A series of severe weather events this year brought more than $212 million in damage to public infrastructure across the state, according to preliminary figures from the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency.

That figure doesn’t include state Department of Education estimates of an additional $174.5 million in storm-related school repair, maintenance and recovery needs.

The Yakima school district went 16 years without asking voters to pass a construction bond. This spring, it finally did, and the measure passed by a hair, just over Washington state’s 60 percent supermajority threshold for approving bonds.

“We live in a community that’s very high-poverty,” Superintendent Trevor Greene said, “and for a community to tax itself is a lot to ask.”

Now, the work the bond is paying for is visible: Crews have repaved parking lots and begun upgrading playgrounds, and the district of more than 15,000 students is choosing a contractor to replace two aging elementary schools, which will be the district’s first new elementary school buildings in a generation.

Salina Intermediate and Elementary schools in Dearborn unveiled two new playgrounds on Sept. 16 as part of the Green Schoolyard initiative. These schools now have open outdoor spaces with trees, natural play structures, a pavilion, and a rain garden to help offset noise and pollution from a nearby steel factory near the Dearborn Works and the Ford Rouge Complex, which sit about 800 feet from the 100-year-old schools.

"If you look at Salina Elementary and Intermediate School, it's less than 800 ft away from a steel factory, and so this is a prime example of how, how you want to utilize green infrastructure to help improve the air quality so our children can learn and our teachers can do what they do best," said Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud, according to WXYZ.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), a member of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, alongside Senators Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Alex Padilla (D-CA), and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), introduced the Protecting Our Students in Schools Act, legislation to federally prohibit corporal punishment in any school that receives federal funding.

“No child should ever face physical abuse, including at school,” said Senator Kaine. “It's time to end the outdated and harmful practice of corporal punishment in every school across the country. Instead of relying on fear, our schools should provide safe, supportive learning environments that students need to thrive and be healthy.”

As the Detroit school district marks the end of its first month of the 2026-27 school year, more than half of its schools now have full air conditioning throughout the building, according to Superintendent Nikolai Vitti.

Vitti gave an update on Detroit Public Schools Community District’s ongoing project to modernize its HVAC systems at Tuesday’s board meeting. The investment is part of the district’s $700 million facility master plan, which was implemented in 2022. The plan includes rebuilding, reopening, or demolishing certain schools. DPSCD received the money for the project through one-time federal COVID relief funding. In 2018, about 34% of schools had full air conditioning, Vitti said.

Guam Department of Education Superintendent Judith Won Pat, in response to requests by both the Guam Legislature and the Guam Education Board, uploaded a comprehensive list that shows a school's age, square footage, and what it would cost to fix or replace what is bad.

The list can be found here: https://www.gdoe.net/District/Department/19-Guam-Education-Board/1844-Reporting-Requirements.html.

Each of the schools under DOE's purview has a list that identifies the various parts of  the school's campus, the year it was built, and what the school needs in dollars for 2026.

Voters went to the polls for a special school election on Sept. 15, to vote on school construction questions. 

Statewide, the New Jersey School Boards Association learned of six boards of education with proposals on the ballot.  

Under the Educational Facilities and Construction and Financing Act of 2000, the state will fund at least 40% of eligible school construction costs through annual debt service aid. 

Seven Kentucky school building projects sit unfinished, waiting on the General Assembly to provide the final 50% of money promised to school districts who have outdated and unsafe facilities, superintendents told lawmakers on the Joint Interim Committee on Education.

Asking for a promised $102.9 million to replace some buildings constructed between the 1920s and 1950s, the superintendents said in a written presentation that the seven districts “represent Kentucky’s backbone — communities that have stretched every local dollar, met every state requirement, and trusted the General Assembly to honor its commitment. The final 50% is not just a budget line. It is a promise kept.”

Charter schools in South Carolina will soon have the ability to apply for public funds to finance school construction projects, a development that one leading advocate described as a “game changer” for the growing sector. The state budget approved last month sets aside $75 million for rural and charter school capital projects and establishes a formal structure for evaluating and prioritizing the facility needs of public schools across the state.

