Most of us would rather not think about what our lives will be like in the aftermath of the Big One – a magnitude 9.0 rupture of the offshore Cascadia earthquake fault. Yet, it’s worth considering where you’ll go if your house slides off its foundation or your apartment lacks heat, electricity and running water.

For many, if not most Pacific Northwest residents, walking to their neighborhood school to find earthquake relief is a reasonable first instinct. The trouble is the majority of Oregon schools were built before the state had a seismic building code and could well be unusable. 

Emergency preparedness advocates made another try at the Oregon Legislature this spring to raise the standard for new school construction. But it might take a political earthquake to overcome opposition from wary school associations.

“Let’s be clear, the Cascadia Earthquake will most likely be the most powerful natural disaster in modern U.S. history, and we must be bold in our efforts to build a strategic resilience vision for Oregon,” said state Rep. Paul Evans, D-Monmouth.

Evans introduced a measure in the Oregon House that would require new schools to be built stronger and to include disaster shelter features as a condition of receiving state construction support. House Bill 3707 would apply in earthquake country west of the Cascades and in Klamath County, but it didn’t receive a hearing or have a work session scheduled by the March 21 deadline to keep bills moving.

BRIDGEPORT — Acting Superintendent of Schools Royce Avery believes the school system must first secure the funding and construct new school buildings before it moves forward with a proposal to shutter several old facilities.
A recently completed study found the district’s aging buildings will need $702.5 million in upgrades over the next decade and recommends closing seven aging schools to save money on costly repairs. 
But Avery said during a community forum Tuesday that the schools should stay open until new buildings have been erected to replace them — a process he noted could take three to four years to complete. 
“We can’t close buildings until we get new facilities,” Avery said. “So until that happens we’re not even going to talk about school closures because we have nowhere to put the kids.” 
 

A new study that takes a comprehensive look at the state of school infrastructure across Michigan identified billions of dollars in needed repairs.

The School Finance Research Foundation, a nonprofit that began its statewide analysis in spring 2023, estimates Michigan schools will need $22.8 billion in infrastructure investment over the next decade. The costs include critical repairs for HVAC systems, roofing and electrical work, among other maintenance needs.

In a public meeting announcing the findings, education leaders from across the state emphasized how aging buildings are impacting student learning—for instance, when temperatures soar.

“You will notice that all schools don't close in those instances, but there are some that have to close because of the ventilation system, because of the HVAC,” said Daveda Colbert, superintendent of Wayne County Regional Educational Service Agency. “Students can't learn in those situations. Staff can't perform in those situations.”

North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein is calling for a $4 billion bond for public school construction, mentioning the proposal in his state of the state address on March 12 and including it in his budget proposal unveiled yesterday.
“We need safer, healthier, and more modern schools,” said Stein during his state of the state address. “So tonight, I’m proposing a $4 billion public school bond. And if you’re not sure about it, let’s let the voters decide,” .
Stein pointed to issues like overcrowded classrooms, reliance on temporary trailers, and aging infrastructure in public schools.
“Our students also need safe and well-built schools,” Stein continued. “Unfortunately, too many of our schools are overcrowded or use trailers or have old leaking roofs and broken heating and air conditioning. It is 2025. We should not have to send kids home from school because the heat doesn’t work.”
“We also need upgrades for safety like cameras, fences around playgrounds, exterior locks, fewer access points to secure our school buildings from people who mean harm. Nothing is more important than keeping our kids safe,” Stein added.
 

KETTERING, Ohio (WDTN) — With school buildings going on 70 years or older, Kettering City Schools has been working with state officials and contractors to create a plan to address the aging infrastructure.
On Thursday night, officials unveiled their plans during a public forum, sharing some pretty big changes in the works, including both potential renovations and demolitions to buildings within the Kettering City Schools system.
Partnering with the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission (OFCC) for funding, city officials had multiple plans — some involving the consolidation of elementary and middle schools in the district.
“We’re presenting some bold plans for the future, does the community want to consider consolidating Kettering Middle School and Van Buren into one combined middle school?” said Mike Ruetschle, architect. “And might it be at Fairmont High School? It’s kind of an extraordinary idea.”
Many of the schools in Kettering’s district are coming up on 70 years old and after inspections with the OFCC, they wouldn’t fund renovations of some schools due to age and poor condition.
Dealing with a forecasted decline in enrollment and facing the mounting potential costs of renovations, officials had to propose funding in the hundreds of millions.
 

