Overspending has pervaded the St. Paul Public Schools facilities department, reaching beyond school construction.

In each of the last three years, the department’s budgets for both operations and custodial services have finished in the red.

Spending on operations in that time exceeded revenues by a combined $5 million, or 37 percent. Custodial was a cumulative $3.1 million, or 6 percent, over budget.

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In early March, a volunteer group that took a detailed look at the district’s budget presented several recommendations to the school board. Those included hiring an independent auditor to review “contracting services and facilities budgeting to ensure that best practices are being followed and to allow for transparency.”

Building renovation costs in the district have come in significantly more than previously thought. Eighteen high-priority school building projects alone are expected cost about $471 million — $179 million more than what was estimated in 2016.