Milwaukee Public Schools families have already heard about the possibility that the district could shutter five north side schools where enrollment has declined. But MPS officials revealed a broader scenario Sept. 14 of what could be accomplished with the savings and other funding sources: investing $355 million over the next decade to address critical maintenance issues, upgrade certain amenities and build three new schools.

Flooded hallways. Classrooms with temperatures reaching 110 degrees. Black mold. Nearly one in five school districts cancelled classes because of issues like these during the 2024-25 school year.  

When school facilities fall into disrepair, they can become a danger to students, teachers, and other staff. And when schools close, student learning is disrupted.  

Today’s WatchBlog post looks at our new report about facilities issues in K-12 public schools. 

FRESNO – The Fresno County Board of Supervisors approved a $426.5 million overhaul of its aging facilities as deferred maintenance costs continue to mount.

As part of the 10-year master plan, experts urged the supervisors at their Sept. 8 meeting to consider demolishing the historic Fresno County Plaza Building after they determined the old facility was too costly to renovate. 

“The plaza building has reached the end of its useful life,” County Chief Operating Officer Ed Hill said.

As Southern California faces more frequent and intense heat waves, a new Chapman University study finds that some students may be spending their school days on campuses that become dangerously hot during extreme heat events. Researchers found that outdoor surfaces at some Orange County public schools reached nearly 122 degrees Fahrenheit — conditions that can affect students during recess, physical education and other activities held outdoors.

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – Springfield Public Schools has allocated over $14 million to upgrade heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems across the district. The project has reduced the number of schools lacking air conditioning from 30 down to eight.
The major facilities initiative represents a joint venture between Springfield Public Schools, the Parks Department, the Department of Capital Asset Management and the Massachusetts School Building Authority. Together, these entities have invested more than $1 billion into constructing new schools and renovating existing facilities across the city.
 

Ohio is awarding approximately $14.3 million to nine public charter schools for facility improvements, expansion, and other capital needs as part of a new round of federal education grants.

The facilities awards are part of a broader $20.7 million package announced by Gov. Mike DeWine and the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce (DEW) which also earmarks $6.4 million to support four schools that are expanding existing programs or opening new campuses. In Ohio, charter schools are referred to as community schools.

How do you improve energy efficiency across an estate of 32,000 schools when energy costs are rising? The answer starts with changing the way we look at public buildings. Imagine if schools could tell us exactly how they're performing, in real time?

Great British Energy's Smart Schools pilot is demonstrating how real-time data can transform the way estates are managed and improved, creating benefits for pupils, staff, and the community.

ST. LOUIS — One night this summer, a city planner stepped before the St. Louis Public Schools board and pitched a wild idea.

What if, he said, one of the district's vacant and dilapidated schools could instead become an expansive youth sports and arts complex?

Jonathan Roper, a city planning executive, suggested that the old Scullin Elementary, plus Penrose Park and other lots near Kingshighway Boulevard and Interstate 70, could turn into "a welcoming entrance to the city." He presented renderings that included sports fields, a nature playscape, arts studios, an amphitheater and even an urban farm. He called it the Penrose Learning, Athletics and Youth district — the "PLAY" district for short. 

School facility problems—from plumbing emergencies to extreme indoor temperatures—forced 1 in 5 districts to cancel classes during the 2024-25 school year.

Those closures affected an estimated 2 million students and culminated in the loss of about 3.5 million days of learning, according to a new report from Congress’ nonpartisan investigative arm.

The newly released report from the Government Accountability Office is the latest reminder of the deteriorating condition of America’s school infrastructure and the growing need for major improvements to the nation’s school buildings—which are about a half-century old on average.

With five simple words last year, Maine issued guidance that speaks volumes about how extreme weather is changing school. The law, Temperature Standards for School Buildings, clearly calls for each district in the state to set minimum and maximum temperature limits under which schools can operate. 

Cambria Heights Elementary in Cambria County, Pennsylvania has brought a 346-panel rooftop solar array online to help offset added electricity demand from a new air-conditioning system and lower utility costs for years to come, WJAC reported.

Here's what to know

According to WJAC, the district worked with a state-approved energy savings company on the installation, and state funding provided more than $1 million for the project. Cambria Heights Elementary has a new heating system and energy-efficient lighting as well, which will help the district reduce wasted energy.