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Facilities News - Since 2001
Old schools, broken system: Maine's struggle with aging classrooms and how to fix them-- WGME.com Maine: August 30, 2024 [ abstract] STATEWIDE (WGME) --As students in Maine head back to the classroom, many are returning to buildings that are decades old, with some over a half-century or more.
Many of these aging schools were built long before modern code standards and the Americans with Disabilities Act were established, leading to significant challenges with both their maintenance and the quality of the learning environment they can provide.
Old and Outdated
At Sebago Elementary School, the situation is urgent. The school is 144 years old.
While the original section, built in 1880, is now used as offices and storage, even the newer additions on the building are decades old. Superintendent Steve Connolly, now in his second year, is already seeing growing problems with the building's age.
"We have some life, health, safety compliance issues that we need to deal with," Connolly said. "And not in another decade or so."
-- Dan Lampariello Defying decay: a strategy to enforce infrastructure standards in rural schools within the Eastern Cape, South Africa-- frontiers International: August 01, 2024 [ abstract] The Eastern Cape Department of Education (ECDoE) in South Africa faces significant infrastructure challenges in rural schools, including inadequate funding, poor maintenance, and a shortage of essential facilities. These challenges hinder quality education provision and violate the Minimum Uniform Norms and standards for Public School Infrastructure (MUNS-PSI) regulations. This study investigates these infrastructure challenges and proposes strategies to improve adherence to MUNS-PSI regulations. An interpretivist philosophy and inductive approach were adopted, focusing on a case study strategy. The study employed a mono-method qualitative approach, collecting data through semi-structured interviews with ten school managers and senior managers within the Chris Hani East District infrastructure delivery section. Purposive sampling was used to select participants, and thematic analysis was applied to the data. The findings revealed that the ECDoE lacks credible plans, sound systems, and effective leadership, resulting in poor governance and non-service delivery. Key challenges identified include the absence of a retention plan and a shortage of technological expertise. The study suggests forming a cross-functional group led by the head of the Department of Education to manage school infrastructure effectively. Training officials on technical skills related to the built environment and implementing the Infrastructure Delivery Management System are recommended. These strategies aim to enhance adherence to MUNS-PSI regulations, thereby improving the educational infrastructure and quality of education in the Eastern Cape.
-- Buyisiwe Ndungane, Gerrit Crafford, Tirivavi Moyo A quiet revolution is taking place in Scottish schools-- The Herald International: July 05, 2024 [ abstract] An estimated 35 Scottish schools - either recently completed or under construction - are aiming to meet the international Passivhaus standard for energy efficiency, which can cut a building’s heating energy use by up to 80 percent. Designing this way also delivers exceptional levels of interior comfort, wellbeing and durability.
As the country aims for net zero, a proposed ‘Scottish Passivhaus equivalent’ policy for new build housing will be consulted on this summer – and there’s a lot to be learned from the education sector.
This quiet revolution in the way schools are built largely came about when The Scottish Futures Trust set clear funding criteria to ensure new schools are energy efficient, not just on completion but throughout their lifespan.
Almost overnight, designing to Passivhaus standards became the go-to way for councils to secure funding, because it delivers what it says on the tin – it ensures a school’s actual energy use is extremely close to the amount predicted by models. As architects of four Scottish Passivhaus schools – one complete, the other three in progress - we are certainly witnessing a rapid transformation of the Scottish school building sector.
-- Ryan Holmes Addressing Excessive Heat in the Workplace Including Schools-- NEA.org National: July 03, 2024 [ abstract] Extreme temperatures affect every member of the school community, from food service workers preparing lunch in poorly ventilated kitchens, bus drivers driving students home without air conditioning, school groundskeepers doing campus maintenance, and students testing on hot days. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration published a proposed rule that aims to protect workers from excessive heat in the workplace, including public schools in in states with OSHA-approved State plans.
Currently, there is no federal OSHA heat standard. The proposal has the potential to create significant change, especially for educators working in buildings without proper ventilation and air conditioning.
Few school districts have mandated temperature maximums. “The absence of standards …means we are allowing kids to sit in 95-degree classrooms leaving students unable to concentrate on learning due to high heat and humidity levels,” Connecticut Education Association President Kate Dias told NEA.
Under the rule, OSHA would require covered employers to create a plan to evaluate and control heat hazards in the workplace with the goal of reducing the number of occupational injuries, illnesses, and fatalities. This regulation applies to workplaces which fall under OSHA’s jurisdiction, including public schools in OSHA-approved State Plans, general industry, construction, maritime, and agriculture sectors.
-- Grace Hagerman Australia - Mouldy bathrooms, broken air con and holes in the walls: new data shows Australian public school facilities-- The Guardian International: June 30, 2024 [ abstract] When 14-year-old Catherine Paton arrived at Thursday Island from Canberra, she knew starting school afresh would be an adjustment. New peers, new teachers, new surroundings.
What she didn’t expect was classrooms with sagging roofs and holes in the walls, bathrooms filled with black mould, broken air conditioners and rusty desks.
“Most students at Tagai state college have only ever gone to schools in the Torres Strait, and have nothing to compare school facility standards to,” the year 8 student representative says. “But I do, and I know these facilities are disgraceful.”
New research from the Australian Education Union, provided exclusively to Guardian Australia, shows there has been a significant decline in the adequacy of public school facilities in the four years to 2024, with principals citing degrading bathrooms, school halls and science spaces as their biggest concerns.
-- Caitlin Cassidy California Struggles With Classroom Space For Transitional Kindergarten-- KQED.org California: June 11, 2024 [ abstract] When Thomas Pace, director of facilities at San Bernardino City Unified, thinks about all the construction that needs to happen at the schools in his district, he struggles to get the math to work.
Many of the existing kindergarten classrooms don’t meet state standards, and now, they’re preparing to layer in another grade for young children: transitional kindergarten.
In 2021, California embarked on a $2.7 billion plan to offer TK to all 4-year-olds by the 2025–26 school year in what’s poised to be the largest free pre-K program in the country.
But school districts across the state, like Pace’s, are struggling to build or modify the facilities most appropriate for these new young learners.
Why the rollout is expensive and hard
San Bernardino City Unified is at the tail end of using $250 million in bond money the city raised over a decade ago for school improvements.
“All of the specialized space is highly expensive, and for those school districts that lack the local resources, we struggle to make those improvements on a grand scale,” Pace said. “So we were already struggling to catch up even in the kinder realm. Now, you add in a greater offering for TK, it just puts a larger burden on local school districts.”
-- Elly Yu Some emergency officials dropping the word ‘shelter’ as Hawaii buildings don’t meet standards-- khon2.com Hawaii: May 31, 2024 [ abstract] HONOLULU (KHON2) – From an engineering standpoint, emergency officials say most Hawaii buildings do not meet hurricane shelter criteria.
“The state has criteria for shelters depending on construction and design and most of the buildings in our inventory don’t meet that criteria,” explained Honolulu’s Department of Emergency Management Director Hiro Toiya.
Kauai and Honolulu have sought alternatives known as hurricane refuge areas which are mostly in state Department of Education school buildings, like gyms or cafeterias.
“So, while these buildings do not meet the criteria and definition of a hurricane shelter, they do serve as better alternative and they are the best we have in our building inventory to make available to the public,” Toiya explained.
-- Nikki Schenfeld IPS earns national recognition for energy efficiency in school buildings-- Wishtv.com Indiana: March 25, 2024 [ abstract] INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Indianapolis Public Schools is getting some national recognition.
IPS announced Thursday that 17 of their school buildings have earned the Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR Certification. That’s up from their 10 energy-efficient school buildings in 2023.
To earn the ENERGY STAR Certification, buildings must rank in the top 25% nationwide for energy efficiency and meet ventilation standards.
According to a news release, the school says “the cost of utilities is the second largest budget line-item for the district, and the prices for electricity, natural gas, heating oil, and water have been steadily increasing.”
To combat the rising prices, IPS partnered with energy consultant Cenergistic to implement conservation programs in the district’s buildings.
Energy specialists have also been tracking IPS energy consumption at all campuses through state-of-the-art technology to identify and correct areas where energy may be overused.
During a presentation to the IPS Board of School Commissioners, William Murphy, the district’s chief operations officer, said that since partnering with Cenergistic on a comprehensive energy conservation program in 2018, IPS has saved $22,860,552.
-- Brittany Noble Can Cleaner Classroom Air Help Kids Do Better at School?-- The Brink Massachusetts: March 07, 2024 [ abstract] When caregivers meet with teachers, they want all the details on how their children are doing in school: Are they making friends? What subjects do they need a little extra help with? Where are they excelling? But they’re probably not asking about something that could be having an outsized impact on their kids’ education: How’s the classroom air quality?
Boston University environmental health researcher Patricia Fabian has studied indoor air quality for more than 20 years and says the better the air in a school, the better kids perform: improved ventilation has been associated with reduced absences due to illness and higher scores on math and reading tests. Now, a new research collaboration between Fabian and Boston Public Schools (BPS) could lead the way in helping schools improve their indoor air quality.
Since 2022, Fabian has been working with the school district to study the quality of air in the city’s classrooms, leveraging sensors that were installed in more than 4,400 classrooms through $6.7 million in Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds.
Fabian says there are relatively few standards for indoor air quality, despite a growing body of evidence to suggest that pollutant levels indoors may be significantly higher than outdoors. But the pandemic has reshuffled priorities, as the airborne transmission of COVID-19 called attention to the safety of enclosed, shared spaces and generated increased interest in, and funding for, projects to implement or improve heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems in aging public buildings, such as schools.
-- MEGAN JONES Unit 5: Energy efficiency boost in many schools saved district more than $5M-- WGLT.org Illinois: January 18, 2024 [ abstract] Unit 5 is gaining recognition for an initiative to make most of its buildings leaders in energy efficiency — a move that's resulted in significant cost savings.
At its monthly meeting on Wednesday, the school board heard from operations manager Tom Rockwell about the milestone: McLean County's largest school district is home to more than half of Illinois K-12 schools awarded the Energy Star rating in 2023.
To earn the rating, a building must meet strict energy performance standards established by the Environmental Protection Agency.
About half of the Unit 5 certifications resulted from energy projects that Rockwell said spared the district about $4.3 million in energy costs. Another $1 million came in the form of utility incentives, he said.
Board member Jeremy DeHaai was quick to applaud the Unit 5 operations team.
-- Michele Steinbacher Should We Make it Easier to Pass a School Bond in Washington State?-- 560KPQ Washington: January 17, 2024 [ abstract] Is it a good idea to reduce the public support needed tp pass a school construction bond? The 50% plus 1 vote is the standard to pass a property tax levy, raise sales taxes in taxing districts and elect candidate who can raise your taxes without a vote in many instances.
A school construction bond has to meet a much higher super majority standard of 60% voter approval and some lawmakers want to pass an amendment to the state constitution making it easier they argue to pass bond measures in the future.
-- Staff Writer Delaware Releases School Facility Tools-- Delaware Department of Education Delaware: January 10, 2024 [ abstract] The state today released tools to help assure the safety of public school buildings throughout Delaware.
Senate Substitute 1 for Senate Bill SB-270 (SS1 for SB270) directed the Delaware Department of Education (DOE) to establish an evaluation and assessment system to determine whether a school facility is in good repair. The facility assessment tool will help school districts review and assess conditions in a standardized way. The assessments will help identify areas in need of attention, so school facilities are clean, safe, and functional for staff and students. As required by SS1 for SB270, DOE worked with experts in school facilities maintenance, the Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH), district superintendents, the Delaware State Education Association, and the Delaware Association of School Administrators. Stakeholder conversations have confirmed that the tool will help schools assess areas of concern and develop the plan to address concerns required by SS1 for SB270.
The facility assessment tool will be provided to districts to begin assessments, which they are required to provide in May each year, along with a board-approved repair and maintenance plan to the state. The assessment tool allows for basic school information, including address and building size, to be confirmed or updated so DOE information is complete and accurate. The assessment tool provides a guide of areas and conditions to be assessed to help determine if specific areas of a facility are in good repair. Additional parts of the assessment help districts evaluate building system age and useful life and provide insight into modernization efforts at each school.
-- Alison May PSS secures $4.99M through school infrastructure program-- Saipan Tribune Northern Mariana Islands: January 08, 2024 [ abstract] The Public School System has secured a $4.99-million grant it will get over five years through the Supporting America’s School Infrastructure program, according to Delegate Gregorio Kilili C. Sablan (D-MP) over the weekend.
Sablan disclosed in his e-kilili newsletter that this funding, as the U.S. Department of Education announced on Thursday, is rooted in the concept of Minetgot, the Chamorro term for resilience, and focuses on three objectives: the creation of a comprehensive 10-year school facilities master plan, transitioning to a cloud-based maintenance system, and implementing a maintenance training program for district staff.
Sablan said the facilities master plan will address reducing emergency repair costs, ensuring modern safety standards, and increasing sustainability.
-- FERDIE DE LA TORRE GDOE facilities and maintenance staff repair schools during holiday break-- Kuam News Guam: December 25, 2023 [ abstract] The holiday break offers time for the Guam Department of Education to roll up its sleeves and get back to fixing what they can at local schools. A good plan, as students are out of the classroom. Now, meet some of the members that make up the small team working to get 41 public schools up to par.
Aging facilities, mold, and more. Ray Meno with GDOE told KUAM News when asked about the largest challenges for the very small team working on the campuses, “Getting materials and having enough man power to do the work and coordinating everything.”
Meno has worked with the Facilities and Maintenance Divsion for 27 years. KUAM linked up with him and his crew at Harry S. Truman in Santa Rita. The crew getting those materials like bathroom sinks, which must be ADA compliant, other requirements include installing exhaust fans in a restroom, along with lighting, and making sure bathroom stalls are at the proper height.
Supervisor John Palomo added, “You’re implementing standards now that we have to abide with and we’re not prepared…so we’re trying to get prepared and we’re trying to get whatever materials we need to start.”
-- Destiny Cruz State lawmakers tout budget funding for school facilities-- Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus Pennsylvania: December 21, 2023 [ abstract] Today, House Appropriations Committee Majority Chairman Jordan Harris, D-Phila., hosted a news conference at South Philadelphia High School discussing school facilities funding in the 2023-24 state budget.
The budget includes $175 million for school facility improvements.
Pennsylvania has some of the oldest schools in the country. The average school building is around 70 years old and was built when lead pipes and asbestos were standard building materials.
Discoveries of asbestos and other toxins have led to school closures across the Commonwealth, including seven Philadelphia schools in 2023 alone. In the same year, 100 schools statewide closed due to excessive heat.
Harris stated that he believes this funding will help to address this issue that’s plagued Pennsylvania schools for a long time.
“This funding is paramount to improving the health and safety of our educators, students and school staff, Harris said. “This major Democratic priority is a significant investment and critical step toward ensuring that receiving an education in Pennsylvania does not equate to sick or injured students, teachers, or staff. There is more work to do, and we intend to continue our work until every Pennsylvania school is a safe learning environment for our children.”
Harris was joined by members of the Philadelphia House Delegation, including state Rep. Elizabeth Fiedler, D-Phila., and members of the House Appropriations and Education committees, including Education Committee Majority Chairman Peter Schweyer, D-Lehigh.
Schweyer said this funding will allow schools to properly address issues with their facilities.
“For the first time in nearly a decade, the General Assembly has recognized the need for funding which allows school districts to address facility repairs and upgrades,” said Schweyer. “As a father of two in the Allentown School District, I have seen firsthand the need for funding so schools can provide the safe and comfortable learning environments that parents expect, and children deserve.”
-- Staff Writer State adds $8M to Celina schools building project-- The Daily Standard Ohio: December 20, 2023 [ abstract] CELINA - The Ohio Facilities Construction Commission has agreed to pitch in an additional $7.87 million toward Celina City School's building project, upping its total contribution to about $59 million.
School board members at this week's regular meeting signed off on a number of resolutions related to the building project, including one accepting the additional state dollars.
The extra funds were released to help the district with rising construction costs, according to superintendent Ken Schmiesing. They can be applied to the entire project - the consolidated pre-K-sixth grade facility under construction and the 7-12 grade building set to start going up this summer.
"They're working with us because they definitely want to see us have the success in getting the building completed," Schmiesing told The Daily standard.
As part of the agreement with OFCC, the local share of the project will increase by $9.7 million.
-- William Kincaid Plaskett: Territory to get $464 million to rebuild storm-damaged schools-- Virgin Islands Daily News U.S. Virgin Islands: December 03, 2023 [ abstract] The Federal Emergency Management Agency has awarded the V.I. Education Department two grants totalling $464 million to demolish and replace Claude O. Markoe Elementary School on St. Croix and Addelita Cancryn Junior High School on St. Thomas, according to a recent news release from the office of V.I. Delegate to Congress Stacey Plaskett.
The release said $140 million will be set aside for the Markoe project, and $324 million for the Cancryn rebuild. Both schools were damaged extensively during the 2017 hurricanes.
