New York City plans to spend $800 million over the next five years to boost school building accessibility for people with physical disabilities, officials revealed Wednesday. That figure is far short of what advocates had demanded. 

Fewer than 1 in 3 of the city’s public schools are fully accessible to students and staff with mobility impairments, according to a recent report from the group Advocates for Children. The organization previously called on the city to dramatically ramp up spending to $1.25 billion to ensure that at least half of buildings would become fully accessible over the term of the new capital plan, which runs from 2025 through 2029. 

With many budget concerns on the horizon — including the expiration of billions of dollars in federal relief money and additional cuts to city agencies ordered by Mayor Eric Adams — accessibility funding hewed closely to current levels.

The capital plan will increase funding for accessibility from $750 million under the current five-year plan, which runs from 2020 through 2024, to $800 million in the new one, according to documents released Wednesday. Advocates contend that is not enough to keep the current pace because of inflation and rising construction costs. 

“Given the decades of inadequate attention that preceded this investment, nearly two-thirds of City schools will still not be fully accessible by the time the construction funded by the current Capital Plan is complete,” Kim Sweet, executive director of Advocates for Children, said in a statement. “It is not acceptable to postpone compliance with [the federal Americans with Disabilities Act] for yet another generation.”

ROWAN COUNTY, N.C. (WBTV) - The poor condition of Henderson Independent High School led the Rowan-Salisbury School Board to approve a plan that would move Henderson students to a vacant building on the North Rowan High campus if necessary.

The RSS Board of Education made a motion at the September 25 business meeting to create an emergency plan to be presented to the Board. That emergency plan was presented and approved last week.

“What an emergency is can be defined lots of ways,” said Board member Kevin Jones. “Obviously, everyone in the room would agree if there’s an emergency we can’t leave our students there. The same thing would be true for any school that we have, we could wake up tomorrow and there would be a problem at any of our schools. Now, some are in better condition so it’s less likely, but we don’t have emergency plans for all those other schools but we would find a way as administration, at some point along the way the Board would get involved and say ‘alright what are we going to do to make sure that these students are safe and still learning.’ Figuring out what that looks like and then what kind of money it takes to fix the problem is something that I think is going to have to be the difficult thing, but something that we’re going to have to...I’d love the Board to stay a part of those conversations is ‘how much money is it going to take to fix it where it’s not an emergency anymore leaving them at the current location versus going somewhere else, because there’s costs going both ways.”

Some BOE members mentioned emergencies such as: roof collapses or water, heat, etc. breaks and cannot be repaired quickly; however, neither the BOE or RSS officially defined “emergency situation.”

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The state School Building Authority took a vote Monday that SBA Chairman Brian Abraham believes will hit the “sweet spot” when it comes to school construction projects.
The SBA approved a 46% increase in the square footage cost allowance, the first increase in the allowance since 2019.
Abraham, Gov. Jim Justice’s chief of staff, who also chairs the SBA. said the current allowance cost of just more than $300 a square foot is way below what construction costs actually are in the current inflationary times.
“We’re hoping with this change that projects should be pretty well priced. So hopefully they’ll come in on estimate and we won’t have to fall back on the counties either,” Abraham said.
 

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Duval County Public Schools (DCPS) recently announced transformative developments and changes in their schools, all made possible by the half-penny sales tax.
The ongoing projects are set to reportedly enhance educational opportunities and improve the overall infrastructure, demonstrating the district’s commitment to providing the best learning environment for its students.
These projects encompass a wide range of improvements, from constructing new classroom buildings to addressing vital repairs and ensuring safety and security upgrades across multiple campuses.
 

BALTIMORE —
The Maryland Supreme Court declined to hear an almost 30-year-old lawsuit about funding for Baltimore City Public School.
But the court case is far from over.
The lawsuit, first filed in 1994, involved a case named after parents of Baltimore students, who, at the time, argued that the district wasn't receiving the amount of funding necessary to provide a "thorough and efficient" education for public school students as Article 8 in the state constitution requires.
For years, Maryland judges agreed with the parents, forcing the state to increase the amount of funding for City Schools.
But after the recession in 2008, the increased funding tailed off, and the American Civil Liberties Union and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People took the Maryland State Board of Education back to court in 2019 with hundreds of millions of dollars in funding on the line.
More recently, courts have ruled in favor of the state and against any additional funding for City Schools.
The case reached the Maryland Supreme Court, which, on Tuesday, declined to take up the lawsuit. The case will now go to the appellate court.
Arielle Humphries, assistant counsel for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, spoke with 11 News Investigates on Thursday, calling the decision to decline the petition a disappointment.
 

