A growing coalition of municipalities, teachers, school administrators and others challenged Gov. Ned Lamont Thursday to enhance state funding to improve school air management systems as Connecticut grapples with the coronavirus pandemic.

The Connecticut Conference of Municipalities and the state’s Council of Small Towns both objected this summer upon learning that existing school construction policy limits when state funds can be used to help towns pay for new ventilation, air conditioning and air quality control systems.

Thursday they were joined by the state’s two largest teachers’ unions — the Connecticut Education Association and AFT CT — the statewide associations for municipal school boards and for school superintendents, and CSEA-SEIU Local 2001, which represents teaching assistants in public schools.

“There is an overwhelming need for funding from the state to municipalities and their boards of education to upgrade HVAC systems to ensure adequate air quality in public schools as Connecticut continues to battle the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Joe DeLong, CCM’s executive director. “This dire situation cannot just be left to property taxpayers to shoulder the fiscal burden. … It is frankly bizarre that the state recognizes an end of life for a roof or a window but believes an air quality system never requires updates or replacement,” DeLong said.

VALDOSTA – Lowndes High School construction has been delayed, pushing the move-in date back to next year.

“We are not comfortable with sticking to the schedule to move in by Nov 1,” Jeff Hill, Lowndes County Schools executive director of facilities and operation, said. “We have had many setbacks due to unforeseen things and we wanted to make the call sooner than later.”

There have been several factors that contribute to the change in schedule, including labor shortage, inclement weather and material delays.

The new move-in date for LHS has been moved to February 2022.

Lowndes County school board also heard concerns from parents and teachers regarding COVID-19 procedures at the board meeting earlier this week. 

Dr. Treva Gear, Lowndes High School instructional coach, spoke on behalf of teachers across the school district who are fatigued and stressed.

“I do not want to see another teacher come to me crying, anxious and stressed out. We are being overexposed, even those that wear masks and are vaccinated are getting sick.” Gear said. “I come to you asking for compassion because teachers do not feel like you all care. We are not OK.”

Amanda Bushey, a parent of two children in the Lowndes County school system, brought her concerns to the board.

“Since the beginning of the school year, the only communication you all have had with the community is the relaxing of the quarantine plan.” Bushey said, “You have lost the trust of students, parents and the community.”

The board reviewed the return to school policy implemented in August.

“All of the data information within the return to school plan reflect recommendations from the three agencies (Georgia Department of Public Health, Centers for Disease Control, pediatrics) emphasized the need for students to be face to face and they all recommend masks which is the basis for our plan,” Lowndes County Superintendent Wes Taylor said.

The Niskayuna Central School District is working on logistical issues in order to open school facilities – the high school pool, for example – to the community. 
The facilities have been closed due to the pandemic.
But working through those issues will take some time, said Matt Leon, a spokesperson for the district.
“We recognize what a valuable asset our facilities are to the community and we are glad to be moving toward greater use of them after such a long period,” Leon said.
Reopening school facilities was a topic of discussion brought up at the school board’s last meeting on Sept. 14. 
“Not opening the pool is contrary or contradictory to what other schools are doing,” said Libbie Coccocia, who has two kids in the district. 
She, like other speakers, brought up that the whole basis for funding the pool was that it would be open to the public. 
Student representative Vera Amirbekian said having the pool closed can affect the future of student swimmers, even some currently on the school teams. Amirbekian said 25% of the girl’s varsity team is on the Starfish Swim Club, while 50% of the boy’s team also participates in Starfish. She said being on the Starfish team allows the students to practice even more, but currently Starfish swimmers must travel 40 to 45 minutes to other pools to practice. 
Other residents like Mark Schmidt said there are other benefits to having the pool open, including the additional fitness option available to residents.
 

Governor Kathy Hochul today allocated $59 million for the new Clean Green Schools initiative, which aims to advance clean energy and energy efficiency solutions that will improve indoor air quality and reduce emissions for more than 500 public and private Pre-K-12 schools in disadvantaged communities across the state. As part of the program, the State will convene education leaders this fall, including school superintendents, administrators, and educators, to inform the initiative launching in early 2022 to address climate justice issues and create improved, healthier learning environments for students. Today's announcement supports New York's nation-leading goal of an 85 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 under the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (Climate Act).

