Frustrated with how long it will take under the current capital improvement program to renovate and replace outdated school buildings, the Roanoke County School Board on Thursday envisioned an accelerated model that would involve back-to-back — and simultaneous — construction projects.
But first, the school board will need to convince their counterparts on the board of supervisors, who hold the purse strings.
School board members want to start building a new Burton Center for Arts and Technology in 2023 and a new Glen Cove Elementary and W.E. Cundiff Elementary in 2024. To do that, they need funding.
“We agree that we have three that are well past their prime,” Chairman Don Butzer said. “So basically what we’re going to the county for is asking to move up the funding on the Burton Center ... and we would be asking the county to use whatever other funding mechanisms they have to accelerate the two elementary schools to 2024.”
“We’ve certainly kicked it down the road long enough,” Tim Greenway said.
The school board has spent the past several years attempting to negotiate with the county to speed up infrastructure improvements. The county agreed in December 2019 to increase its annual debt issue by 20%, from $10 million to $12 million. School projects are eligible for the funds in two of three years in the cycle.
 

A new mass COVID-19 vaccination site opened Tuesday morning in Ocean County.
The Southern Regional Middle School site in Manahawkin becomes the second site operated by the Ocean County Health Department to help vaccinate tens of thousands of people who already signed up to receive the vaccine. Utilizing schools as vaccination centers has been in the plans for a possible pandemic for 20 years.
"They are geographically dispersed throughout the county. They have a large infrastructure, large facilities, some are even offering staffing assistants to meet the need right now with the vaccination efforts,” says Ocean County Public Health Coordinator Dan Regenye.
School officials say that they are happy to be a part of the effort.
 

When the state took over the Camden school system in 2013 after years of poor student performance, the district enrolled more than 11,000 students in more than two dozen buildings.
Today, the district, once the largest in South Jersey, has lost about half of those students. The educational landscape has changed as thousands of students fled to other school options in the city.
In the latest proposed game-changer for Camden, state-appointed Superintendent Katrina McCombs wants to close several schools and reconfigure grades. Her plan would bring back middle schools — which were eliminated several years ago after performing poorly.
The changes would affect hundreds of students and teachers and change the academic structure by separating elementary and middle-school students. One proposal would leave North Camden without a traditional public school.
McCombs, the third chief to lead the struggling district since the takeover, says the moves would help close budget deficits that have ranged annually from $22 million to $44 million, and boost academics.
“We have to make some changes,” McCombs said. “We just can’t continue to do the same thing.”
 

PANAMA CITY — Federal reimbursement for Hurricane Michael recovery costs in the Bay County school system has been far too slow so far, officials say.
Bay District Schools officials held a three-hour workshop last week to discuss several topics, including expressing their frustration at the Federal Emergency Management Agency's response since the 2018 Category 5 storm.
To date, the district has spent $176.5 million on reconstruction since the hurricane. Meanwhile, FEMA has reimbursed $37.3 million, with a little more than $23 million of that in the second quarter of 2019.
One of the issues facing BDS, said Lee Walters, BDS facilities director, is fixing something so quickly that the damage to a facility falls below the 50% damage line. That threshold is important because a building with more than 50% damage can be approved by FEMA to be completely replaced. If improvements are made to a structure and the damage falls below 50%, the school district loses the ability to replace the building.
Walters said one example was replacing the air conditioner at Lynn Haven Elementary's gym. If the AC is replaced, the damage to the building falls below the 50% threshold for FEMA. Walters said he wants to get the school a new gym.
 

YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan – A Defense Department high school on Okinawa closed its doors this week after three “members of our Kubasaki High School family” tested positive for the coronavirus over the long holiday weekend, principal James Strait said in a Facebook post Monday.

“In accordance with public health’s guidance, a negative COVID test will be required for all students to return to school on Monday, Jan. 25,” he said in the post, referring to the respiratory disease caused by the virus.

All students and staff will be tested Thursday at the high school, which is on the Marine Corps’ Camp Foster and administered by the Department of Defense Education Activity. More information on the testing schedule is available on Kubasaki’s Facebook page.

Though the school building is closed, "teachers and students are continuing to engage in optional enrichment activities" online, DODEA spokeswoman Miranda Ferguson told Stars and Stripes on Wednesday.

