Fort Myers Beach Mayor Dan Allers has proposed to the Lee County school district that the Fort Myers Beach Elementary School be turned over to the town to be operated as a municipal charter school and that the school district provide the town $12 million to build a new municipal charter school. The proposal was made at the end of today’s mediation session between the town and school district at St. Leo the Great Catholic Church in Bonita Springs.

Allers asked the school district’s administration and school board member Bill Ribble during the mediation meeting to lease the school to the town for $1 for 100 years for the town to operate a municipal charter school out of the historic school while the town builds a new elementary school building to be used as a municipal charter school.

MIDDLETON, Idaho — After yet another failed attempt to pass a school levy, Middleton School District may still have a path forward to build its long-awaited new elementary school—this time, without raising local taxes.
Related | Middleton School District levy would prevent teacher cuts while adding two armed officers to schools
“Our levy didn't pass, obviously disappointed that it didn't pass,” said Superintendent Marc Gee. “There's any number of reasons why that happened, but what it comes down to is we put it out there to our patrons and they said no.”
Just days before Tuesday’s election, the district was approved for $11.1 million from the Public School Facilities Cooperative Fund, a state program that helps school districts build or repair facilities when they can’t raise funds locally.
The district plans to combine that $11 million with $8 million in state modernization funds, which together would cover roughly two-thirds of the cost to build a new elementary school.
 

FERNDALE — The Ferndale School Board approved the city’s Capital Facilities Plan during its Oct. 28 meeting. The plan looks at needed and planned projects, both with and without funding. 

Between 2025-2032 there is about $40 million in planned minor capital renovations. These would be funded through the district’s general fund, impact fees, a potential capital facilities levy, bonds and grants. 

Ferndale School District is facing a deficit in classroom space when looking over a 20-year period, especially at the elementary level. 

According to Assistant Superintendent for Business and Support Services Mark Deebach, the new high school brings in possibilities and flexibility in addressing potential space issues at the high school level.

Due to this deficit there is about $150 million in major unfunded capital projects. 

In 2030, the transportation building will need to be remodeled and a new North Bellingham Elementary School will need to be built. 

The transportation building was initially slated for work with the 2006 bond attempt, but never happened and the building has only worsened with time. According to Deebach, some busses do not fit in the shop.

More than half of Minnesota school districts that asked voters to approve operating levies and bond questions to pay for K-12 education costs got the support they were looking for this election cycle. 

“I think our districts made the case” for more local funding, said Kirk Schneidawind, executive director of the Minnesota School Boards Association. “Minnesotans are very, very proud of their local public schools.”

Districts across the state rely on a mix of federal, state and local money to fund school personnel salaries, technology purchases, building upkeep and renovations and other education programming costs. But increasing numbers of districts are turning to local tax dollars to fund larger portions of their budgets. 

This week nearly 100 school funding questions were on Minnesota ballots. Sixty-three percent of those were approved. 

Nearly 70 percent of operating levies passed and 64 percent of capital project questions passed. Fewer bond questions — which tend to be heftier sums of money invested in things like new school buildings — passed with only a 52 percent approval rating. 

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Cleveland Schools expects to close 23 buildings and operate 29 fewer schools under a sweeping restructuring plan that would amount to the district’s largest overhaul in decades.

Cleveland Metropolitan School District CEO Warren Morgan said the changes are necessary to confront steep drops in enrollment, rising operating costs and a looming $150 million deficit. Changes would take effect before the 2026-2027 school year.

The plan, introduced to the school board Wednesday night, would save CMSD at least $30 million annually if approved. Those savings would mostly come from the district cutting administrative staff, including principals and assistant principals, on account of reducing the number of schools.

Morgan told cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer that the number of teachers should stay roughly the same as CMSD’s footprint shrinks, but some layoffs and new hires may occur, as the schools need different personnel.

AMHERST, Wis. (WSAW) - Sixth-grade science students at Amherst Middle School are ditching textbooks for hands-on learning as they work to reduce their school’s energy consumption.

