When potential businesses are recruiting new employees to Hays, they want to present a positive picture to candidates.
However, Doug Williams, executive director of Grow Hays, said the community is lacking in two of the most important factors that candidates and businesses consider when they come to a community — housing and educational facilities.
Ron Wilson, Hays USD 489 superintendent, said the quality of schools in Hays are good, but when visitors see aging buildings when they first come to Hays, it might not be accurately representing the quality of Hays' academic programs.
"I wouldn’t necessarily know that they would get a clear picture of really all the great things we do here," Wilson said. … "I have said this for a long time that we are judged a lot by our front door."
Hays has not passed a major bond issue in more than 40 years. Its oldest building — Lincoln Elementary School — is more than 90 years old. The school district has had two failed bond attempts in the last five years.
The board is scheduled to hear a report Monday on a community survey conducted by its architecture firm, what could be considered a first step in mounting another bond attempt.
Williams said the lack of up-to-date facilities can make it difficult for Hays to compete with other communities in western Kansas that have newer schools and athletic facilities.
 

WESTERLY — Routine and preventative maintenance occurs in the town's five public schools on a daily basis and about $2.9 million worth of capital projects have been completed since April 2019. That's part of the message school officials are delivering as they try to counter claims the schools are not properly maintained.

It's a public relations effort that Superintendent of Schools Mark Garceau said is critical as the Town Council begins its deliberations on the proposed 2021-22 town and schools budget. The finance board has recommended a modified-level funding approach (about $200,000 more than current) to the proposed schools budget. If the Town Council accepts the recommendation, it would be the second year in a row that the appropriation of local tax dollars to support the education budget was either level funded or nearly level funded.

Some members of the Town Council, the finance board and residents espouse what Garceau calls "a false narrative."

The St. Louis Park School District may ask voters for more money after the cost of several building projects increased dramatically.
Voters approved a nearly $101 million bond referendum in 2017 for all district buildings. However, that may not be enough. Several of the last upgrades funded by a referendum have increased about 80%, from the original projection of $20.5 million to a revised estimate of $37 million.
“We feel bad, but we want to be upfront and transparent and just let you know that we’re doing what we can, and we will get as much as we can done,” Facilities Manager Tom Bravo told the St. Louis Park School Board last month.
At St. Louis Park High School, a kitchen renovation and addition increased in cost from $6.4 million to $11.7 million. Ten high school classroom upgrades went from an estimated price of $3 million to $5.5 million. Work to renovate the media center increased a smaller percentage, from $5.5 million to $6.7 million, but the high school student commons project more than tripled, from $2.9 million to $9.4 million.
The cost of a renovation at Central Community Center for a relocated district office had a price hike from $1.6 million to $2.1 million while a renovation at the building for adult basic education increased from $1.1 million to $1.6 million.
 

Today, the U.S. Department of Education (Department) released the COVID-19 Handbook, Volume 2: Roadmap to Reopening Safely and Meeting All Students' Needs to provide additional strategies for safely reopening all of America's schools and to promote educational equity by addressing opportunity gaps that have been exacerbated by the pandemic.

Building off of Volume 1: Strategies for Safely Reopening Elementary and Secondary Schools, which focused on health and safety measures that schools can use to successfully implement the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) K-12 Operational Strategy, Volume 2 of the Handbook focuses on research-based strategies to address the social, emotional, mental-health, and academic impacts of the pandemic on students, educators, and staff, such as how to address any potential anxiety or depression some may face as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and nearly a year of remote learning.

"There is simply no substitute for in-person learning," said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. "But as schools reopen their doors, we must also make sure that we are meeting students' social, emotional, physical, mental-health, and academic needs, and addressing gaps that existed before—and were exacerbated by—the pandemic. This is an opportunity for us to not only reopen our schools safely, but to make sure our education systems are truly serving all our nation's students."

Today's release is part of the Biden-Harris Administration's broader effort to provide states, districts, schools, and communities with the resources and support they need to return to in-person learning safely and quickly, and achieve the President's goal of reopening a majority of K-8 schools within the first 100 days of the Administration. Volume 2 identifies strategies states, districts, schools, and communities can use when implementing funding they have received from the American Rescue Plan, which invests $130 billion in safely reopening schools, sustaining their safe in-person operation, and addressing the impact of COVID-19.