From the Arkansas Department of Agriculture comes news that $500 is to be awarded to each of 52 Arkansas schools for creation or expansion of a school garden. Public and private schools, early care and education facilities, and alternative learning environments were all eligible to apply for the grants, which are provided to Arkansas through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Specialty Crop Block Grant Program. North Little Rock Middle School, the Pulaski County Juvenile Detention Center, Mann Magnet, Indian Hills Elementary and Pulaski Heights Elementary were among the grant recipients in the Central Arkansas area. 

“School gardens provide a hands-on opportunity for children to learn about Arkansas agriculture and where their food comes from. The lessons learned through school gardens have a lasting impact on children, their families, and entire communities,” said Secretary of Agriculture Wes Ward.

TACOMA, Wash. - Kindergarten students are gearing up for their first day of in-person classroom instruction in the South Sound this year.
Tuesday is the big day for Tacoma Schools where up to 15 kids will be allowed into each classroom. Students will spend two days on campus each week while distance learning from home for the others.
Families in Tacoma have been rolling with the punches since last spring, but new state health guidelines are more flexible. As long as new COVID-19 infection rates do not surpass thresholds detailed by the Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), younger students are returning to public school campuses.
"I’m really nervous about COVID-19," said parent Anna Izenman.
Her son could see his first day inside a classroom come Tuesday, but Izenman and other parents wonder if the rest of the school year should remain in a distance learning model until a vaccine is more widely available.
The President of the Tacoma Education Association (TEA) shared similar concerns for public school employees who may not get the vaccine as early as other populations.
"Many of our educators have not had access to the vaccine," said TEA President Shannon Ergun, adding some vaccines might not be available until April.
Izenman said Tuesday’s move could be positive for kids. Making sure everyone remains healthy and children have access to in-person instruction are important considerations, but success requires our entire community to strive to keep infection rates low.
"You just have to trust they’re going to bring healthy students into a classroom," she said.

The Edmonds School District will be asking voters in April to consider approving a $180 million capital levy that would provide much-needed building upgrades, address capacity challenges and improve existing facilities.

If approved by voters during the April 27 special election, the levy would provide $30 million per year for six years to replace Spruce and Oak Heights elementary schools, maintain existing school buildings and athletic fields, and make district-wide accessibility improvements.

At $180 million, the proposal over six years has been reduced significantly from the $600 million capital bond the district put before voters last February. That proposal  failed after receiving a 56% yes vote. Under state law, bond measures required a 60% majority to pass. 

“I think what scared people away was the $600 million bond when really the tax rate wasn’t going to go up,” said district spokesperson Harmony Weinberg. “I don’t think people understood that — they just saw $600 million.”

INDEPENDENCE COUNTY, Ark. (KAIT) - Two Independence County school districts have found a unique way to maintain the fields for their shared solar array.

The Cedar Ridge and Midland school districts flipped the switch on their shared solar array Friday, becoming the first school districts in the state to partner in a solar project.

Cedar Ridge Superintendent Dr. Sherry McMasters said the schools began working on the project in January 2020.

“Being a partner with another district in this project just kind of solidifies the fact that you’re better off when you work with somebody else than you are in trying to do things by yourself,” said McMasters.

The solar panels sit on what used to be portions of the hayfield at Cedar Ridge, creating over a megawatt of solar energy total.

The schools are expected to save a significant amount in energy costs with the solar panels.

“Between $70 and $80 thousand a year is what our district alone will save,” said McMasters.

PORTLAND, Ore. — Earlier this week, Portland Public Schools announced plans to begin limited in-person instruction for some students. 
A number of KGW viewers had questions regarding safety concerns.
Elizabeth Thiel, president of the Portland Association of Teachers, said the union and district had come up with an agreement on safety conditions for limited in-person instruction right before the district’s plans were announced.
Portland Public Schools (PPS) hopes to start some limited in-person instruction around Jan. 25. 
Officials haven't said which schools would be involved, but that 16 elementary schools would be included, many of which already have childcare on-site. 
Shawn Bird, chief of schools for PPS, also said comprehensive support for improvement (CSI) schools as well as two high schools would also be included. CSI schools are those with the most need.
The focus will be on younger kids, those who didn't do well in the first quarter and credit recovery for older students.
“It's up to two hours a day. But it's not necessarily every day for a student,” said Thiel.
 

