Schools face many costs in educating students, but energy bills are some of the largest expenses.

Now, a new state grant program that aims to save schools money through solar energy is open for applications.

Solar power has grown rapidly over the last decade as the price of solar panels has fallen. But even though electricity from solar is one of the cheapest forms of energy over the life of the panels, the upfront cost of a private array can be a deterrent.

The Solar for Schools grant program, funded by $25 million in state money, will cover up to half the project cost of installing solar for grant winners. It’s open to public school districts, intermediate units, charter schools, and community colleges. Applications are due Jan. 31, 2025.

Schools may also take advantage of federal tax credits for using renewable energy through elective or “direct” pay, and get money from the IRS for qualifying projects.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), through the Office of State and Community Energy Programs (SCEP), is thrilled to announce that applications are now open for the 2025 Renew America's Schools Prize. This initiative will invest an anticipated $90 million in school districts around the country engaging in strategic partnerships to build capacity and implement energy upgrades in their schools. 

The prize focuses on improving air quality, reducing energy use and costs, and lowering emissions across school facilities, with a special emphasis on disadvantaged and/or rural local educational agencies (LEAs). This funding is available for various energy improvements, including HVAC systems, building envelope enhancements, lighting upgrades, renewable energy technologies, alternative energy-fueled vehicles, infrastructure, and more.  

During Phase 1 of the 2025 Renew America's Schools Prize, teams will identify a portfolio of eligible school facilities demonstrating both need and eligibility for energy improvements. Up to 14 Phase 1 Winners will earn a cash prize of $300,000 for successfully building teams and submitting compelling applications identifying need. DOE will down-select to identify winners who may move on to Phases 2 and 3, wherein they will enter and execute Cooperative Agreements with DOE. Awards made in Phases 2 and 3 will vary by portfolio size but could range from $7.5 million to $15 million. 

Navigating the fallout from a natural disaster like a wildfire or hurricane is a complex process for school district leaders—especially if it’s their first experience attempting to secure federal financial assistance for recovery efforts.

And as climate change increasingly causes more severe natural disasters and emergencies like large wildfires, extreme heat and cold, and intense storms, more districts may need to seek funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, in the years to come to pay for facility repairs, debris removal, or temporary classroom facilities.

Leaders from three districts who have navigated the aftermath of natural disasters shared their top tips for other district leaders to remember in a similar situation during a Dec. 9 webinar hosted by AASA, The School Superintendents Association.

METHUEN, Mass. — On Saturday, Methuen Superintendent of Schools Brandi Kwong wrote an update to families regarding mice issues around the towns schools.
Since September, the schools have had ongoing informal and formal inspections from the city regarding areas of concerns within each school. The inspections found an alarming amount of mice in the Donald P. Timony school, Marsh Grammar school, Tenney Grammar school, and Methuen High.
“I mean I don’t really want mice in my school,” said Yandel Martinez, a 6th grade student.
METHUEN, Mass. — On Saturday, Methuen Superintendent of Schools Brandi Kwong wrote an update to families regarding mice issues around the towns schools.
Since September, the schools have had ongoing informal and formal inspections from the city regarding areas of concerns within each school. The inspections found an alarming amount of mice in the Donald P. Timony school, Marsh Grammar school, Tenney Grammar school, and Methuen High.
“I mean I don’t really want mice in my school,” said Yandel Martinez, a 6th grade student.
 

CHARLESTON, W.Va.— The School Building Authority will be making much needed funding decisions Tuesday morning.

The SBA has $54 million of NEEDs funding to give out, however 30 counties have requested funds that total $250 million. Five of those counties need funding in order to build a new school.

In November, the SBA saw presentations from 28 different counties on what specific funding they needed and what their plans were for the funds.

Kanawha County was among the counties that requested money to build a new school after they voted to close four elementary schools in October. They want to build a new elementary school that would fit the students of Belle, Malden, Midland Trail and Mary Ingles. The county currently has $40 million and are requesting $20 million from the SBA.

Another county that has requested money to build a new school is Putnam County. They want to build a new Hurricane Middle School because the current building is old. They were able to pass a bond in the November election in order to get $40 million in funds, they are asking the SBA for $25 million.

