(The Center Square) – A total of 101 school-related projects totaling $210 million have been committed for Maryland’s capital improvement project budget for fiscal year 2024, after a recent vote from a state legislative panel.
The Maryland Interagency Commission on School Construction (IAC) on Thursday approved the funding allocations within the state’s capital improvement program, with the caveat the commitments represent 75% of the assumed $280 million earmarked.
The approvals came on the heels of statewide education officials submitting funding requests for a myriad of projects, big and small.
Alex Donahue, acting executive director of the IAC, said requests that came in this fall far outpaced the anticipated pool of money. A total of 23 local education agencies (LEAs), in addition to the Maryland School for the Blind, submitted $840 million worth of funding requests.
“This year’s CIP has been a challenging one to wrangle, as the needs across the state clearly are substantial,” Donahue said.
In his presentation to the IAC, Donahue said there is a reason the CIP funding requests have been voluminous as schools grapple with assorted funding issues.
“The CIP is the state’s most flexible school funding program and can be used for almost any category of project,” Donahue said, pointing out the funding bucket can be applied to new school construction, as well as renovations.
 

By the time students poured back into schools this fall, the most disruptive impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic seemed to have finally receded. But the lingering effects on children and learning are unfortunately still very much with us. 
New data from the National Center for Education Statistics show that the pandemic erased more than two decades of progress in reading and math for 9-year-old students. The effect was most profound for students from low-income communities—exacerbating the pre-pandemic achievement gap between those students and their higher-income peers.  
​​​Outside of school, the pandemic also magnified long-standing geographic and racial inequities in economic opportunity and overall health and well-being. A 2020 report from the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City (ICIC) found that approximately 78% of high-poverty neighborhoods in the U.S.—communities of color in particular—were highly vulnerable to the pandemic’s economic impacts, including loss of jobs and income, compared to just 15% of low-poverty neighborhoods.  
Federal relief funding is helping states and localities address these challenges. Large cities and counties have committed a significant amount of their State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds toward projects in economically disadvantaged communities. And according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, over $9 billion has been allocated for K-12 education and related purposes, including after-school programs and programs for students’ emotional and mental health needs.  
But money alone isn’t enough. Now is the time for local leaders to not only invest more in families and communities, but to invest differently. Given the intricate relationship between neighborhood well-being and school performance, championing and investing in community schools—a model focused on leveraging and coordinating the resources and voices of the entire community to support a thriving educational environment—could be one of the best ways for mayors and other local officials to confront both types of challenges.  
 

Concord School Board members are urging state lawmakers to expand building aid after the district’s fourth-place ranking made the likelihood of state funding for a new middle school low.

Last week, the Concord School Board voted 7-0 to adopt a resolution urging Gov. Chris Sununu and state legislators to add more funds to the State Building Aid Program, which offers grants to help New Hampshire school districts afford costly construction projects.

“Whereas the Concord School Board recognizes the importance of the New Hampshire Building Aid program for school districts and whereas the Concord School District understands that the cost of capital building projects falls heavily on local property taxpayers, we the Concord School Board support the expansion of the Building Aid Program, and urge our state legislators and the Governor to appropriate additional funding for State Building Aid program,” the statement read.

ANN ARBOR, MI - Some of Ann Arbor’s neighborhood elementary schools built in the 1960s and ‘70s could be replaced with new buildings during the second phase of the district’s extensive capital bond construction.
The second phase of Ann Arbor Public Schools’ bond plan recommends construction of several new elementary schools on or near the site of their original buildings between 2025-30, as well as the construction of a new middle school natatorium.
This plan was approved by the Ann Arbor School Board on Nov. 30, providing a roadmap for more significant construction projects possible via a combination of AAPS’ $1-billion capital bond passed in 2019 and its sinking fund. The anticipated cost is $1.44 billion over the next 20 years.
The district is about two-thirds of the way into the first phase of its bond work, which has included numerous air conditioning, lighting, roofing, solar, paving and playground construction projects.
 

SALT LAKE CITY — The Granite School District Board of Education voted this week to close Millcreek, Twin Peaks and Spring Lane elementary schools.

Steve Hogan, director of planning and boundaries for the school district, presented the Population Analysis Committee’s recommendation for the proposed school closures. He said this decision has been a process that started in January and has included a “significant amount of feedback,” efforts in communication with communities through postcards, text, emails, newsletters and more, as well as almost 90 open meetings with members of the school communities.

The committee conducted a study with the goal of creating elementary schools with optimal enrollment of at least three teachers per grade level to “best serve our students and families.”

It originally had three closure options, but ultimately decided the best option would be to close Millcreek, Twin Peaks and Spring Lane elementaries.

GRAVETTE -- The Gravette School District is spending more on energy this school year than originally planned.