Additional federal money is being allocated to school districts across the state to help with the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
Gov. Tom Wolf on Friday said he is dedicating $2.2 billion in federal stimulus funds to K-12 school districts and charter schools.
The money can be used to support food programs, make technological improvements, address learning loss among students, make repairs to school facilities and to improve indoor air quality.
“All schools have been affected by the covid-19 pandemic, and I commend school communities for rising to the challenge to combat the toll it has taken,” Wolf said in a news release. “This extra funding is critical to help schools meet the unique needs of educating students at this time while keeping school buildings safe when students return to the classroom.”
The funds are available through the federal Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act’s Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund, or ESSER II, which Congress passed in December. In all, $54 billion was allocated to school districts across the country through the package.
Allocations already are determined for each school across the state based on a formula that considers the number of low-income students served by school facilities. Still, officials must apply for funds through the state Department of Education’s website before they receive monthly payments.
 

After failing in two attempts to pass a bond, Castle Rock school district is taking a new approach to repairing aging infrastructure and improving security at its schools: a larger capital projects levy.
“We looked at another bond pre-COVID, but we said if the community said no two times we should look at something else,” Greene said.
An increased capital projects levy will be on a Feb. 9 ballot. Ballots will be mailed out around Jan. 22, according to the elections website. Drop boxes open on Jan. 22 and close at 8 p.m. on Election Day.
The increase would make the projected tax rate 44 cents per $1,000 assessed property value over three years. That would cost the owner of a $250,000 house about $9.16 per month.
In 2014, Castle Rock voters passed a 27 cent capital levy, but Greene said because of increasing tax base in Castle Rock homeowners only paid 19 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value in 2020. That makes the proposed increase about 25 cents over last year.
Replacement capital levies are not new taxes, but continuations, and in this case an increase, of an existing tax. Levies help pay for things the districts do not get much state or federal support for, Greene said.
The proposed levy would raise $495,272 each year for three years. Greene said that number was settled on by determining how much was needed for projects then working backwards to get the tax rate.
 

The Los Angeles Unified School District has approved an investment of more than $233 million in voter-approved bond funds to conduct massive upgrades at Lincoln High School.
The money will be used to construct approximately 10 general and specialty classrooms and associated support spaces within a new classroom building and a Performing Arts Building.
The proposed Lincoln High School Comprehensive Modernization Project also includes the voluntary seismic retrofit and modernization of the administration building, home economics building, auditorium, gymnasium and pedestrian bridge.
The school, located at 3501 N. Broadway, northeast of downtown, was founded in 1878.
"I am super grateful to the Lincoln High School community for modeling such stellar collaboration on this significant effort to honor our past and celebrate our future," Board Member Monica Garcia said Tuesday. "This is hard work to do and all the historic pieces make it extra special. Again, thank you to the voters for your continued support for our schools and athletic fields."
Lincoln High School Principal Rose Ann Ruiz praised the board's action.
 

The Hays school board Monday night focused on doing what it can to fix its existing facilities with the money it will likely have during the next five years in its capital outlay budget.
Superintendent Ron Wilson said he hoped the discussion would hep identify short- and long-term goals for the district's facilities. However, he acknowledged those priorities will likely change as new needs arise.
The superintendent brought to the board a grid showing the condition of the facilities in the district. Wilson compiled the grid with the help of Buildings and Grounds Director Rusty Lindsay.
More than half of the buildings in the district are in need of work to their HVAC and plumbing systems. 
"I point out that we have done a lot of work," Wilson said. "It's not all red. We have done a lot of work by being very sensible about our dollars. The green is low attention and a lot of those are because we have put dollars toward maintenance, upgrading and improving those areas."
The district has an average annual capital outlay revenue of about $2.9 million. The July 1 carryover for FY21 was $2.77 million.
"We spend an average of $3.1 million in capital outlay every year, and that is just to keep everything going," Wilson said.
 

On Jan. 11 the School Committee unanimously approved a $15 million capital improvement plan for infrastructure upgrades at the Dartmouth Public School district over the next five fiscal years.

The full five-year plan includes some big-ticket items like $4.5 million for a new roof for the high school and $2.5 million for new windows at Potter and DeMello Schools, as well as restoration or replacement of doors, windows, flooring, and fields, and a $350,000 tech infrastructure upgrade.

School Business Administrator Jim Kiely discussed the plan with committee members at the meeting, noting that the town has been “very helpful” in funding pandemic-related improvements and has already allocated “a significant amount” of CARES Act money to school buildings. 