Department of Defense Education Activity has opened an annex to its middle school at Naval Base Guam to accommodate the growing student population. The annex at William C. McCool Elementary Middle School debuted Thursday with a formal ceremony, according to a Facebook post by the base that day. Seventh- and eighth-grade classrooms will move to the annex during the summer break in time for the 2025-26 school year, the post said. “We are thrilled to open this space for our upper middle school students at McCool,” Lois Rapp, DODEA Pacific director for student excellence, said in a DODEA news release Dec. 3. The annex was previously a dental facility. With the renovations it has additional classrooms, a science lab area and flexible learning spaces, according to the release. Neither the Navy’s post nor DODEA’s release listed a cost for the renovation. A contact for the Navy-funded project was awarded in July 2022, and the work was completed in October, Department of Defense Education Activity-Pacific spokeswoman Miranda Ferguson said by email Wednesday. The annex was designed to support an additional 120 students. “Enrollment at McCool Elementary Middle School has remained relatively steady for the past five years; however, the student population is projected to increase,” she wrote.

The city’s work to deliver a state-of-the-art school project for Somerville students is moving into the next phase in the state’s school building funding process. The Massachusetts School Building Authority’s (MSBA) Board of Directors voted to move Somerville’s project forward. The vote by the MSBA Board is a required step that occurs at several points throughout the multi-year process. 

Somerville’s school building project through the MSBA would address the needs of the Winter Hill Community Innovation School and potentially the Brown School. 

Today’s approval means the project can enter the next phase of project development. Beginning in January 2025, the City can now start a formal procurement process to hire an Owner’s Project Manager to oversee the project, and then a Design/Architecture firm. In both processes, the School Building Committee will be directly involved and the MSBA will ultimately need to approve the hires. 

Governor Kathy Hochul today signed legislation to require that all school districts develop plans to mitigate extreme heat in classrooms and support services spaces and to establish a maximum allowable temperature to ensure the health and safety of students, faculty, and staff. By setting clear guidelines for extreme heat conditions, the bill will help schools ensure their spaces are conducive to student learning, reduce unnecessary disruptions, and provide for the health and safety of all those in their buildings.

"Extreme heat can significantly impact a student's concentration, focus and ability to learn,” Governor Hochul said. "With this new law, we are continuing to make the health and safety of our kids and educators a top priority and ensuring that every New York student has access to the safe and comfortable learning environment they deserve."

Legislation S3397-A/A9011-A establishes 88 degrees as the maximum temperature in classrooms and support services spaces. It requires a plan for the removal of students and staff from these spaces where it is practical for the school district to do so. It also creates a definition of extreme heat condition days as well as a standard to measure room temperature. In addition to the above, school districts will be required to take action to relieve heat related discomfort when classroom temperatures reach 82 degrees. Such actions can include turning off overhead lights, pulling down shades or blinds, turning on fans, opening classroom doors and windows, turning off electronics, and providing water breaks.

The state school board on Wednesday approved another round of school closures in West Virginia after county superintendents repeated a similar problem: student enrollment is rapidly declining and causing financial distress.

Seven schools throughout Clay, Preston, Wetzel and Wood County will close in the next few years. Impacted students will be moved into already-existing schools.

“Most towns die after a closure of a high school,” said Charles Goff, mayor of the town of Hundred in Wetzel County. He spoke to board members in Charleston ahead of the vote. “[Towns] lose incorporated status, lose elected officials in town, and it leads to fire departments closing and town charters being revoked. That includes losing EMS. We are an hour away from the hospital, and fire and EMS are crucial in our community.”

There has been a wave of proposed school closures this year as counties are faced with budget holes spurred by student population loss. West Virginia’s overall population is declining. Roughy 4,000 students left public schools this year; some of those students left to attend private and charter schools or to be homeschooled.

The districtwide price tag to correct maintenance issues at Minot’s aging school buildings is more than $146.39 million, according to a facility assessment presented to the Minot Public School Board Thursday.
The board heard updates on the district facility assessment and on the outcome of a recent utilization of virtual learning days during a winter storm in November.
Katelyn Crider and Dan Miller with JLG Architects presented the long awaited facility assessment for the district, which studied 22 facilities in the district. The assessment reviewed each site’s exterior envelope or roofing; the mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems; American Disabilities Act concerns; fire and safety issues; other safety and security concerns; and any other known maintenance issues.
Miller said each aspect or system was scored on a priority points system, which he stressed wasn’t based on expected costs but rather on how critical updating or replacing the current system is based on its function and life expectancy. Each score included a recommended period for the issue to be addressed, between immediately and seven years down the road.
“If this system fails, what is the risk it will actually disrupt learning in the school?” Miller said. “Consider it more of a risk factor.”
 

Numerous public schools across Philadelphia contend with aging buildings and a shortage of basic amenities, including adequate air conditioning.

Some school buildings are either too spacious or too cramped for their current student populations, while others are burdened with environmental hazards, like asbestos or mold.

