The scene at Lewis & Clark Elementary School is a familiar one for Caroline County Public Schools officials.
With 1,024 students attending the school, occupational and physical therapy sessions for students were moved to a stage. The division was forced to double the amount of physical education and library instructors, and those staff members teach classes in the same space at the same time.
“Despite these adjustments, the building remains over capacity,” CCPS Chief Operations Officer Marcia Stevens told the two dozen or so people who gathered to discuss capacity concerns Thursday evening at a town hall held at Bowling Green Elementary School.
The sights are familiar to Stevens because just last year at BGE, counselors were working with small groups in the hallways where behavioral interventions, English Language Learner sessions and other activities were also taking place because of overcrowding.
The school board, however, was able to convince the county’s board of supervisors to reappropriate nearly $1 million in unspent funds from Fiscal Year 2024, so that the division could construct trailers to install at BGE.
There is growing concern in the school division that the board of supervisors has not shown any signs of releasing $1 million in FY25 reversion funds for the construction of trailers at Lewis & Clark.
The process to install the trailers at BGE took just 92 days, but Stevens said that’s not an accomplishment the division aims to repeat; 10 months for site preparation, building and construction is more appropriate.
 

On a crisp spring morning, three boys sat on a cinderblock wall in front of the School of Creative and Performing Arts in Paradise Hills. Staff and students at the magnet school, often referred to as SCPA, have been grappling with recurring plumbing failures. Those failures required porta-potties and bottled water to be shipped to the campus. 

“It’s been temporarily fixed, but the problems always come back,” one boy said in between bites of Jack in the Box french fries. “They should just fix it already. People here need water.”  

“It’s nasty,” another boy said, referring to the porta-potties. “There’s pee all over them,” he said with a laugh.  

For some, though, the plumbing situation is no laughing matter. From February to March, the district fully or partially shut off water at the campus about a half dozen times due to infrastructure failures.  

Emails obtained by Voice of San Diego underscore the frustration felt by staff members. One teacher named Will Carter described a “pattern of repeated infrastructure failure that the district has failed to permanently resolve.” 

When Kayla Frank got an alert from her daughter’s school district that their school would temporarily be closed, she took a victory lap, literally.
Frank, the assistant coach of her daughter’s softball team, ran around the diamond during their first practice on Thursday evening.
“I know that most people don’t scream and cheer that a school is closed down, but in this case, I’m over the moon excited. And I’m going to ride on this for the rest of today,” Frank said.
Superintendent Dr. Steve Ritter informed the community that they will be closing Martin Warren Elementary for the safety of students and staff inside.
This closure at Martin Warren comes just a couple of weeks after parents turned to FOX4 Problem Solvers, worried that the school wasn’t doing enough to protect children and teachers over indoor air quality.
FOX4’s investigation focused on elevated radon gas— a colorless, odorless, cancer-causing gas.
 

Even as North Carolina’s state lottery sets sales records, the share of proceeds flowing to public education has fallen, and school districts competing for construction grants are feeling the effects, according to a recent presentation to the State Board of Education.
The board reviewed the Needs-Based Public School Capital Fund, a lottery-funded grant program for school construction in economically distressed counties, during its April 1 work session. Vice chair Alan Duncan pointed to what a recent state audit had already flagged: The portion of lottery revenues allocated to the program has declined over recent years.
“Going back over the course of the last several years, [it has] become a lesser percentage,” Duncan said.
That aligns with findings from State Auditor Dave Boliek. According to a financial audit released in December, Boliek’s office found that the lottery’s contribution to the Education Lottery Fund dipped from $1.07 billion to $1.05 billion in the 2024-2025 fiscal year. Meanwhile, total lottery revenue jumped from $5.4 billion to $6.6 billion the same fiscal year.
 

Four in ten Oakland Unified School District schools are less than 50% occupied. More than 80% have no cooling system. And the vast majority of buildings are more than 50 years old. Oakland’s public schools need billions of dollars of upgrades and renovations, according to a new district report. 