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Puerto Rico’s health secretary announced Thursday that all public and private schools in the U.S. territory would close for two weeks amid a surge in COVID-19 cases.

The closures would go into effect April 12, roughly a month after some 100 of the island’s 858 public schools were authorized to reopen for the first time in a year amid the pandemic. Only kindergarteners, special education students and children in first, second, third and 12th grades were allowed to return to school. They attend in-person classes only twice a week and are dismissed before noon, with school cafeterias remaining closed.

The announcement was praised by some health experts, teachers and parents who worried about an increase in infections and had warned that reopening schools was a rushed decision.

Health Secretary Carlos Mellado said that while no COVID-19 breakouts were identified at any of the schools, the move is necessary given the recent spike in cases.

NORFOLK — Three years ago, a consultant told Norfolk’s School Board it should consider closing or consolidating more than a quarter of the city’s elementary schools.
Save for one suggestion that was carried out — closing Poplar Halls Elementary and combining Fairlawn Elementary and Lake Taylor Middle — those recommendations have sat on a shelf since.
Now, the idea is back on the table.
School officials have restarted public forums and other talks to try and solve two persistent problems in Norfolk: declining enrollment and a collection of old buildings the district can’t afford to maintain. The School Board has no long-range plans, so both have been dealt with piecemeal.
 

A Lee County school board member recently came forward with concerns that students are learning under dangerous conditions.

Gwyn Gittens said the school district’s portables have been used for more than 15 years. She said photos of the outside of the buildings bring her pain that students have to go to school in these conditions.

Gittens, who’s already on record with Gov. Ron DeSantis, claims the School District of Lee County is guilty of fraud, waste and abuse. She shared photos with WINK News that show chipped cinderblock supporting portable school buildings and insulation hanging underneath from the floor.

Gittens said the photos – and more – should worry every parent. She said the condition of these buildings is unacceptable and she got emotional when talking about it with WINK News.

“If someone comes up the ramp, who’s to say they’re not going to trip and get hurt?” she asked.

“Looking at the statutes, portables are supposed to be temporary.”

That’s where Gittens and the school district disagree. In a statement, the school district referred us to State Statute 1013.21. In layman’s terms, if there are 1,000 students in portables less than 20 years old, the district cannot build a new school for them.

Gittens referred us to the same state statute – 1013 – but section 20 (1013.20), which simply put, says portables that fail to meet safety standards should not be used as classrooms.

Gittens said, “I have brought it up for two and a half years. And I have been told stay in your lane and stop asking questions.”

“By who?” WINK News asked.

“Oh, everyone. Yes, ma’am.”

“The superintendent, the district, everyone’s telling you stop asking questions?” WINK News asked.

“Yes, ma’am.”

WINK News cannot verify where the photos of the portables came from and Gittens will not say. She wants every parent of students in portables to wonder if she’s talking about them.

A group of state senators are betting that sports gambling could be their answer to funding school construction.
On Wednesday morning, Sens. Jim Perry, a Kinston Republican, and Paul Lowe, a Winston-Salem Democrat, filed Senate Bill 688. If passed, it would authorize sports gambling on professional, college, electronic and amateur sports or any other events approved by the NC Education Lottery Commission.
The lottery commission’s profits go to education. Under the bill, the commission would collect an 8% tax on the monthly adjusted gross revenue of gambling companies, sending half of the revenue to a fund that would promote job growth and economic development.
“I’m in a poor area,” Perry told The News & Observer Wednesday. “I have two Tier 1 counties and while I’m thankful for the money available through the lottery — they’ll let you forgo five years of your lottery funds to get some advance money, so to speak, to help with your schools — but that’s still not enough.”
Tier 1 counties are the state’s most economically distressed areas.
 

The only true constant is change. Over time, things naturally change.
And if we don’t change, we’ll be left behind.
Education should be at the forefront of change. Not only should education react to change, it should anticipate it.
Society changes. Vocations change. Educators change. Students change. Needs change.
But, for the most part, structures – buildings – don’t change.