In fiscal year 2022 the district plans on spending around $1.8 million, $300,000 of which will go towards HVAC upgrades.

More than $200,000 will be spent on each of three different projects: a flooring replacement project that Kiely said has been ongoing for around a decade, new AV and lighting systems for the high school auditorium, and replacing grease traps in the schools’ kitchens.

In its 2021 budget, Congress included millions for lead testing in schools, where children are still exposed to the toxic metal.

The federal appropriations bill for the 2021 fiscal year, signed into law this month, included $26.5 million to test for lead in schools and child care centers, a nod to the legacy of the Flint water crisis, which lifted the issue of lead in drinking water into the national spotlight.

The bill was signed a week after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency introduced new requirements for water utilities to test water in elementary schools and day cares for lead.

The Flint crisis spurred a national conversation on the dangers of exposing children to lead. “It really alters the entire life-course trajectory of a child,” Mona Hanna-Attisha, a Flint pediatrician, told Circle of Blue. Hanna-Attisha’s research helped uncover the extent of the city’s lead contamination, revealing elevated lead levels in the blood of children who ingested drinking water supplied from the Flint River.

Flint’s water is now being mended and its lead pipes are nearly all replaced. But the toxic metal still lingers elsewhere. A 2019 report from Environment America, a national network of environmental groups, showed elevated lead levels in the water systems of schools across the country.

John Rumpler, Environment America’s clean water program director, told Circle of Blue last summer that schools need more attention because of potential harm to the brains of young children.

Teachers unions in Minneapolis and St. Paul are pushing back on their districts' February reopening plans, asking them to delay the return to classrooms over safety concerns during the pandemic.

Gov. Tim Walz announced in mid-December that elementary schools could reopen as soon as Jan. 18, with precautions, and many districts are set to bring young students back next week. But Minneapolis and St. Paul, which have both been in distance learning since the COVID-19 pandemic hit last spring, are aiming for February starts.

Minneapolis announced its plan last week, and union leaders in that district say they've been excluded from key decisionmaking discussions. They are seeking an agreement to establish class-size caps, weekly COVID-19 testing for staff and social distancing protocols before the district's youngest students return to in-person classes.

Under the district plan, which was presented to the school board Tuesday night, preschoolers and kindergartners could return to school buildings on Feb. 8 and first- and second-graders on Feb. 10, followed by students in grades three through five on Feb. 22. The board will vote on the recommended plan next Tuesday.

CAMDEN, S.C. — It has been one year since North Central High School was destroyed by an EF-2 tornado with estimated winds of 130 miles per hour. The tornado touched down on the school, stadium, and buses located at the building.
Today, staff and students are using a vacant technology center as a new location for their learning. 
Principal David Branham said between switching facilities and the pandemic this year, everyone has learned to be more flexible and resilient during tough times.
"I think it's really preparing them for adversities later on in life and being able to overcome things," Branham told News 19. "I felt like it was somewhat of a hidden blessing that we were able to handle covid a little better because we were just used to adapting and being flexible."
The old building has been demolished, though the auditorium and gymnasium still stand. Students are still able to return for winter sports, such as volleyball, and other club events. The football stadium has also been rebuilt.
Branham says that some plans have been approved through the district for their new building and have been submitted to the office of school facilities. He hopes that they can start construction as soon as the plans are reviewed.
 

In cities around the world, the pandemic has heightened awareness of the need for parks and natural spaces. After months of lockdowns, with many people spending most of their time inside their homes, something as basic as a patch of lawn or tree-shaded corner park has become a vital urban refuge. But space for urban parks is in short supply, and the time it takes to plan, design, and build a new park can stretch on for years. To meet the need for parks more quickly, some cities are taking advantage of a source of open space they’ve long ignored: schoolyards.

“Schoolyards are a cost-efficient and a space-efficient way of bringing opportunities and dramatically increasing access to green space,” says Benita Hussain, director of 10 Minute Walk, an effort focused on increasing access to public space in cities.

Most school playgrounds provide acres of open space but are mostly locked behind gates after school hours. 10 Minute Walk works with cities and school districts to develop partnerships for governing and maintaining these spaces as public parks once the school day is over.

Hussain says that as the pandemic drags on, more cities are putting in the work to make these kinds of conversions happen.