Yeah. HVAC systems historically get scrimped on as well as typical fixtures and stuff like that. MSBA also got a lot stricter after the Newton North fiasco when the city basically kitted the school out with all sorts of extra bells and whistles at the state's expense. I'd say costs are definitely inflated and that munis aren't getting their money's worth, but it's like any publicly-funded project - it beggars cost inflation because money is guaranteed while also producing somewhat shoddy results due to lowest-bid rules.
It doesn't help that a lot of munis have spent decades stretching their school-buildings' lives well past the breaking point. But what else is new with regard to public infrastructure in America?