The Eastern Lebanon County School District (ELCO) is exploring the feasibility of a $30 million renovation project that would change the face of ELCO High School. Although still very much in the exploratory phase, the project would be designed more to address the changing needs of education than wear and tear on the building.

It’s been 30 years since ELCO High School has been treated to a major renovation project.

For all of us, needs have changed,” said Julia Vicente, who’s been ELCO’s superintendent for four years. “Just think about technology and the way it has affected our society. Some of our current technologies weren’t even being used in 1991. The value of collaboration, of working together, is different now than it was in 1991.”

“Environment is critical in a student’s education,” Vicente added. “We have to create spaces to collaborate. We can really create some important dynamics.”

Senators on the Disaster Recovery and Infrastructure Committee commended Education Commissioner Racquel Berry-Benjamin on a detailed presentation Wednesday, although some raised concerns about plans to consolidate USVI schools, contractors leaving jobs unfinished and the pace of rebuilding since the hurricanes of 2017.
Sen. Kurt Vialet said students are still being bused to St. Croix Educational Complex because an unidentified odor permeates the modular classrooms at the site of the Arthur Richards school. He said he has been there and just opening a door one can smell something emanating from the walls. Those classrooms were closed on the last day of February, affecting about 400 students.
“We have paid $100 million for buildings we can’t use,” Vialet said. He said the contractor is refusing to take responsibility for the conditions of the modular classrooms and should be “carried to court.”
The other school where education officials are at loggerheads with contractors is the Julius E. Sprauve Elementary School on St. John.
Sen. Donna Frett-Gregory, a former commissioner of Education, said she was having a hard time “keeping her cool” hearing about problems at the schools. She said it has become a legal issue, and the department should not have to deal with it; it should be turned over to the Attorney General’s Office.
Frett-Gregory also said she is concerned about plans which would take the number of St. Croix schools – which once numbered 13 – down to nine, and the St. Thomas-St. John District – which now has 11 schools – down to nine. She said, “I remain concerned and troubled; basically, we are saying that we are moving away from neighborhood schools.”
 

WATERTOWN — U.S. Sen. Kirsten E. Gillibrand, D-N.Y., alongside Sens. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, and Tina Smith, D-Minn., recently reintroduced legislation to provide $1 billion in supplemental funding for school infrastructure construction grants through the Impact Aid program.

The act builds upon the American Rescue Plan by providing additional funding for K-12 schools for necessary improvements to respond to COVID-19. The Impact Aid Infrastructure Act would provide competitive and formula grants for school infrastructure projects, including school construction and facilities upgrades, in more than 1,200 federally impacted school districts across the country.

“Federally impacted school districts are in desperate need of resources to create a safe environment for students, teachers, and staff,” Sen. Gillibrand said in a prepared statement. “The Impact Aid Infrastructure Act will provide critical aid to these school districts to make long overdue repairs and renovate their facilities to meet public health guidelines.”

If the Yellow Springs school district opts to build a new $35 million combined K-12 school, how much would it cost individual taxpayers to fund it?

Alternatively, what would it cost taxpayers to fund $12 million in renovations to both the Mills Lawn and McKinney Middle/Yellow Springs High School campuses?

At a community outreach forum on Wednesday, March 17, local district leaders and the district’s architect consultant, SHP of Cincinnati, shared various tax options for funding school facilities improvements.

A portion of the forum focused on what SHP’s Shea McMahon called, “assigning real world costs and real millage impacts … to the plans we’ve been discussing throughout.” A future article will cover other aspects of the meeting.

It was the third online public forum hosted by the district and SHP in less than a month. Two advisory groups also have been weighing facilities options, and a community survey is being  conducted, all leading to the superintendent’s goal of making a final recommendation to the school board next month. Previously, district leaders have said they hope to put a measure on the November 2021 ballot.

According to options presented at the meeting, the tax measure may combine an income tax increase with a property tax bond levy.

In one scenario, a mix of 0.5% income tax and 6.73-mill property tax would finance the construction of a new $35-million K-12 building on the middle/high school campus on East Enon Road.

As the proud superintendent of Clarksville ISD and a 26-year veteran in public school education all in the great state of Texas, veteran educators such as myself often say or think we have likely seen it all. Yet nothing could have prepared us much for the highs and mostly lows of the 2020-21 school year.