On the list are everything from structural deficiencies and accessibility needs to heating and ventilation upgrades. As the school board plans future investments and charts a path to a more sustainable district footprint, the 2026 Facilities Master Plan lays out recommendations. 

The primary problems the report addresses are building age, the lack of cooling systems, too-old classroom portables, and declining enrollment, resulting in a high number of small, underenrolled schools. 

CHEYENNE — Community members urged the Laramie County School District 1 Board of Trustees to scrap a draft facilities use policy during a public hearing Wednesday evening.
The policy, which was written before the Wyoming Legislature’s recent budget session and released for public comment Feb. 10, now has to be adjusted to comply with Senate Enrolled Act 36, former Senate File 90, “School facilities-use fees,” which was signed into law by Gov. Mark Gordon on March 6.
The act dictates that school districts in Wyoming can no longer charge rental fees to non-school sports and organizations in excess of the hourly rate of personnel, equipment, utility and supply costs actually incurred by the district for use of the property. The act also requires districts to provide itemized statements explaining costs upon request.
According to information presented at Wednesday’s hearing, LCSD1 was the main reason the bill passed.
“As bad as this year was with all the divisions we were dealing with, this bill essentially passed unanimously through the committee process (and) through the floor process,” youth basketball coach Joe Milczewski told trustees. “The governor was eager to sign it. Superintendent Degenfelder came and testified that this had broad support.
 

A proposal to overhaul how Hawaii builds public schools is advancing at the state Capitol, as lawmakers seek faster, more cost-effective solutions to overcrowding and rapid growth in areas like Kapolei and Ewa on Oahu, with a key decision scheduled for this morning.
Senate Bill 2024 would authorize the Hawaii School Facilities Authority to partner with private developers to design, finance and build public school facilities — including on privately owned land — and launch a pilot program to develop three new schools across the state.
The measure comes as stakeholders acknowledge that Hawaii has some of the highest public school construction costs in the nation, making it difficult to keep pace with demand for classrooms.
“The thought is, we cannot build schools the old way,” said Riki Fujitani, executive director of the School Facilities Authority. “They’re too expensive, and it’s too slow.”
 

Framing education as a cornerstone of her administration, Gov. Abigail Spanberger on Tuesday signed a sweeping package of legislation aimed at strengthening K-12 schools, expanding career pathways and reducing classroom distractions across Virginia.

The measures, many of which passed the legislature with bipartisan or unanimous support, span much of the public education system — from school construction and academic standards to student safety, mental health and family engagement.

Two priorities stand out in the package, both of which lawmakers from both parties have deemed urgent: long-term planning for school infrastructure and limits on cellphone use during the school day.

Lawmakers approved legislation to make the Commission on School Construction and Modernization permanent and require a 10-year capital improvement roadmap through House Bill 544 and Senate Bill 498. The move is intended to bring more consistency and predictability to how Virginia maintains and upgrades its aging school facilities.

The effort builds on bipartisan work that gained traction under former Gov. Glenn Youngkin to address infrastructure gaps across school divisions and better coordinate state and local investments. A 2022 state report found nearly 1,000 school buildings statewide are at least 50 years old and estimated it would cost over $25 billion to replace. 

Northside Independent School District is not making building improvements at nine of its more than 80 elementary schools.
When voters in NISD passed a $992 million school bond in 2022, the district accessed funds for major facelifts, including HVAC replacements, classroom replacements and updated offices, gyms and cafeteria spaces.
The district is halfway done with its long list of projects, including the completion of a brand new $24.5 million sports complex near Sotomayor High School on the far Northwest Side.
Several other projects are still underway, and the school board weighs in on the bond process at several points throughout the year, including green lighting new contracts, naming new facilities or giving stamps of approval once a project is done.
But bond projects at nine elementary schools, located mostly on the West Side, have been paused because of low enrollment, NISD officials said.
 

