A federal grand jury’s investigation into how contracts were awarded through the state’s school construction grant program has quietly continued in recent months, with four detailed subpoenas issued this year — two as recently as October.

The subpoenas, as well as two previously undisclosed from 2022, seek phone records, emails and calendar entries of as many as 16 state employees, according to the attorney who reviews Freedom of Information Act requests concerning subpoenas.

All names in the subpoenas are redacted, except for Konstantinos “Kosta” Diamantis, the former state representative who became the head of the state’s school construction program and a deputy secretary at the Office of Policy and Management. Diamantis retired in late 2021.

Diamantis declined to comment for this story. A spokesperson for Gov. Ned Lamont’s office also declined to comment, citing the ongoing investigation.

CELINA - The Ohio Facilities Construction Commission has agreed to pitch in an additional $7.87 million toward Celina City School's building project, upping its total contribution to about $59 million.

School board members at this week's regular meeting signed off on a number of resolutions related to the building project, including one accepting the additional state dollars.

The extra funds were released to help the district with rising construction costs, according to superintendent Ken Schmiesing. They can be applied to the entire project - the consolidated pre-K-sixth grade facility under construction and the 7-12 grade building set to start going up this summer.

"They're working with us because they definitely want to see us have the success in getting the building completed," Schmiesing told The Daily Standard.

As part of the agreement with OFCC, the local share of the project will increase by $9.7 million.

The Rhode Island Council on Elementary and Secondary Education approved over $1 billion in new school construction projects across Rhode Island.

The funding will go to 48 projects benefiting almost 25,000 students, including construction of seven new and like-new schools, according to Rhode Island Department of Education. This is the largest school construction approval in Rhode Island K-12 history.

“The council’s approval of these school construction projects sets the tone for prioritizing students’ year-round learning, while ensuring they are in state-of-the-art facilities,” said Gov. Dan McKee. “I commend their approval of these investments in Rhode Island students and future generations and look forward to seeing the positive impact of these new projects statewide.”

Notable projects include a new South Kingstown High School, two new PK-8 school in Providence, one new unified high school in Pawtucket and a new Mount Hope High School in Bristol-Warren, RIDE said.

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, introduced legislation Monday that would devote $1 billion over the next four years for Impact Aid Construction Grants to ease the backlog of facility needs at federally impacted school districts.
A companion bill was introduced in the House by Rep. John Garamendi, D-Calif.
“Federal Impact Aid provides critical funding for federally impacted schools,” said Hirono, co-chair of the Senate Impact Aid Coalition, in a statement released on Monday. “But too often, that funding is not enough to meet maintenance needs. By providing $1 billion for needed upgrades, this legislation will enable schools to address the significant backlog of school construction, repair and maintenance needs to help our students learn in a suitable learning environment.” 
Under the Impact Aid Infrastructure Partnership Act, 25% of funding would be made available via formula funding to all eligible school districts. The U.S. Department of Education would disburse the remaining 75% as competitive grants with priority given to those school districts with acute emergencies in their facilities.
 

Nampa school board trustees embraced tearful district patrons after a Monday vote to close four schools. 
The proposal was years in the making but drew significant attention in recent weeks as trustees neared a decision spurred by looming maintenance needs and declining enrollment. 
The Nampa School District has lost roughly 2,000 students over the last decade and faces hundreds of millions of dollars in needed building repairs. District staff proposed closing schools with the smallest number of students to limit costs, and trustees signed-off Monday.
“We live here, in your community, we’re your friends,” board chairwoman Brook Taylor said during the school board meeting. “It truly is a hard choice, and each of us have worked very hard to get to this place.”
An emotional Taylor hugged patrons who wore West Middle School gear, after trustees voted to close West and three other schools at the end of the school year. West, which opened in 1972, will be repurposed to host Union School and Nampa Academy, two non-traditional schools currently housed in aging buildings. 
Centennial, Greenhurst and Snake River elementaries are also closing. The Centennial building will be decommissioned, and possibly torn down, while Greenhurst will host the district’s pre-school and online programs and Snake River will be retrofitted to house Gateways, Nampa’s alternative school for at-risk students. 
 

Thirteen Jackson Public Schools are closing or being merged.