I reference the lows because kids belong in school, experiencing all the natural things associated with being in school, yet due largely to the pandemic and an odd winter week in February, this year has been choppy at best.

Late spring ushers in the need to peek into plans for the summer and also make plans for the next school year. One of the areas that continues to make its way to the forefront of our conversations is addressing our facilities. Clarksville ISD joins most districts in this region in trying to address its aging and somewhat outdated facilities.

District Needs

Clarksville ISD trustees had their first in-depth, thorough conversation regarding addressing the district’s needs with a possible bond during their March board meeting. Our board now has a foundational understanding of our district’s current needs. In Clarksville ISD, there are only so many Maintenance & Operation funds to cover the district’s day-to-day operating expenses. Over 75% to 80% of a typical school district’s M&O budget is assigned to pay staff salaries. The remainder of that budget pays for things like fuel, utilities, supplies, materials, professional development, travel and nominal capital expenses.

Clarksville ISD is now seeing the nominal capital expenditures such as HVAC, school bus and plumbing repairs escalating and thus consuming a greater part of our M&O budget as the district attempts to make the most of aging equipment and facilities.

The Orangeburg County School District's governing board would be allowed to proceed without public input on the closure of schools that are in need of significant repair and pose a health and safety hazard to students and staff, according to legislation proposed by local lawmakers.

The legislation would allow the district's board of trustees to close a school deemed to be "an imminent threat to the health or safety of students or staff" and if "the needed upgrades and repairs to maintain a school are economically unfeasible."

The legislation states if these two conditions exist for a school or building within the district that the board would be able to take actions to close it without going through public hearings or a public referendum.

One school building that could be targeted for closure under the proposed legislation would be Vance Providence Elementary School.

"We have buildings that are in excess of 90 years old, particularly that one in Vance," Sen. Vernon Stephens, D-Bowman, said. "With the present language, it would not allow any child to be taken from one attendance zone to another or allow the board to make that decision after five years."

"We ran into a huge problem in the Vance area," he said. "The Vance Primary School is not in a condition to actually mount repairs. It is not even feasible to do so."

Stephens, who sponsored Senate Bill 515 along with Orangeburg Sen. Brad Hutto, said facility studies have shown the building is in bad condition.

Mission Valley Elementary School teacher Adrianne Janacek wants the best for her students. That means fewer distractions, more access to the internet and hallways.
“We would like to have some new buildings just for our students and to eliminate some distractions,” Janacek said.
Aging facilities can leave students and teachers struggling with their physical health and their learning wellbeing. Studies have shown that aging and outdated facilities can lead to an increased risk of respiratory illness. Older buildings also come with issues like outdated heating and cooling that can lead to distractions.
Victoria voters will address facility needs on the May 1 ballot. They will vote on a proposed $156.8 million bond package. The package looks to rebuild Mission Valley Elementary School and Stroman Middle School, and it will address district-wide repairs.
Janacek is not in favor or against the bond package, but if the bond is passed she would like to see the essence of the campus incorporated into the new one.
Mission Valley was built in 1937 and was last updated in 1990, according to a facilities report. Stroman Middle School was built in 1967 and was last updated in 1999.
 

The Park City Board of Education continues to zero in on a timeline and dollar amount for its master planning projects, including grade realignments and expansions at all of its schools.

At a work session Wednesday morning, the board was given an estimate of nearly $150 million to complete the work, including nearly $25 million for green enhancements.

The detailed analysis was provided by Salt Lake City-based architecture and design firm MHTN Architects. Dave Hart, of MOCA, which was contracted by the board to provide guidance for the projects, presented the information to the board.

At a previous meeting, the board asked Hart to bring a detailed cost analysis for the expansion projects at Park City High School and Ecker Hill Middle School, as well as cost estimates for the planned additions at Parley’s Park, Jeremy Ranch, McPolin and Trailside elementary schools. The board also named carbon neutrality and green construction as one of its priorities — with the district’s intention to align with Park City’s 2030 carbon-neutral goal — and asked Hart to include that in the cost analysis.