It’s part of the Renew Our Schools Challenge, a competition involving eight Wisconsin schools. For five weeks, the sixth graders work to create the most ways to lower energy bills in their building.

Last year was Amherst’s first time in the competition, where they placed third, but students noticed several areas for improvement, including overuse of lights, heat and electronics.

“We plugged a watt meter into a desktop computer, and we found that there was a ton of vampire load being taken there. So, it’s essentially an appliance that’s plugged in that still uses energy even though it’s off,” said Margo Smith, a science teacher at Amherst Middle School.

In Fayetteville, AR, parents at McNair Middle and Vandergriff Elementary are voicing concern after a cell tower was built directly on school property, specifically on a playground, according to KFSM-TV Students call it an eyesore and say it’s eating into their play space. But parents, like Courtney Norton, worry about something bigger: radiation exposure.

“We had no idea it would be placed right where kids play,” Norton said. “We’re worried about both short-term and long-term effects, especially on developing children.”

Radiation oncologist Dr. Foster Lasley says while most tower radiation is non-ionizing, newer 5G frequencies raise questions, particularly for children whose bodies are still developing. “I’m not sure it’s a great idea to put this right next to a school,” Lasley said. 

States like California require towers to be at least 3,000 feet from schools. Norton says Fayetteville has no such rule, leaving the tower “on the playground and next to an elementary school.”

VERMILION, Ohio — Vermilion voters rejected a 30-year, $47 million school bond levy Tuesday, leaving the district’s long-delayed maintenance projects – including leaking roofs, failing HVAC systems and deteriorating infrastructure – in limbo.

Issue 25 failed with 59.74% of voters rejecting it, according to unofficial results from the Lorain County Board of Elections.

Vermilion Local School District hadn’t asked voters for an operating levy since 2008 and has relied on its general fund for capital repairs—a strategy officials have acknowledged is unsustainable. The general fund is primarily allocated for teacher and staff salaries and benefits, with just 24% available for other needs. Without dedicated funding, routine maintenance problems have compounded into an estimated $14 million in critical repairs.

McALLEN — The district held a town hall meeting on Oct. 28 and presented information on the state of its school buildings, which are in need of repairs or expansions, in preparation for a possible $335 million bond that officials say won’t increase a tax rate.
The McAllen school district partnered up with MGT, an education facilities consultant, on systematically looking at each building’s age, infrastructure and other areas. The report also collected feedback from the district’s Facilities Forecast Advisory Committee, which is made up of school officials, parents and community members.
The report presented at UTRGV McAllen ISD Collegiate Academy is about 160 slides long and goes over the methodology from MGT, a demographics overview, enrollment projections, schools capacity and utilization, and, most importantly, the district-wide conditions overview with specific findings and the cost summary.
 

North East Independent School District is asking voters to consider its first bond in 10 years, but unlike many other recent proposals across the region, this one doesn’t fund new schools. Instead, it focuses on maintaining and upgrading existing campuses.

It all started with a costly equipment issue at Madison High School. In 2021, the chillers needed replacing.

“Those chillers at Madison were on R-22 refrigerant, which started getting phased out in 2003 and then became obsolete in 2010, so they couldn't be repaired. They had to be replaced,” said Superintendent Sean Maika with North East ISD.

Maika says that's when the district started considering a bond package, which led to the $495 million proposal on the ballot this week

“This bond isn't about building new, it's about maintaining the investment that our community has made over time,” Maika said.

At an elementary school in southwest Boise, Idaho, in the fall of 2020, children in pre-K went to their recess on the playground, laughing and climbing ladders to reach the slide. One 3-year-old boy sat on the sidelines.

The loose woodchips prevented the boy, who uses a wheelchair, from joining his classmates. There were no swings he could use or textured panels or blocks he could play with. The only student in the class who used a medical stroller, he was relegated to watching his classmates play as a staff member stood with him.

Another year, he often spent recess inside his classroom.

“It was heartbreaking,” said his dad, Grant Schlink, at a neighborhood park where he pushed his son laying back on a swing made of a large circular disk that curved up on the sides. The boy, now 8, sported sunglasses and Converse shoes. The Schlinks requested that their child’s name not be used to protect his privacy.

