From San Diego to Sacramento, the threat of rising temperatures to our youth continues to worsen.

And as six million California public school students return to class this month, they’ll be walking onto schoolyards covered with asphalt – prison-like, unhealthy environments that are detrimental to a kid’s physical, mental and educational health.

Fortunately, state policymakers this month have an historic opportunity to build a lasting, bipartisan legacy to address this systemic injustice by ripping out asphalt, planting trees and “greening” K-12 schools so our youth can grow, learn and play in healthier environments.

As our Legislature works with Gov. Newsom on how to wisely invest our $70 billion budget surplus, we urge them to allocate at least $250 million to support a rapidly growing movement of students, teachers and parents seeking greener schools.

With little shade and asphalt reaching 150 degrees, parents are urging the Los Angeles Unified School District to make changes to schoolyards and ensure they don't turn into "heat islands."
"We are starting in August now. It's the hottest time of the year and our playground is asphalt," said LAUSD mom Cecile Michaelis.
The hot playgrounds and campuses are forcing students to be indoors to avoid suffering from heat illnesses. The mere potential of their children getting sick from playing in the heat concerns parents like Connor Clayton.
"The kids come home from school completely beat red, dehydrated, hot and sweaty," Clayton, whose two girls attend Shirley Avenue Elementary School. 
In response, an LAUSD spokesperson said the district has tried to remedy the heat with air-conditioned areas and by limiting students' time in high-heat areas.
"When temperatures are high, our school provides air-conditioned bungalows for students during recess and lunch," the spokesperson said. We also have several trees that provide shade in our courtyard and we proactively limit student access to areas that may experience high heat, including select playground equipment."
 

VALLEY CITY, N.D. (Valley News Live/NewsDakota.com) - The Valley City School board has moved away from the idea of building a new school due to the high cost of construction. Superintendent Josh Johnson said the focus shifted to repairing their existing facilities.

“Looking at the state of our facilities and explored building a new school, quickly recognizing over seven to eight months that through inflation, the cost of construction was not feasible for us to build new. We stepped back, took a refocus, and determined what it was that we would prioritize in our current facilities,” Johnson said.

He said the district plans to use about $3 million of COVID funding and the rest of the proposal could be financed by increasing their building fund levy.

“Currently 12 mills up to 20 mills would be an additional ask of our taxpayers to support the immediate needs that we have in our schools,” Johnson explained.

When students at the Gallipolis City School District in southeast Ohio return from summer break, they’ll be sitting in classrooms with air cleaned and freshened by almost $4 million in refurbishments.
The district retrofitted once-inefficient heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems at five of its schools, adding new equipment with higher rated filters, automation and ultraviolet irradiation. 
For a district with about 2,000 students, it’s a sizable investment — paid for by the federal government with Covid relief funding. School leaders hope it buys them peace of mind after two years of pandemic disruptions. 
“Our students are behind … the least we can do is provide them, you know, a comfortable climate with good air quality,” district Superintendent Craig Wright said. “It helps reduce the spread. I think it helps increase the likelihood that we don’t have to use masks. Nobody likes to use a mask.”
The overhaul is one of many made to schools across the United States as part of an effort to dramatically cut the risk of infection from the coronavirus. They’re changes experts say could have broader benefits in reducing the spread of infectious diseases that can often sweep through schools.
Changes have not been uniform. Billions of federal dollars available to improve ventilation have yet to be spent. Surveys suggest some school leaders weren’t sure how they could access that money and experts are warning that some rural schools could be falling behind. 
 