Several years ago, Oklahoma City Public Schools shuttered more than a dozen of its school buildings.
It was part of a realignment process in the district to right-size student populations within schools — some were overcrowded, others were underenrolled — and to make the school experience better and more consistent for students across the city.
But what to do with all of those empty buildings?
It’s a question that scores of district leaders across the country are now asking themselves. As enrollment has declined in some public schools — due to the greater uptake of alternative education environments such as virtual schools, homeschooling and private schools since the pandemic; lower birth rates; and population shifts that have left some school districts with far fewer children than they served years ago — a number of districts have made the decision to consolidate student populations and close down school buildings.
Then what?
“When buildings sit vacant, they can become unsafe spaces, and we didn’t want that to happen,” says Stephanie Hinton, executive director of early childhood at Oklahoma City Public Schools.
One idea that has taken hold in many districts: repurposing these empty school buildings into early care and education centers.
It’s a natural fit, says Aaron Loewenberg, a senior policy analyst with the Education Policy Program at New America, a think tank.
These buildings are often capacious and centrally located within a community, featuring large parking lots and already zoned for educational purposes, notes Loewenberg. They’re also typically former elementary schools, meaning that some aspects of the original classroom and building design can accommodate younger learners.
 

For decades, dozens of rural school districts have been asking the state for money to fix a range of serious health and safety problems. Only a small percentage of that money has come through.

Southeast Island School District Superintendent Rod Morrison got a chance to be heard. He was in Juneau to testify before the powerful Alaska Senate Finance Committee when he lifted a large lightbulb from a plastic shopping bag and showed it to committee members.

“You’ll see it almost caught on fire,” Morrison said, pointing out black marks on the top of the lightbulb. “This happened with six of our gymnasium lights and it’s obvious our fire suppression system was inoperable.”

Morrison’s district has made at least 17 funding requests to the state for financial assistance to replace the fire suppression system in the school at Thorne Bay, a small community northwest of Ketchikan.

“I would assume that we are on the brink of another Kasayulie 2.0 coming to us that may be more costly to the state than if we came forward and tried to do something about the condition of these schools,” said Alaska Senate Finance Committee co-chair Lyman Hoffman, a Democrat from Bethel.

Hoffman was referring to a successful lawsuit brought by a group of Alaska Native parents in 1997. They argued that Alaska’s education funding system violated its constitution and the federal Civil Rights Act. In 2011, a judge agreed and ruled that the Alaska Legislature had to find a more equitable way to fund infrastructure in rural school districts.

KYUK and ProPublica have spent the last year visiting rural schools and found the same kinds of conditions that spurred the case: leaking roofs, failing heating systems, and broken sewer lines.

Bulloch County Schools will open its first school-based health center this fall, offering comprehensive medical care and counseling care to students and staff at two of its schools.

Langston Chapel Elementary (LCES) and Langston Chapel Middle School (LCMS), which share a campus, will benefit from this project that is being funded by a $1 million grant from the Georgia Department of Education. These schools were selected because they have the school district’s highest number of students who are in foster care, Medicaid eligible, or experiencing housing insecurity or homelessness. The goal is to help remove the multiple barriers that these families experience with receiving quality healthcare and to help lessen disruptions to their children’s education.

“This center will provide essential healthcare services to both our students and staff, making care more accessible and timely,” said Aldric Dekle, principal of LCES. “By offering on-site health services, we can improve attendance, support well-being, and ensure that our staff and students stay healthy and ready to work and learn.”