VIENNA, Va., April 1, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Attune today announced the launch of a new national initiative, the Future-Ready Facilities Grant, a cohort program selecting 25 school districts to implement indoor air quality (IAQ), energy, and water monitoring technologies and reporting practices that help districts measure building performance, prioritize maintenance and capital planning, and transparently communicate progress.
The program provides $500,000 total in support across the cohort. Applications open April 1, 2026 and close May 15, 2026. Evaluations will be completed by May 31, winners selected June 1, and announced June 15.
The initiative is designed to address a growing challenge across the U.S.: aging school facilities that lack visibility into critical building performance metrics.
 

PORTLAND — Portland Public Schools and town officials are advancing a major plan that would renovate and expand multiple schools across the district, aiming to address aging facilities through significant upgrades.
First Selectman Michael Pelton said the town held a referendum two years ago to close two elementary schools and consolidate into one, but voters rejected the proposal.
He said residents were concerned about the future of Brownstone Intermediate School, a historic building, and pushed back against the idea of a single large elementary school.
 

AUGUSTA — The Maine House on Thursday advanced a bill to help local cities and towns repurpose old schools into housing.

Across the state, 24 former schools have been identified as potential sites for housing redevelopment, Rep. Traci Gere (D-Kennebunkport) said during debate in the House. 

“Converting vacant schools into housing is a commonsense approach to creating affordable and attainable housing and this bill will help provide housing that is desperately needed,” she said.

As amended, the bill, LD 2164 allocates $5 million a year to the Maine Redevelopment Land Bank Authority for the creation of a new Maine School Conversion Fund program. 

Speaking in opposition, Rep. Amanda Collamore (R-Pittsfield), said the authority is relatively new and not well positioned to administer another program. Also, she said $5 million a year likely won’t come near to covering the costs of a school renovation, particularly given the need to address asbestos and groundwater issues.

“It’s probably only going to support one school building instead of multiple,” she said. 

Geothermal dehumidification systems have already injected new life into two historic Winona Area Public Schools elementary schools. 

Now, a federal tax credit tied to those projects will open the door for the possibilities of additional improvements to the educational environment for Winona area students, staff and community members. 

Superintendent Brad Berzinski on Thursday night shared with the school board that the district has received a check for $5.5 million, the culmination of two years of work to apply for a federal tax credit available to entities that meet certain criteria for energy efficiency projects.

“I am grateful,” school board chair Nancy Denzer said. “I am excited about what this means and appreciative of all the people who spent so much time on this.”

Charlottesville City Schools (CCS) and the City of Charlottesville (City) are pleased to announce the successful execution of a major Solar Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) that will significantly advance community sustainability goals while delivering long-term financial benefits. A PPA is an arrangement in which a third-party developer installs, owns, and operates an energy system (e.g., solar) on a customer’s property. The customer purchases the system’s electric output for a predetermined period. 

Under this new agreement, a 1.318 MWdc size solar energy system will be installed at Charlottesville High School (CHS). Once operational, the system is expected to generate approximately 1,738,000 kilowatt-hours of renewable energy each year. This production will offset an estimated 59% of CHS’s total annual electricity use.

Over the 25-year term of the PPA, the project is forecast to achieve approximately $2.3 million in avoided electricity costs. The environmental benefits are equally significant. The project will avoid more than 40,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions, which is equivalent to removing roughly 8,400 gas-powered cars from the road for an entire year. This initiative represents a substantial contribution toward the City’s long-term climate and sustainability goals.

NORTHAMPTON — The City Council this week approved a new five-year Capital Improvement Plan for funding infrastructure projects across the city, with much of the debate at Tuesday’s meeting focused on specific, immediate projects such as repairs to City Hall’s roof and various school district initiatives. 

The Capital Improvement Plan, or CIP, includes plans for projects spanning from 2027-2031 — a total of about $132.3 million in projected spending across all departments over that time period. 