Details relating to the start date of the Evelyn M. Williams school demolition were announced at a press briefing on Wednesday. The event was held jointly with the V.I. Department of Education and the Office of Disaster Recovery.
During the briefing, it was revealed that the $3 million school demolition project will begin on August 22, making way for construction of what will be the new Arthur A. Richards PreK-8 School.
Speakers at Wednesday’s event held at the abandoned Evelyn M. Williams Elementary School site in Estate Paradise included Education Commissioner Nominee Dionne Wells-Hedrington, ODR Director Adrienne Williams-Octalien, and licensed contractors. 
Wells-Hedrington said it was a great day for the Dept. of Education as she relayed her elation to be present to kickoff the demolition of the first school rebuild in the territory following the storms of 2017. She said it had taken “a long time to get here,” but went on to assure the community that this was just the first of many more to come.
“It's been a long time in negotiations with FEMA,” she said. “It’s been been a long time with us having community meetings to bring the community up to speed with our facility master plan document and all the things we want to see in terms of our facilities moving forward.” 
According to Wells-Hedrington, it's no secret that public education facilities in the territory were aged and extensive repairs and replacements were needed in some cases. 
 

PRINCETON — Mold discovered at a Mercer County school is delaying its opening for the year until its interior can be cleaned.

On Aug. 8, mold was discovered on surfaces in classrooms at Princeton Primary School, according a press release issued Tuesday afternoon. Mercer County Schools contacted the West Virginia Department of Education’s Office of School Facilities and representatives from that office inspected the school on Aug. 10.

On Aug. 15, Mercer County Schools received an Indoor Air Quality report from the Office of School Facilities. Their determination was that during the summer, mold formed because of an HVAC system failure to regulate humidity levels within the building.

In order for the removal of mold and repairs to the HVAC system to regulate humidity levels, Princeton Primary School will not open for in-person learning on Aug.26, according to school officials.

Inflation on construction costs is impacting every builder and developer in the region, and the School District of Manatee County is no exception. 

Tim Bargeron, the associate superintendent of finance for the School District of Manatee County, said the cost of construction has increased about 20%, which means the cost of each of the district's capital projects will significantly increase as well.

The projected cost of inflation for the 15 major capital plan projects on the five-year plan is projected to be just under $42 million. 

The School Board of Manatee County approved a resolution in October 2020 that allows the school district to borrow up to $100 million for capital projects.

School board members now must decide whether to borrow now, and even expand the amount that can be borrowed to $135 million or more, in order to have the ability to fast-track several projects that are scheduled late in the five-year plan.

The thought is that building sooner, even though interest must be paid on loans, will eventually save millions on possible inflation costs.

SULPHUR — At 7:30 a.m. on a sunny Friday, the courtyard of W.W. Lewis Middle School was buzzing with the chatter of students eager to start classes after the summer break.

It was the first day of the second school year after the destructive hurricanes of 2020, which damaged all of the Calcasieu Parish school district’s 76 facilities. Lewis Middle School was hit especially hard; the school’s library, gym and auditorium were taken out of commission.

Two years later, work on the auditorium, a space used by both the school and community groups, has yet to commence. Looming behind the courtyard swarming with students that morning, the 1,300-seat facility remained completely gutted and dark. The only structures inside were towering levels of scaffolding put up a week earlier.

A cross the country, K-12 schools are starting their next year of classes in the middle of a COVID-19 surge. As the BA.5 Omicron subvariant drives thousands of reinfections, schools have largely put aside safety measures like mask requirements and physical distancing.
In response, some parents and experts are trying to improve ventilation in schools, since better air quality in buildings can reduce COVID-19’s spread and even improve other health outcomes. But, despite readily available resources—including millions of dollars in funding from the federal government—many schools have not invested in upgrading their air quality.
“We know that ventilation is important to reduce the transmission of SARS-CoV-2,” says Dr. Catherine Rasberry, a scientist in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s Division of Adolescent and School Health. Ventilation is highlighted throughout the CDC’s guidance for safe in-person learning during the pandemic. Improving it could cut down on school outbreaks and the interruptions they pose to families, as well as mitigate the risks of MIS-C and Long COVID in children—two long-term conditions that can result from a COVID-19 infection.
 