“These awards are for the prudent replacement standard which will be integral for improving our preparedness and resiliency against natural disasters. As with much of the funding released to our territory for the territory’s rebuild, I and my team worked diligently to change the provisions of the Stafford Act which is used for rebuilding after U.S. disasters,” Plaskett said in the release. “My office made the convincing argument that the level of disaster in the Virgin Islands was exacerbated by the lack of federal funding investment in our critical infrastructure prior to the storms, which made the effect of the hurricanes more profound.”
-- Staff Writer Lead-Free Delaware, ACLU call on state to install water filters in schools by Jan. 1-- delaware online Delaware: October 25, 2023 [ abstract] The ACLU and Lead-Free Delaware advocates are calling on the state to install filters at schools across Delaware by Jan. 1.
A report conducted by the ACLU of Delaware in collaboration with Lead-Free advocates suggested that the measures taken by the Delaware Department of Education to resolve issues surrounding lead-tainted water in schools are “insufficient,” prompting the groups to urge the state to introduce “new, safer drinking water standards for schools by Jan. 1, 2024.”
“The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that drinking fountains in schools not exceed 1 part per billion (ppb), which is much lower than the action level of 7.5 ppb set by the Department of Education,” said Sarah Bucic and Amy Roe of Lead-Free Delaware. “We are calling for a health-based approach to drinking water in schools.”
Delaware established the 7.5 ppb threshold after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency flagged the state for its mishandled sampling efforts last year.
-- Amanda Fries State launches workplace safety investigation into Richmond school amid mold concerns-- WTVR.com Virginia: October 16, 2023 [ abstract]
RICHMOND, Va. -- The state agency that ensures compliance with workplace safety standards has initiated an investigation into a Richmond school that's been at the center of recent mold concerns.
The Department of Labor and Industry confirmed its Virginia Occupational Safety and Health (VOSH) program opened the investigation into Boushall Middle School on October 11.
mold concerns
The Richmond School Board says full building test will be scheduled this week.
By: Tyler LaynePosted at 5:43 PM, Oct 16, 2023 and last updated 11:35 PM, Oct 16, 2023
RICHMOND, Va. -- The state agency that ensures compliance with workplace safety standards has initiated an investigation into a Richmond school that's been at the center of recent mold concerns.
The Department of Labor and Industry confirmed its Virginia Occupational Safety and Health (VOSH) program opened the investigation into Boushall Middle School on October 11.
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It's unclear what exactly is under investigation and why it was launched, but a spokesperson said it was initiated in response to a complaint.
"We are unable to comment further at this time due to the active investigation," department spokesperson Stephen Clausing said.
In recent months, some teachers and parents have complained about the air quality conditions at Boushall.
Teachers said they returned to the building after the summer break to find mold covering desks, chairs, ceilings, and equipment. They claimed the conditions were causing health issues.
-- Tyler Layne New Report Reveals Decline In Harford County Schools Maintenance Standards-- Havre de Grace Patch Maryland: September 27, 2023 [ abstract] HARFORD COUNTY - A recent report from the Interagency Commission on School Construction (IAC) points to a significant drop in maintenance standards for Harford County schools. According to the IAC's 2023 report, Harford County's score dropped by 8.99% compared to the previous year.
Harford County's Maintenance-Effectiveness Assessment (MEA) performance earned it a "Not Adequate" rating for fiscal year 2023. The county's score of 67.42% positioned it as the fifth lowest among Maryland counties, only outdone by Carroll, Prince George's, St. Mary's, and Somerset counties.
Harford County is responsible for 52 active school facilities, with an average age of 31.9 years. With over 6 million square feet of educational space under its purview, the county ranks 8th in terms of square footage among Maryland's Local Education Agencies (LEAs).
-- Van Fisher Anne Arundel Schools Receive Top Scores For Exemplary Maintenance Standards-- Annapolis Patch Maryland: September 26, 2023 [ abstract] ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY - Anne Arundel County Schools were recognized for their exemplary maintenance standards in the Interagency Commission on School Construction's (IAC) 2023 Fiscal Year report.
The commission awarded Anne Arundel County an "Adequate" rating across all 21 active facilities, amounting to an average overall score of 75.51%—the highest among Maryland school districts.
Per the report, the county boasts 121 active school facilities with an average age of 30.1 years. Combined, these facilities span an impressive 13,902,130 square feet, averaging 170 square feet per student.
The report praised Anne Arundel County for its proactive maintenance measures, emphasizing its annual inspections of roofing components to enhance structure longevity. The county also performed well in terms of safety, with all assessed schools having functional exterior doors and consistently checked emergency exits. Additionally, four schools achieved a "Superior" rating in conveyance for their impeccable chairlifts and elevators.
-- Van Fisher Addressing seismic issues at Altimira Middle School-- The Sonoma Index-Tribune California: September 17, 2023 [ abstract]
During its meeting on Thursday, the Sonoma Valley Unified School District board reviewed three options to address seismic deficiencies in nine buildings at Altimira Middle School, including a full retrofit that would cost an estimated $9.3 million.
“The issue is not an emergency,” said Josh Jackson said, a senior associate who presented the options for the consulting firm Perkins Eastman. “The buildings are not at risk of imminent collapse, but there is some urgency to this.”
While preparing the school district’s Facilities Master Plan, Perkins Eastman stated in January 2023 that several of Altimira’s buildings do not meet earthquake safety standards. The district is advised to either retrofit or demolish the buildings.
“It could be a high priority for the district to address in the coming years. I don’t think actions need to be taken this week, but this is the next thing the district should spend capital investments on,” Jackson said.
Trustee Celeste Winders said that it was a relief to hear that the buildings are safe right now, but that the situation is serious.
-- DANIEL JOHNSON San Francisco Parents Are Increasingly Anxious About the Possibility of School Closures-- The San Francisco Standard California: August 23, 2023 [ abstract] San Francisco school officials may soon face up to a question that has long been taboo: Will the district close schools to keep the lights on?
The San Francisco Unified School District is poised to take the first step in that direction. Next Tuesday, administrators will ask the school board to approve a plan to develop criteria around potential school closures and mergers within a year, among other measures. The goal is to stabilize the cash-strapped district’s finances as it grapples with the end of pandemic-era aid.
The district said it has lost 4,000 students since the 2012-13 school year—with total enrollment now below 49,000—and anticipates losing another 4,600 by 2032 due to declining birth rates and other factors. As funding is based on total enrollment and attendance, this is a grim prospect, as San Francisco Unified already expects to post a $37.6 million shortfall in the current school year.
“We are wrestling with many external factors that are beyond our control, such as declining enrollment, aging facilities, and staffing shortages,” Superintendent Matt Wayne said in a statement. “We have to change the way that we do business, which includes looking at our resources and aligning them with our student outcome goals.”
-- Ida Mojadad Only 6 out of 41 public schools have received sanitary permits-- The Guam Daily Post Guam: August 19, 2023 [ abstract] Less than a week before the start of the school year, only six public schools have passed the sanitary building code inspection.
The Guam Department of Education announced Talo’fo’fo' Elementary and Tiyan High are the latest schools to pass the Guam Department of Public Health and Social Services sanitary inspection. The two schools joined John F. Kennedy High, Inalåhan Elementary, Untalan Middle School and Merizo Martyrs Memorial School in meeting Public Health sanitary building code standards.
On July 24, Public Health increased the number of schools it inspects weekly from one to three by deploying three different teams of inspectors to conduct inspections, based on which facilities GDOE indicates are ready.
Talo’fo’fo' Elementary and Tiyan High were two of three schools up for inspection the week of July 31. GDOE noted Wettengel Elementary was among the scheduled inspections.
The department, however, didn't disclose the status of the inspection for Wettengel Elementary. Wettengel Elementary students were to be hosted at Maria Ulloa Elementary at the start of the new school year, GDOE said Thursday in a news release regarding school schedules.
Because compliance with the sanitary school building code has been pushed back to next school year, GDOE campuses can be opened at the discretion of the superintendent and Public Health.
-- Jolene Toves In Kansas, constant school consolidation has exacted an ever-growing toll on our communities-- Kansas Reflector Kansas: August 08, 2023 [ abstract] Anyone wishing to understand the challenges facing Kansas and its sister plains states should spend time in an abandoned schoolyard.
Study the boarded-up structures; touch the rusty slipper-slide; nudge the squeaky merry-go-round. An instinctive feel will emerge for the dreams of communities past, and with it, a sense of how depopulation and school consolidation have accompanied Kansans on their walks through history.
Kansas Reflector has reported on the vote by Barton County residents to dissolve their school district, as some residents of Wilson react in protest to the proposed closing of their high school. In the early 1900s, Kansas had more than 8,000 organized districts, most of them serving one-room schools. During the 1940s baby boom, the number of Kansas children aged 13 and younger shot up almost 80 percent. Facing population pressure, administrators argued that larger and fewer districts produced lower costs of scale, allowing the fixed expenses of maintaining schools to be spread across more students.
The state legislature responded in 1945 by adopting statewide educational standards. This had far-reaching consequences for both rural and urban areas.
In Topeka, plaintiffs in the Brown v. Board of Education case argued that segregation caused Black schools to fall short of the equality standard set by the state government, opening the door to a successful U.S. Supreme Court ruling, and arguably, the next phase of a civil rights movement. In farm country, educators claimed that rural schools suffered from poorly trained teachers, bad attendance, and lack of extracurricular activities like music and sports, which prepared children socially for modern life.
By 1950, when a whopping one-fourth of all Kansans were of school age, the number of school districts had been reduced to half of what they had been a generation earlier. One- and two-room rural schools were phased out, replaced by town schools answerable more to distant bureaucracies than locally elected officials.
-- Jim Leiker - Opinion England - School building collapse causing death or injury ‘very likely’ following years of underfunding, warns watchdog-- Yahoo Life International: June 28, 2023 [ abstract] A building collapse at an English school resulting in death or injury is “very likely” following years of national underfunding, a public spending watchdog warned in a damning report published on Wednesday.
Around 700,000 children in England are attending schools in need of major repairs, as “years of underinvestment” by the government have led to an overall decline in the condition of buildings, said the National Audit Office (NAO).
It added that despite the “critical” risks posed to the safety of pupils and staff, the government lacks enough information about the nation’s stock of school buildings to manage the issue.
NAO head Gareth Davies said that, despite assessing the possibility of building collapse or failure causing death or injury as “critical and very likely” in 2021, “the Department for Education has not been able to reduce this risk”.
A number of buildings have collapsed at London schools in recent years.
In 2021, 12 children and one adult were taken to hospital after a ceiling collapsed in a Year 3 classroom at Rosemead Preparatory School in Dulwich. A further 16 people were treated at the scene by paramedics.
-- Lydia Chantler-Hicks - Evening Standard SAISD board approves study on school building capacity-- KSAT.com Texas: June 21, 2023 [ abstract]
SAN ANTONIO – The San Antonio ISD Board of Trustees approved a resolution Tuesday night that calls for a “rightsizing” study that may result in the restructuring and closing of schools.
According to a news release, the study is being conducted for the purpose of supporting thriving schools, classrooms, students, teachers, and school leaders.
“Rightsizing presents a unique opportunity to elevate the standard of education in our community,” SAISD Superintendent Dr. Jaime Aquino said. “Matching our school capacity with enrollment numbers will ensure that our schools are well-resourced and equitable, providing a robust learning environment for all our students.”
Aquino said the decision to conduct the study comes due to SAISD steadily losing enrollment for more than 20 years, which has led to under-enrolled schools and academic and financial program inequities.
-- David Ibañez Building Toward Equitable Schools for the 21st Century-- U.S. Department of Educationi National: June 02, 2023 [ abstract] As schools reopened during the COVID-19 pandemic, indoor air quality arose as a top concern among K-12 education stakeholders. Many school administrators, parents, and others in school communities were wondering: What should we do to address indoor air quality? What will help most when school buildings are old? Do we need HVAC upgrades to comply with the highest recommended standard of air ventilation, and aren’t those expensive?
The pandemic put a spotlight on the importance of healthy learning environments for all students. But many people within the K-12 education community – including advocates, educators, and students – have been raising their voices to improve the physical state of schools for a long time, highlighting the inequality between schools in low-income neighborhoods and the impacts it has on their education, compared to those in affluent communities. School building needs often go far beyond HVAC upgrades, especially in low-income communities and communities of color. The 2021 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure by the American Society of Civil Engineers rated the Nation’s school buildings as a D-plus. We know that physical improvements to school buildings are important, as there is significant evidence that connects how lighting, temperature, noise pollution, access to green space, and more contribute to student learning and educator morale and attendance.
-- Loredana Valtierra New Mexico Creates School Health Buffer to Protect Against Oil, Gas Pollution-- Center for Biological Diversity New Mexico: June 01, 2023 [ abstract] SANTA FE, N.M.— New Mexico Public Lands Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard announced an executive order today that bans new oil and gas leasing on state lands within one mile of schools and other educational facilities.
The order is the result of collaboration between the State Land Office and the Center for Biological Diversity, Citizens Caring for the Future and community members in Eastern Navajo Agency. The groups and residents detailed concerns about students’ exposure to oil and gas pollution in letters to the commissioner in March and April.
“It’s outrageous that kids at schools like Lybrook Elementary are exposed to toxic emissions from oil and gas every day,” said Samuel Sage, community services coordinator for the Navajo Nation Chapter of Counselor. “These are vital protections for communities like ours. We hope all state agencies get the message that they need to do more to protect kids and communities.”
The executive order also requires State Land Office staff to review all existing oil and gas mineral leases, business leases and rights-of-way to ensure they comply with state law. That includes requirements to plug inactive wells, remediate spills and adhere to relevant air quality standards.
-- Staff Writer Alexander Henderson Elementary School to Receive $74M in Federal Funding-- St. Thomas Source U.S. Virgin Islands: May 25, 2023 [ abstract] Federal funding in the amount of $74,155,208.06 will go to the Virgin Islands Department of Education on St. Croix for the replacement of the Alexander Henderson Elementary School, Congresswoman Stacey E. Plaskett announced Wednesday.
“I am very pleased that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) continues to award grants to our local agencies to help with the resources needed to rebuild. This award to the V.I. Department of Education on St. Croix is to replace the Alexander Henderson Elementary School which was destroyed during Hurricane Irma and Maria. This award is for replacement to a standard that will be integral for improving our preparedness and resiliency against natural disasters moving forward.
-- Staff Writer A sixth Philadelphia school has closed because of damaged asbestos-- The Philadelphia Inquirer Pennsylvania: April 28, 2023 [ abstract]
A sixth Philadelphia school has closed because of damaged asbestos.
Universal Vare, a charter school on South 24th Street in South Philadelphia, closed Friday after damaged asbestos was found in plaster above second-floor ceiling tiles during a routine inspection.
It’s unclear how widespread the problem is, or when the school might reopen.
“Given the scope of the work, the Universal Vare building will remain temporarily closed due to the confirmed asbestos fiber release episodes that were identified,” Universal CEO Penny Nixon said in an email to Vare families. “Portions of the building are still being assessed and the complete scope of asbestos abatement needs will be determined over the the next few days.
The school, a charter run by Universal Companies Inc., operates in a district building constructed in 1924.
standardized testing complicates the closure; students are currently taking their Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) exams, and still must take science and math tests, Universal officials said.
Students will be bused to Universal Audenried High School on assigned test days to take their exams; classes will otherwise be virtual, Nixon said.
“We will provide an update early next week on the status of the Universal Vare building,” wrote Nixon. “We appreciate your cooperation, and we will continue to engage with you as information becomes available.”
-- Kristen A. Graham 'I want to hear the truth' | Teacher pushes for transparency in HISD elementary school air quality-- KHOU11 Texas: April 12, 2023 [ abstract]
HOUSTON — A Houston ISD teacher believes the air quality conditions at her school have gotten her sick.
KHOU 11 has previously reported on claims of mold and high levels of carbon dioxide at Kelso Elementary School. While cleanup is being done at the school, one teacher said she's concerned about her and her student's health on campus.
"I felt like something was off. I couldn't exactly explain it. Lightheadedness, headaches beyond belief," the teacher said, who didn't want to be identified for fear of retaliation.
She said she's gotten sick at school and believes it's because of reported mold and high levels of carbon dioxide in some classrooms.
"I want to hear the truth," she said. "What is there and what have they done about it?"
HISD has said there was an HVAC issue and that as part of standard protocol, crews were sent to evaluate it. The district also confirmed to KHOU 11 that there was "regular mold," which they said was not harmful.
-- Maria Aguilera Many Greenwich schools aren't accessible even three decades after ADA. What's being done?-- Greenwich Time Connecticut: April 09, 2023 [ abstract] GREENWICH — More than 30 years after the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed in 1990, Greenwich Public Schools buildings are still not ADA compliant. However, district officials are taking steps to address accessibility concerns, starting with examining how accessible the school buildings are.
Accessibility issues at the schools abound, and have even garnered the attention of federal authorities. Two years ago, the federal Office of Civil Rights filed a complaint against the district because of its failure to comply with ADA standards at Old Greenwich School.
Principal of OGS Jennifer Bencivengo spoke to the Board of Education at an Oct. 20 meeting, sharing that students who are on crutches do not find it fun having “to climb up and down over 100 steps a day to get to their third floor classroom.