"Every child deserves a clean and healthy learning environment, and this new program will help deliver that for our students, educators, and administrators in a way that provides meaningful results and can be replicated across our state," Governor Hochul said. "I know what it's like to grow up exposed to unhealthy air, and we owe it to our children to be better than previous generations and correct these injustices."   

Administered by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), the Clean Green Schools initiative will provide technical, financial, and human resource support to help schools in underserved areas evaluate, plan for, and implement energy efficient and clean heating and cooling projects to benefit the most vulnerable New Yorkers.  

The initiative will provide a range of tools, including benchmarking, energy management, indoor air quality assessments, commissioning support, student engagement in clean energy, and professional development opportunities around clean energy and sustainability, as well as two rounds of competitive incentives for clean building improvements in schools.

JONESBOROUGH, Tenn. (WJHL) – Washington County’s Education Capital Projects fund is the likely source to fill a current funding gap of $10 million for a new K-8 school in Jonesborough — which would leave less money for other school capital needs.
Each additional million dollars above the original $32.75 million estimate will cost around $46,000 annually for 30 years.
Washington County School Board members learned Sept. 16 the project would cost significantly more than originally thought. In a called meeting Sept. 17, the Washington County Budget Committee voted 3-0 with Jim Wheeler recusing himself to approve up to $10 million in additional funding for the school.
If approved at Monday’s full Washington County Commission meeting, the payments would be added to a lease with the Town of Jonesborough, which is the borrower on the project.
Thursday, the school board learned the specific cost is, indeed, $42.75 million, meaning the county commission will consider adding $460,000 annually to the outlay.
School Superintendent Jerry Boyd told News Channel 11 earlier this week the capital fund is the best option for addressing the unexpected expense.
“We have that within the capacity of those funds, the board has expressed the support for certainly moving forward with the Jonesborough Elementary project and also with the realization that those funds will come from the education capital projects fund.”
 

As students in Tangipahoa Parish return to classrooms for the first time since Hurricane Ida hit the area over three weeks ago, the parish's school district is just beginning to grasp how much damage the storm left behind.
Early cost estimates for the district are in the millions of dollars.
Trees felled by the hurricane pulverized a classroom at Loranger High School. Shrieking winds ripped shingles off of rooftops at Hammond High, opening leaks in some stretches of ceiling. And Hammond Eastside Magnet Elementary School flooded when a drainage ditch north of campus overflowed, dumping water into the library room, according to a memo district Chief Financial Officer Bret Schnadelbach sent to school board members last week.
All 32 of the mostly-rural district's campuses sustained damages. District-wide repairs could cost $7.2 million — possibly more, Superintendent Melissa Stilley said Tuesday.
“Permanent repairs will take time, so please be patient,” she said.
On Tuesday, the school board approved a plan for students to make up class time lost to Ida recovery by tacking 25 minutes onto each school day and converting two non-instructional days in October to classroom days.
After swirling north from the Gulf of Mexico, Ida swept 8 feet of storm surge from Lake Maurepas into the southern portion of Tangipahoa Parish. Her winds blew down countless trees and power poles in the parish's pine-covered northern region. Some areas lost power for weeks. 
 

BRISTOW, Oklahoma - Bristow Public Schools has more Pre-K students this year thanks to a larger building. 
The new Pre-K Center was built as part of a $6 million bond passed in 2019. The new building has eight classrooms, four of which are storm shelters that can hold more than 500 people. 
“A couple of our rooms before were really small and so they like it a lot better because they can do more things with the kids than they could before,” said Bristow Pre-K Teacher Keli Schonfield. 
Schonfield has been teaching with Bristow Public Schools for 17 years now. She said this new building is a major upgrade from the old one because there’s a lot more space. 
“The kids can move around and play easier and we can do a lot more of our active learning activities because they can spread out and move more,” said Schonfield. 
The previous building could only hold 80 Pre-K students and the new building can have up to 160. Thanks to a $6 million bond and donations from the community, the district is now able to have five Pre-K classes instead of four. 
“We had four classrooms of 20 kids each and they had to share two very small bathrooms,” said Edison Elementary School Principal Debbie Ponder. 
The new building has two large bathrooms and then smaller individual bathrooms in each classroom along with additional storage space. They also have two active learning labs and four of the classrooms can be used as storm shelters. 
“We can get all of Edison school, which is about 480 kids and then 50 something adults, into that storm safe area so that’s a huge relief that we can do that now if bad weather is on the way,” said Ponder. 
Pre-K isn’t a mandatory grade for students, but Ponder said it’s an important one. She said this additional space will help students go far. 
 