WASHINGTON (DC News Now) — Students in the District will head back to school in less than two weeks, but some city officials worry schools won’t be ready in time.
“I’m concerned about whether or not the Department of General Services will be able to fix all of the outstanding issues, especially the major ones, before students and teachers return,” said Council Member at Large Robert White.
White is one of several council members who have been touring DC Public Schools facilities prior to the August 29 start date.
White, as well as council members Elissa Silverman and Janeese Lewis George, have reported seeing a range of facility issues that need to be addressed.
“We’re seeing HVAC issues, leak issues, electrical issues in addition to some minor issues,” said White.
After one day of school visits, Silverman wrote on Twitter, “It doesn’t seem @DCDGS pays attention to warranties on systems. We heard repeatedly about HVAC systems that failed almost upon building opening.” And, “The process @DCDGS has for work orders is focused on “closing out orders” rather than the actual goal of fixing what is broken.”
 

A neighborhood elementary school from 1973 operating at just one third of its capacity. A popular school built in 1958 and bursting at the seams with students. 

The fate of these school buildings and more than 65 others in the Indianapolis Public Schools system may be determined in the coming weeks, as the district grapples with declining enrollment in its traditional neighborhood schools.

Closing and consolidating schools, one of several possible responses to the district’s financial challenges, could depend heavily on a facilities report examining each school’s condition and usage. The potential solution is one of several outlined in the district’s Rebuilding Stronger initiative – a broader effort to reorganize IPS as its students flock to charter and choice schools.

An IPS spokesman declined to make its full facilities report available to Chalkbeat. It is unclear if or when the district will release the full report. The district has been tight-lipped in general about how it will consider closing or consolidating schools.

STERLING, Va. - A brand new elementary school opening in Loudoun County is raising the roof on solar energy. The Elaine Thompson Elementary School is the first school in Sterling to have solar panels built into its design, providing 40 percent of the school's power needs.
"From the environmental perspective, this is an appropriate design model for us to do and to become more energy efficient," said Tim Sparbaine, the school's principal.
"The energy we receive is stored from the solar panels just like a battery so where it's sunny outside and we are getting more storage from the energy to where it's cloudy outside we are getting less storage so that all feeds into the overall electrical operation of our system."
The school is one of four national level award winners. The challenge recognizes new construction projects that are achieving ENERGY STAR certification for energy efficient and preventing carbon dioxide emissions.
 

At least nine Columbus City Schools will start the school year on Aug. 24 without building-wide air conditioning. 

Columbus Schools is updating the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems in 13 of its 109 school buildings this summer using $35.6 million in federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Funds created due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

While work to update the HVAC systems will be completed at seven of those buildings in time for the scheduled start of classes, work at six other buildings won't be completed until the end of September, said Columbus City Schools spokeswoman Jacqueline Bryant.

In addition to the six buildings that won't be finished until the heat of late summer has waned, two other buildings — Columbus Alternative High School and Hubbard Elementary School — will have to wait until the start of the 2023-2024 school year to get building-wide air conditioning.

NORTH KANSAS CITY, Mo. —
The North Kansas City School District is set to open two new elementary schools on Monday.
The new buildings will replace two older school buildings, coinciding with other renovations across the district.
Maplewood and Davidson Elementary students will walk into brand new schools. NKC Schools say the schools, both over 60 years old, needed to be replaced. The district says it will give its youngest learners a modern and updated learning environment.
Both schools will be ready on Aug. 20, 2022, for the first day of school
 

Three people were taken to the hospital after a ceiling collapsed at Cummings K-8 Optional School in South Memphis Monday.
Officials with the Memphis Fire Department (MFD) said a tile ceiling in the library collapsed.
A librarian and two other workers were taken to the hospital in non-critical condition.
Two other workers were injured that were not inside the library at the time, officials said.
Officials said one MFD unit went to Regional One following the incident.
According to Michelle Robinson-McKissack, MSCS Board Chair, students were evacuated and taken to Metropolitan Baptist Church, 767 Walker Ave.
No students were injured in the incident, which Memphis-Shelby County Schools described as a maintenance issue.
The school dismissed early Monday.
 

ON THURSDAY, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker signed into law a landmark climate bill which affirms, for the first time, that schools are part of the state’s leadership on climate. What’s missing is a plan that will turn that affirmation into action.