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced over $14 million in awards for 11 under-resourced public-school districts to decarbonize their buildings through the Clean Green Schools initiative. The projects will lower greenhouse gas emissions, reduce the school's reliance on fossil fuels and improve the indoor air quality by installing ground source heat pumps, air source heat pumps and electric kitchen equipment. This announcement supports the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 85 percent by 2050 and ensure 35 percent with a goal of 40 percent of clean energy investments directly benefit Disadvantaged Communities.

“Schools can open an entire world of possibilities and opportunities to our children, but for students to get the most out of their education, they must be in a healthy and safe learning environment,” Governor Hochul said. “Clean Green Schools allows our schools in underserved communities to make vital energy efficiency upgrades to their facilities that improve indoor air quality and support the success and well-being of students across the state.”

(The Center Square) – The Seattle School Board unanimously approved $5 million to increase the Montlake Elementary School modernization project’s budget to a total of $84.9 million.

East Seattle’s Montlake Elementary School modernization project is funded  through the Building Excellence V (BEX V) Capital Levy. The levy rate for 2023 is set at 68 cents per $1,000 of assessed value for 2023 and is expected to generate $1.4 billion from 2020 through 2025.

Half of the $5 million in one-time additional funding comes from the BEX V Capital Levy. The other half comes from the Buildings, Technology, and Academics/Athletics Capital Levy, which has a rate of 47 cents per $1,000 in assessed value.

CHAMBERS COUNTY, Ala. (WTVM) - The plan to combine two Chambers County high schools into one continues to stir emotion and controversy.
Last month, the U.S. District Court ruled the Chambers County Board of Education could move forward with its plan to build the new high school in Valley. However, some residents are protesting the merge and the actions of the school board.
The Lafayette Teachers Against Displacement - or LTAD - sat in on the Chambers County School Board meeting to continue their effort to bring attention to what they say are specific instances of injustice.
The group’s main concern is that the site for the new high school in Valley is not equitable for everyone.
Members of LTAD were at the Chambers County School Board Meeting Wednesday demonstrating their First Amendment rights.
“It’s a call to action to say LTAD is not just here for Lafayette but here to advocate for Valley as well,” said Tytianna Smith, Lafayette native and Valley teacher. “We may not agree but we have a common enemy and that’s the Chamber’s County School District.”
Before protesting outside, the founder of the group and Valley teacher, Tytianna Smith, addressed the board - sharing instances of what LTAD calls retaliation by the board. LTAD cite threats against teachers in Lafayette to make grade changes for certain students. They say a college mentorship program called Unite was banned from an annual fundraiser at Lafayette High, but not at Valley.
And they say the board refuses to meet with the Lafayette City Council to discuss a deal for the J.P. Powell building.
 

Dublin, Calif. and HOUSTON, Oct. 26, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Dublin Unified School District (DUSD) announced the unveiling of their $26 million sustainability and energy efficiency project this week during a ribbon-cutting event. Working with ENGIE North America (ENGIE), a leader in the net zero energy transition, this project includes the installation of 4.5 megawatts (MW) of solar panels, HVAC upgrades, and the deployment of 66 electric vehicle ports across 12 schools and the district office, marking a significant milestone in the district's commitment to green initiatives and fiscal responsibility. The district-wide project also includes a student engagement program that features internships, a STEM education program, and a living laboratory.

The project showcases DUSD's dedication to providing a greener and healthier environment for students, staff, and the community. The comprehensive scope of this initiative encompasses several components including:

Stowe School District officials have faced innumerable questions about a proposed $39 million construction bond they say is necessary to fix an aging middle and high school campus that has seen so few infrastructure improvements over the decades that a recent $400,000 project erecting the second floor’s first-ever classroom walls was seen as a big deal.
How will the $39 million affect property taxes, and will all Stowe taxpayers be on the hook?
Is too much of the estimated construction cost dedicated toward wish-list items like improved athletic facilities?
Are there dangerous chemicals in the walls that could blow up the costs, a la Burlington High School?
Why now? Why not wait until Town Meeting Day?
The questions have been asked at a trio of live forums at Stowe High School, in daily long-form arguments in online forums, in letters to the editor, on the sidewalk, and, presumably, at dinner tables all around town.
In the face of all those questions, and as the Nov. 7 bond vote approaches, local education officials last week attempted to collect all those queries into one spot.
 