“Nor did their teachers, who have to ensure these children are able to safely traverse multiple flights of stairs on crutches while monitoring 23 other children,” Bencivengo said.
-- Jessica Simms Coalition Calls for $100 million in 2024 Federal Budget to Protect School Children from Dirty Air-- Digital Journal National: April 04, 2023 [ abstract] Apr. 4, 2023 / PRZen / WASHINGTON -- Marking the 21st Annual National Healthy Schools Day (NHSD), a national coalition of parents, teachers, school professionals, and environment and public health groups have come together to call on President Joe Biden to include $100 million in his Fiscal Year 2024 budget request for the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Office of Air and Radiation/Indoor Environments Division to protect school children and personnel from unhealthy environments in schools and childcare facilities.
The coalition is also requesting inclusion of an additional $10 million for EPA's Office of Children's Health Protection to increase public health research services for children's environmental health.
"School building conditions have been neglected for decades," said national Coalition coordinator Claire L Barnett whose office hosts National Healthy Schools Day annually. "But schools and their communities can help by using US EPA's voluntary guidance on effective interventions. EPA has the authorizations and the proven programs to help schools address complex facility issues. When children have school-induced asthma, headaches, nausea, and bloody noses, attendance and test scores drop, families are extra-stressed, and health care costs rise. With robust funding from congress, EPA can activate Biden's languishing Clean Air in Schools challenge with expanded national outreach and technical assistance to states and schools and communities. Congress could help lift standardized test scores and reduce health care costs if it appropriates $100M to EPA's office of air for school indoor air and $10M to EPA's office of children's health for research and health services."
-- PR Zen To renovate or replace? Manatee County School District handcuffed by state-- Observer Florida: March 16, 2023 [ abstract] If you could build a new, improved home on a lot for less money than it would take to renovate it, what would you do?
In most cases, you would have a new home.
That decision, when it comes to public schools, is not so easy for school districts.
Take Tara Elementary School, for instance, which found it would be cheaper to take down the old school and build a new one than to renovate all the buildings on campus.
That didn't matter to the state's Department of Education.
The School District of Manatee County spent nine months working on and submitting a Castaldi Analysis to FDOE to let it know that building a new school would be cheaper than renovating the 31-year-old elementary school.
A Castaldi Analysis allows the district to determine whether it’s more efficient to replace or remodel a school.
FDOE ruled that the district must renovate Tara Elementary. Therefore the district is working on plan now to renovate the school.
Mike Pendley, an executive planner for the school district, said the district’s standard protocol is to conduct a Castaldi Analysis on every school unless the district already has determined a renovation of the school is sufficient.
“You have to look at, does the facility lend itself to success in the current educational program because the way we teach has changed,” Pendley said. “We’re always trying to be good stewards of the (taxpayers') money. There’s only so much to go around. We have more than 8 million square feet under our roofs, and you only have so much money. You’d have to look at the schools that need it the most.”
-- Liz Ramos Many SF Schools Are in Poor Condition. So Why Did They Get High Facility Ratings For Years?-- The San Francisco Standard California: March 07, 2023 [ abstract] As if crumbling ceilings and rat infestations weren’t enough for San Francisco’s public schools to deal with, one middle school was recently found to have lead and arsenic in its water. These structural and maintenance issues have grown so dire that the district estimated a comprehensive fix would cost at least $1.7 billion.
In spite of visibly aging buildings and rodents on the grounds, routine state-mandated facilities inspections rated numerous SF schools as either “exemplary” or “good” between 2019 and 2021. Peering into San Francisco Unified School District’s own data, however, reveals that the condition of dozens of schools changed dramatically in a short period, and the district-hired inspector who evaluated them did so on a truncated timeline, calling into question accuracy of the district-mandated inspection reports.
In 2022, a different building inspection survey run by Vanderweil Facility Advisors found that many of those facilities once rated “above average” on School Accountability Report Cards (SARCs) are suddenly listed as being in “poor” or “fair” condition—and not just a handful, either. At least 25 school sites received lower facilities ratings, when comparing older SARC surveys with more recent Vanderweil findings. Many schools are in low-income neighborhoods serving students of color.
-- Liz Lindqwister, Julie Zigoris School Facilities & The Accumulation of District Space Since 2007-- Common Sense Institute Arizona Arizona: February 02, 2023 [ abstract] As state funding for education has changed over the last 20 years, this report will take a deep dive into school facilities and capital funding. While school capital facilities have typically relied on local funding, Arizona has a School Facilities Oversight Board (SFB) to ensure each school district meets minimum building standards. Despite the creation of this board in 1998, local property taxes have continued to provide the majority of district school capital funding. In fact, property taxes have constituted around 75% of total district school capital funding since 2006. This local funding is over and above the primary funding source for maintaining state facility standards.
Over the past two decades, $6.1 billion in General Fund money has gone towards district school facilities through the School Facilities Oversight Board. At the same time, districts have raised and spent at least another $13.6 billion in local funds above the state funding they received to maintain facilities. While public district schools do have the most students out of all school options in Arizona, other public school options do not receive capital funding from SFOB. For example, in 2000, when this funding began, charter school enrollment only made up about 5% of total public-school enrollment in Arizona. In the last 20 years, charter school enrollment increased to almost 20% of total public-school enrollment. The State does not directly provide dedicated capital support to Charter Schools, and Charter operators additionally cannot access a local property tax for bond support.
-- Kamryn Brunner & Glenn Farley Teachers Call For Improvements to HVAC Systems-- CT News Junkie Connecticut: January 31, 2023 [ abstract] Connecticut’s largest teachers union isn’t taking anything for granted. A new survey found that voters overwhelmingly support improving air ventilation in schools.
In 2022, the state allocated $150 million to help upgrade heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems in Connecticut public schools to improve air filtration, but the Connecticut Education Association said hundreds of school buildings are still in dire need of improvement.
According to the survey of 800 voters, a whopping 91% say they support establishing temperature and humidity standards to eliminate poor air quality that results in mold and contributes to respiratory health problems for students and staff. Fifty-seven percent strongly support this proposal.
“This isn’t a new problem,” CEA President Kate Dias said. “Too many Connecticut classrooms have heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems that are aging, in disrepair, or in urgent need of replacement. The need for new and updated HVAC systems is about ensuring we have safe, healthy school communities where teachers can teach and students can learn.”
The survey also found that 88% of voters support requiring districts to show they are meeting school indoor air quality standards. More than half, 54%, strongly support this proposal.
-- Christine Stuart Philly schools are suing the city over a law it says could keep buildings from opening in the fall-- The Philadelphia Inquirer Pennsylvania: January 20, 2023 [ abstract] The Philadelphia School District on Friday filed a lawsuit against the city over legislation officials said could jeopardize the opening of some school buildings this fall.
The unprecedented move comes months after City Council passed a law designed to strengthen environmental conditions in the district by forming a public oversight board to determine standards and judge whether school buildings can safely house staff and students.
It also creates a public fissure between the school board and the city officials who established the board just five years ago after 17 years of state oversight. School board members are selected by the mayor and confirmed by City Council.
School board president Reginald Streater, who said he believed the litigation is the “culmination of decades of chronic underfunding,” noted that the district alone is authorized by state law to determine whether schools open or close, and that children struggle academically and socially when unable to access face-to-face learning.
-- Kristen A. Graham Clean air in schools could become New Mexico law-- https://sourcenm.com/ New Mexico: January 17, 2023 [ abstract] Even though New Mexico requires public schools to upgrade their heating and air conditioning systems to clean indoor air well enough to remove coronavirus and other harms, people can’t just look up whether their local school district actually meets those standards.
A legislative proposal — with backing from unions representing New Mexico teachers and sheet metal workers — seeks to change that.
COVID is highlighting the need for action on ventilation systems, said Rep. Christine Chandler. She and Rep. Joy Garratt, a former educator, are sponsoring House Bill 30, which would create the Public School Ventilation Act.
“Having good airflow and good systems in place will affect staff health and student health in a way that’s very important,” Chandler said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 95% of all children in the U.S. have been infected at least once.
States have been slow to act on ventilation, she said, even though the Environmental Protection Agency has been raising it as an issue and not getting much traction, either.
“We don’t have the staff or capacity at PED to go out there and go verify every single building in doing that,” said Antonio Ortiz, finance and operations director of the New Mexico Public Education Department in an interview last year.
-- AUSTIN FISHER High levels of pollution can stunt young kids’ learning development, study shows-- The Hill National: December 02, 2022 [ abstract]
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.
-- Gianna Melillo Texas Education Agency Updates School Safety Standards-- Brownwood News Texas: November 30, 2022 [ abstract]
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.
-- Jacob Lehrer Trigg Schools Officials Eyeing Nickel Tax For High School Renovation-- WKDZ Kentucky: November 11, 2022 [ abstract]
A recallable “nickel tax” could be on the way for Cadiz and the surrounding county. One that some officials believe would benefit the school system in unique ways.
During Thursday’s Trigg County Board of Education meeting, a first reading of a “nickel tax” passed unanimously and with little fuss — in hopes, among many things, of increasing the district’s bonding potential for capital projects.
More importantly, there seems to be a unified focus to renovate a dilapidated high school that’s seen little love since its 1962 construction, and now is officially the oldest building on campus.
Board member Clara Beth Hyde called for the vote, herself noting a levy wasn’t ideal.
Superintendent Bill Thorpe noted that any increase of a school tax wouldn’t be paying for any past or current projects, but would only be propelling and preparing for the future.
Today’s current construction, which is aplenty, is already budgeted and accounted for — either through grants, current bonding potential, or school capital.
Furthermore, officials feel like this as opportune a time as any to implement such an effort. With increasing property value assessments, Trigg’s BoE can issue the nickel at four cents, rather than the standard six cents, and in return receive the same cash valuation.
In even clearer terms, a home assessed at $100,000 would only see its tax increased by $40 over the year, rather than nearly $60.
That’s $3.33 per month.
School Attorney Jack Lackey has noted in previous school board meetings, especially in Hopkinsville, that a nickel tax has been adopted by more than 100 of Kentucky’s 120 counties, and that under state law, the tax can only be used for capital construction or repairs and renovation of existing facilities.
On Thursday, he broke down how a 2023 nickel tax would look for local payers.
-- Edward Marlowe GISD announces facility options after bond's failure-- Yahoo News Texas: November 10, 2022 [ abstract] Travis Hairgrove, The Herald Banner, Greenville, Texas
Thu, November 10, 2022 at 11:51 AM·3 min read
Nov. 10—After Greenville ISD's proposed $136.5 million facility bond narrowly failed Tuesday night, the district announced its plans the following morning on how it will work to accommodate new families as Greenville's population continues to grow.
The proposed bond lost by 135 votes out of a total of 8,925, a margin of 1.52%. Had the bond passed, GISD was to have built a new middle school for an estimated $105.1 million and a new early childhood center for about $31.4 million. Both existing campuses are 72 years old, deteriorating, and out of compliance with Americans with Disabilities Act requirements, Texas Education Agency standards and updated building codes, the district has said.
Now that the referendum has failed, GISD officials intend to continue developing alternate plans that were in place for such an eventuality.
"Though disappointing, it does not minimize the fact that we all believe our students and staff deserve the very best learning environments, and in spite of the vote, we will continue to serve our students well," GISD Supt. Sharon Boothe said. "Respecting the voters' wishes, we will move forward with the resources and facilities that we have."
-- Travis Hairgrove, The Herald Banner Panic buttons, locked doors could be required in Texas schools-- The Dallas Morning News Texas: November 03, 2022 [ abstract]
Texas schools would need silent panic buttons in classrooms and to ensure two-way emergency radios used by law enforcement and first responders work on campus under a new proposed state rule.
The proposed school safety standards rule would also require that all doors and windows that lead into school buildings be locked and monitored.
The Texas Education Agency released the specifics of the proposed rule Thursday. The proposal is the latest effort to beef up school safety in the wake of Texas’ deadliest school shooting that killed 19 children and two adults at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde in May.
In the days following the shooting, Gov. Greg Abbott directed the agency and Education Commissioner Mike Morath to develop safety rules for school buildings, including the enforcement of weekly door inspections to ensure they close and lock.
In the coming weeks, school districts can apply for grants from the agency for spending on various security-related costs over the next two years and toward the installment of silent panic alert technology this year, according to the agency’s guidance.
Grant funds will be awarded using a per-pupil count, but districts will receive at least $200,000 to ensure small rural districts can also tackle infrastructure costs.
The panic alert technology generally would allow campus staff to manually press a button or use a software application to signal a life-threatening emergency, such as an active shooter or intruder.
The system, which can already be found in some banks and hospitals, should also notify administrators and emergency responders of the threat.
-- Meghan Mangrum $1.7B Needed to Fix San Francisco’s Public School Buildings-- The San Francisco Standard California: October 12, 2022 [ abstract] The San Francisco Unified School District says it needs $1.7 billion in the next five years to repair and renovate its buildings.
The estimation comes from an assessment of SFUSD’s 148 sites detailed at a Board of Education meeting on Tuesday. The report from consultants lays the groundwork for a new facilities master plan and, eventually, a bond measure to fund that plan.
To meet that need, the district may ask San Francisco voters to approve a $1 billion bond—roughly the district’s operating budget—in 2023 or 2024.
The last bond for SFUSD facilities in 2016 authorized $744 million.
“We’ve been bond rich and maintenance poor,” Dawn Kamalanathan, SFUSD’s head facilities officer, said. “Without maintenance dollars to keep this up, you will see this deterioration. Underinvestment in capital structure is a statewide, if not national issue.”
Bond funds cannot be used on operating costs, including maintenance. Voters nationwide routinely approve measures allowing governments to sell bonds to raise money over time for a specific purpose, such as a school.
Electrical systems made up nearly $500 million of the estimated cost and HVAC systems made up a little under $400 million, according to the district’s presentation Tuesday. Of the total estimated cost, $340,000 was flagged as needed to address life safety risks.
-- Ida Mojadad CHCCS Committee addresses funding needs to repair aging schools-- The Daily Tar Heel North Carolina: September 15, 2022 [ abstract] Some of Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools' facilities are in need of repair or replacement, as the CHCCS Finance and Facilities Committee discussed at its Sept. 13 meeting.
Rani Dasi, the CHCCS Board of Education vice chair, presented the findings of the Capital Needs Work Group, which was founded in 2021 and is composed of representatives from Orange County, Orange County Schools and CHCCS.
The work group’s goal is to develop a plan for dedicating funds and addressing the needs of school facilities, especially older ones.
The work group found that more than half of the schools in the county are over 50 years old, and many are in need of major repairs or total reconstruction.
The aging school buildings are expensive to maintain and can provide poor learning environments for children, the work group's presentation said.
“The latest thinking is that there's somewhere upwards of half a billion dollars that will be necessary to invest between the school districts in bringing those school buildings up to current standards,” Dasi said.
The work group also found that there are currently no standards or funding for ongoing school maintenance, and that policies have not been developed for allocating money for these needs.
-- Eliza Benbow Four New School Buildings Open in Queens for 2022-2023 School Year-- Astoria Post New York: September 08, 2022 [ abstract] Ten new school buildings opened across the city today, with four of them in Queens.
A new 646-seat middle school opened in East Elmhurst, with school buildings added to Francis Lewis High School in Fresh Meadows, P.S. 131 in Jamaica, and P.S. 196 in College Point. There were two school buildings added in Brooklyn, two in Staten Island, one in Manhattan and one in the Bronx.
The new middle school in Queens is located at 111-12 Astoria Boulevard in East Elmhurst and has been named the Tommie L. Agee Educational Campus, I.S. 419, in honor of the Mets ballplayer.
The school building is five stories tall and includes 18 standard classrooms and two special education classrooms, as well as reading and speech resource rooms. The school also includes a District 75 program, which contains eight additional classrooms for students.
The school serves students from grades 6 to 8 and aims to help alleviate overcrowding in the district.
Meanwhile, a 555-seat 3-story annex has been added to Francis Lewis High School located at 174-25 59th Ave. The annex includes 18 standard classrooms for grades 9-12, a culinary arts kitchen/dining classroom, science lab with an adjacent science prep room and a greenhouse.
The School Construction Authority also opened a 384 seat, 3-story addition at P.S. 131 in Jamaica. The facility provides 15 standard classrooms and two special education classrooms for Pre-K-5. The addition also includes an art classroom, music classroom and dance studio.
A 250-seat addition has opened at P.S. 196 in College Point that provides 13 standard classrooms and one special education classroom for grades Pre-K-5.
The SCA also opened a high school building in Queens earlier this year—the 969-seat Academy of America Studies in Long Island City.
-- Christian Murray Schools are missing from the state’s climate plan-- CommonWealth Massachusetts: August 13, 2022 [ abstract] 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.
-- Sara Ross and Jonathan Klein Michigan Schools Can’t Beat the Heat-- Mackinac Center Michigan: July 15, 2022 [ abstract] Flint Community Schools’ Aug. 25, 2021, board of education meeting heard parents’ push back against a weeklong closure of the schools for “heat days.” This was the third time the district had closed classrooms in the three weeks since summer vacation, effectively exceeding the district’s allotted snow days for the year by Aug. 23.
