Fort Bend (Texas) district says its bond projects are $133 million over budget

The $1.2 billion bond issue approved nine months ago voters in the Fort Bend (Texas) School District voters is already projected to be running $133 million over budget.

Houston Landing reports that district administrators have blamed the overruns on multiple factors: unexpectedly high construction cost inflation, labor shortages and internal leadership changes.

The bond funds are earmarked for two new campuses, rebuilds of three aging schools and upgrades at numerous campuses throughout the district.

Dan Bankhead, Fort Bend’s executive director of design and construction, said district leaders will try to find ways to cut project costs, such as using cheaper materials than originally planned. 

However, the district may have to scale back its projects or try to pass another bond.

The $1.2 billion bond marked the largest investment in school construction and renovations in the history of Fort Bend, which serves about 80,000 students and ranks as the Houston region’s fourth-largest district.

Bankhead, who started in his role in November, noted that Fort Bend has has three chief operations officers in the last two years.