Twenty-nine Orleans Parish School Board buildings received some damage from Hurricane Ida or the prolonged power outage caused in its wake, NOLA Public Schools district officials told board members at their monthly committee meeting on Tuesday.

The powerful category 4 storm roared ashore Aug. 29, tearing up houses and buildings throughout southeast Louisiana and initially leaving about 1 million electric customers without power. Many schools in the city and surrounding area have been closed since — as they assess for and remediate damage. City schools have been slowly opening over the last week. Some schools have reopened virtually, rather than in-person, due to damage and uncertain repair schedules.

Of the 29 buildings found to have damage, 20 need environmental clearance before students can return, Jeanie Decuers, the district’s executive director of capital improvement, told board members. Decuers said the central office got to work as soon as it was safe after the storm.

“Immediately following Hurricane Ida … we installed a one-megawatt generator at [L.B. Landry High School] as our alternative command center. We also installed a 500-gallon fuel tank so staff could stay fueled for field assessments,” she said. 

The Workgroup on the Assessment and Funding of School Facilities had a substantive discussion on September 22, with conversation focusing on a proposed set of 9 categories on how to assess the condition of school facilities.
The Workgroup on the Assessment and Funding of School Facilities, created by 2021 legislation, held its third meeting virtually this week. The majority of the conversation focused on the Facility Condition Index (FCI) and educational facilities sufficiency standards along with under which categories the Interagency Commission on School Construction (IAC) proposes to assess schools.
The meeting featured presentations from the staff of the IAC on a proposed set of 9 categories under which to assess Maryland schools, based on the FCI and sufficiency standards.
The subsequent discussion between workgroup members and IAC officials largely considered how shifting enrollment plays into the proposed 9 categories for assessment.
 

Spending time in nature can have mental, physical and social benefits for children. While schools offer a chance for students of all backgrounds to get outside in nature, researchers from North Carolina State University found natural spaces like woods or gardens were relatively rare in a small sample of elementary and middle schools in Wake County.

Published in the journal Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, the study found that for schools that did have green natural spaces, teachers played a key role in helping kids experience and enjoy those natural areas.

“When children connect with nature at a young age, it can provide lifelong benefits,” said the study’s lead author, Zhenzhen Zhang, a graduate student in forestry and environmental resources at NC State. “We wanted to know – how can we promote children connecting with nature using the most accessible green space they might have, which is the school yard?”

In the study, researchers visited eight elementary schools and one middle school in Wake County to see if they had gardens, woods, athletic fields or playgrounds. They also measured the percentage of impervious surface, or concrete and asphalt, outdoors at each school. They also surveyed students and teachers to understand the extent that students were aware of, and used, the natural outdoor spaces.

They found all nine schools had athletic fields, and all of the elementary schools had playgrounds. Just three schools had woods, some of which were blocked off by a fence, and six had gardens. Researchers noted that while having athletic fields and playgrounds was likely a result of standard school system landscape design plans, the presence of green natural spaces was not.

A planned $34.4 million renovation of the Erie County Technical School isn't likely to happen.
Millcreek Township School Board defeated a resolution to proceed with the renovations by 5-4 vote Tuesday, for the second time in a week. A similar resolution failed by an identical 5-4 vote on Sept. 13.
All 11 school districts that send students to the school have to approve the project for work to proceed. All but Millcreek unanimously approved the project.
Bids submitted for the work expire Tuesday.
This week's resolution would have committed the Millcreek Township School District to pay 36% of the cost of the renovations, or more than $12.1 million. Capital projects at the tech school are funded based on assessed property value in each participating school district. Millcreek's property value is 36% of the total value of properties in the 11 participating school districts.
The latest resolution would have included the proviso that it would be the last time that Millcreek would fund capital improvements at the technical school under the current funding formula.
 