The principal of LCMS, Willie Robinson, Ed.D., agreed and called it a “game changer” for his school. These administrators also believe it will be a positive employee benefit that they can highlight as they seek to recruit faculty and staff at their schools.

At Poolesville High School in Maryland, two seniors — Eric Huang and Pranav Karthikeyan — noticed the process of submitting requests for maintenance issues at the school was far from efficient.

The students, who are a part of the school’s science, math and technology program, would soon discover a similar story played out at other schools as well — involving either genuine concerns or simple needs like soap in bathrooms. Students would have to go through multiple people before school staff learned about the problem.

“In order to actually communicate that right now to my school, what I have to do is talk to my teacher, who will send an email to the building manager, who now communicates that to maintenance staff,” Karthikeyan said.

“These concerns and these issues pile up over time,” Huang said. “Coming from a neighborhood that’s not necessarily as safe, I really do understand the entire importance of security.”

At West Philly’s Overbrook Elementary School, a group of third graders recently spent part of the morning outside in their asphalt schoolyard. Split into groups and holding printed maps of the space, they wandered around and brainstormed about how the space is used — and what it could become.

“Y’all, we could put a basketball court right there!” one student said excitedly.

Overbrook is one of three Philly schools currently in the process of revamping their schoolyards with support from the Trust for Public Land, a nonprofit that works to create equitable access to  public parks, green spaces and natural lands across the United States. TPL’s work focuses on low-income neighborhoods that have less access to green spaces. The organization coordinates with school districts to build new, climate-friendly schoolyards that serve students and the surrounding neighborhood during after school hours. But, instead of leaving the renovation process entirely up to an architect, TPL’s participatory design program gives kids the reins. TPL has already revamped 15 schoolyards in Philadelphia, including Alain Locke and Benjamin Franklin Elementary, and hundreds more nationwide.

LITTLE ROCK (KATV) — Governor Sanders paid a visit today to the campus of the Arkansas School for the Deaf and Blind, where construction is kicking off on a brand-new state-of-the-art facility.
After touring the facility with legislators and staff last year, Governor Sanders committed to developing a plan to address the school's critical needs, with the goal of improving educational opportunities for its students.
"Every single student here is getting the education, not only that they need, but that they deserve," says Governor Sanders.
The construction project aims to expand resources and ensure high-quality instruction in modern facilities while preserving the historic nature of the campus.
“Blind and visually, impaired and deaf kids, they have just as much right to have a great educational experience as anybody else. I just think sometimes they need people to advocate for them," says Cary Smith, Secretary on School Board.
It will also include specialized classrooms tailored to students unique hearing and vision needs and addresses critical safety concerns, like mold, and worn-down buildings.
 

DERWOOD, Md. - Parents and students at a Montgomery County school are frustrated after a part of the ceiling falls during the opening weekend of the school's spring musical over the weekend.
Ceiling collapses during spring musical 
The backstory:
Magruder High School in Derwood is about 55 years old and naturally has some maintenance issues.
"Our infrastructure is aging in general, the cost of maintenance and repairs and construction is increasing in general, and our budget is becoming more restrained, so when you put all those pieces together, it's certainly frustrating that the ones impacted by this are our students," said Magruder PTSA President Kim Glassman.
Photos shared with FOX 5 by parents show a chunk of the ceiling missing after it fell during the spring musical "Once Upon a Mattress."
As all great productions do - they took a pause and then the show went on.
But after an assessment, school officials found the issue needs more time to fix - so the auditorium is currently closed and the musical has moved down the road to Shady Grove Middle School.
Parents tell us they have been asking for capital improvements to the school for years - and those have been delayed.
According to MCPS officials, the CIP budget focuses on 'significant, long-term capital projects', and issues like this are considered general school maintenance, falling within the operational budget.
 

On Monday, March 3, the School Committee’s Building Facilities and Maintenance Committee held a joint meeting to address pressing concerns about school infrastructure, budget constraints, and emergency planning for potential school closures.

The discussion stressed the need for urgent repairs, long-term capital investments, and the challenge of ensuring student safety in the face of limited resources.