The JPS Board of Trustees made it official in a 5-1 vote Tuesday evening after months of deliberations and community forums discussing the optimization plan. Board Member Cynthia Thompson, who represents Ward 6, was the only one opposed. She was in tears after the vote.

"Jackson Public Schools is at an inflection point. If we don't take action right now, we could jeopardize the entire district," Superintendent Errick Greene told the board before the vote. "As hard as it might be, it's time. It's time to take action."

Thompson called for an amendment before the vote to remove Wingfield High School from the list of schools to be closed. But the amendment failed in a 3-3 vote.

A jury in Washington state this week ordered one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies to pay more than $850 million to a small group of parents and children after finding that they suffered exposure to highly toxic chemicals in a school building.

The lawsuit concerns the Sky Valley Education Center, part of the school district in Monroe, Wash. Dozens of adults and children have said they experienced debilitating illnesses after spending time there during the 2010s.

On Dec. 19, a jury in King County Superior Court ordered Bayer, which owns the company that manufactured the chemicals in question, to pay $73 million in compensatory damages and an additional $784 million in punitive damages to seven parents and children who were exposed at Sky Valley.

NEW YORK (WABC) -- You may not think much about the water your kids are drinking when they're in school, but maybe you should.

The 7 On Your Side Investigates team found that 43% of schools in New York and 56% of schools in New Jersey had water outlets test beyond the recommended maximum amount for lead in drinking water, according to the most recent reporting data.

Lead is particularly harmful to children - even low levels of exposure have been linked to learning disabilities, stunting of physical growth and damage to the nervous system.

In our viewing area in New Jersey, we found the Toms River School District had the highest number of outlets - 56 - test beyond the Environmental Protection Agency's acceptable limit for lead.

The Superintendent told Eyewitness News some of the water outlets were not used for drinking and if they were used for drinking they were shut off as a result of the testing results

Only six schools will be refurbished under school refurbishment projects, instead of the districtwide approach originally intended.
“The school refurbishment projects, … the bid came in several hundred millions of dollars over the budget we had. So in order not to lose the funding we do have through the (American Rescue Plan) I’ve made the determination to target specific schools in that project,” Guam Department of Education Superintendent Kenneth Erik Swanson told the legislative committee on education Monday.
The six schools identified by Swanson are George Washington High School, Oceanview Middle School, Agueda I. Johnston Middle School, Inarajan Middle School, Ordot-Chalan Pago Elementary School, D.L. Perez Elementary School and Tamuning Elementary School.
“That will leave (an) approximate balance of about $7 million for contingencies. If we don’t run into additional charges on these projects, we will likely add another school,” Swanson said.
“The range of estimates, building by building, is from $6 million to $20 million depending on the campus. High school campuses obviously are the most expensive,” Swanson added.
Reallocation changes for the projects have been submitted to the U.S. Department of Education.
 

The Albert Lea school board on Monday approved its intent to issue about $4.07 million in general obligation facilities maintenance bonds to complete work next summer on mechanical systems at three schools in the district.  That includes the steam boiler system at Southwest Middle School, the hot water boiler system at Lakeview Elementary School and the pool heater and air handler replacement at Albert Lea High School.  Aaron Bushberger with Ehlers and Associates Inc., who the district works with for long-term maintenance projects, said the proposed payback on the bonds is 14 years and 11 months and noted the bonds could be callable — or essentially able to be refinanced — in 2033 if interest rates are lower than what they are originally issued at.

A state committee has recommended that 163 public schools receive nearly $10 million in security upgrade grants, in the latest round of funding to harden schools against school shooters and other threats.

The Security Action for Education (SAFE) program is a 2022 initiative that distributes state and federal funding to school districts to help improve security measures, such as surveillance and door-locking mechanisms.

On Dec. 6, the Public School Infrastructure Commission recommended the grants to the 163 schools. That list is not final; it will need to be approved by the Joint Legislative Fiscal Committee and the Executive Council. 

The program is in its third round: In its first two rounds, the state distributed $3.9 million and $10 million, respectively.

This time, the state received 630 applications totaling $21 million and approved 262, with some schools receiving multiple grants.

Of the approved grants, 85 will go to projects to improve surveillance, 62 to emergency alert upgrades, and 115 to access control projects, which allow schools to fortify entrances and improve door locks. 