Much of the focus at a public hearing on March 19 and at Tuesday’s meeting was on the first year of the plan, in fiscal 2027.

ABILENE  – Students at Wylie East Junior High moved from one classroom to another on Wednesday morning as part of a shelter-in-place drill.

The class they left had an exterior-facing wall, while the room they relocated to was an interior space, offering more protection. Students then remained in the interior classroom for the remainder of the drill.

However, for some students in the Wylie Independent School District, these drills will look different in the upcoming school year.

Wylie South Elementary School’s gymnasium will also act as a storm shelter in the case of severe weather when the school opens this fall. The shelter will be surrounded by 16 inches of concrete and will have its own power and water sources, separate from the rest of the building.

Johnny Heredia expects to spend an upcoming summer digging up pipes at Chase Avenue Elementary School.

As director of facilities, maintenance and operations for Cajon Valley Union School District, he’s the one called when sewage backs up into bathrooms or playgrounds. It happens often.

Digging up the pipes, he acknowledges, would destroy the floors and sidewalks. But those need to be replaced anyway. While he’s at it, he could finally bring the bathrooms into compliance with disabilities law and maybe replace the floors’ terrazzo — it’s expensive, he acknowledges, but it lasts forever.

“You’ve ruined the sidewalks, destroyed the sprinkler system and the grass — and then you start to get into structural issues, as you’re saw-cutting into other things just to replace the sewer system,” he said. “Even though the sewer system’s $1 million, you’ve done $2 million worth of damage.”

If the East County school district could pass a bond, it could address some of these issues at its aging schools. But voters haven’t passed a facilities bond in nearly two decades, and since then, the district’s maintenance budget hasn’t been able to keep up with the needed repairs.

San José’s school district will shutter five elementary schools and relocate another at the end of the year, despite pleas from parents and community members to halt the closure process.
The school board voted three to two late Thursday night in favor of the consolidation plan, which will close Empire Gardens, Lowell, Gardner, Canoas and Terrell elementary schools and relocate Hammer Montessori to the Gardner campus at the end of the year.
School Board Vice President Brian Wheatley and trustee Nicole Gribstad voted against the plan.
“It would not be honest to suggest that a recommendation like this comes without loss. There is grief and change, especially when it touches schools and neighborhoods that people love,” Superintendent Nancy Albarrán said. “But there is also hope … the goal of this work is to create stronger, more stable, more resource school communities for students now and into the future.”
SJUSD staff said it would alert families who will be affected by the closures on Friday and finalize students’ new school assignments by May 1.
The closures come as districts across the Bay Area combat significant enrollment declines. San José Unified School District’s student population has shrunk 20% — a total of 6,000 students — since 2017.
 

 The Southington Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously endorsed a key step in advancing a proposed $86.7 million school facilities bond, sending a positive recommendation to the Southington Town Council following a March 17 meeting.
The commission reviewed a mandatory 8-24 referral for a bond ordinance that would fund projects under the town’s Elementary Facilities Plan.
The proposal includes the construction of a new Kelley Elementary School, renovations at South End Elementary School, and the eventual closure of Flanders Elementary School, with its building repurposed for municipal and community use.
PZC member Todd Chaplinsky cited the town’s 2016 Plan of Conservation and Development (POCD) in support of the proposal, reading language that anticipates long-term planning for school facilities and the possibility of consolidation if enrollment declines.
“The Plan of Conservation and Development does not get involved in day-to-day operations of individual departments,” Chaplinsky said, quoting the document. “Rather, the plan seeks to identify potential community facility needs such as buildings and sites so that they can be anticipated and planned for.”
 

 Fairfax County school leaders are exploring a bold, business-style strategy to tackle a growing infrastructure problem: selling naming rights to school facilities.
Facing a staggering $400 million maintenance backlog, Fairfax County Public Schools may allow companies to sponsor stadiums, gyms, and other athletic facilities — similar to naming deals in professional sports. 
The goal is to generate new revenue without raising taxes.