During the School Board meeting Nov. 14, Business Manager Dennis Kurczek reported the district was at 47% of the electricity budget and 45% of the diesel and fuel budget, even though the district was only about a third of the way through the school year. He said he is hoping the fuel costs will moderate but that it is not likely with winter coming on.

Kurczek also reported receiving $104,000 in alternative learning environment funds and said a second payment will be coming later in the year.

In other business, Kelly Hankins, director of academic success, gave the student success report to the board and said she was particularly pleased with the school's partnership with the Highlands United Methodist Church. She said the church had been a real blessing as members had brought three loads of food for the school's food pantry.

Superintendent Maribel Childress gave the first quarter district goals report and the full-time equivalent report. The full-time equivalent report, given at the request of the board, outlines each teacher's class load and what courses each one teaches. Childress reported in regard to goals achieved that the school has made more than 1,300 personalized contacts with students and school patrons.

The state approved $30 million toward a new Finneytown middle and high school project on Thursday. This is the second phase of the district's K-12 building project after Finneytown Elementary opened to students this fall.

The entire project will cost nearly $48 million total. The new building will be constructed at the site of the district's current high school and will serve students in grades 7-12. Finneytown Local School District superintendent Laurie Banks said she hopes the secondary campus will open in the fall of 2025.

"We are grateful to our community for their ongoing support and partnership in educating the students of Finneytown. We also appreciate the funding the state has made available to support school districts in ensuring all students can learn in a safe, supportive environment," Banks wrote in a Friday email to The Enquirer.

"Learning environments matter and impact students, staff members, and the community," Banks wrote. "I am excited to see the impact of our new spaces unfold."

According to state data related to school construction needs, Grayson, Franklin City, Martinsville, Bristol and Petersburg are the most financially strapped localities in Virginia.

The five have fiscal stress ratings of around 107. By contrast, many divisions in the more affluent Northern Virginia have scores of around 90.The state average is set at 100.

A school division’s financial situation is one of the major factors state officials consider in determining whether to provide a loan to help cover the costs of repairing and replacing aging buildings. More than half of all school buildings in Virginia are greater than 50 years old, according to a June 2021 presentation to the Commission on School Construction and Modernization. 

Some common needs among school divisions are roof repairs and replacements, as well as safety upgrades and fixes for electrical and plumbing issues.

Additionally, the June report found 19% of schools failed to meet the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act, with estimated compliance costs totaling more than $204 million.

The biennial budget signed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin this August put $400 million into the state’s Literary Fund to be loaned out to local school divisions for construction projects at lower interest rates than previously allowed by law. However, some districts say the state’s criteria for those loans, which include the division’s ability to pay back the loan, has deterred them from seeking such assistance.

Educators at Buena Vista Horace Mann K-8 school threatened to demonstrate and potentially walk off the job if the school district doesn’t address recent concerns over arsenic and lead on site.

Their demands: By Tuesday, Dec. 13, the school district must test every water fountain at BVHM for lead; provide a mobile testing site for contaminants and toxins on school grounds; and supply enough filtered water for all students and staff to drink until the school’s pipes have been tested. If the district fails to meet the deadline, educators will hold an “action campaign” to inform and organize families about conditions. If these demands remain unmet after the holiday break, staff will plan walkouts, said Sara Mokhtari-Fox, an eighth grade teacher and member of the school’s Union Building Committee, a part of the teacher’s union. 

“We understand it might be difficult to coordinate on-site testing by Tuesday, but we want to have plans, at least, so that we can feel safe in our schools,” Mokhtari-Fox told Mission Local.

Newport News Public Schools has launched a Capital Improvement and Facilities Master Plan Dashboard to increase public visibility and accountability for the school division's capital needs and facilities master plan.

The dashboard presents cost and management data for school facilities. It gives the public a one-stop location for capital data for each school (year of construction, total square footage, program capacity and student enrollment). The online tool also identifies major renovation needs, facility conditions, and deferred maintenance costs.

The dashboard tracks the school division's progress on key initiatives identified by the NNPS Facilities Master Plan Steering Committee including safety and security enhancements, the replacement of learning cottages, maintenance projects deferred due to the lack of available funding, and computer lab renovations. The dashboard gives users an in-depth, transparent look at facility needs through a variety of visualizations, including maps, charts and graphs.  

"The new dashboard is a significant milestone in our long-standing efforts to provide greater transparency and accountability around NNPS school facilities. It provides insight on maintenance needs and the funding needed to support the division's aging facilities," said Dr. George Parker, superintendent of schools.

TORRINGTON — A recent review of the city's school buildings revealed an estimated $32 million needed for repairs and upgrades at Vogel Wetmore, Forbes, Torringford, Southwest and Torrington Middle School.