While the Flint district may have been the first to close for excessive heat this year, it has not been the only one in the state. Detroit announced a half-day closure in anticipation of near-record high temperatures in May, and Dearborn Public Schools joined in the following month.
“On high temperature days such as today, without AC, hot classrooms and schools can lead to students overheating, sweating, and generally being irritated,” Superintendent Nikolai Vitti of the Detroit Public Schools Community District said in a statement released to Chalkbeat Detroit. “This leads to students not being able to focus on learning, which can lead to behavior issues.”
A 2018 Harvard study suggested American students score lower on standardized tests when they are subjected to high temperatures in the classroom. The study concluded that air conditioning enhances students’ learning potential significantly.
-- Joshua Antonini and Andrew Reder Va. School Boards Assn. wants focus on building modernization-- Sun Gazette Virginia: June 12, 2022 [ abstract] Unless someone has a spare $25 billion (with a “b”) hanging around, the Virginia School Boards Association plans to move forward with efforts to change the way the state funds construction of educational facilities.
That $25 billion is the estimated cost of bringing all of the commonwealth’s school infastructure up to modern standards, given that there are about 1,000 aged facilities and more than half of the commonwealth’s school buildings are at least 50 years old.
On June 2, the Virginia School Boards Association’s board of directors established a task force that will push federal, state and local leaders to provide the support needed to upgrade facilities.
“As we seek to have the best schools for our children, our facilities are a critical element,” said Teddy Martin II, president of the association.
-- Staff Writer Why It’s Time To Raise Indoor Air Quality Standards In Classrooms-- Forbes National: June 06, 2022 [ abstract]
Much has been said about the need to improve indoor air quality in offices as people return to work, but what about schools and classrooms?
A recent study by the Center for Green Schools highlighted the urgent need to support school districts with the implementation of indoor air quality strategies to support mitigation of Covid, as well as future pandemics.
The study also warns that the widespread education of school system administrators and staff is needed to ensure greater awareness of the issue, not to mention the availability of federal relief funds.
Katherine Pruitt, national senior director of policy at the American Lung Association said Covid has “definitely generated a new wave of interest” in the importance of ventilation in schools.
She added the air children breathe in school is critical to their success in the classroom and their overall health, and that Indoor air quality also impacts student attendance, test scores and student and staff productivity.
Pruitt said recent announcements by the White House mean there is “more money on the table” for schools to improve indoor air quality, but it is often down to individual school districts as to how resources are spent.
“In most cases, our school decision makers are very sensitive to the desires of the local community and school facilities,” she told Forbes. “We're hoping now that with Covid, indoor air quality is moving up the priority list, but there are a lot of competing demands.”
-- Jamie Hailstone BOE Approves Change That Will Allow More Design Flexibility-- Cheshire Herald Connecticut: April 29, 2022 [ abstract] The Cheshire Board of Education has been knee-deep in discussions over future efforts to modernize local school buildings.
Last week, the group took a step that should help provide options for sustainability when shovels finally meet dirt.
On Thursday, April 21, the BOE voted in favor of modifying language specific to educational specifications for new school buildings that will provide for more design options. The amendment modifies one sentence in the wording pertaining to building systems when constructing new school facilities — important language, officials stated, as the Board and Town Council are considering a multi-million dollar school modernization plan.
Originally, the regulation stated that the building systems for new construction would have to be designed in accordance with state and LEED silver rating standards, as well as consideration of renewable energy resources and net zero emissions. The new language, introduced by Board member Samantha Rosenberg and read aloud by Chief Operating Officer Vincent Masciana, modifies the standards to state: “In addition, utilizing renewable energy resources including solar and geothermal as well as net zero energy and/or emissions will be considered in the building design in the context of a 50-year estimated useful life.”
-- Michael Torelli Del. senator introduces legislation to set standards at school facilities-- WMDT Delaware: April 28, 2022 [ abstract] DOVER, Del. – Delaware Senator Stephanie Hansen filed legislation on Thursday to create the first uniform standards for evaluating the physical condition and air quality at more than 200 schools and other educational facilities operated by Delaware’s public school districts.
Currently, each of the state’s 19 school districts conducts its own internal needs assessments for school facilities with each district examining a different set of conditions at various frequencies based on its own standards. Officials say that when deficiencies are found, funding requests from the districts for minor capital improvements valued at less than $1 million are submitted to the Department of Education before being collectively presented to the Joint Capital Improvement Committee.
Over the past decade, most capital improvement funding has been allocated to major capital projects such as new school construction, with only $10 million to $15 million in state funds annually dedicated to minor capital projects statewide. This minimal funding makes it difficult for individual districts to keep up with maintenance on school buildings. We’re told the total value of deferred minor capital improvement funding requested by the state’s school districts is currently estimated at more than $1.1 billion, with nearly 50% of that cost coming from projects sought by the Christina and Red Clay Consolidated school districts alone.
-- Sarah Ash Bowser’s vow of better middle schools falls short in poorest D.C. wards-- Washington Post District of Columbia: April 25, 2022 [ abstract] When Muriel E. Bowser (D) first ran for mayor in 2014, she vowed to be the “education mayor.” She would transform the city’s lowest-performing schools and tackle a problem that has long vexed District leaders: middle schools.
But seven years later, as she runs for a third term, her promises are still unfulfilled in the city’s poorest wards. While she has poured more money into these schools, families continue to abandon the system after elementary school, choosing charter schools and campuses in wealthier areas over their assigned neighborhood schools.
The middle schools serving the most low-income populations are struggling, and the challenges are most acute at the five middle schools east of the Anacostia River in Wards 7 and 8, according to an analysis of city data and interviews with more than 20 parents and education leaders. Despite funding schools at unprecedented levels, the poor reputations of the five campuses in these wards persist — and standardized test scores show academic outcomes are still lagging far behind city averages.
-- Perry Stein School District of La Crosse considers consolidating schools as part of long-range facility planning-- WEAU Wisconsin: April 20, 2022 [ abstract] LA CROSSE, Wis. (WEAU) - The School District of La Crosse is holding a pair of public community listening sessions to discuss long-term facility planning for the district.
The upcoming sessions will highlight the District’s declining student population, aging facilities and work done on budgeting and operations to manage persistent shortfalls in funding.
According to the District’s information page for facility planning, annual enrollment in the school district has declined by over 1,400 students in the past 20 years. The District cited lower birth rates over the past 30 years as a cause of the decline, and noted that each student brings in about $11,300 in revenue. In addition, La Crosse administrators expect the enrollment to continue to decline for at least the next five to 10 years. The most recent publicly-available open enrollment figures also show the school district losing more students to transfers than it is bringing in since 2018-19, with 2019-2020 seeing a net loss of 34 students to open enrollment transfer.
Aging facilities are also a concern of the School District of La Crosse, according to the District’s facility planning page. Some of the 15 buildings in operation are over 80 years old, with millions of dollars each year budgeted for maintenance and updates to keep the schools in compliance with federal and state standards. The District also said that La Crosse is the smallest school district in Wisconsin with two high schools, and that districts of its size typically have 10 or 11 buildings, not 15. The average age of the buildings used by the school district is 60 years.
-- Jimmie Kaska Ogden School District solar panels yield results; new buildings to get them-- Standard-Examiner Utah: April 14, 2022 [ abstract]
OGDEN — Ogden School District is increasingly turning to renewable energy to power its facilities and save money.
The Ben Lomond High School Athletic Center, which opened in December 2020, is fitted with solar panels and data from the first year of operations shows the shift is paying off, district officials say. Data the district recently crunched shows power generated by the panels, located atop the new facility, offset nearly 97% of its power needs in its first year of operation, through November 2021, surpassing the goal of 92%.
“The system saved the district $10,000 in energy costs last summer alone indicating that the investment in solar energy will more than pay for itself in the future,” the district said in a statement.
Placement of the panels represents the extension of a standing Ogden School District energy-efficiency initiative that dates to 2007. The Mound Fort Junior High School Innovation Center, completed in 2019, was the first district facility fitted with solar panels and they were also placed on East Ridge Elementary, which opened last August. They’re to be placed on Polk and Liberty elementary schools, under construction but to open later this year for the 2022-2023 school year.
-- Tim Vandenack School leaders advocate for school construction funds-- Bristol Herald Courier Virginia: February 14, 2022 [ abstract] Leaders of the Virginia Coalition of Small and Rural Schools continued to advocate for more funding to repair and replace dilapidated schools statewide Monday.
Speaking during an education funding press conference in Richmond, speakers from different state advocacy organizations urged the General Assembly to expand funding for school buildings, behavioral health for students, greater teacher pay, revised standards of Quality and literacy intervention.
For the coalition, which includes all of the public school divisions in Southwest Virginia among its 80 members, the theme of buildings is a familiar topic.
“Among the key issues and challenges our work seeks to influence is the urgency of finally addressing the ever-increasing number of crumbling and dilapidated school facilities,” Peter Gretz, superintendent of Fluvanna County Public Schools and vice president of the coalition, said. “We believe the ZIP code in which Virginia’s children are born should not be the deciding factor in whether or not they get to learn in high-quality, modern facilities designed to meet the instructional needs of the 21st century — a century we are almost a quarter of the way through.”
-- David McGee Parents question schools' decision to use millions in lottery funds on athletic projects-- WLOS North Carolina: January 20, 2022 [ abstract]
WLOS — Every year North Carolinians spend millions on North Carolina Education Lottery tickets hoping for a winner.
For years, lottery advertising has featured school superintendents and leaders, expressing their gratitude, making it clear a portion of revenues made from the sales of those tickets go towards public education.
A News 13 investigation set out to find just what projects area school systems are using those funds for.
Education lottery ads highlight scholarships and millions in donations that go to help build schools. However, lottery officials confirm, there’s never been an ad campaign on projects such as the $250,000 weight room at Madison High School or the over $1 million recently spent on new turf projects in Haywood County, all paid for with lottery money.
News 13 found that many districts are also spending millions of lottery dollars towards athletic repair projects, from synthetic turf to tennis courts and swimming pools. All the projects are allowed according to state education reports.
Last October, Buncombe county’s School Board voted unanimously to use $875,000 in Education Lottery funds for new stadium and baseball field lights at AC Reynolds.
The North Carolina Athletic Association made a ruling that stadium lighting levels must meet their standards in order for a school to host a state playoff game," said Tim Fierle, facilities director for Buncombe schools. "ACRHS was scheduled to have its lights replaced with energy-efficient led lights. The schedule moved up due to this requirement.”
Whether it’s stadium lights or a new school roof, all lottery project requests must get approved by a school district’s county commission, and North Carolina’s Department of Public Instruction (DPI).
A spokeswoman for DPI couldn’t provide any projects submitted by any district that had ever been turned down. “Rejections are very rare,” said Blair Rhoades, spokeswoman for DPI. “Districts contact our office on the front-end regarding eligibility or questions surrounding the application, this is typically a non-issue.”
-- Kimberly King Rural Michigan District to Spend $1.4M on Energy Efficiency-- Government Technology Michigan: January 19, 2022 [ abstract]
If it wasn't for the parts shortage brought on by the pandemic, Morenci Area Schools would be further along in the district's project to install more energy-efficient lighting and heating and cooling equipment and it would be seeing lower utility bills.
Still, the district is expecting to complete the project by the end of 2022. The upgrades are expected to save more than $1.4 million in energy and operational costs over 10 years.
The $1.4 million in improvements are being funded by a state of Michigan energy bond, district general funds and federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds. The ESSER funds are part of the federal COVID-19 relief funds approved by Congress in 2020. The bond has a 13-year payback schedule.
"The district is going to see those savings way past the payback schedule, so the general fund is going to be better because of it," district finance director Erica Metcalf said.
That will free up funds to pay for other things down the road.
The district had about $500,000 in general fund and ESSER funds to put toward the project and Metcalf worked with standard & Poors to improve the district's bond rating, Superintendent Mike McAran said. Both helped lower the bond amount.
-- David Panian Town votes against temporary repair of Sherman School roof-- The Greater New Milford Spectrum Connecticut: December 20, 2021 [ abstract]
SHERMAN — Residents have made their voice clear — they’d like to see a permanent, one-time repair of The Sherman School roof.
At a town meeting Saturday in Charter Hall, in a vote of 49 to 1, residents voted against a temporary repair to the roof, which has been a hot issue in town over the past few months.
Portions of the roof are considered to be in very poor shape, according to town and school officials. Sections vary in age from 1991 to 2014. Approximately 50 percent of the overall roof area is out of warranty and beyond industry standards for a useful life of about 20 years, according to Brian Berlandi, Board of Education chairman. The school has about 270 students in grades K-8.
Buckets had been set out on many occasions to catch water from leaks. The school board initially recommended permanently replacing portions of the roof, and in a town meeting Sept. 14, voters unanimously approved funds not to exceed $575,000 for this work.
-- Sandra Diamond Fox $300M Pawtucket high school proposed to replace 'sadly vacant' McCoy Stadium. What we know-- The Providence Journal Rhode Island: December 19, 2021 [ abstract]
Pawtucket is moving closer to building a new high school where McCoy Stadium now stands.
A city panel studying the idea endorsed tearing down the now-vacant ballpark and building a $300-million school complex that would replace Pawtucket's two existing public high schools.
The 482,500-square-foot building recommended by the high school building panel could fit 2,500 students and include technical education facilities.
Mayor Donald Grebien called it an "inspiring opportunity" and now a top priority of his administration in a news release.
"This project would take advantage of a city owned asset, turning the now sadly vacant McCoy Stadium site into a vibrant campus for learning, career exploration, athletics, and community activities," Grebien said in the release.
Pawtucket mayor:$17.7 million deal for Apex site an 'important step' in redevelopment
Renderings of the plan show a main entrance to the school and bus drop-off on Division Street. The opposite side of the building would have a grassy quad leading to an artificial turf athletic field.
The whole complex would be ringed with surface parking lots containing more than 650 spaces.
Renderings show a four-story main academic building with gymnasium, auditorium and pool.
A presentation from consultants studying the project estimate $265,857,500 in construction costs, "including soft costs, contingencies and standard escalation" eligible for state school building aid.
They project another $31.5 million in furniture, equipment, technology, demolition and site remediation, for a total of $302,507,000.
The new East Providence High School that opened this year cost $190 million.
-- Patrick Anderson Virginia School District Solar Project to Offset Electricity Needs-- Environment + Energy Leader Virginia: December 10, 2021 [ abstract] A solar power project will cut energy costs and offset nearly half the electricity needs for a Virginia school district.
The project will provide the Isle of Wight County Schools a 3.3 megawatt solar system, which is being implemented by standard Solar. The solar project will be installed on the rooftops of seven schools and provide 4,252 megawatt hours of clean energy a year.
The project is part of the Virginia Clean Economy Act, the state’s plan to transition to 100% clean energy by 2050. Virginia ranks 11th in the county in solar energy installations, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association.
A report by Generation 180 says 89 schools in Virginia had implemented solar projects by 2019, with the number tripling between 2017 and 2019. standard Solar will own and operate the Wight County systems.
“Incorporating solar energy is cost-effective and helps the environment while reducing energy expenses and funneling savings to resources that directly impact student success,” says Dr. Jim Thornton, division superintendent of Isle of Wight County Schools.
Schools have been active in making improvements regarding energy efficiency. Many efforts revolve around improving lighting systems in buildings and HVAC systems.
One such project for St. Joseph School District in Missouri is expected to save it $2.1 million over a 15-year agreement with Schneider Electric. Another at Jeanette City School District in Pennsylvania is expected to save $3.6 million in energy costs.
Larger scale renewable energy projects are proving more difficult. The Miami Herald reported that the Miami-Dade Schools are seeking 100% renewable energy by 2030, but without a big increase in funding and cooperation from the local utilities.
-- David Worford Simplify approval of school construction for earthquake safety-- Seattle Times Washington: November 15, 2021 [ abstract] Washington lawmakers have known for years that few of the state’s public-school buildings meet earthquake safety standards.
A new report shows just how widespread the problem is and how that has overwhelmed many Washington school districts. State and federal lawmakers must step in to help.
State lawmakers can take an appropriate first step during this coming short session that starts in January by lowering the threshold for voters to approve school construction bonds to a simple majority. Since lawmakers raised the threshold to 60% more than 70 years ago, it’s been difficult for too many districts to get voter approval for building needs.
Although Washington has one of the highest risks of earthquake in the United States, most public-school students attend class in buildings that predate modern seismic safety standards. Ninety-three percent of 561 school buildings across the state surveyed in recent geological and engineering assessments received the lowest-possible rating — one star in the five-star rating scale developed by the U.S. Resiliency Council. According to that group of experts, an average building designed to meet modern building codes should expect to achieve a safety rating of three to four stars.
A Seattle Times investigation in 2016 found that 1 in 3 pupils enrolled in Washington schools — about 386,000 students at the time — lived in earthquake-prone areas and attended schools built before seismic construction standards were adopted statewide in 1975.