PORTSMOUTH — On Nov. 2, voters will have the opportunity to vote in a special election whether or not to approve a $21.44 million bond. If approved, funds will go toward renovating several schools. 

Through the Rhode Island School Construction Program, Portsmouth has submitted a “Stage II” application to receive state reimbursement for 40% of the project costs, totaling $8,575,720.

More:After passing on unification with Newport, Middletown ponders future of its own schools

Under this competitive statewide program, Portsmouth is eligible for reimbursement at a baseline rate of 35%, plus a bonus incentive of 5% for the health and safety improvements included in the project plans.

The Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) is reviewing Portsmouth’s Stage II application, and a decision on reimbursement is expected in December 2021. The projects will move forward only if voters approve the referendum and the state approves the Stage II application.

Mold and mildew have been found on ceilings and vents at Smithville High School, according to a presentation by the district’s maintenance director at the school board meeting Monday.   

The Texas Association of School Boards, a statewide educational association that serves and represents school boards in the state, recently performed an air quality evaluation of Smithville High School and found “fungal spores on the outside exterior” of the building.

Mildew was growing on the ceiling tiles and vents of room 108, above the teacher’s desk and storage closet. 

Zack Harris, the district’s maintenance director, explained to the school board that the department is currently cleaning the campus’ eight energy recovery ventilators, which are filters that bring fresh air and exhaust hot air in the building. Five had been cleaned as of Monday. 

(NEXSTAR) – The U.S. Department of Education has named the recipients of 2021’s National Blue Ribbon School Awards, recognizing a total of 325 educational facilities across the country for their exemplary test performances or efforts to close achievement gaps between students.

Created in 1982, the National Blue Ribbon School Program recognizes public, parochial and private learning facilities from across the country, as nominated by the chief educational officers in each state (for public schools) or the Council for American Private Education (for private or parochial schools).

Miguel Cardona, the U.S. Secretary of Education, said 2021’s recipients should be especially proud of their accomplishments amid an “unprecedented” year of challenges.

“This year’s cohort of honorees demonstrates what is possible when committed educators and school leaders create vibrant, welcoming, and affirming school cultures where rich teaching and learning can flourish,” Cardona said ahead of a visit to the Walter R. Sundling Jr. High School, in Palatine, Illinois, per a press release. “I commend this school and all our Blue Ribbon honorees for working to keep students healthy and safe while meeting their academic, social, emotional, and mental health needs.

Can you walk to a park from where you live? How long does it take to get there?

The City of Atlanta has 416 parks, according to the Trust for Public Land. That puts 72 percent of residents within walking distance of a park, higher than the national average of 55 percent, but still leaves 136,058 people living further than a 10-minute walk to a public park.

The folks at Georgia Trust for Public Land (TPL) are always looking for ways to reduce that number, in line with the national organization’s goal to ensure that a park is just a 10-minute walk from home for everyone in America.

When considering how to serve the 28 percent of Atlantans in a “park desert,” they thought, instead of scoping out space for new parks, why not use what the city already has? 

After running an analysis, they found that opening all Atlanta public schoolyards to the public would offer park access to about 40,000 more residents, according to George Dusenbury, Georgia state director of The Trust for Public Land. Nationwide, the reach would be around 19.6 million.

The team began identifying local schools in park deserts and invited them to apply. The Atlanta Community Schoolyards project, in partnership with Park Pride and the Urban Land Institute, kicked off in 2018 with a pilot program of 10 local schools. 

Schools throughout Maine will be required to test their drinking and cooking water fixtures for lead this school year under a new law that makes lead testing of school water a state requirement.

In the past only schools that provided their own water through wells were required by federal law to undergo regular testing. Most schools in Maine are on town water systems and may have undergone testing on their own or through voluntary sampling with the Maine Drinking Water Program, a project of the Department of Health and Human Services, but efforts have varied around the state.

