District 5’s board chairman contends a trustee is wrong about a new school.

At the Chronicle’s request, Robert Gantt responded that Trustee Ken Loveless’s letter contains many inaccuracies and misconceptions.

Gantt wrote that:

• District 5 always places a high priority on safety.

“That is why we were one of the first districts in the state to ensure at least one School Resource Officer in every school,” he said.

• The district wanted M.B. Kahn for a comprehensive, independent to assessment of facilities and needs

To call the report a “wish list” undermines hours of work and insults school leaders, engineers, construction managers and experts. The report is at www.lexrich5.org/facilitiesstudy .

• Loveless erroneously wrote there is a movement to start building the Amicks Ferry school without a guaranteed maximum price.

Gantt called it a “dangerous misrepresentation” and the board will vote on the guaranteed maximum price before construction begins.

• Charges that spending is out of control are incorrect.

The district staff and experts “worked diligently to maximize project value.”

• North Carolina similarly sized school costs are within a few percentage points. The cost of a 2-story elementary school is about 10-15% less than 1-story.

• Construction Manager at Risk allows efficient and cost-effective construction. Information can be found at www.lexrich5.org/elementaryschool13 .

• Officers are elected annually by the school board to create agendas and other duties. The secretary sends every board member a synopsis of the agenda for the upcoming meeting.

• Mr. Loveless joined the board 9 months ago.

“I have repeatedly offered to meet with Mr. Loveless to hear his concerns and answer questions, and I have yet to get a response,” Gantt’s letter reads.

“To work together, we need to have a dialogue with each other, as opposed to making erroneous statements to the public.

“Our district is ranked in 1st place among districts in the state. We were also ranked among the top for being one of the best places to teach in South Carolina. Excellent rankings and the success of our students are collaborative efforts.”