-- Editorial To ensure safe schools for all, we need statewide cleaning standards-- EdSource National: September 29, 2021 [ abstract] With schools opening for full-time in-person instruction, there has never been more attention paid to the cleanliness of our classrooms and campuses. Disinfecting protocols, air filtration systems and the frequency of cleaning are high on the minds of parents, staff and students. Much has been done to prepare for a safe reopening, but ensuring everyone’s health and safety this school year and beyond will require that we address longstanding inequities and inconsistencies in our approach to school cleanliness.
Providing students and staff with safe and decent school facilities is one of the basic elements of quality public education. Indeed, this was mandated in the landmark case Williams v. California, which ruled that the state must provide public school students with equal access to safe and decent school facilities. But despite legal mandates, the reality is that school cleanliness and maintenance have suffered from budget cuts and understaffing for decades, with schools in predominantly Black and brown communities suffering the greatest neglect.
In the Los Angeles Unified School District, with a student population that is 73% Latino and 10% Black, pre-pandemic custodial staffing levels were at about 40% of what was needed to maintain cleanliness standards set by the district, according to a 2014 report by the district Board of Education. The lack of staff meant classrooms were not mopped every day, some bathrooms had to be locked and deep cleaning only occurred once or twice a year.
-- Max Arias - Commentary High levels of arsenic, lead detected in Butte school yards-- Montana Standard Montana: September 27, 2021 [ abstract] Elevated levels of toxic metals were found in school yard soils at both Butte High School and the AWARE Early Head Start preschool on East Mercury Street, Atlantic Richfield personnel announced Monday.
Exceedances occurred in play areas at the AWARE Early Head Start site, but below two inches deep and a layer of grass.
The elevated levels were detected this summer during sampling conducted by Atlantic Richfield. The sampling was done as part of the expanded Residential Metals Abatement Program required by Superfund agreements. The company presented the results during Monday’s Environmental Protection Agency’s community Superfund discussion for Butte
Preliminary results are in for the yards of all 21 schools and day cares sampled in Butte this year. Of the 21, five had elevated levels of contaminants of concern — lead, arsenic, or both — on the property. No properties tested high for mercury.
The residential soil action levels set by the EPA are 1,200 milligrams per kilogram for lead, and 250 mg/kilogram for arsenic.
Composite samples were taken from sections of all school yards, and the areas will be remediated if they exceeded action levels. Samples were taken at three depth levels: 0-2 inches, 2-6 inches and 6-12 inches.
At the AWARE Early Head Start location at 237 E. Mercury St., exceedances for arsenic were detected in several locations, including two play areas.
-- MICHAEL CAST School district approves outdoor learning guides-- Antelope Valley Press California: September 26, 2021 [ abstract]
PALMDALE — Palmdale School District’s Board of Trustees approved standards for an Outdoor Learning-Garden Facilities program to be used as a guideline for the development of Outdoor Learning-Garden space or spaces.
The goal is to maintain equity across the district’s campuses and expand the classroom environment outdoors to provide additional space at a lower cost, according to a description. The learning-garden would be defined with planter boxes, seat wells, landscaping or benches to allow students to experience a different space and fresh air.
The Board unanimously approved the program standards at the Sept. 21 meeting with no discussion.
Jaime Ortiz, CEO of High Performing Learning Environments, explained the concept at the Board’s Sept. 7 meeting.
“The benefits of outdoor learning, we all know what they are — students breathe fresh air, they experience a different environment than they are on the inside,” Ortiz said at the Sept. 7 meeting.
A programming committee comprised of students, parents, elementary school principals, teachers and district administrators met via Zoom over a couple of months to develop the guideline for the development of the spaces.
With the addition of a shade structure, the students would have a secondary learning space that can be used for longer periods of time throughout the year.
-- Julie Drake School Facilities Workgroup Considers Proposed Categories for School Facility Assessments-- Maryland Association of Counties Maryland: September 21, 2021 [ abstract]
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.
-- Brianna January Study Finds Natural Outdoor Spaces Are Less Common at Schools-- NC State University News North Carolina: September 21, 2021 [ abstract] 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.
-- Laura Oleniacz All Maine schools to begin testing drinking water for lead under new state law-- Sun Journal Maine: September 20, 2021 [ abstract] 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.
-- Rachel Ohm $85 billion gap: 12 actions for improving health and safety of school facilities-- District Administration National: September 10, 2021 [ abstract]
U.S. schools face an annual $85 billion shortfall in facilities funding, and schools that serve lower-income students face the biggest gaps, a new report finds.
Districts spend about $110 billion on maintenance, operations and capital construction each year. But they need $195 billion to meet health and safety standards, says the “2021 State of Our Schools Report” by the 21st Century School Fund, the International WELL Building Institute and the National Council on School Facilities.
Increased construction costs, building inventory increases and a sharp decline in facility spending since the Great Recession are driving this widening gap despite the efforts of communities and districts to upgrade their schools, the report says.
Back in 2016, the same report pegged the funding shortfall at $46 billion.
“Unfortunately, while local districts are struggling with making facilities safe in a pandemic, they are faced with longstanding deficiencies in their aging infrastructure, which makes this very difficult,” said Mary Filardo, executive director, 21st Century School Fund and lead author of the 2021 report.
Nationally, local districts cover 77% of school facility costs, with only 22% coming from states. High poverty districts spent an average $3.8 million per school on construction from 2009-18 while low-poverty districts spent more than $5 million.
-- Matt Zalaznick Annual Funding Gap for Making the Nation's Public School Buildings Safer, Healthier and Fit for Learning Balloons to $85-- Yahoo Finance National: September 08, 2021 [ abstract] New report from the 21st Century School Fund, the International WELL Building Institute and the National Council on School Facilities shows massive underinvestment in education facilities, identifies solutions to achieve healthier, more sustainable elementary and secondary schools.
NEW YORK, Sept. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The 2021 State of Our Schools Report: America's PK-12 Public School Facilities, released today by the 21st Century School Fund, the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) and the National Council on School Facilities, projects that the United States faces a shortfall of a staggering $85 billion in school facility funding every year. Districts are spending about $110 billion every year on maintenance, operations, and capital construction – but the educational facilities standards for good stewardship necessitates nearly $195 billion. The rise in the nation's PK-12 gap has been brought on by increased school construction costs, building inventory increases, and a sharp decline in facility expenditures after the great recession.
All this exists despite extraordinary efforts on the part of local communities and states to deliver public school buildings that help protect the health and safety of the students, teachers and staff who walk through their doors every day.
-- PR Newswire Harwood Unified Proposed school construction totals $59.5 million-- The Barre Montpelier Times Argus Vermont: August 31, 2021 [ abstract]
Although it’s not an election year, local voters may be asked to go to the polls this November to consider what would be the largest bond issue for school construction in the history of the Harwood Union School District.
At last week’s meeting of the Harwood Unified Union School District School Board, architects presented a breakdown of proposed construction for Harwood Union High School totaling $53 million. An expansion to Crossett Brook Middle School to accommodate merging all seventh- and eighth-graders into that facility would add another $6 million.
The construction total for the proposal would come to $59.5 million.
For the past six years, district leaders have been discussing a major bond to address overdue repairs, renovations and upgrades to the high school which was built in 1965. The school’s last expansion with some repairs was in 1998.
Work on the drawing board presented by the Burlington architectural firm Truex Cullins would address needed repairs such as replacing the roof and antiquated HVAC and plumbing systems. It would expand science labs that do not meet modern standards. Windows with meager insulation — some still originals from the 1960s — would be replaced and a key goal would be to reconstruct some interior areas of the building to add windows and light to current classrooms and workspaces that receive no natural light.
-- Lisa Scagliotti Some schools need better air control systems. But who will pay?-- The CT Mirror Connecticut: August 27, 2021 [ abstract]
The town of Coventry needs to replace the aging ventilators in its middle and high schools — an expensive proposition, made more pressing by the continued presence of the coronavirus.
Even though the town is receiving federal money to assist with pandemic relief, it’s not enough to cover the costs of the ventilation system upgrade in the schools. And officials say Coventry isn’t the only town in this situation.
But the state of Connecticut isn’t likely to come to the rescue any time soon.
A longstanding state policy that restricts aid for heating, air conditioning and air quality control projects may get a second look from legislators, but likely not before the 2022 General Assembly session starts on Feb. 9.
And it remains unclear whether anything will change then, since Gov. Ned Lamont’s administration insists municipalities — in many cases — created their own problems with school air quality by frequently deferring maintenance.
“There are some districts that haven’t touched their schools in 40 years,” said Kostantinos Diamantis, who is Lamont’s deputy budget director and also has overseen the state’s school construction program for the past six years. “The local level needs to belly up to the bar. … The cities have an obligation to maintain those buildings.”
But Joe DeLong, executive director of the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities, said, “You’re dis-incentivizing communities from keeping their buildings up and running. What we need to do is to develop a standard for towns to work with the state and to get the state involved to work with these air quality projects.”
Representatives of CCM and the Connecticut Council of Small Towns met via teleconference earlier this month with administration officials to discuss a problem that stems from two issues — one longstanding and one recent — that have collided.
-- KEITH M. PHANEUF Building improvement: Impact of penny tax, bond referendum visible in new Aiken County school facilities-- Aiken Standard South Carolina: August 14, 2021 [ abstract] Schools all over Aiken County are getting multi-million-dollar makeovers thanks to the penny sales tax and bond referendum that were approved by voters in the past.
The funding for the construction updates comes from the Education Capital Improvements Sales and Use Tax that Aiken County residents voted to approve in November 2014, expected to raise $188 million, and a $90 million bond referendum that was approved in May 2018.
While many projects have been completed, current projects under construction include Millbrook Elementary School, Belvedere Elementary School, Hammond Hill Elementary School, Aiken Scholars Academy, North Augusta High School and Aiken High School.
“This is an extremely aggressive construction list. Typically, you’re not going to have a school district, especially one of this size, undergoing this many projects at one time,” said Dr. Corey Murphy, the school district’s chief officer of operations and student services.
“Because projects are interrelated, if you have so many on a bond referendum, everything has to come in on budget in order for the next project to go properly. If not you’re going to go over budget, so one thing can throw two or three other projects off.”
-- Shakailah Heard New Jersey’s SDA districts set to open in 'deplorable conditions.' What you need to know-- northjersey.com New Jersey: August 12, 2021 [ abstract] When Abraham Lincoln School in Garfield reopens in September, students will cram into a building constructed 50 years after the 16th president was assassinated and is showing its age: A sagging roof, water damage from leaks in the mortar, no air- conditioning.
It gets no better in some schools in Paterson, where the local teachers union has reported mold, leaky ceilings and rodents.
But they do have running drinking water, which is more than can be said of at least half the schools in Jersey City.
Those schools are examples among dozens throughout New Jersey’s 31 so-called Schools Development Authority (SDA) districts that will fully reopen this school year in “deplorable conditions,” as the Education Law Center put it in legal filings.
Hot, overcrowded, poorly ventilated classrooms have become a way of life for students and teachers in these districts that have been so down-at-the-heels that the Supreme Court ruled decades ago that the state is responsible for school repairs and replacement so students can get a “thorough and efficient” education.
But the law center contends the Murphy administration and legislative leaders have failed to keep their end of the bargain financially during the COVID-19 pandemic, even after being notified for years of the “urgent need” for repairs at schools to meet health and safety standards.
-- Dustin Racioppi The link between educational inequality and infrastructure-- The Washington Post National: August 06, 2021 [ abstract]
Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) recently introduced legislation calling for $1.43 trillion in federal funding to support upgrades to school buildings and green infrastructure while making major investments in teaching and learning. As a former public school principal, counselor and teacher, Bowman understands firsthand the hardships that educators, families and youths have endured this year — and especially the underappreciated but powerful link between sustainable infrastructure and education.
Indeed, educational inequality has long been fueled by the inefficient physical structures of the school building, something the response to covid-19 exposed. While affluent parents donated resources and funding to guarantee that their schools could implement covid-19 mitigation practices — notably mandatory masking and physical distancing — public schools that serve less-affluent, non-White children faced antiquated HVAC systems and windowless classrooms, making it difficult, if not impossible, to implement the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s covid-19 mitigation policies and practices.
Yet, while covid-19 certainly shed new light on health risks associated with substandard school conditions, the roots of the problem are much deeper. The racially biased policies and practices that elected leaders and public school officials that were implemented more than 100 years ago set the stage for underinvestment in public education and the wide variance in school facilities that serve White and non-White youths today.
Beginning in the late 19th century, the reliance on local funding, coupled with desires to maintain racially separate and unequal schools, drove inequitable school funding patterns.
In 1875, for example, Black families demanded that St. Louis officials provide a high school for Black youths. School leaders reluctantly complied and opened the first Black high school in a building previously condemned and closed because officials felt it was unsuitable for White youths. Black families raised concerns about the substandard conditions inside the building as well as the school’s proximity to a local lead factory that generated smoky, polluted air near the school.
School officials refused to listen. Half of the city’s Black children attended this school, exposing them to these toxins. In 1880, school officials allocated $39,330 per White school and $14,600 per Black school. These funding differentials exacerbated educational inequality and generated substandard facilities for non-White schools.
-- Erika M. Kitzmiller and Akira Drake Rodriguez Recent fires should sound alarm about importance of school sprinkler systems -- Bangor Daily News Maine: August 04, 2021 [ abstract]
It was a startling headline: Nearly half of Maine’s 715 schools lack fire sprinklers, but the state doesn’t know which ones.
This story, from St. John Valley Times and Fiddlehead Focus reporter Hannah Catlin, raised two big questions for us (and hopefully for others, especially state officials). First, how can so many schools — the buildings where Maine children and teachers spend so much time, and where taxpayers already dedicate significant resources — not have these systems in place? Second, and perhaps more puzzling, how does the state not know exactly which schools have them and which schools don’t?
As Catlin outlined in the story, the first question has a fairly straightforward explanation. Maine Department of Education spokesperson Kelli Deveaux said that more than half of Maine’s K-12 schools were built in or before the 1950s. Many of these buildings have not had major upgrades since Maine adopted the National Fire Prevention Association life safety code in the 1990s. New schools have for a few decades been required to have automatic sprinklers, but older schools are grandfathered in and haven’t had to comply with newer standards.
All of that makes sense in terms of explaining how we got here. And we understand that there are always competing education needs and finite resources to address them. But we would think that student, teacher and building safety would be a priority in budget conversations. Plus, we’re talking about an investment that can help prevent all those other education infrastructure investments from going up in smoke — literally.
-- Editorial Public Schools Capital Outlay Council awards southeast New Mexico schools-- Carlsbad Current Argud New Mexico: July 10, 2021 [ abstract] The Public School Facilities Authority released the Public School Capital Outlay Council's annual report for 2020, revealing awards and plans for future expansion of southeast New Mexico's public schools.
The Public School Capital Outlay Council (PSCOC) offers funding to school districts planning construction or renovation of school buildings by matching the estimated cost of a project. standards-based awards are for larger projects like new school campuses or major renovations, and systems-based awards fun smaller projects like roof and parking lot repairs.
The organization gave over $113 million in standards-based awards and $12 million in systems-based awards last year. Awards funded a new building for Chaparral Middle School in Alamogordo, which currently sits on unstable land and is prone to sinking. The new school with be capable of accommodating 658 students and is estimated to be completed in 2024.
-- Claudia L. Silva What won’t the infrastructure plan do? Repair our crumbling schools-- The Philadelphia Inquirer National: July 05, 2021 [ abstract] After years of lip service, the federal government is finally taking meaningful steps toward repairing our national infrastructure. The White House’s revised plan promises to improve and expand railways, rebuild roads and bridges, and provide universal internet access. What won’t it do? Repair our crumbling schools.
In October last year, as debates over whether schools could safely reopen raged in Philadelphia and nationwide, the education outlet Chalkbeat reported that two-thirds of Philly elementary classrooms failed to meet minimum ventilation standards, which measure the airflow rate per person. Fifteen schools did not have a single classroom that could safely accommodate more than 14 students.
The School District, pushing for school reopenings, suggested using box fans to alleviate these concerns, but such an ad-hoc solution alarmed parents and teachers. Unfortunately, more substantial repairs are likely out of reach for the district: One 2017 analysis estimated that fixing ventilation in city schools could cost a prohibitive $600 million.
Philadelphia and many districts across the country cannot afford to make needed repairs to their school buildings, which is why in March the Biden administration proposed to allocate $100 billion for this purpose in its infrastructure plan. This represents a huge — and rare — opportunity to make necessary and important investments in school infrastructure.
-- Opinion - Nell Williams RI’s Program for Rehabbing Public Schools Appears to Be Underfunded By Billions-- golocalprov.com Rhode Island: May 31, 2021 [ abstract] In 2017, a blue-ribbon commission issued a comprehensive study of the cost of rehabbing Rhode Island public schools and in some cases replace the existing structures.
The cost on the low side to update the schools to a standard of “clean, safe and comfortable” was in excess of $3 billion dollars. In 2018, then-Governor Gina Raimondo rallied Rhode Island voters to support her proposed $250 million bond question.
“Tonight I'm calling on all of us to take action. Let's make a once-in-a-generation investment in our schools. Together with our cities and towns, let's commit to investing $1 billion over the next five years to fix our public schools,” said Raimondo in her state of the state speech.
