Marion board pauses plan to raise superintendent's change-order threshold after members demand data

The Marion County School Board debated whether to expand the superintendent's authority to approve construction change orders, ultimately deciding to keep the current $25,000 threshold until staff can provide data on recent change orders.

Board Chair called the April 27 work session to order and framed the discussion around improving project efficiency, while staff attorneys explained the proposed Policy 6345 would raise the superintendent's limit so smaller additive change orders could be handled without waiting for board action.

Why it matters: Supporters said increasing the threshold would reduce project delays in an era of higher construction costs and allow staff to manage more routine contract adjustments promptly. Opponents said the board must maintain fiscal oversight and transparency, warning the change could let multiple near‑threshold change orders accumulate without board scrutiny.

Attorney Blackman, the district's staff attorney, explained the suggested change and the rationale for aligning thresholds across policies. He told the board that the change was intended to improve efficiency: "In that time, especially in the post COVID world, there's been increases in the amount, especially in construction costs," and adjusting thresholds could help projects move faster.

Board member Dr. Campbell, however, pressed for stronger oversight. "I am appalled to know that identical schools that 1 of them cost $2,000,000 more than the other," Campbell said, arguing the board needed to scrutinize construction and change orders closely. Campbell and other members said raising the threshold without knowing how often change orders fall in the $25,000–$50,000 band would amount to ceding budgetary authority.

The chair acknowledged the concerns and framed the compromise: staff should provide data on how many change orders over recent years fell between $25,000 and $50,000 so the board can evaluate the practical impact. For now, the majority indicated they would not adopt the $50,000 threshold; the board will keep the $25,000 threshold in policy and revisit the issue after the requested data is supplied.

What happens next: The board asked staff to return with a report on the number and cumulative dollar amount of change orders in the $25,000–$50,000 range and agreed to discuss the issue again during the next policy review cycle.