The estimate was presented by the Board of Education to the City Council this week. Petrucelli, Silver and Associates, an engineering firm employed by the school board, gave a review of each building and its needs, giving the council an idea of the state of the four elementary schools and middle school.

Included are heating and air-conditioning work, plumbing repairs, roof repairs and renovations to various areas of the buildings. Much of the needs are maintenance-related, according to Petrucelli, Silver and Associates. 

Lynchburg City Schools’ new proposed five-year capital improvement plan lays out a road map for more than $100 million in building improvements, including potential large-scale renovations beginning in fiscal year 2026.
Administrators shared the division’s fiscal year 2024-2028 plan with the school board Tuesday night.
As the division balances a separate facilities master plan project, which will determine the future of school buildings in the city, Deputy Superintendent of Operations and Strategic Planning Reid Wodicka said the division wanted to be “respectful” to the master plan as it projects its capital improvement needs over the next few years.
Because of this, Wodicka said the first two years of the capital improvement plan call for several smaller projects more focused on increasing school security and exterior repairs to aging school buildings than on larger renovation projects.
“Over the next couple of years, the projects that we put forward are projects that I think are critical to the long-term, structural stability of our existing buildings,” Wodicka said.
 

EAST BRUNSWICK – A high level of arsenic concentration was discovered in an environmental evaluation of the grounds of East Brunswick High School that could be the location of a new high school.

The arsenic contamination was found in a field used intermittently for cross country practices near the northeast corner of Summerhill and Cranbury roads. About 40 years ago, the area also was used as a fitness trail for physical education classes and community use.

The area has been cordoned off-limits to all students, staff and community members, Superintendent of Schools Victor Valeski said at the Dec. 1 Board of Education meeting.

"I want to emphasize the contamination does not extend to any other portions of the high school property," Valeski said. "This is purely precautionary, because the levels required by the Department of Environmental Protection are of a level that we can't allow anybody else in there."

The Reading School District needs applicants to fill 45 openings in the district's custodial and maintenance department.

To help attract candidates the school board approved an increase in hourly wages and starting rates for all custodians and trades workers in the district.

Beginning this week, the average hourly rate for custodial workers will rise to $21.97 from $19.34.

The new starting hourly rate will be $17.50 for first-shift custodial, $18.25 for second-shift custodial and $18.75 for third-shift custodial.

Starting rates for identified tradespeople, including carpenters, HVAC mechanics and plumbers will range from $25.69 to $26.44, depending on the shift.

"By increasing wages, we hope to attract more adults committed to the maintenance and upkeep of our schools and buildings, as well as developing strong relationships with our students," said Dr. Jennifer Murray, superintendent.

Researchers have found that the quality of school facilities impact student learning, she said.

"Students focus better when they're comfortable, are more likely to attend classes and may be less likely to become ill," Murray said. "These qualities all come from classrooms that have proper ventilation, are well-lit, and maintain efficient cleaning schedules."

Since Kansas City Public Schools unveiled a proposal to close 10 schools, neighbors have banded together to urge the school board to delay a vote until the district has hired its next superintendent. Some community leaders worry about the district pushing forward an overhaul of the system before having a new leader in place, concerned that neighborhoods could be left cluttered with empty schools and unfulfilled promises. “Moving forward with this would put the district in an untenable position based upon the fact that leadership may change. If there’s different leadership, certainly there may be a different focus in terms of servicing students properly,” said Garry Cain, a board member of the Central Alumni Organization. “And the bottom line is that the students are the ones who will suffer the most. I think it’s ill advised to move on a recommendation like this in the absence of permanent leadership.”
The school board is expected on Dec. 14 to vote on the proposal to close under-enrolled and outdated schools, in order to free up money to expand programs and improve district offerings. KCPS officials told The Star that the district will present “revised recommendations” for the board to consider during that evening’s meeting. Under the current proposal, the district would shutter eight elementary schools and two high schools — Central and Northeast — over the next several years. Central and three elementary buildings could close as early as next fall.
 