But, Raimondo’s "billion" included $70 million that was already budgeted each year by the state and an additional $350 million in match from the cities and towns.
-- Staff Writer Georgia to borrow $1.1 billion for construction, retains low interest rating-- The Atlanta Journal-Constritution Georgia: May 25, 2021 [ abstract] The state plans to sell $1.1 billion in construction bonds in a few weeks — much of it for schools and college buildings — and a key service said Georgia has again retained its AAA bond rating that allows it to save millions of dollars a year in interest payments.
The AAA bond rating is the gold standards for governments looking to borrow to build schools and roads because it allows governments to borrow at relatively low interest rates.
A legislative session doesn’t go by without House and Senate budget chairmen and the governor bragging about the state’s top bond rating.
Fitch Ratings on Monday affirmed the rating for the latest borrowing, saying it “reflects the state’s proven willingness and ability to maintain fiscal balance and a broad-based, growth-oriented economy that supports revenue growth over time.”
Georgia has maintained its AAA rating from the major bond rating services for decades.
Earlier this year, the state auditor said Georgia’s AAA bond rating could be in jeopardy because he hadn’t received complete financial data from the state Department of Labor, which was hit with an avalanche of unemployment claims last year when the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
State senators raised the issue in February with state Labor Commissioner Mark Butler, who told them Auditor Greg Griffin’s office made an end-of-the-year request for information on several hundred thousand unemployment cases.
Griffin sent Butler a letter in January saying his office couldn’t complete the state’s annual Comprehensive Annual Financial Report without information it was waiting on from the Department of Labor. The reports are usually completed by Dec. 31.
-- James Salzer Loophole Allows Schools to Be Built Near Toxic Sites-- NBC Bay Area California: May 21, 2021 [ abstract] A new bill, that could drastically limit where future schools can be built throughout the state, cleared a major hurdle in the California legislature on Thursday and is now headed for a full vote in the Assembly in the coming weeks. The legislation would force private and charter schools to comply with tougher environmental standards – the very same regulations that are already in place for public schools – in hopes of preventing classrooms from being constructed near potentially toxic sites.
“Whatever school you send your child to, you should know well that they are not going to be in danger,” said Assemblyman Alex Lee, who authored the legislation, Assembly Bill 762. “The problem right now is that private and charter schools can be [built] on top of or even really close to toxic and hazardous sites and there's no law preventing that.”
Unlike private or charter schools, the process for constructing public schools is subject to more oversight and regulations. For example, when new public schools are proposed on land that was previously contaminated, state law outlines specific protocols to safely remediate the area. Additionally, if a proposed location of a public school is within a quarter mile of a facility known to emit air pollution, schools are required to contact local government air quality regulators to assess the potential health risks.
-- Bigad Shaban, Robert Campos, Sean Myers, Mark Vill Funding for school buildings gets traction amid pressing need-- NJ Spotlight News New Jersey: May 12, 2021 [ abstract] The condition of New Jersey’s school buildings is getting extra attention this year in State House budget hearings, as concerns mount about how schools, especially in the hardest-hit communities, will fare coming out of the pandemic at a time the state’s construction fund is drying up.
Gov. Phil Murphy has proposed an additional $200 million to tide existing projects over for another year and another $75 million to address the most emergent new needs. But as Monday’s Assembly Budget Committee witnessed, the reality remains that a far larger infusion of funds will likely be required — and possibly ordered by the court — to address the state’s deepening needs.
State Assemblyman Benjie Wimberly (D-Passaic) led the questioning and said the pandemic had exacerbated the needs in his home district of Paterson, where some schools are more than a century old and officials have struggled with the new pandemic-driven standards for air ventilation and social distancing.
“This has really showed, where you have buildings that are 100 years old and facing booming populations,” he said.
Manuel Da Silva, the head of the state Schools Development Authority, which oversees school construction in many of the neediest districts, was asked several times at the hearing to put a number on the estimated need for just the so-called emergent projects, let alone overall costs.
Da Silva promised the committee an estimate would be forthcoming, but also noted that the $33 million now committed in 11 emergent projects just scratches the surface.
“The numbers that we have approved is just a small percentage,” Da Silva said. “There is a significant need … but the funding is the issue right now.”
-- JOHN MOONEY $69 Million 21st Century Design School to be Built at Fort Knox-- Spectrum News 1 DoDEA: April 29, 2021 [ abstract] FORT KNOX, Ky. — Fort Knox plans to build another 21st century elementary school at the installation. The features and amenities are designed to bolster the education and give students valuable skills to unlock their potential.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have set aside $69 million for the project. Schools on military installations are built to higher anti-terrorism and force protection standards than schools that serve civilians; this impacts the cost, as does the large, open spans and integrated technology that is part of 21st Century design.Community Superintendent Josh Adams with the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) said that 21st Century designs like the Kingsolver Elementary at Fort Knox will help set children up for long-term success.
-- MICHAEL CADIGAN Capacity doubled in Highland Springs Middle School plans due to growing population-- Aiken Standard South Carolina: April 24, 2021 [ abstract]
Anticipating more growth in western Aiken County, the Aiken County Public School District doubled its planned capacity at the upcoming Highland Springs Middle School.
Plans for the new school, which include a construction budget that went from $32 million to $39,759,750, received Aiken County Board of Education approval at the meeting on April 20.
The Highland Springs facility will be located between Belvedere and Clearwater, near Belvedere Clearwater Road and Old Sudlow Lake Road. It will house both a middle school and an elementary school in connected two-story buildings. The middle school will be built first.
Dr. Corey Murphy, chief officer of operations and student services in the school district, said the middle school’s planned capacity has grown from 350 to 750 to accommodate a potentially large influx of students from the growing community.
“We have had a lot of changes in our projections of the growth and that area,” Murphy said. “We still have elementary school space in the area, but middle school space is at a premium. And so, in order to make this school actually worth building … we had to increase the size from 350 to 750 for the middle school.”
-- Blakeley Bartee Lee County school board member upset with conditions of portable classroom buildings-- WINK News Florida: April 07, 2021 [ abstract] 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.
-- Jackie Winchester Council votes to limit school building project to $50 million-- The Westerly Sun Rhode Island: March 23, 2021 [ abstract]
WESTERLY — The Town Council has made it official — its members say they will not support a school building project that requires borrowing more than $50 million.
The council voted 7-0 Monday to approve a resolution stating its support of "a potential bond referendum for the School Building Committee's plans for the potential construction, renovation, improvement, alteration, repair, furnishing, and equipping of schools and/or school facilities in the town in an amount not to exceed $50 million."
Councilors agreed that the resolution does not allow for a higher amount based on anticipated reimbursement from the state. The state has established a base 35% reimbursement rate for towns and cities that undertake school building projects. Higher reimbursement rates are available for meeting standards set by the state.
"An acceptable limit is what was really needed ... this council is being prudent and looking at our budget and what we can afford in the short term. In the long term it gets better," said Councilor Christopher Duhamel, who along with Councilor Brian McCuin serves on the School Committee's Building Subcommittee as council representatives.
The council, in recent weeks, has studied the town's debt obligations and upcoming capital projects. Anticipated borrowing for a school building project, officials say, must fit in with the need for a $12 to $15 million sewer plant upgrade and road projects.
-- Dale Faulkner Bill addresses school facilities needs in Vermont-- Rutland Herald Vermont: March 15, 2021 [ abstract]
Public school infrastructure is a topic familiar to most Vermonters.
School districts and supervisory unions have not been shy about their struggles to pay for facilities improvements. From making basic upgrades to meet modern educational standards to addressing major health concerns like environmental contaminants in the water and air, the needs are great and varied.
In recent years, districts have asked residents to help address those needs through multimillion-dollar bonds with varying degrees of success. More often, however, they slowly chip away at the problem in their annual budgets.
The coronavirus pandemic only highlighted those deficiencies. As schools worked to reopen safely, poorly functioning ventilation systems and inadequate spaces for social distancing hindered progress and made for less-than-ideal conditions — finally forcing a conversation the state has been putting off for too long, according to some school officials.
Now, a new bill is looking to help the state get its arms around its aging schools.
Introduced by the House Committee on Education, H.426, would create an inventory of the state’s K-12 school facilities needs and develop a plan for addressing them.
“It’s no secret that we have had some school buildings in trouble,” said Rep. Kathryn Webb, D-Shelburne, chair of the Education Committee, who pointed to the abrupt closure of Burlington High School last fall after dangerous levels of cancer-causing PCBs were detected inside the building.
-- Jim Sabataso City Sued for Letting Charter School Dodge Environmental Rules-- Capital & Main California: February 04, 2021 [ abstract] Residents of the tiny city of Cudahy, California, located in the industrial southeast of Los Angeles County, are suing to prevent a large charter school from being built on what they claim is toxic land without a proper environmental review. At issue are a state law allowing different building standards for different types of schools, and a planning code, obscure to most local residents, that allows a charter school company to build a new school without thoroughly cleaning up the site’s alleged toxins.
Using a process that allows the company to skirt state environmental rules, KIPP SoCal Public Schools plans to build a new elementary school on land that its own reports show contains toxic substances including lead and arsenic. The company can do that because the regulations for building or renovating charter and private schools are less restrictive than for state-funded district schools, and because Cudahy has, according to critics and plaintiffs in a lawsuit, used the wrong planning code to approve the project.
-- Larry Buhl Paul Feely's City Hall: Officials push to verify accuracy of school facilities study-- New Hampshire Union Leader New Hampshire: January 31, 2021 [ abstract] MANCHESTER SCHOOL OFFICIALS still are trying to verify data behind a controversial facilities study that recommended closing several Manchester schools because of declining enrollments and $150 million in deferred maintenance and other costs.
A facilities study by MGT Consulting Group recommended closing four elementary schools and one high school and merging two other high schools.
Superintendent John Goldhardt told school board members last week he had “a very productive meeting” with MGT staff that focused on two items — the legitimacy of the data and questions board members have about the study.
“Based upon my own reviews and a meeting I had with MGT, I do believe their data is sound,” Goldhardt said. “However, we have to remember their data is based upon national standards for school capacity. Based upon your feedback, my understanding is that this body wants MGT to use the Manchester school board capacity numbers. They are (now) doing that.”
According to the audit, the average age of Manchester school buildings is 70 years.
-- Paul Feely 13,000 school districts, 13,000 approaches to teaching during COVID-- The Baltimore Sun National: January 23, 2021 [ abstract] What does it mean to go to public school in the United States during the pandemic?
The answer looks so different in different parts of the country, it is hard to tell that we are one nation.
In some rural and suburban areas, especially in the South, Midwest and Great Plains, almost all students began the 2020-21 academic year attending school in person, and they have continued to do so, except for temporary closures during outbreaks.
In many cities, the bulk of students haven’t been in a classroom since March. And in some districts, like New York City, only younger students have the option of going to school in person, with many attending only part time.
With little guidance from the federal government, the nation’s 13,000 districts have largely come up with their own standards for when it is safe to open schools and what virus mitigation measures to use. Those decisions have often been based as much on politics as on public health data.
Through all of this, there has been no official accounting of how many American students are attending school in person or virtually. We don’t know precisely how many remote students are not receiving any live instruction or how many students have not logged into their classes all year. Nor has the federal government tracked how many coronavirus cases have been identified in schools or which mitigation methods districts are using.
-- Kate Taylor - New York Times Reopening plans stall as 1 in 3 students are testing positive for COVID-19 at some L.A. schools-- Los Angeles Times California: January 07, 2021 [ abstract] With 1 in 3 students testing positive for the coronavirus in some Los Angeles neighborhoods, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s push to reopen campuses is clashing with the reality of a raging pandemic as many school districts opt for January shutdowns and superintendents call for clearer guidance on when it will be safe to unlock their campus doors.
The swift-moving developments come one week after Newsom announced financial help — totaling $2 billion — that would go to elementary schools that reopen as early as next month and later to schools serving older students. Newsom cited the widely acknowledged harms of learning loss and social isolation — especially for Black and Latino students from low-income families — after in-person instruction shut down nearly 10 months ago across the state.
Superintendents from seven of the state’s largest school districts on Wednesday called on Newsom to set a clear and mandated state standard for reopening campuses. They also faulted Newsom’s plan for seeming to rely on funds that would otherwise go toward important existing education programs.
“Our schools stand ready to resume in-person instruction as soon as health conditions are safe and appropriate. But we cannot do it alone,” superintendents from Los Angeles, Long Beach, San Diego, San Francisco, Oakland, Fresno and Sacramento wrote in the letter. “Despite heroic efforts by students, teachers and families, it will take a coordinated effort by all in state and local government to reopen classrooms.”
-- HOWARD BLUME, MELISSA GOMEZ, JOHN MYERS Judge: NM funding system for school building projects unconstitutional-- Albuquerque Journal New Mexico: December 29, 2020 [ abstract]
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A state judge in Gallup has ruled that New Mexico’s current system for funding and facilitating brick and mortar projects and other big ticket items in school districts is unconstitutional and he is ordering state officials to come up with a system that is fair to all students.
The ruling, issued by 11th Judicial District Court Judge Louis E. DePauli Jr. on Tuesday, says the Zuni and Gallup-McKinley school districts have shown that the capital outlay system in place is not uniform or sufficient, which goes against constitutional requirements.
“The trial evidence established that property-wealthy districts can spend millions and millions of dollars to build physical facilities over and above the (Public School Capital Outlay Act) adequacy standards for physical facilities that property-poor districts can only dream about, all the while bypassing the utterly complex and tortuous process of applying for and receiving ‘grant assistance…'” DePauli said.
He also found that the “present statutory scheme itself creates and allows substantial disparities among school districts in capital outlay funding.”
Sen. Mimi Stewart, D-Albuquerque, said she needs more time to study the judgment, but believes the state should appeal the order.
“I see things in the ruling that don’t describe accurately what the state has been doing for the past decade on capital outlay,” Stewart said. She did not immediately elaborate on the inaccuracies.
Rep. Patty Lundstrom, D-Gallup, on the other hand, said the Legislature should change the capital outlay funding system for public schools in the upcoming 60-day legislative session.
“I am very willing and ready to work on getting this corrected as the judge has directed,” said Lundstrom, who is also chairwoman of the House Appropriations and Finance Committee. “It is my area of the state that has seen this disproportionate formula.”
-- Shelby Perea and Edmundo Carrillo School districts slow to follow New York City’s lead on reopening schools-- Politico National: December 09, 2020 [ abstract]
NEW YORK — New York City and its teachers union think the nation’s largest school district should be the gold standard for how to get kids back in class in the middle of a pandemic.
Other districts are turning to the city for answers, the mayor said, but have yet to open their doors.
“I’m on a thread with about 20 mayors — major cities around the country — we often are comparing notes on different issues,” New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said in an interview. “Most of them have been honest with me that they can't figure out how to get out of remote, that they didn’t have the pieces ready and they don’t know how to put together in real time all the pieces they need.
“It’s not lack of will but they just find it a huge challenge.”
New York City began reopening for some students with the powerful local teachers union on board in September, then briefly shut down in late November. Some schools are already open again for in-person classes.
Officials are touting the city’s use of data, a “situation room” for agencies to coordinate and rapidly respond to school cases, and collaboration with the union on safeguards for teachers and students. The American Federation of Teachers is promoting the plan as part of a blueprint for safely reopening schools. De Blasio said his message to local leaders is, “just do it. We have proven you can keep school safe if you are willing to adopt enough rigorous measures.”
-- NICOLE GAUDIANO and MADINA TOURÉ NYC Offers Broad Reopening Plan for Schools; Special Ed is Top Priority, Mayor Says-- NBC New York New York: November 23, 2020 [ abstract]
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said Monday he is working toward reopening city schools, which he said would involve even more coronavirus testing, and provided an overall reopening plan.
During his daily coronavirus press briefing, the mayor provided no timeline for a schools reopening, other than saying it will possibly happen in the "upcoming weeks" and that it will require "a lot of work."
"We can and we will bring back our schools. It will take a lot of work. I just want people to understand that from the beginning," de Blasio said. "Bringing back the schools this next time will take an extra effort. It can be done."
De Blasio went on to say that part of reopening New York City schools is "to take our core vision, which is health and safety first, and intensify it."
"The data and the science govern all our decisions. We saw these number rise, we made a decision based on the standards we out forward months ago, but now a new reality is coming into play," he went on to say. "We’ll take additional measures to reopen schools. There is a clear protocol for that, it involves a lot more testing. It’s a very conservative, cautious approach."
Part of those additional steps is to have students and staff undergo more testing in advance of school reopening and throughout the school year and urged parents once who want their children to participate in in-person learning to submit their testing consent forms.
"That whole approach was working and working very well," the mayor said. "We are going to now build upon that."
-- Staff Writer CPS Says Building Air Quality Is Safe As Debate Continues Over Reopening Schools-- WBEZ Illinois: November 04, 2020 [ abstract] In the face of strong opposition to its plan to return some students to classrooms, Chicago Public Schools on Wednesday released air quality and ventilation reports showing that more than 90% of schools meet standards.