MIDLAND, Texas (KMID/KPEJ) – The Abell-Hanger Foundation recently released findings of a study which explores the impact of capital expenditures for school construction and renovation on student, teacher, and community outcomes.

Commissioned by the Foundation, the American Institutes of Research conducted an unbiased and objective analysis of available research on the topic, according to a release from the Abell-Hanger Foundation. They say the goal is to provide information for residents of Midland and surrounding communities.

AIR is a non-profit organization that conducts and applies research to improve the quality of life for individuals and communities. Here are some of the study’s key findings divided into categories:

Time Dependent Effects

Capital projects positively influence student test score, though these effects may take some time to materialize. New schools or major renovations often undergo a transition period that can lead to unchanged student achievement, initially.

The Guam Department of Education intends to reduce the cost of utilities by going solar.

GDOE is working with the Guam Power Authority to turn school campuses into “micropower grids.”

“We have begun coordination with (the) Guam Power Authority and contractors to develop a grant submittal converting all of our campuses,” GDOE Superintendent Kenneth Erik Swanson reported to the Guam Education Board.

The initiative would use existing roof space to install solar panels which will allow GDOE to generate, store and sell back power onto the larger grid.

Swanson said, “A discussion in process is intended to develop capacity to store energy on campuses to be able to go off (the) GPA grid (and) run campuses on solar power when necessary to either reduce billing or load shed from the GPA grid without impacting school operations.”

The ACLU and Lead-Free Delaware advocates are calling on the state to install filters at schools across Delaware by Jan. 1.

A report conducted by the ACLU of Delaware in collaboration with Lead-Free advocates suggested that the measures taken by the Delaware Department of Education to resolve issues surrounding lead-tainted water in schools are “insufficient,” prompting the groups to urge the state to introduce “new, safer drinking water standards for schools by Jan. 1, 2024.”

“The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that drinking fountains in schools not exceed 1 part per billion (ppb), which is much lower than the action level of 7.5 ppb set by the Department of Education,” said Sarah Bucic and Amy Roe of Lead-Free Delaware. “We are calling for a health-based approach to drinking water in schools.”

Delaware established the 7.5 ppb threshold after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency flagged the state for its mishandled sampling efforts last year. 

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – There are plans in St. Johns County to open five new schools over the next three years as the school district tries to keep up with student population growth.

The district added another 1,400 students this year and Superintendent Tim Forson told News4JAX on Wednesday that growth means new schools are a necessity.

“I think what we recognize is that there is, you know, rapid growth in those two areas both in Nocatee and in Silverleaf,” Forson said.

Keeping up with rapid growth in the county is the challenge that the school district is trying to overcome. A quarterly report released Tuesday revealed plans for two new K-8 schools in the Nocatee and SilverLeaf developments. That’s in addition to three other K-8 schools currently under construction.

Currently, some schools are at or over capacity, especially in the northern part of the county where the district uses portables.

Multiple protests, two days of cancelled classes, a board member resignation and a lawsuit have followed the Nelson County Board of Education's vote last week to move forward with potentially merging the district's two high schools into one campus.
The Bardstown district of about 4,300 students was forced to close schools Thursday and Friday after hundreds of teachers called out sick but participated in protests.
"It appears staffing shortages are in response to ongoing district facility planning decisions," Superintendent Wes Bradley said in a letter to families about the closure.
Classes resumed this week, though a walkout was conducted by students at one middle school Monday.
The unrest followed the 3-2 vote on Oct. 17 in support of the district developing a plan to merge Thomas Nelson and Nelson County high schools. The unified campus would be at Nelson County.
Both schools are well under capacity. Thomas Nelson was operating at about 67% capacity with less than 700 students in 2019, according to the district's facilities plan. Nelson County was operating at about 59% capacity with about 780 students.
 

For teacher Cora Carey, the garden beds that appeared at the end of September outside of the kindergarten classrooms at Dudley Street Neighborhood Charter School in Roxbury were almost miraculous.