Major school infrastructure challenges

One of the primary concerns raised was the deteriorating condition of several school buildings, particularly at the Winter Hill and Brown Schools. The city is in the process of hiring an Owner’s Project Manager (OPM) to oversee the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) project. However, cost estimates will not be available until Fall 2025, delaying key decisions on renovations and new construction.

Additionally, the roofs at the Healey and West Somerville Neighborhood Schools were identified as high-risk areas that need immediate attention. If these roofs fail, entire classrooms could become unusable. To address these risks, officials are prioritizing infrastructure upgrades based on urgency, potential impact on school programs, and the most cost effective.

Jeffco Public Schools staff has recommended that the school board vote to surplus three former school sites and one vacant land site at its March 13 meeting. If approved, the district will move forward with its property disposition process to determine the future of the sites.
According to the district’s website, “the board must vote to classify a facility as ‘surplus’ in order to move forward with the process of selling or leasing it to an outside entity.”
District leaders say the move is part of a broader effort to optimize the use of district resources, following years of declining enrollment and school closures.
Why these properties?
Jeffco Operations and Strategy Project Manager Greg Avedikian said the district identified these four sites for surplus based on a combination of factors, including student accommodations, nearby school capacity and long-term enrollment projections. 
He emphasized that the students affected by past closures or consolidations have already been placed in operational schools with available space within a 3.5-mile radius.
Avedikian explained that long-term enrollment trends in these areas do not indicate significant growth, making it unlikely that the district will need these buildings in the future.
 

Kansas City, Missouri, voters will decide on April 8th whether to approve a $474 million GO Bond proposal to improve schools.
Most of the money would go to Kansas City Public Schools, but about 10% will be allocated to nine different charter schools in the area, including Kansas City Girls Prep Academy.
Daphne Armstrong is in her last year at the school. She knows the building like the back of her hand and knows it needs repairs.
“Everything needs a little bit of something around here,” Armstrong said. “It’s definitely in need of a little TLC.”
She says the bond money would not only benefit future students, but have an impact on her future.
bond funding to improve facilities
Charter schools in Kansas City push for bond funding to improve facilities
Daphne Armstrong, Kansas City Girls Preparatory Academy student - 8th grader
By: Fernanda Silva
Posted 11:21 PM, Mar 11, 2025 and last updated 3:08 PM, Mar 12, 2025
KSHB 41 reporter Fe Silva covers education stories involving K-12. Share your story idea with Fe.
Kansas City, Missouri, voters will decide on April 8th whether to approve a $474 million GO Bond proposal to improve schools.

Most of the money would go to Kansas City Public Schools, but about 10% will be allocated to nine different charter schools in the area, including Kansas City Girls Prep Academy.






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Daphne Armstrong is in her last year at the school. She knows the building like the back of her hand and knows it needs repairs.
“Everything needs a little bit of something around here,” Armstrong said. “It’s definitely in need of a little TLC.”
She says the bond money would not only benefit future students, but have an impact on her future.

“I want to come back to this community and be a teacher here,” Armstrong said.
If the $474 million bond passes, her school would receive $1.6 million. The money would help them get a new roof, fix the foundation, and build an elevator.
“Students come to school to learn, and we want to make sure there are no distractions for our students,” said Nicole Smith, CEO for Kansas City Girls Preparatory Academy.
But they are not alone among charter schools that need repairs and upgrades to their buildings.
Less than six miles away from Kansas City Girls Prep Academy is the Armour campus of Académie Lafayette, which would receive $13.6 million if the bond passes.
The school has no gym and no auditorium, adding an extra layer of work for Kate Absher, English and theater teacher.
 

Architects, designers, and educators alike understand that the needs of our students are constantly changing. The skills and topics taught today are vastly different from those taught even a decade ago. Potential careers in science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) have expanded drastically, with educational pathways in fields like robotics, business, esports, as well as fine arts and liberal arts becoming increasingly critical for student success.