Schools Superintendent Tony Watlington, Sr. told WHYY News that the district is developing a long-term plan to fix the problems by the end of 2025. The plan will be submitted to the Board of Education for approval.

“The overall mission and strategy of the facilities plan is to do two things. One, to have a comprehensive plan to modernize our school facilities, which have an average age of 73 years; many are more than 120 years old,” Watlington said. “Number two, we want to more efficiently use our facilities because we’ve got a number of schools that are overenrolled and a number of schools that are under-enrolled. By addressing those issues, we can create the conditions for driving better student achievement.”

CHEYENNE — Two parents in Laramie County School District 1 are pursuing legal action in response to Wyoming’s School Facilities Commission (SFC) and State Construction Department’s (SCD) decision to approve a controversial plan that would close eight local schools.

Katie Dijkstal, a Jessup Elementary parent, and Franz Fuchs, a soon-to-be Deming parent, are petitioning the state district court to review the final agency actions, after a recent Most Cost Effective Remedy (MCER) study was adopted by the SFC in November.

The lawsuit, filed Dec. 6, demands judicial review of the SFC’s adoption of Remedy 4, outlined in the MCER, which would close eight schools across the district in order to fund essential maintenance and build two new schools, according to the district.

Community concerns

The study was required by the Legislature in order for the district to access state funds set aside for this project, and received virtually no public input until it was voted on by the local school board in October.

Parents were deeply concerned about the lack of public input and cited it as a reason to at least delay the LCSD1 board’s decision. However, due to time constraints and the advice of their legal counsel and the SCD, the board went ahead and unanimously voted the MCER through.

Since the school board voted in October, parents have been vocal about opposing Remedy 4, even proposing alternatives that were included in the MCER to the commission when it took its final vote in November.

“Laramie County School District 1, the School Facilities Commission, and the State Construction Department all refuse to take accountability for this unprecedented study and subsequent decision,” Dijkstal said in a news release. “Now families are forced to take this action to protect the rights of our students. It’s no wonder no one wants to take responsibility for this decision, which will irreparably harm students, families and the Cheyenne community.”

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — Nine hundred and forty students will go to a different school next fall in Mesa County.
 
Just before the Thanksgiving holiday, District 51 school board members voted to close three elementary schools in the Grand Valley, citing declining enrollment and poor building conditions.
 
A committee tasked with addressing declining enrollment throughout the district recommended closing Scenic Elementary and Clifton Elementary. The reason for closing Nisley Elementary, the third school shutting down next year, is years of academic underperformance based on Colorado Department of Education criteria.  
 
East Middle School and the Fruita 8/9 school shut down last year, with the district citing low enrollment, and a consolidation of teachers and students being a better use of resources. Those closures save the district more than $3 million in recurring costs, according to superintendent Brian Hill.
 
“There's almost 27 positions that we are staffing in our elementary schools right now, that we don't actually have the funding for because we don't have the kids for it,” he said.

On Nov. 21, the Center for Green Schools brought together a panel of researchers, designers, industry experts and manufacturers committed to advancing healthy material practices within the K–12 education sector in a webinar titled "From Floor to Ceiling—Healthier Materials for School Interiors."

The group of panelists shared valuable insights on how school districts can protect young learners, who are particularly vulnerable to the harmful effects of toxins and hazardous materials in school buildings. The discussion highlighted how materials used in school construction and renovation can significantly impact ecological health and the health of students, and improve the overall learning environment.

Materials and human health
It has long been understood that the materials used in the construction of buildings play a crucial role in human health. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 50% of the U.S. population carries carcinogenic and endocrine-disrupting pesticides in their bodies, and exposure to toxic building materials may contribute to these harmful accumulations. With our youngest learners being more susceptible to exposure to these chemicals as they play and learn in closer contact to carpet, furniture, play equipment, etc., it becomes especially important to choose safer building materials in school environments.

One of the most effective strategies for reducing health hazards in building materials is through elimination and substitution. This aligns with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health's hierarchy of controls, which emphasizes the need to remove harmful materials entirely or replace them with safer alternatives.

The ongoing draft of city schools’ roadmap for facilities reveals that its three main priorities over the next four to five years involve Bowling Green Junior High School, Potter Gray Elementary and W.R. McNeill Elementary.
On Tuesday, the Bowling Green Independent School District Board of Education approved a Feb. 10, 6 p.m. public hearing on this document, the District Facility Plan.  One of the top three priorities is adding space at BGJHS – such as classroom space and additional cafeteria space – due to student enrollment, BGISD Superintendent Gary Fields said. The plan draft also calls for upgrades to the bones of the building, such as roofing and HVAC work, Fields said.  “That building started construction back in early ’99,” he said. “A lot of those systems are aging, so there’ll be a chance to look at those.”
 