Children living in impoverished areas are exposed to increased levels of air pollution, which can lead to reduced cognitive abilities down the line.
That’s according to new research published Wednesday in the journal ScienceAdvances. Investigators explored the effects of early exposure to 50 pollutants known or suspected to harm the central nervous system. Data from 10,000 U.S. children were included in the analysis. 
“Our findings suggest that children in poor neighborhoods are—disproportionately and with alarming frequency—poisoned by their environments from the moment they take their first breaths,” researchers wrote.
All children were born around 2001 and followed by researchers until they entered kindergarten. Researchers then assessed their early reading and math skills and compared findings based on neighborhood socioeconomic status and air pollution concentrations. 
Exposure to pollutants during infancy reduced cognitive abilities measured at age 4 by about one-tenth of a standard deviation — equivalent to the learning loss that would typically occur after one month of missed elementary school.
Around one-third of the effect is a result of air quality disparities, while exposure to particulate matter, traffic-related pollutants, industrial-source heavy metals and several petrochemicals may have the most impact on cognitive abilities in early childhood. However, due to the difficulty of singling out effects of individual toxins, researchers urged caution when discussing the impacts of specific pollutants.
Although previous research has detailed an association between growing up in a poor neighborhood and diminished cognitive abilities and lower levels of educational attainment, authors set out to understand the mechanisms behind these effects. 
Major roadways and other infrastructure are more likely to be located in, near or upwind of poor neighborhoods, disproportionately exposing these residents to air pollutants that can harm the central nervous system, they wrote. 
 

More than 100 schools statewide have applied for a share of a $150 million state grant to improve school indoor air quality, ahead of the Dec. 1 deadline.

But to access that money, municipalities must provide matching grants. That’s left some schools with fewer resources feeling excluded, while other districts are struggling to find any avenue of relief for the enormous costs involved with upgrading or replacing an HVAC system in a school.

In Old Saybrook, the school district is installing air conditioning in three schools. The elementary, middle and high schools are situated between the Connecticut River and Long Island Sound on fairly marshy ground with a high water table.

“We have had days we've had to send everybody home, because the humidity was at a point where floors were slippery, walls were slippery, and it was very difficult for our staff and students,” schools Superintendent Jan Perruccio said at a public hearing Wednesday.

Then there are secondary costs: like reworking electrical systems in school buildings to provide enough power for the upgraded HVAC systems. In Old Saybrook, the district says the project cost across three schools is estimated at $7.2 million.

A new state-run grant for school construction looks set to get rolling in early 2023.

Localities will be able to apply for state money to help build, renovate, or update school buildings. The General Assembly has allocated about half a billion dollars for the new competitive grants.

This week, Virginia Department of Education’s Kent Dickey told members of the Commission on School Construction and Modernization they should be ready to start accepting applications sometime in January.

“So really the emphasis here is on new and emerging projects in high need localities that need state support,” Dickey said, adding that they’ve already received a lot of interest and questions from superintendents. “Phone calls, emails, contacts at meetings.”

Ken Nicely superintendent of Roanoke County Public Schools says his district is ready to apply.

“School divisions like ourselves have been eager and have a huge level of high interest to pursue those,” Nicely told members of the commission. “We’ve been eager since summer to know what the criteria is going to be and to be able to hit that send button. We’re ready to hit the send button.”

Unfortunately demand is likely to outstrip supply. According to the commission's work, over half of Virginia’s school buildings are at least a century old. And replacement costs could exceed 25 billion dollars.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Jefferson County Public Schools wants to spend millions of dollars on a plan to rebuild and renovate schools over the next four years, starting in 2023.
The district's chief operations officer said there is over $1 billion in unmet facility needs at JCPS schools, and district leaders said they're already working on improvements.
The schools chosen to be built, or rebuilt, were not only picked because of the state of their current buildings — whether they are too old, too small, or past the point of renovation — but also the needs of its student population. 
"I would say I remember the schools that I went to already seeming rundown," Brock Barnett, former JCPS student, said. "It makes sense to start rebuilding."
JCPS said it's time to start tackling its most serious facility needs. 
"Historically, what we've done at JCPS just because of available bonding capacity and capital dollars allocated, is to just renovate buildings to keep them afloat, if you will," said Chris Perkins, JCPS' chief operations officer. 
The district has already discussed building a new Grace James Academy, W.E.B. DuBois Academy, and a new west end middle school. New to the list is a brand new Seneca High School, as well as Kerrick and Okolona Elementary schools. For middle schools, Westport Middle and Olmstead Academy South, and a new early childhood center.
 

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) updated the Texas school safety standards earlier this month to amend certain safety requirements for schools to follow. 
“In light of recent events, ongoing public concern, and the charge by Governor Abbott, the Commissioner… is proposing §61.1031 to address school safety and ensure minimum school safety standards to address the safety of students and staff alike in our public schools,” said the TEA.
In the new standards, the TEA established modifications structurally and systematically for school districts to adopt. The TEA is also providing grant opportunities for school districts seeking funding for the upgrades needed and schools must implement these plans for construction or modification during the 2022-2023 school year. August of 2023 is the deadline to have a contractor procured.
First, the TEA outlined structural requirements for school facilities to modify. The TEA outlined that if the school has a wall or fence, it must be at least 6 feet high and have unscalable measures to it. Or it must be 8 feet high. If it is gated, school districts must prevent the gate openings from being accessed from the outside without a key or system to unlock it.