In contrast, our school buildings have largely remained the same. In fact, the average age of a main instructional school building in the United States is 49 years, according to a survey by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). What's more, only 47% of survey respondents reported that their main instructional building has undergone a major renovation since it was built, with just 29% reporting that a renovation has occurred since 2010. Similarly, only 46% reported that they have had a major building replacement or addition to the school since it was built, with 26% reporting the replacement or addition has occurred since 2010.

Aspen School District’s new facilities master plan outlines both small deferred maintenance work and largescale capital projects the board of education will use to inform future bond planning.

The combined cost of the projects — identified in a master planning process with administrators, staff and community members — is $72.6 million. The district worked with a team of consultants to identify high-level costs of the individual projects and what phasing of them could look like.

The document will help the school board begin planning for a bond that could go towards major capital projects. The board decided against pursuing another bond measure last November to avoid placing the question on an already crowded ballot. But if the district wants to continue building and acquiring housing, and addressing capital projects like a District Theater upgrade or a new athletics fieldhouse, another bond will be necessary.

MOSES LAKE, Wash. – Groff Elementary School in Moses Lake is closed for the remainder of the school year due to electrical issues, district officials announced. The closure affects more than 400 students.

The school, which opened in 2021, was deemed unsafe after electrical problems resurfaced. The issue first reported in April 2024. Superintendent Carol Lewis emphasized the importance of safety, stating, “We need to, for the safety of staff and students, leave Groff Elementary closed for the remainder of the school year.”

Ryan Shannon from the district assured the community that efforts are underway to ensure the facility is safe before reopening. “We're gonna make sure that facility is safe before we step foot back in it,” he said.

BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) – Tyndall Academy parents arrived at the school’s town hall meeting Wednesday night, ready to get answers on the existing school facility’s conditions. Many left satisfied after hearing that the district is in the process of answering their concerns.
Many parents were concerned about non-operational water bottle dispensers and bathroom facilities, storage space, leaks, and other infrastructure failures.
Superintendent Mark McQueen says while the district is looking for a space for their new facility that is planned to be completed in 2028, they will maintain the current school’s infrastructure.
Parents arrived to Tyndall Academy’s school town hall meeting with many questions for Bay County Superintendent Mark McQueen. Many of their questions and concerns regarded the school’s failing infrastructure.
The school district is currently in the process of finding a new space for a facility to house more students near Tyndall Air Force Base. Parents say while the district is working towards that goal, it is imperative to maintain the failing infrastructure in the existing facility.
“So obviously it’s painful to see that Tyndall has come to grips with some crumbling infrastructure. It’s a very old school, and like anything else, communication is key. And I think when you’re in a military community, inherently it’s hierarchical, and so I think folks are hesitant to speak truth to power and let folks know, hey, the drinking fountains are starting to stop working or the plumbing is not working any longer,” Erica Clayton said.
 

Every school benefits. Every student wins.
The route upcoming April 8 bond issue election has gone through many months of community open houses, meetings with local stakeholders, feedback sessions with parents and staff, and student town halls around the district. In all, the district hosted or attended 120 meetings, speaking with over 3,700 stakeholders throughout the process.

The school board and district administration — with the support as well of public charter schools in Kansas City — believe the time is now for Kansas City schools to seek KCPS’s first bond issue since 1967. Those many decades included many years under federal court supervision during a long running desegregation case. Now more than two decades since the court case ended in 2003, Kansas City’s bond and levy assessments rank among the lowest in Jackson County.

Now, since January 2022, Kansas City Public Schools are fully accredited and continuing to improve in its performance on the state’s district report card. In November 2024, the school board approved the plan of proposed projects for the district and set in motion to seek its first bond issue in 58 years.

The district needs the funding to deal with more than $1 billion in deferred maintenance and renovations.

Under the plan more than 40 schools will benefit from:

Enhance security for a safer environment

Enhance spaces for better learning, including special education spaces

More science labs + tools to expand opportunities

Improved facilities and classrooms to support learning and safety

Promoting the health of our children