to invest in the community.
"It's very comforting to know that the money is being spent wisely," said Jason Cross, fire marshal for the Tupelo Fire Department. "A lot of times, schools and cities don't get the best credit for using money wisely, but I think this is a prime example."
Cross has been working with the district on plans for the dual storm shelter and athletic facility at Tupelo High School, which will be paid for using bond funds.
TPSD director of operations Charles Laney said all bond projects are slated to be complete by the beginning of the 2018-19 school year.
Besides the THS shelter, Laney said minor renovations will be done to several other schools and buildings.