Officials said the school district audited classroom ventilation systems and cleared the vast majority of them. According to the district, 91% have functioning mechanical ventilation and the rest have access to windows that can open. All classrooms also will get air purifiers.
Officials also hired independent industrial hygienists to assess air quality in 20% of the rooms in each school. They determined all campuses were OK for students. Schools were evaluated in four areas: airborne particulates, carbon monoxide levels, temperature and relative humidity.
Schools officials have proposed resuming in-person classes for pre-K students and some special needs students as early as this month. Chief Operating Officer Arnie Rivera said all those students would be in classrooms with cleared ventilation systems.
As an extra precaution, each CPS classroom will be outfitted with one of 20,000 air purifiers the school district is buying, at a cost of $8.5 million. Reports on individual schools will be available on the school district’s website.
-- Sarah Karp Just one third of elementary classrooms in Philly meet minimum ventilation standards-- WHYY Pennsylvania: October 29, 2020 [ abstract] As thousands of Philadelphia parents weigh whether to send their children back to school buildings, a WHYY/Chalkbeat analysis of school air quality evaluations has found that two-thirds of elementary classrooms with completed reports lack even the minimum industry-recommended ventilation standards to safely hold 15 or more people.
And one-fifth of elementary schools have no classrooms that can accommodate that many people while meeting the air circulation standards.
Under the district’s hybrid plan, about 32,000 students in kindergarten through second grade would have the option of returning to school two days a week, with half the group attending on Mondays and Tuesdays and the other half on Thursdays and Fridays, starting on Nov. 30. Staff members are expected to start preparing their classrooms on Nov. 9, less than two weeks away. Parents must decide by Friday whether to send their children back.
Our analysis is based on 79 reports that are available on the district’s website, out of 119 that officials say have been sent to principals. There are 147 elementary schools and 215 district-run schools in the city. The reports online are for 74 elementary schools and four high schools that house pre-kindergarten programs — Edison, South Philadelphia, Lincoln, and Washington, plus the Rivera building, which is a district office and conference center that houses a private pre-kindergarten program.
-- Dale MezzacappaEmily Rizzo, Neena Hagen City Receives $151 Million From State For New Norwalk High School-- Patch Norwalk Connecticut: October 09, 2020 [ abstract] NORWALK, CT — Stressing that the new school will meet the needs of 21st Century learning, state and local officials Friday announced the $151 million grant that will pay for most of the new Norwalk High School.
The total cost of the planned 330,000-square-foot building, which will house both Norwalk High School and P-Tech, is expected to be about $189 million, $38 million or so will come from city coffers.
Construction will not begin on the school until 2021 at the earliest, and it will take well over a year to build.
"This school is 49 years old, and it was modeled after a prison," said state Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff about current Norwalk High School. Duff, who was instrumental in securing state funding for the school, is a graduate of Norwalk High School. "It does not meet the standards of 21st Century learning."
-- Alfred Branch 'The time is now': Madison School District seeks $317M from voters to upgrade high schools-- Wisconsin State Journal Wisconsin: October 05, 2020 [ abstract] When Carlton Jenkins returned to Madison this summer to become the school district’s new superintendent, the one-time Memorial High School associate principal was shocked to see the building where he began his administrative career in education.
“I pulled up and got goose bumps, I looked at the building and said, ‘Oh my goodness, it’s identical to what it was in 1993,’” Jenkins told the Wisconsin State Journal editorial board last week.
Originally constructed between 1922 and 1965, Madison’s four comprehensive high schools could be in line for a $280 million injection of cash after decades without major investment.
But it will require voters to get behind a large capital referendum on the ballot Nov. 3, a lift made heavier by the economic downturn wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We believe the time is now,” said Chad Wiese, executive director of building services for the district. “You can take a look at what our neighboring districts have done, we’re quite frankly behind all of them.”
Boosters of the $317 million capital referendum describe the high schools as tired, inefficient, piecemealed, inaccessible and out-of-line with 21st-century standards for learning.
The proposed renovations would transform the schools to align with the needs of today’s students, supporters say.
Small conference rooms would promote student collaboration, flexible furniture and instructional spaces could let the schools adapt to different learning needs, and modern heating systems would simply make the buildings comfortable.
-- Logan Wroge Voters to decide $7B bond question for LAUSD-- Los Angeles Daily News California: October 03, 2020 [ abstract] Los Angeles Unified School District has been around for a while.
Look no further for evidence than its schools, hundreds of which are more than 50 years old — with nearly 100 dating back at least a century. That’s why district officials are appealing to the public to pass another bond measure that would finance future school modernization efforts.
Voters will decide during the Nov. 3 election whether to support Measure RR, which would authorize the district to issue an additional $7 billion in bonds to update aging facilities, retrofit buildings to withstand earthquakes and make them accessible under the Americans with Disabilities Act. The measure would also pay for changes to meet new COVID-19 facilities safety standards, as well as the expansion of early childhood and adult education programs, new wellness clinics, cafeteria upgrades, cleaner school buses, and renewable energy.
Measure RR, called the School Upgrades and Safety Measure, requires a 55% voter approval to pass. District officials say the measure would not increase taxes but continue the tax rate that homeowners currently pay, which amounts to $21.74 for every $100,000 of assessed value on their homes, through about 2055. If Measure RR doesn’t pass, tax rates would go down when prior bonds expire.
-- LINH TAT Their Backs Against the Wall: Small-City School Districts Like Providence, RI, Reopen With Aging Buildings, Few Resource-- The 74 Rhode Island: September 29, 2020 [ abstract] Just over a year after a devastating report by Johns Hopkins University indicted Providence public schools for low academic standards and unsafe buildings, the district has launched a hybrid reopening model amid all the familiar worries of COVID-19 — ventilation, social distancing and testing.
The 24,000-student district’s woes may be more high profile than most thanks to the Hopkins report, but with students and teachers back in their classrooms since Sept. 14, Providence now walks the same thin line as many other small and medium-sized public school systems. Should the district prioritize the academic and social well-being of its student population, which studies suggest may be disproportionately hurt by remote learning, or the physical health of students and staff by avoiding the hazard of facilities that have seen decades of neglect?
The answer is Providence will somehow need to do both.
“We’re willing to do whatever it takes to make sure that people feel safe, that their kids get an education,” Rhode Island Commissioner of Education Angélica Infante-Green, who took charge of the district last year after a state takeover, told The 74. “We were already behind the 8-ball, we know that.”
Providence, like many of its small-city counterparts foraging for revenue streams even before the pandemic, will have to manage this difficult balance with limited funds.
-- ASHER LEHRER-SMALL Winooski Schools ventilation inadequate to prevent spread of COVID-19, energy expert says-- Burlington Free Press Vermont: September 28, 2020 [ abstract] Adam Jacobs, an efficiency consultant and the former energy manager for the city of Boston, informally evaluated Winooski Schools' ventilation system and found it "totally insufficient" to preventing the spread of COVID-19.
Jacobs was concerned the exposure his wife, a school teacher in the district, would receive. "My wife goes into that building two days a week," he said.
Jacobs said working with Boston schools on ventilation issues has made him "acutely aware of problems in public schools."
Lots of issues, according to consultant
Jacobs' main concerns include:
Outdated equipment's inability to use the fine filters recommended for catching COVID-19 air particulates.
Inability to circulate adequate amounts of outdoor air during cold weather months, putting people at particular risk in the winter.
Piecemealed, motel-style equipment is a low cost, poor performing solution
Schools could be in compliance with state guidelines without safeguarding air quality, Jacobs said. Winter poses an increased challenge to keeping air in classroom clear of the novel coronavirus, and for meeting ventilation standards as the equipment operation scales back bringing in outside air when temperatures drop.
"When it gets colder and they can no longer meet minimum ventilation rates (which is inevitable) — that I think the risks of in-person learning are heightened and the administration needs to respond accordingly," he said in an email.
-- April Barton Task force set to address ‘school capacity crisis’-- The Observer News Florida: September 24, 2020 [ abstract] Taking their case to Hillsborough County commissioners this month, school officials warned of an “imminent school capacity crisis” without a concerted effort to secure buildable sites for new schools in high-growth areas.
In the move to create a Public School Siting Task Force, school officials reported in south Hillsborough County alone the need to build 31 schools over the next 15 years to keep pace with residential growth.
The school district owns one site on Bishop Road that could accommodate two schools, but County officials have ruled against a necessary finding of consistency due to a lack of funding to upgrade substandard roads.
Therein lies the rub, according to Chris Farkas, the school district’s chief of operations, who at a recent school board meeting essentially acknowledged that in south Hillsborough County, it’s like finding a needle in a haystack to find sites that are large enough to site schools and have adequate access roads.
Meanwhile, a projected need for two new schools per year, on average, has been identified for the area, amounting to 19 elementary, five middle and seven high schools overall.
This comes on the heels of two new schools opening in the area this school year — Jule F. Sumner High School in the Balm/Riverview area at 10650 Balm Road, and Belmont Elementary School in the Belmont Community, west of U.S. 301 in the Greater Riverview/Ruskin area.
-- LINDA CHION KENNEY Ventilation is critical to fighting Covid-19. But in Vermont schools, it’s optional-- VTDigger Vermont: September 23, 2020 [ abstract] Experts agree ventilation is crucial to lessen the risk that Covid-19 spreads as students go back to school. However, proper ventilation is more an aspiration than a reality in some Vermont schools even as buildings reopen for daily use.
State officials have made general recommendations that ventilation systems be in good working order before schools reopen, but offered no specific targets. The Vermont Occupational and Health Administration, meanwhile, says it has no jurisdiction over non-mandatory guidance.
Federal public health authorities have offered little help. A Harvard University health project says it had to create a standard for high-quality ventilation in the pandemic — changing the air completely inside a room five times an hour — precisely because others hadn’t.
The problem surfaced in the Southwest Vermont Supervisory Union in Bennington, which hired an engineering firm during the summer to take a look at its ventilation. The news was not good: The systems in several schools, including at Mount Anthony Union High, were basically nonfunctional in large swaths of the building.
Alarmed that teachers were expected to report to work in person before recommended work was completed, Meaghan Morgan-Puglisi, a math teacher at Mount Anthony and a building representative for the local teachers union, filed a complaint with the Vermont Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
“Your description of hazards are not within VOSHA’s jurisdiction,” a compliance officer wrote back to Morgan-Puglisi. “I have included the below links which identify employer considerations regarding ventilation systems, but it is not mandatory at this time that your employer makes those updates,” he added.
School reopening guidance written by the Agency of Education, in concert with the Health Department, recommends that schools clean their HVAC systems and ensure they are in proper working order prior to school openings. The guidelines also recommend that schools increase outdoor air ventilation and invest in portable air cleaners.
-- Lola Duffort Westwood Heights Schools using electrostatic sprayer to disinfect buildings-- Fox66 Michigan: September 08, 2020 [ abstract] FLINT, Mich. --- Class is in session for the custodial staff at Westwood Heights Schools. The district kicks off virtual learning on September 8, but wants to get ahead of the learning curve on it’s COVID-19 cleaning standards.
"Safety is our number one concern, so we want to try to use every technology available to us to create a safe environment," said Leslie Key, Hamady High School principal.
On their website, the Centers for Disease Control has a disinfecting guide for schools, recommending frequent cleaning and sanitizing to reduce the risk of spreading the coronavirus.
David Cole with Supply Pro Divison of Joshen Paper in Grand Blanc says he’s been to multiple districts in mid-Michigan training staff on EPA-approved products.
"What is now structured through CDC is a two-step cleaning process where step one you are going to clean and disinfect those services taking them down to ground zero," said David Cole, salesperson for Supply Pro/Joshen Paper in Grand Blanc.
He added,"Step two is going to be with a electrostatic sprayer that I am holding from Victory or the backpack sprayer for larger areas.
-- Bria Jones Connecticut’s first ‘net-zero’ schools, tapping solar and geothermal energy, to be built in Manchester and Mansfield-- Hartford Courant Connecticut: August 25, 2020 [ abstract]
MANCHESTER — A Hartford-based architectural firm is designing two Connecticut elementary schools as “net-zero” buildings, which generate as much energy as they use.
TSKP Studio is touting the projects as the first such schools in the state, “establishing a new standard for sustainable design in our communities.”
The renovation and addition project at Buckley Elementary School in Manchester and construction of a new Mansfield Elementary School are both to begin next year.
Both projects will use roof-mounted solar panels and geothermal wells. Plans also focus on reducing energy demand through lighting, window placement and strategic IT design, the architects said in a news release Tuesday.
“This validates what we’ve been doing all along if you look at our portfolio of work: incorporating daylight, planning efficient spaces and simplifying forms,” TSKP partner Ryszard Szczypek said.
With built-in tools for monitoring energy generation and consumption in real time, the buildings also will be educational resources, the architects said, providing students and teachers with dashboards to gauge energy performance.
“Connecting the school community to the environmental mission of their learning space will provide a rich opportunity for an ongoing dialog about sustainability,” the release said.
-- JESSE LEAVENWORTH NY's 4th Largest School District Announces All-Virtual Start as NYC Reopening Debate Rages-- NBC4 New York New York: August 20, 2020 [ abstract] New York's fourth-largest public school district, Yonkers, announced Thursday it would start the 2020-21 academic year all-remote, putting more pressure on New York City officials already facing controversy over a planned hybrid start.
Yonkers, which has nearly 30,000 students in 39 school buildings, voted Thursday to open school virtually on Sept. 8 and move to a blended approach on Oct. 5., with kids in class two days a week. The person in charge of Westchester County's largest school district, Superintendent Dr. Edwin Quezada, said the decision to hit pause was tough but necessary, and that they will work to help families who need computers.
"I think we are in a good place and I'm extremely grateful to our trustees for making a decision considering the best interest of everyone," Quezada said. "Giving ourselves a little more time to prepare is essential to the process."
When asked to weigh in on what path they would choose for their children, more than 30 percent of Yonkers families opted for remote learning. The city joins a growing number of school districts, from Newark to Chicago to Houston and Los Angeles, opting for that approach.
New York City, meanwhile, continues to push the mayor's and school chancellor's plan to have students in physical classrooms at least twice a week by mid-September. Facing mounting backlash from teachers and principals over safety standards for schools' in-person reopening to students, Mayor Bill de Blasio unveiled a "back-to-school pledge" Thursday that he says should ease concerns.
-- Staff Writer Some RI classrooms don't meet CDC recommendations to prevent COVID-19 spread
-- 10 WJAR Rhode Island: August 17, 2020 [ abstract]
Air quality has become the latest concern for school districts, as Rhode Island debates whether to send students back to class.
The layout and design of a school building can impact the spread of COVID-19. The virus can infect people through respiratory droplets circulating in the air, which means a building’s heating, ventilation and HVAC system can play a major role in stopping the infection from spreading through particles.
Coventry Superintendent Craig Levis says air quality has become the latest barrier in reopening plans.
“I’m very concerned about air quality and ventilation. We have many classroom spaces that as of right now, we should not be putting kids in those,” he said.
Some buildings, like hospitals, have filters designed to remove these particles from the air, but NBC 10 learned the standard school building does not.
Many Rhode Island classrooms do not meet CDC recommendations to prevent the spread of COVID-19, which include increasing circulation of outdoor air, installing fans, and upgrading ventilation and filtration systems.
Raj Setty, a member of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers Epidemic Task Force, helped write the CDC’s guidelines for reopening buildings. He explained there are three key factors that must be considered before reopening a building, filtration, dilution and disinfection.
“What we will call it is air changes or air rotations. We want the air to see a filter and get diluted or disinfected every ten minutes, so six air changes,” said Setty.
-- TAMARA SACHARCZYK Funding for school facility improvements a requirement for safe reopening-- EducationDive National: August 13, 2020 [ abstract]
Before the pandemic, the U.S. Government Accountability Office estimated a stunning 41% of America’s school districts needed to replace or update heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems in at least half of their schools — representing 36,000 schools nationwide.
During the coronavirus pandemic, these building systems have become essential in helping to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission, yet the focus has been on masks, cleaning, spacing of desks and other steps. School facilities also require attention, and right now, they are not ready to welcome back students, teachers and staff.
Public health experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; the Harvard School of Public Health; the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, and others have emphasized the need for bringing in outside air and improving ventilation and filtration to dilute and avoid circulating particles containing the virus.
The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) also released guidance for schools to reduce the risk of spreading airborne pathogens while meeting indoor air quality standards that support the health and performance of students and staff. Readying these building systems, along with the physical distancing requirements, are among the most challenging issues school leaders face.
An immediate injection of federal funding for school repairs is critical for reopening. School facilities are historically funded through local governments, which are already facing extreme budget challenges. School districts, especially those in disadvantaged areas, need support for these upgrades in order to prioritize health and safety.
-- Elizabeth Beardsley, Scott Brown, Mary Filardo and New metrics make it easier for rural Oregon schools to reopen-- OPB.org Oregon: August 12, 2020 [ abstract] The Oregon Department of Education has announced new health metrics that make it easier for rural schools to reopen. But districts are still trying to figure out what these benchmarks mean.