The playgrounds at Silver Sage Elementary excluded children like Schlink’s son, even though they had been updated by the West Ada School District in 2016 — decades after the Americans with Disabilities Act required new construction to be fully accessible to all students.

A dire warning in Montgomery County about the state of public school buildings as the superintendent says the district is running out of money.
FOX 5's Maureen Umeh was at Magruder High School. It's one of the campuses that has been in need of repair for decades now, and those repairs may not come even if money is available. That's because  MCPS Superintendent Thomas Taylor says there simply is not enough money to fix all the schools in the county that need help. He says, on top of that, enrollment has been declining sharply.
Aging schools in crisis
Umeh says Montgomery County Public Schools has faced criticism for repeatedly requesting increased funding without fully accounting for inflation and long-term cost escalation. Officials say the district’s annual budget appeals to the county council overlook key financial factors, leading to recurring shortfalls.
Taylor is asking for $2.7 billion over six years to replace and renovate dozens of aging buildings, including Eastern Middle, Sligo Middle, and Damascus High School. Silver Spring International Middle School would close altogether under his proposal. MCPS operates more than 230 buildings, and many are more than 50 years old. Now Taylor says even that multi-billion dollar ask only covers half of the actual facility needs. Parents say something needs to be done now.
 

HAGERSTOWN- The Pennsylvania House of Representatives has passed a bill that could “facilitate the process by which school facilities are assessed and prioritized.

House Bill 1701 was introduced by Representatives Elizabeth Fiedler, Lindsay Powell, Tarik Khan, and Tarah Probst prior to being passed last week.

“You can’t fix a problem until you know the scope of what you’re dealing with, and this bill gets us to that place,” Fiedler said. “H.B. 1701 would help us compile comprehensive data on Pennsylvania’s school buildings and ensure that recommendations on our most urgent funding needs are made by experts. That way, we can move quickly and efficiently to support schools in making repairs.”

Fiedler noted that a wide scope of important building information would be provided, including the age of the buildings and their renovation history, building size and enrollment capacity. The assessments would also consider factors such as heating and ventilation, ADA compliance and environmental risk factors such as asbestos and mold.

Margate Middle School has once again found itself in the center of Broward County’s ongoing facilities crisis. The latest Facility Condition Assessment (FCA), presented to the School Board ahead of the October 21, 2025 workshop, estimates $50.5 million in repair and replacement needs at the school, making it one of the costliest middle school sites in the district.

Located at 500 NW 65th Avenue, Margate Middle’s aging campus received a 10-year Facility Condition Index (FCI) of 22.4%, according to Bureau Veritas’ analysis. In facility terms, that score indicates a building nearing the end of its useful service life. The FCI compares the cost of required repairs with the cost of full replacement. A facility exceeding 20% is generally classified as being in “poor” condition, signaling extensive deferred maintenance and high renovation urgency.

The assessment comes as Margate Middle remains years behind on its promised SMART Program renovations, despite more than $23.5 million already allocated for upgrades. Those improvements originally approved under the 2014 General Obligation Bond include new roofs, HVAC systems, fire alarms, restrooms, and updated art and music labs. As of June 2025. The school was classified as in “active construction” according to the September 2025 District Educational Facilities Plan publication.

The FCA report, combined with previous project data, paints a picture of a school long overdue for substantial investment. Modular classrooms intended to support phased renovation are still in limited use as contractors finalize plumbing and safety systems. Meanwhile, critical infrastructure like electrical systems and air conditioning units continue to age past their intended lifespan.

GREAT BARRINGTON — Should Berkshire Hills Regional School District taxpayers spend $89 million on a brand new building for Monument Mountain Regional High School or put that money toward repairing the current one?

That’s the question voters in Great Barrington, Stockbridge and West Stockbridge will answer Nov. 4 when they decide whether to allow the district to borrow $152 million and if the towns can override the Massachusetts Proposition 2 1/2 that limits how much property taxes can increase each year.

No matter what, taxpayers will be on the hook for major expenses. The 60-year-old school has reached the end of its natural life and requires significant repairs if it’s not replaced.