Portland Public Schools is re-evaluating three high school reconstruction projects after receiving cost estimates that soared to more than $450 million each.
“To be really, really blunt about it, if these high schools cost $425 (million) to $450 million, they won’t be the most expensive high schools built in Oregon — they may be the most expensive high schools ever built in the United States,” said Andrew Scott, a school board member. “That is not an award that we want to win.”
Scott’s comments came during a Dec. 2 meeting of the school board’s Facilities Improvement Oversight Committee.
In an email to parents, the district stated that cost estimates to rebuild Cleveland, Jefferson and Ida B. Wells-Barnett high schools exceeded $450 million each — more than $1.3 billion in total. PPS Superintendent Kimberlee Armstrong has directed the project managers for each project to evaluate costs with an eye toward finding savings.
“PPS leadership believes that the costs for the three new high schools should be scrutinized and made more manageable,” the district stated in the Dec. 6 email. “In order to achieve this goal, each school’s design team is pausing current work on the projects and will focus on preparing options for design, schedule and budget, which the superintendent and Board of Education will review at a future board meeting.”
A district spokesman declined to comment on the cost re-evaluations.
 

The Loudoun County School Board on Tuesday approved a $1.5 billion six-year construction budget envisions building only one new school during the period.
The Capital Improvements Plan calls for spending $129.8 million in fiscal year 2026, an $86.8 million increase over the plan adopted last year. Among the projects on the schedule for next year are $48 million in capital asset maintenance projects, $18 million to renovate and expand Waterford Elementary School, $12 million for energy conservation projects, $7.8 million for school bus replacements, $5.8 million in security improvements, $3.2 million to accelerate construction of inclusive playground, $3 million as part of a multi-year $183.4 million plan to expand middle and high school arts and performance programming, and $2.7 million as part of a multi-year plan to replace artificial turf on sports fields.
Changes made during a series of School Board work sessions include shifting money from school bus replacement and nutritional equipment upgrades to the support the playground replacements. 
Acceleration of the construction of inclusive playgrounds emerged as a top issue during the budget review, with special education advocates urging action during public comment periods.
 

WASHINGTON (DC News Now) — An elementary school class in D.C. was temporarily relocated on Monday “out of an abundance of caution due to concerns raised about potential mold or water intrusion,” a letter sent to families read.

DC Public Schools (DCPS) said that students in classroom 104 at Whittier Elementary School were taken to a different space in the building due to these concerns.

In an update sent Wednesday, DCPS said that crews had done precautionary mediation to encapsulate HVAC ductwork and create a protective barrier.

A certified industrial hygienist assessed the space and saw that there were signs of previous condensation leaks on the floor near the classroom’s HVAC unit ventilator.

HELENA — At the monthly Helena Public School’s board meeting a presentation was given on the $51 million of deferred maintenance and needed repairs between Capital and Helena High Schools.

Since the start of 2022, the deferred maintenance report total inflation is 22 percent for Helena Public Schools.

Karen Ogden, the communications specialist for Helena Public Schools says, “Well, right now between our two high schools we have about 51 million dollars of deferred maintenance and under current level of annual facilities funding there is no way we could ever catch up with that.”

The average age of a Helena Public School building is 57 years old, with the oldest built in 1938. Because of this many facilities have been identified as needing repaired or replaced.

charleston — West Virginia’s financially-struggling public schools can’t afford to implement millions of dollars in safety upgrades, including secure front entries and weapon detection systems.

Schools need $258 million in state funding for school safety upgrades for the current school year, according to a report from the state education department. Counties’ financial contributions to schools — levies, taxes and more — don’t cover the bulk of the needs.

The report showed 272 schools still don’t have safe school entries — also known as mantraps — that include two interlocking doors and a control system.

Jonah Adkins, director of the office of safety tiered support systems for the West Virginia Department of Education, told lawmakers on Sunday that cost is keeping schools from implementing safety upgrades.

“We have no money to give,” he said.

There has been an uptick this year in school threats in West Virginia, prompting Gov. Jim Justice to launch a school safety task force in September to address concerns.

“We have people who are targeting children and targeting schools to do bad things,” Adkins said.

Justice last month proposed $1 million for school safety funding but noted that the money wouldn’t “go far enough.” Lawmakers have given schools hundreds of millions of dollars for school safety in the state budget.

Several Republicans said they didn’t understand why safety improvements like mantraps still weren’t completed.