NEW MILFORD — An indoor air quality assessment found “suspect mold growth” in the historic 50 East St. building over a year before the school board turned the building over to the town, according to reports obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request to New Milford schools.
But this finding was “never disclosed” to the town or public, at least not until after the same consultants found mold in the former school office building this past summer, forcing the structure’s closure, Mayor Pete Bass said. 
Bass said the town was unaware of two prior air quality assessments that had been performed on the East Street building until he asked New Milford Superintendent Janet Parlato for more information about the building. He said he submitted a Freedom of Information Act request for the two air quality reports.
“I had asked if the Board of Education had done any studies previously, and when I asked, she sent me these,” Bass said of the reports, conducted by Fuss & O’Neill on Jan. 10, 2022 and Sept. 26, 2022. 
 

MURRAY – The Murray Board of Education approved the long-range local facilities plan for the Murray Independent School District (MISD) during its regular meeting Thursday. Over the next four years, the district hopes to invest around $65 million in its infrastructure, including $13 million in improvements to athletics facilities and $28 million to build a new elementary school.
A public hearing regarding the draft facilities plan preceded the board meeting. The hearing officer, Assistant Superintendent of Instruction and Human Resources Whitney York, reported that no written statements were received from the public prior to the hearing, and no one signed up to speak at the hearing. In the meeting that followed, the board unanimously approved the plan.
Prior to the board’s consideration of the plan, R.W. Baird & Co. Public Finance Director Mark Rawlings presented an overview of the district’s financial status, including an explanation of how bondable revenues are calculated and what that ultimately means for the district in terms of its bonding capacity. (Read more of revenue streams here.)
 

Alternatives for the Savannah-Chatham County Public School System facilities plan have been drafted and proposed to the public. These plans will dictate a slew of potential changes for students, including rezoning.
SCCPSS Superintendent Denise Watts and other district leaders presented Tuesday to parents and community members at West Chatham Middle School in Pooler. School board representatives Michael Johnson, Tonia Howard-Hall and School Board President Roger Moss were also in attendance.
“While the communication and the engagement tonight is around facilities, at the heart it is about your children,” Watts said to the District 7 Town Hall crowd on Wednesday Dec. 12 during the Facilities Planning Update for Phase I.
The alternative proposals mostly discussed shifting school attendance zones that had been laid out in the initial plan. The schools discussed were Gould Elementary School, Rice Creek K-8, New Hampstead K-8, West Chatham Middle School, New Hampstead High School, Groves High School and Beach High School.
SCCPSS student rezoning challenges:With no vote taken on facilities plan, Savannah-Chatham superintendent back to drawing board
 

No other state spends less on school infrastructure per student than Idaho. As a result, many students, especially those in rural districts, deal with leaking ceilings, freezing classrooms and discolored drinking water. Some students have to miss school when the power or heat goes out.
School districts often can’t build or repair buildings because Idaho is one of only two states that require two-thirds of voters to approve a bond. Some districts have held bond elections several times only to see them fail despite having support from a majority of voters. But the Legislature has been reluctant to make significant investments in facilities. Administrators say they don’t know how they’ll keep their schools running and worry that public officials don’t understand how bad the problems are.
 

Tax levy approved following truth in taxation hearing
ROCHELLE — At its monthly meeting Tuesday, the Rochelle Elementary School District Board of Education unanimously approved a resolution in support of county school facilities sales tax referendum appearing on the March 19 election ballot.
A law passed in 2007 to allow for a county-wide sales tax in Illinois to benefit schools for expenses including facilities, security, mental health services and school resource officers. The sales tax must pass in a county by referendum during an election. That has not taken place in Ogle County, and the measure failed on the ballot locally back in 2013. There are 57 counties in Illinois that have the county schools facilities sales tax.

To get onto the ballot, school boards representing more than 50 percent of students must pass support resolutions. The deadline to pass resolutions of support to make the March 19 election is Jan. 2. The referendum would have to pass on the ballot county-wide. The sales tax can be a maximum of one percent in quarter-percent increments. 

"I just want to be clear that this is only a resolution to put the question on the ballot regarding the one-percent increase in sales tax to be asked of the voters," Board President Trisha Vaughn said. "The board itself is not taking any position for or against it. This is simply to put the measure on the ballot."