The board previously heard cost estimates for the PCHS and Ecker Hill construction and renovation projects. This past week Hart provided new estimates for those as well as the projects at the elementary school sites intended to enhance wraparound services like preschool and community learning programs.

The state of Alaska should be spending more on building maintenance for its K-12 schools, according to a recent study from the Institute of Social and Economic Research.

Institute research professor Bob Loeffler authored the study. He said it’s part of the institute’s ongoing analysis of Alaska’s revenue and fiscal issues.

"Right now, our level of funding is not sustainable," he said. "And our schools will degrade if we spend the money we’re spending now. We need to spend more.”

Loeffler looked at capital projects across Alaska districts between fiscal years 2000 and 2020. Whereas many district expenses fall under a district’s operating budget, large capital projects are funded by a combination of bonds and state grants. 

The National Council on School Facilities recommends spending 4 percent of a state’s schools’ current replacement value on capital projects. That’s the amount it would take to build a facility again in today’s prices.

Alaska’s current replacement value for its almost 500 K-12 schools is $9.4 billion. Per National Council guidelines, Alaska should invest $374 million each year on school capital projects.

What Alaska actually spends, Loeffler found, is $249 million — 2.6 percent of its current replacement value.

On Monday, elementary schools across Massachusetts will reopen for full-time in-person learning by order of the state, except in communities that have received waivers.
In Marshfield, the district is taking it a step further and welcoming all students back at all seven of their schools. NBC10 Boston was given a behind the scenes look at some of the changes that will be in place at Marshfield High School.
All desks will be three feet apart to allow for social distancing. The distancing guidelines mean not as many students will fit inside each classroom, which is why all furniture that is not necessary is being moved out. The district is also setting up outdoor tents to maximize space.
“You’re looking at square footage of a classroom. You’re looking at distance seat to seat. Drop off plans before and after school will have to change. We have to include mask breaks,” Marshfield Superintendent Jeff Granatino said.
With all of the protocols, some things will remain off limits. Students cannot use the lockers due to social distancing and at the high school, they are also doing away with a scheduled lunch in the cafeteria. Instead, the school day will be shorter with snack breaks in between. Take home lunches will be provided for those who need them.
“If we were to bring everyone in to a traditional lunch setting in the cafeteria, we wouldn’t be able to keep them 6 feet apart without having eight lunch periods,” Granatino said.
 

(The Center Square)—A bill that would give local school boards the sole authority to close schools was approved March 25 by the Tennessee House and sent to Gov. Bill Lee for his signature.
Senate Bill 103, which passed the House, 85-2, makes it clear local school boards can close public or charter schools in the state, not the governor through executive orders or local health departments.
The bill, sponsored in the House by Rep. Kevin Vaughan, R-Collierville, aimed to clarify who had the authority because during the COVID-19 pandemic, it was unclear in some locales whether the county health department or local school board held the authority.
“Regardless of the situation, the local school board is in control of the situation when it comes to weather,” Vaughan said. “It shouldn’t be any different during the pandemic.”
The bill allows the governor to issue an executive order to open schools to in-person learning, but the governor cannot close schools. That power will become completely local.
The Senate passed the bill, 27-5, in February. The bill sponsor, Sen. Brian Kelsey, R-Germantown, said he proposed the bill because of the outcry from Shelby County parents and students after schools remained closed for nearly a year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Vaughan said during committee discussions, school boards will take into account what health departments advise during a situation such as a pandemic.
 

State Senator Brendan P. Crighton, Representative Dan Cahill, and Representative Peter Capano have together filed legislation that will update the state’s outdated and inequitable school construction formula. Since 2004, this formula – which determines state aid for school construction projects – has remained stagnant, disproportionately affecting the education of students in low-income communities across the state for almost two decades. HD.3667/SD. 2172, An Act Modernizing School Construction reforms the state’s school construction formula so that all students and teachers have access to safe and healthy environments in high-quality school buildings.

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed glaring inequities in the condition of school buildings across the state. Overcrowded buildings, obsolete HVAC systems, and other unsafe conditions hinder students and teachers from engaging safely and productively in their classrooms. Now more than ever, state funding is vital in order to renovate these decrepit buildings and construct new ones to help ensure all children have access to the same quality of education, regardless of income level.