The Green and Healthy Schools provision in the climate bill, originally filed by Sen. Jo Comerford and Rep. Mindy Domb, passed with support from advocates throughout the state. It calls on several key agencies to devise school building standards that promote healthy, safe, and carbon-free learning environments. It’s a crucial step.

In order to take practical steps to address schools’ massive carbon footprint, however, a separate element — the state’s climate plan — must be fixed.

Sampson County Schools started a major maintenance overhaul this summer, much of it federally funded, allowing them to fix some issues just in the nick of time, according to Mark Hammond, maintenance director. The school system is dealing with national shortages to bring significant benefits to local school children.
“There are a lot of big projects that we’re taking on,” Hammond stated. “This is by far the busiest summer that we’ve ever had.” This uptick in improvements is possible because of the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds from the American Rescue Plan passed by Congress last year. “These are projects we wouldn’t normally be doing if we didn’t have that ESSER funding,” he said.
No Republican senators supported the American Rescue Plan. North Carolina senators Thom Tillis and Richard Burr both voted against the bill that has provided to this funding.
All spending of ESSER funds must be tied to improving the air quality and improving environmental factors for schools, noted Maria Rose, Sampson County Schools Plant Operations Office Manager.
The major get under ESSER is roof replacements for ten schools. “Roofs are one of the most expensive parts of upkeep on a building,” Hammond said.
 

PROVIDENCE – The late William D’Abate, a longstanding city councilman and state senator, called the school bearing his name “the ticket out” of poverty.
On Wednesday, D'Abate family members were at the Olneyville elementary school to break ground on a $21-million renovation that will include combined arts and science labs, collaborative learning spaces, a separate pre-kindergarten and media center, air-conditioning and an elevator. All told, the overhaul will add 6,000 square feet to the building. 
No one was happier than his granddaughter, Julie D’Abate Calise, who was inspired to become a special-education teacher in Providence because of William’s belief in the transformative power of public education. 
“This is his legacy,” she said at a ceremony attended by state Treasurer Seth Magaziner, Mayor Jorge Elorza, state education Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green and Supt. Javier Montañez, among others. ”They deserve a learning environment that’s clean, safe and ready for 21st-century learning.” 
 

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The state School Building Authority is putting the brakes for now on its annual meeting to fund school construction projects in the state because of the continued impact of high construction costs.
The authority decided Thursday to cancel its December quarterly meeting where those funding decisions are normally made.
According to SBA Chairman Brian Abraham, the authority wants to take a wait and see attitude after seeing the impact of inflation on building costs during the past several months.
“It’s the smart thing to do,” Abraham said. He added the meeting could be rescheduled at some point.
The problem with prices has been growing in recent months.
“We’ve got a lot of needs and very little ability to award those projects. Our finances are weak and we’re trying to increase that with whatever we can and with what we have right now,” then SBA Executive Director, now state School Superintendent David Roach told MetroNews back in February.
The situation hasn’t improved.
The SBA decided Thursday to add funds to previously approved construction projects in Roane and Summers counties because of bids that came in millions of dollars over budget.
The SBA approved $4.9 million in supplemental funding for Roane County and $3.6 million for Summers County. Both counties are building new middle schools.
 

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — As enrollment rates continue to drop at Grand Rapids Public Schools (GRPS), the district is now considering a restructuring plan that could include closing and consolidating some schools.
On Monday, the Grand Rapids Public Schools Board of Education met for a special work session begin work on a plan to optimize its operations in response to the declining enrollment.
The most recent enrollment data from 2020 shows 14,314 students enrolled in the district, a 26% decrease from the 19,364 enrolled students in 2008.
That lower enrollment has pushed building utilization in the district to approximately 53%, which is significantly less than the 85% recommended by the state.
Through a facility demand summary conducted by a consulting firm the district estimates that of their 42 facilities, only 21 are considered being essential to operations based on enrollment and capacity levels.
During the meeting, GRPS leaders discussed possible actions they could take to make all schools in the district viable options across the district. In addition, they want the process to be transparent, while also building a culture of collaboration with the district's stakeholders.
The district is calling this their "Facilities Master Plan," which will start to take form after planned town hall meetings with the community later this fall.