“It’s like magic garden fairies appeared overnight and built these really exemplary raised beds that are like something you would see in a gardening show,” said Carey, who teaches science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics at the school.

In reality, the new garden space wasn’t magic, but rather part of a citywide push to provide more access to gardens in Boston Public Schools, adding on to an existing 79 garden beds in the school system. The Dudley Street school is one of 10 schools in the district receiving the beds, which are run in partnership with Green City Growers, a Somerville-based company that plants and manages the gardens. Seven of the schools receiving the beds are in Roxbury, Dorchester and Mattapan.

Garden classrooms offer a range of benefits, including a wider exposure to fresh fruits and vegetables, hands-on experience with science education and better access to green spaces.

Elijah Heckstall, the Dudley Street school’s principal, said students in the same class might have very different access to green space at their homes.

As the Soddy-Daisy community gathered to give feedback on the school facilities plan released in August, many of the comments centered around one idea: keeping Soddy-Daisy students in the community.
Among other recommendations, the plan proposes expanding Daisy Elementary and closing Soddy Daisy Middle to create a K-12 experience on the current shared campus of Daisy Elementary and Soddy Daisy High.
The two-phase, seven-year plan calls for campus closures and renovations in the interest of lowering maintenance costs by having fewer buildings.
"This is a 50-year decision. We cannot afford to get it wrong," said School Board Member Rhonda Thurman, R-Hixson, whose district includes the three schools.
The community meeting was Tuesday.
Many students leave Soddy-Daisy when they reach middle school because of the condition of the school, Thurman said. The school has had a lot of improvements over the past few years but more are needed, she said.
"We have $200 million, and they're trying to get it to stretch as far as it can be stretched, and I can understand that, but I do not want them to do it at the expense of Soddy Daisy Middle School and Daisy Elementary," Thurman told attendees. "I just want you to know I'm fighting for you. I'm going to try to do the right thing and get the kids to stay in the community when they get to the middle school."
 

The state of Washington will fund $3.7 million in projects across the state in the coming years to provide students with additional outdoor learning opportunities.

The grant funding, administered by the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office (RCO) in partnership with the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), includes several projects in Lewis and Thurston counties.

“With these funds, community-based organizations will partner with school districts to take learning outside for more than 40,000 Washington students,” state Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal said in a Tuesday news release. “These programs provide students with opportunities to learn in meaningful and engaging ways where they can understand the unique context of their community. I’m grateful for the Legislature’s investment in this area and for our partnership with the Recreation and Conservation Office.”

The grant program was passed by the Legislature during the 2022 session to support public school students in kindergarten through 12th grade. In total, the RCO and OSPI received 111 applications requesting $15.3 million. Grant funding was awarded to 27 recipients in 22 counties.

Here’s a breakdown of the projects in Lewis and Thurston counties that will receive funding through the program:

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME), Sherrod Brown (D-OH) introduced the Farm to School Act. This bill aims to get more fresh, locally grown foods in schools across the nation by expanding the Farm to School Program for school-aged children through increased investment.

“The Farm to School Program plays an important role in providing nutritious food to students in Maine while supporting family farms in the community,” said Senator Collins. “This bipartisan bill would ensure that schools and non-profits in Maine and across the country continue to receive funding to purchase local food for student lunches and implement innovative agriculture and wellness lessons.”

“Ohio farmers grow some of the best produce in the country and farm to school programs help connect students with those fresh foods,” said Senator Brown. “This legislation will increase locally grown foods in our school lunchrooms while strengthening farms and rural communities in Ohio and across the country.”

Renovations at two Roanoke schools are wrapping up, as $95 million worth of school construction continues across the city.
James Breckinridge Middle School used $6 million from coronavirus recovery funds for new band, orchestra and chorus chambers, which students now occupy, according to school board documents.
Federal relief money paid for most of the total $8.5 million renovation project, said Chris Perkins, chief operations officer for Roanoke City Public Schools.
“These are large projects that have only been available due to one-time funding sources,” Perkins said during a school board workshop Tuesday night.
Morningside Elementary School is opening a new classroom wing, playground and parking on Nov. 2. That project cost $5.6 million, mostly using city debt service funds.
“Morningside is about the size of a postage stamp,” Perkins said. “But we were able to do a lot with a very small space.”
Looking toward 2024, Charles W. Day Technical Education Center will open Jan. 15, in time for the third nine-week grading period of the school year.