“I think it’s a great idea,” said Andrew Carlton, superintendent in Wales-based Regional School Unit 4, which is among a small number of school districts participating in a lead testing pilot program ahead of the roll-out of the requirement for schools around the state. “The minute we heard about this and there was the potential of it coming down, we were on it because we should have been doing this years ago.”

The Maine Drinking Water Program, which works to enforce safe drinking water standards, is coordinating the lead testing program in schools, which is scheduled to start Oct. 1 and run through the end of May. The program follows legislation that passed in 2019 and the subsequent development of a new department rule this past spring.

SOUTH HADLEY, MA (WGGB/WSHM)-- South Hadley officials are about to hold another meeting in response to the substantial mold found throughout the high school building.

This comes as high school students have yet to return to in-person school. Remote learning has been approved by the state for just five days. the first day of online learning began Thursday and is scheduled to end on Wednesday.

In a letter to the school community from superintendent Jahmal Mosley, he said at this point the 400, 500, and 600 area hallways are 98% cleared. the 100, 200, and 300 hallways were expected to be ready for testing this past weekend.

Superintendent Mosley said the district is still working with the teachers union to figure out how to make up the missed days.

GUILFORD COUNTY, N.C. (WGHP) — Guilford County School leaders continue to push toward an updated surveillance camera system as school security remains a concern for parents.  
The district has begun to work its way through $5.6 million of a bond referendum, which is, in part, allocated for school security.  
As they do so, security cameras at campuses within the district continue to go dark. 
“We have had a number of cases where cameras have been no use to us. Or they would’ve been, but they were inoperable,” explained Captian Brian Hall, who oversees the School Resource Office Department within the district.  
His deputies monitor seven campuses within the district and have events happen that were not caught on camera due to an outdated system or them failing to be operational.  
“More recently than any time before, it has become a real problem. It’s something the district is aware of and working on,” Hall said.
Faulty cameras are nothing new for Guilford County Schools.  
For the past several years, Superintendent Dr. Sharon Contreras and others have outlined how they need to be repaired or replaced altogether.  
 

MARLOW, Okla. (KSWO) - A FEMA grant is going to help Marlow Public Schools build new safe rooms.
The two new safe rooms, one at Marlow Middle School and one at Marlow High School, will give students a safe space and parents a peace of mind.
“I think for a school it’s critical. That’s another thing, parents want places they can take their kids where they’re safe. We have a safe place. We have a safe room. They’re built for F-5 tornadoes which is the worst of the worst,” said Marlow Public Schools Superintendent George Coffman.
During the day, those shelters are big enough to house all of the students, faculty and staff. But when there is severe weather after school hours, the shelters will be opened to anyone in the community in need.
“It gives some security to our elderly, people who need to try to get to safe places that don’t have shelters at their own site. This will be good for our community. Through Jason McPherson, the City Manager, they’ll have someone with keys, and they’ll be able to open up the facilities,” Coffman said.
The safe rooms will be paid for using money from FEMA grants.
“We wrote it about 2 or 2.5 years ago, it usually takes about 18 months to get approved. It’s extensive, it’s a lot of paperwork, a lot of communication,” Coffman said.
The grants are now approved, and the district will soon be ready to get construction started on the roughly $5 million project.
 

Schools face many hurdles as students return to classroom learning, but one of the more challenging ones in some school buildings is making sure that the air is safe for staff and students to breathe.
Data from the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) show that 787 school buildings across the state have “poor” ratings for their heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems.
Ventilation in older school buildings has long been a problem, but with the spread of COVID-19 and the delta variant, it has moved to the front burner.
“It’s huge. We’ve said from the beginning that we need more ventilation,” said Nancy Bernard, a Washington State Department of Health school environmental health and safety expert, who advises districts across the state.
OSPI requires school districts that receive state money to upgrade their buildings to file inspection reports on HVAC systems for all their buildings.
The KING 5 Investigators have created this searchable database that allows users to find inspection “grades” for specific school buildings in Washington.