The Middleton School District celebrated the completion of a new facility — Middleton Career Campus: Construction — with a ribbon cutting and open house on Monday. 
Around 100 people gathered at the event, including Middleton Mayor Jackie Hutchison and Rep. Mike Moyle.
Food trucks and refreshments marked the occasion while attendees toured the new facility, which started construction in February.
Middleton high school students will learn technical construction skills as well as construction-oriented math and English in the new facility, Middleton Superintendent Marc Gee explained to the crowd.
In the new facility, students will switch between a lab, where they practice handiwork and technical skills, and classrooms, where they'll be instructed in math and English as they apply to the trade.
The facility cost around $2 million, which came from an Idaho Career Ready Students Grant, and Idaho House Bill 521, a bill passed in 2024 that issued public school districts funds to modernize their facilities. Steel for the building was donated by Rob and Nancy Roberts of R&M Steel, a Caldwell-based metal building manufacturer.
 

Bulloch County residents will soon have the opportunity to voice their opinion on the Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax, which has been responsible for the funding of important projects over the last two decades.
Bulloch County Schools has voted to place a continuation of the current 1 cent sales tax on the municipal election ballot set for November 4, 2025. 
This education special purpose local option sales tax (E-SPLOST) only exists for a five-year period and must be periodically voted on by Bulloch County’s registered voters. Bulloch County Schools is currently in its fifth E-SPLOST cycle, which will end on December 31, 2027.
It is currently estimated that one penny of sales tax revenues is the equivalent of five mills of property tax revenues. The alternative to a sales tax is an increase in property taxes, paid by Bulloch County property owners.
 

On Thursday, the School Committee gave administrators direction on how to proceed with HVAC projects at the middle and high schools.
Assistant Superintendent for Finance and Operations Susan Rothermich gave a presentation on how to accomplish these projects without putting more debt and tax burden on the community.
“We’re trying to time [this] out to have little or no impact,” Rothermich said.
At the high school, the budget cost for the geothermal water to water heat pump (WWHP) system totals $18.9 million. MassSave and Federal Tax Credits are $1.3 million and $6.4 million, respectively.
Rothermich said the WWHP option is most favorable, with baseline energy savings of $6,500 and cooling adjustment energy savings of $86,000. The savings on geothermal is more than what would be achieved replacing in kind what currently exists and adding cooling.
The net cost comparisons would be $11.2 million for geothermal and $11.5 million for traditional plus cooling.
Rothermich spoke about the debt for the Charleswood School project, noting the construction contract is $22,684,689 under budget and contingency is $9,472,944 under budget, for a total of $38 million under budget.
Rothermich emphasized, “However, the project is early on and there will be change orders; $38 million will not be the number, but it gives you an idea of the magnitude where we stand [now].”
 

New Mexico public school districts have begun receiving portions of $35 million appropriated during the regular legislative session earlier this year for school security and safety improvements during the 2026 fiscal year.

The funds were appropriated through House Bill 450, which set aside funds for myriad capital outlay projects across the state. That includes include $50 for school security, continuing technical education equipment, school maintenance and repair, of which $35 million will benefit security upgrades. Majority Whip Sen. Michael Padilla (D-Albuquerque) advocated for including the security and safety fund appropriation in the bill.

“The objective here is to make sure that the school grounds are safe, warm, inviting. That they’re a place of learning, not a place that you need to be worried about going to,” Padilla told Source NM.

North Bend School District 13 told the board on Oct. 15 it has joined the Oregon Department of Education’s statewide facility assessment program and expects a free, comprehensive five-year capital-improvement plan to identify deferred maintenance and costs.

"This is coming to us for free, which I think is this it's amazing that we're able to get on board with this," the superintendent said, describing the statewide assessment that will produce a transparent list of deferred-maintenance priorities and costs and help the district budget for projects.

The superintendent also reported that the North Bend Middle School control and boiler replacement project has been completed and that the district plans to refurbish the removed boilers for future use at North Bay while it awaits a larger seismic retrofit scheduled for summer 2027 or 2028.