Massachusetts School Building Authority Announces Interim Appointment of Jack McCarthy to Lead Agency
State Treasurer Steven Grossman, Chair of the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA), announced this morning that Jack McCarthy will serve as interim head of the agency effective December 1, 2011. McCarthy will replace Katherine Craven, who has led the MSBA since its creation in 2004 and has overseen sweeping financial and management reforms to the Commonwealth’s multi-billion dollar reimbursement and funding program for school construction projects. Ms. Craven has accepted a position as Executive Director of the University of Massachusetts School Building Authority.
“I’m pleased that the UMass Building Authority recognized the unrivaled leadership skills of Katherine Craven. Her intelligence and deep understanding of public policy matters and the legislative process clearly made her the best candidate for this position. While we will miss her leadership at the MSBA, we are fortunate that Katherine leaves us with a great team in place. I have appointed Jack McCarthy as interim Executive Director and know that he and the senior management at the MSBA are extraordinarily well-equipped to continue the great record of success that has been the organization’s hallmark over the last seven years,” said Treasurer Grossman.
“I am proud of having brought together a team over the past seven years of the best public servants in government, who each day commit to building quality school facilities for our kids while looking for ways to save taxpayer money. A true joy of my role as Executive Director has also been working with educators, parents, teachers and elected officials across the Commonwealth to assist them in achieving their dream school. As I look forward to my new role, I know that the MSBA team, led by Treasurer Steve Grossman and Interim Executive Director Jack McCarthy, will continue and improve upon our practice of collaboration and common sense decision-making,” said Ms. Craven.
“In seven years at the MSBA, Katherine Craven has built an incredibly efficient program and assembled a talented staff to carry out the reformation of how public money is used to assist Massachusetts communities in restoring and building exemplary school facilities. While I am sorely disappointed that she will not continue at the MSBA, I am grateful that Katherine will bring her leadership and talent to another organization and that she is leaving the MSBA with a team and program that can continue to serve its mission,” said MSBA Board Member Terry Kwan.
The Authority has made remarkable progress in its seven year history, including:
- Accelerated payments for school construction reimbursements totaling more than $8 billion to cities, towns and regional school districts
- In the past seven years, has overseen the design or construction of over 350 local public schools across Massachusetts
- In 2010 alone, generated $1.6 billion dollars worth of projects going out to bid, creating approximately 5,350 employment opportunities
- Instituted an accelerated audit program that has completed more than 772 of the 800 audit backlog inherited from the former program. As part of this program, the MSBA:
- Audited over $14 billion in project costs
- Saved the taxpayers of Massachusetts over $1.1 billion in ineligible project costs
- Generated $2.9 billion in avoided local interest costs
- Saved over $74.5 million by ending a practice that inflated school enrollment projections for new buildings
- Saved more than $162 million by developing a process that has increased oversight of school improvement projects and decreased scope
- Saved approximately $230 million by focusing on core academic spaces
- Created the Model School Program to effectively adapt and re-use the design of successful, recently constructed elementary, middle and high schools
Through its grant program, the Massachusetts School Building Authority works with local communities to identify school facility needs, develop fiscally responsible and educationally appropriate solutions, and create safe, sound, and sustainable learning environments.