The additional sales tax would apply to items that are already taxed, with the exception of vehicles and unprepared food. Based on the most recent numbers, a county schools facility sales tax could net the elementary district $813,202 per year. Along with facilities, security, mental health services and school resource officers, the money can be used to abate property taxes and make rates lower for property owners within the district.

The elementary school district has seen large expenses recently as it deals with aging buildings. Tilton Elementary School was built in 1949. Central Elementary School was built in 1939 and May Elementary School was built in 1959.

It was said at the Rochelle Elementary School District’s November meeting that it could leverage that hypothetical $813,202 a year in new sales tax funds into about $8.8 million in projects.

BELCHERTOWN/SOUTH HADLEY — A new Jabish Brook Middle School in Belchertown and a replacement building for Mosier Elementary School in South Hadley are continuing to make progress, with the Massachusetts School Building Authority’s board of directors moving both projects forward this week.

The MSBA Board of Directors voted to have the Belchertown project go to the schematic design stage, while its vote gets the South Hadley project into a 270-day eligibility period.

Plans for the new Jabish Brook include replacing the current building, on the same site on North Washington Street, with a new three-story building to serve 475 students in grades 6 to 8, with a completion date in summer 2027.

School Committee Chairwoman Heidi Gutekenst said the MSBA vote allows for a robust schematic design plan that will both meet the needs of students and educators and is cost effective for the community.

If the project comes to fruition, the district would close Cold Spring School and redistribute students in the K-8 schools.

HELENA — Helena Public Schools is currently working on a Facilities Master Plan. This plan will set the course on how the school district allocates funds to repair and maintain school property.
“Without that document, then we’re really just being reactive to emergencies,” says Helena Public Schools Superintendent Rex Weltz.
Helena Public Schools commissioned SMA Architecture + Design to create plan options for elementary, middle, and high schools.
“We have a great example of three brand new buildings, that’s amazing for our students and we have 100-year-old buildings. And so, the board’s gonna need to make, and we will make, recommendations to the board on where do we think that money’s best spent,” says Weltz.
Weltz says that the options will span from comprehensive remodels to full school closure and consolidation. Weltz says that if that option is chosen, there will be plenty of notice for families.
Much of the reason for this Facilities Master Plan is budgeting. While the school does have a building reserve fund, it’s not enough to cover about $90 million worth of deferred maintenance. With rising costs, inflation, and declining attendance the school’s dollar doesn’t go as far as prior years. This impact was seen earlier this year when the district made the decision to close the Ray Bjork Learning Center, relocating programs to other school property.
 

School districts in Wisconsin would have to comply with competitive bidding requirements for construction projects costing more than $150,000 under a new legislative proposal.
Wisconsin is one of only three states that allows a project of any size to be awarded on a no-bid basis, according to data from the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Municipalities, meanwhile, have to seek a competitive bid for any project over $25,000. The same proposed legislation would increase that threshold for municipalities to $50,000.
During a public hearing Thursday before the Assembly Committee on Local Government, Chris Kulow, government relations director for the Wisconsin Association of School Boards, testified against the bill. He argued that requiring a competitive bidding process would take away local control.
Kulow said most school boards are already using competitive bidding. He said having to choose the lowest bidder could mean having to sacrifice the best quality.
“Currently, districts that have long-standing relationships with local contractors have the opportunity to work with them to negotiate deals that include spending resources locally, keeping those dollars in the community,” Kulow said. “They result in the hiring of parents whose children attend the schools. They want to do a good job, and they’re less likely to ask for extra charges.”
 

The F. Amedee Bregy School in South Philadelphia has a new community schoolyard.

The schoolyard, which was in partnership with Trust for Public Land (TPL), the School District of Philadelphia, Philadelphia Water Department and other local and national funders, was revealed last month.

“Our partnerships bringing green infrastructure improvements to local schools are always some of the most rewarding projects,” said Randy E. Hayman, Philadelphia Water Department Commissioner, in a statement.

“In addition to protecting our waterways and making improvements at Bregy, we are connecting with classroom teachers and students throughout the District with our Fairmount Water Works’ watershed curriculum, exponentially increasing the positive impact of our investments,” he said.

Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon and School District of Philadelphia Superintendent Tony Watlington Sr. celebrated the new schoolyard with a ribbon cutting ceremony. Scanlon delivered $425,000 in federal funding for the project.

“Our children and families deserve safe spaces to play and gather within our communities,” Scanlon said.