How and when Oregon kids will go back to classrooms is still an open question, with the opening of school fast approaching. This week, the state’s Department of Education bowed to pressure from rural community leaders and released new standards for in-person instruction in the state’s most sparsely-populated areas.
ODE Director Colt Gill said that the goal of these updated protocols is to allow rural schools the flexibility to reopen their doors while ensuring that any school-related outbreaks remain small.
“We want to make sure no local health authority would be overwhelmed by contact tracing. We want to reduce the number of students and staff interacting,” said Gill.
Counties with populations of less than 30,000 will be able to open, even if they don’t meet the statewide standard of fewer than 30 cases per 100,000 residents. Those counties can open schools that serve fewer than 250 students if certain criteria are met. Conditions include limiting the total number of cases in a county over the previous three weeks to no more than 30. If more than half of those cases occurred in the final week of that three-week period schools would have to remain closed, because it could indicate increasing community transmission.
-- Emily Cureton What’s next for Pa. schools during COVID-19? Here’s the new guidance from state officials-- wpxi.com Pennsylvania: August 11, 2020 [ abstract]
HARRISBURG, Pa. — Pennsylvania state officials have provided new guidance about how to keep students and employees safe during the COVID-19 pandemic as classes resume for the fall semester.
According to a release Monday, the recommendations rely on two standard public health metrics used by public health experts: incidence rate and the percent positivity of diagnostic testing.
The Pa. Department of Education created a website that includes more details on the recommendations and plans for each style of return-to-class for the fall. Click here to see it.
This new guidance recommends a specific teaching/school style based on COVID-19 cases and percent positivity in that area. Based on the White House Coronavirus Task Force, it “identifies thresholds representing low, moderate, or substantial community transmission of COVID-19, and corresponding instructional models recommended by the Departments of Health and Education.”
According to the education department’s website, if fewer than 10 new cases are reported in a county in the most recent seven-day reporting period, the county will automatically qualify as exhibiting a low level of community transmission.
-- Staff Writer NYC Teachers Union Launches Its Own Investigation of School Building Air Quality Amid COVID Threat, UFT President Says-- The 74 New York: August 05, 2020 [ abstract] Looking to spur the New York City Department of Education to take preventative action on airborne COVID transmission in schools, the United Federation of Teachers is taking the long-standing issue of poor ventilation into its own hands, UFT President Michael Mulgrew told The 74 in an exclusive interview.
Starting Wednesday, the UFT began dispatching health and safety workers to school buildings, prioritizing 30 “red flag” offenders that have had dysfunctional ventilation systems for years, he said. The workers will check air intake systems on roofs as well as exhaust systems and air diffusers inside.
Mulgrew said since late May he has received emails from thousands of teachers concerned that substandard air quality, a widespread problem in city schools before the pandemic, could put them at risk for COVID-19: teachers stationed in classrooms without windows, classrooms in basements, schools that have been awaiting airflow-related repairs from the DOE for years.
“It’s the first week of August,” Mulgrew said. “I don’t know how [the DOE] is gonna get these things done.”
The union president, who released a statement Thursday saying the city’s current reopening plan does not meet safety standards for students and staff on several fronts, said he’s been pushing City Hall and the DOE to take COVID-related air quality issues seriously since April.
“We’ve been telling them and telling them and telling them,” he said. “We couldn’t get any movement on the air quality issue. Hopefully by doing these visits, we can get better results.”
-- ZOË KIRSCH LAUSD ponders $7 billion school bond measure for construction, modernization-- Los Angeles Daily News California: July 30, 2020 [ abstract] The Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Trustee is set to vote Tuesday, Aug. 4, during a special meeting on whether to put a $7 billion construction bond on the November ballot.
The bond money, paid back through property taxes on district residents, would go toward a long list of school construction projects continuing ongoing efforts at dozens of schools in the areas of safety, technology, modernization, accessibility, equipment and new construction. It would also cover projects on charter school campuses.
At least 55% of voters must approve the measure for passage. The average tax rate assessed on property owners to pay for the bond is estimated to roughly $21 per $100,000 of assessed property value until 2055 generating nearly $330 million annually.
But the tax would not increase overall rates for property owners as the district has promised it will only replace tax levies to pay for other bonds that are expiring.
“We have set a model not just for Los Angeles but the nation for how we can take a system that had been neglected for so long and create world class facilities,” Superintendent Austin Beutner told the LAUSD Bond Oversight Committee on Thursday during an informational discussion.
“This is about continuing our efforts,” Beutner said. “This will not require any taxpayer to pay more. There is no increase. We’ll continue to spend the dollars as if they are our own personal dollars.”
Current estimates show the school district has more than $50 billion in unfunded facility needs at roughly 1,100 school campuses district wide. More than 70% of all buildings were constructed more than 50 years ago and many are deteriorating and do not meet today’s standards for learning, officials say.
-- DAVID ROSENFELD COVID-19 Poses Another Challenge for Schools: Air Quality-- Oklahoma Watch Oklahoma: July 27, 2020 [ abstract] Plans to safely reopen Oklahoma schools are plentiful, but not much can be done to improve air quality in buildings. School officials must rely on existing equipment that is not designed to filter out coronavirus particles.
Replacing heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning systems to meet new guidelines for addressing COVID-19 is cost prohibitive for school districts unless patrons agree to pay for it through a bond issue. Even upgrading current systems by incorporating higher-grade filters is expensive and is not always feasible, experts agree.
“The problem is so insurmountable that people aren’t talking about it,” said state Rep. John Waldron, D-Tulsa, who taught high school for 15 years.
The state House Democratic Caucus is drawing attention to the issue by including it on a list of “needs that must be met before school can resume in the fall.” The lawmakers argue that school buildings should meet ventilation standards for COVID-19 recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The CDC on July 9 published steps office building managers can take to create a safe and healthy workplace during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The guidelines are based on the standards written by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers. The engineers group recommends a filter with a minimum efficiency reporting value (MERV) of 1
-- Kathryn McNutt Education Master Plan Completed for U.S. Virgin Islands-- School Construction News U.S. Virgin Islands: July 22, 2020 [ abstract] U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS— U.S. Virgin Islands Governor Albert Bryan Jr. recently announced the completion of the education facilities master plan for the U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Education.
“Today is a good day as we celebrate a major milestone, especially in the department of education,” said Governor Bryan in a statement.
“It gives me great pride and a real sense of accomplishment to launch our education schools facilities master plan. Education is the main driver in what a Virgin Islander will do for years to come, and we want to make sure we have schools that are not only equipped with the technology to power that, but with an atmosphere of warmth where teachers, students, administrators, and parents can come together and prepare the Virgin Islands children for a very bright future.”
Serving as a framework for future decision-making related to the reinvention of education and educational facilities in St. Croix, St. John, and St. Thomas, the master plan provides an avenue to improve learning environments for the territory’s 10,000 students.
For the past three years, the Virgin Islands has continued to recover following the catastrophic damage Hurricanes Irma and Maria caused across the territory in 2017, including destruction to multiple schools and educational support facilities. With many of the schools in the Virgin Islands 40 years and older, they are outdated and do not meet today’s educational standards.
The master plan calls for a reduction of facilities from 32 to 18 and a shift to a programming model of grades Pre-K-8 and 9-12 to ensure equity between the islands and the schools. Six schools will be constructed and 12 will receive modernizations and/or expansions, and all learning environments will be updated to support future-ready learning.
-- Staff Writer Parents express concerns about air quality in schools amid pandemic-- 7WJLA Virginia: July 15, 2020 [ abstract] ARLINGTON, Va. (ABC7) — As the coronavirus continues to spread, school administrators are facing questions about air quality.
“Our assistant superintendent...is working with a consulting group of engineers who specialize in indoor air quality and heating ventilation and cooling to be able to specifically look at our systems, to make sure that they meet the standard,” said Arlington Public Schools Emergency Manager Zachary Pope on Tuesday night.
“Until I personally see a lot of things put in place, I’m still hesitant to go indoor spaces, especially schools and send my kids to schools,” said George Mason professor & CEO of Senseware Serene Al-Momen.
Al-Momen is concerned that some school buildings are not equipped for students to return due to their poor heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) units.
“COVID obviously is making it more of a problem, air is the primary mode of transmission,” Al-Momen said. “The schools that have bad ventilation or HVAC, will be most susceptible for conditions that are ripe.”
Last month, the Government Accountability Office published new findings from a survey.
It showed that 41 percent of school districts nationwide, will need to update or replace their HVAC systems.
“It’s also not realistic for these school systems to just rip something out and put something new,” Al-Momen said.
-- Anna-Lysa Gayle As schools prepare to reopen, the gap between 3 and 6 feet is feeling hard to bridge-- Boston Globe Massachusetts: July 12, 2020 [ abstract]
When Governor Charlie Baker released guidelines for reopening schools, one measure seemed to come out of left field: In an effort to get as many students as possible back into their classrooms this fall, he would allow schools to practice only 3 feet of social distancing instead of the standard 6 feet, sparking a passionate debate across the state.
Teacher unions adamantly oppose the idea, calling it “a path of disaster.” Many parents are up in arms, and some districts, such as Boston and Lexington, have already rejected the lower standard.
“It’s really anxiety-provoking,” said Sharita Fauche, a co-director of the Collaborative Parent Leadership Action Network, whose children attend Brooke Charter School in Mattapan. “For parents who have really abided by the shelter-in-place advisory, you are now exposing your kids to other kids by sending them to school, and you don’t know what the safety practices of those other kids are in their homes.”
President Trump stepped into the fray last week, demanding school districts nationwide resume in-person classes for all students five days a week or lose federal funding, adding more pressure on Massachusetts districts to relax social distancing.
Meanwhile, a growing number of infectious disease experts and pediatricians support Massachusetts’ lower social-distancing standard because it is combined with other safety measures, such as requiring masks and having all desks face forward. They argue that the risk of children getting the coronavirus is low, while the academic, social, and emotional harm they would incur by staying out of school is far greater.
The swirling debate over social distancing exemplifies how difficult it will be for local districts to reopen school buildings after the pandemic forced their closure in March, especially in convincing a nervous public that everyone will be safe. A Suffolk University poll recently found almost half of white parents and 60 percent of Black and Latino parents doubted schools would have adequate safety measures.
-- James Vaznis Lawmakers grill education officials on plan for K-12 school amid pandemic-- Arkansas Times Arkansas: July 07, 2020 [ abstract]
Important questions related to how schools in Arkansas will return to in-person instruction and operate safely will be answered at the district level, Secretary of Education Johnny Key told a legislative committee today.
Will students, teachers and other employees be required to wear masks in school buildings, on school buses or in other close quarters?
Key said the state has provided guidance, not a mandate, to districts that strongly encourages children 10 and older to wear masks. If districts want to mandate masks, they can, Key said, but he emphasized that policies should be “practical,” “feasible” and “appropriate.” Key said the Arkansas Department of Health had determined that masks weren’t practical or developmentally appropriate for kids younger than 10. Asked a similar question recently, Secretary of Health Nate Smith said he thought kids might surprise us in terms of how capable they are at keeping a mask on their face.
“We can never give up on trusting people to do the right thing,” Key said later, when pressed on mandating masks on buses.
What about teachers? Sen. Linda Chesterfield (D-Little Rock) asked. Will they be required to wear masks? Will they be provided personal protective equipment?
Again, Key said, the state hasn’t issued a mandate on teachers or other employees wearing masks. He said teachers would be provided with “the standard” PPE — masks, gloves, sanitizing chemicals.
-- Lindsey Millar Ky. Senate leaders cite ‘frustration’ over lack of school COVID-19 reopening directions-- Lexington Herald Leader Kentucky: June 19, 2020 [ abstract]
Kentucky Senate President Robert Stivers and other Senate leaders told Interim Education Commissioner Kevin Brown in a letter to speed up giving school superintendents directions on how to reopen schools amid a coronavirus outbreak.
“...There is a great deal of frustration among local school district leaders regarding the failure of KDE and the Education and Workforce Development Cabinet to set forth tangible standards and directives for beginning school in the fall,” said the June 18 letter signed by Stivers, Senate President Pro Tem David Givens and Senate Education Committee Chairman Max Wise.
Kentucky schools shut down to in-person learning in March and switched to at home learning called non-traditional instruction.
Superintendents are trying to figure out whether and how to reopen schools in the fall, but they haven’t received firm instructions from the Kentucky Department of Education. The department is expected to release general guidance, and each district will decide whether to require masks, temperature taking, having kids attend in person classes on alternate days or other measures.
Department spokeswoman Toni Konz Tatman said Friday night that in response to the COVID-19 crisis, the Kentucky Department of Education has been committed to providing guidance and solutions that focus on educating and feeding children and providing support to districts.
The Senate leaders said they understood that the department faced an “unprecedented” challenge in helping districts reopen schools, but they asked Brown to “accelerate” the steps officials have taken to offer direction.
-- VALARIE HONEYCUTT SPEARS Social distancing in S.C. schools to be complex and costly, superintendents say-- Aiken Standard South Carolina: June 19, 2020 [ abstract]
South Carolina's leading education task force for COVID-19 met Friday to review public feedback and suggest alterations to drafted guidelines for a return to schools in the fall.
Although recommendations AccelerateED members emphasized may change depending on how severe the state's coronavirus outbreak is in August, one certainty was established: Daily school routines will look very different compared to last year.
Coronavirus-related guidelines for returning to school in the fall, which were discussed at length during the task force's Friday meeting, will be finalized next week and and made public during a press briefing Monday, June 22.
Some of the major recommendations already suggested by the task force for the upcoming school year are as follows:
• Using disinfecting fog or spray-down twice a day in classrooms and other school facilities.
• Filling up buses by only 50% to maintain social distancing.
• Five extra educational days for students 4K through eighth grade.
• Extending hours of the day to reduce bottleneck of students during crowding times, such as dismissal and class changes.
-- Kristina Rackley Virginia releases plan for phased reopening of schools-- WUSA9 Virginia: June 10, 2020 [ abstract] FAIRFAX, Va. — All Virginia schools will reopen to in-person learning this fall, but at a phased-in approach, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Tuesday.
Northam said districts will open in three phases, with hybrid learning models as the standard.
"Closing our schools was a necessary step to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and protect the health and safety of staff, students, and our communities," Northam said in a press release. "Our schools have risen to the occasion and found ways to provide remote learning opportunities, keep students engaged, continue serving meals for children who otherwise would have gone hungry, and support students and families through an immensely challenging time. Resuming in-person instruction is a high priority, but we must do so in a safe, responsible, and equitable manner that minimizes the risk of exposure to the virus and meets the needs of the Virginia students who have been disproportionately impacted by lost classroom time."
-- Jess Arnold Lyme-Old Lyme schools looks to phase out fossil fuel use by 2030-- The Day Connecticut: June 05, 2020 [ abstract] Old Lyme — The Region 18 Board of Education unanimously approved a resolution this week seeking to phase out all fossil-fuel use at its schools throughout Lyme and Old Lyme by 2030.
The resolution is not a mandatory ruling for the board to follow, but rather a goal that will help drive decision-making regarding heating, electricity and transportation sources for the district over the next 10 years.
The district claims it is the first in the state to formally adopt such a goal. The idea for the resolution is based around concepts published by the Sierra Club, a national environmental organization that has been working to inspire school districts throughout the country to take on similar plans, Superintendent Ian Neviaser said by phone Friday.
“Internally, we’ve been continually looking at ways to be more energy efficient and more environmentally friendly, and we have significant interest from our student body and parents in doing that,” said Neviaser, who said he has been helping form the 10-year plan with a Board of Education sustainability subcommittee made up of board members, school staff, residents and students. “There really is an interest for taking this (idea) to the next level and meeting the standards for being carbon neutral within a 10-year time frame.”
Trying to attain the 10-year carbon-neutral goal, Neviaser said by phone this week, will not only financially benefit the district but expand educational opportunities for students and support global, national and state efforts to reduce carbon energy reliance.
Neviaser said while the district has been moving in the direction of reducing its carbon footprint for some years now, the plan materialized over recent months after the subcommittee overseeing it was formalized earlier this year.
-- Mary Biekert Options for reopening schools in Clark County, Washington come with complex questions of equity-- The Columbian Washington: June 04, 2020 [ abstract]
As social distancing restrictions ease across Washington, the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction is preparing for how best to reopen schools come fall.
The state education department is expected to announce early next week how schools can reopen for the 2020-2021 school year. Educators across the state have spent weeks discussing options, from reopening schools on a split schedule, to continuing virtual education, to some hybrid of the two.
While reopening is an obstacle in and of itself, underneath the surface are questions of equity: Will all students be able to access whatever programs their districts put in place? How will families return to work if their children are attending class only a few days a week?
Maria Flores, OSPI’s executive director for the Center for the Improvement of Student Learning, described the upcoming school year as a complex tree of unique situations and challenges families will face.
“How will we know what each family’s unique situation is, and how will they be able to accommodate that?”
The options
A group of more than 120 educators, union leaders and community members have spent the last month weighing options for returning to school, including the following possible scenarios:
• Split or rotating schedules by age, classroom, content, student need or family choice.
• Split or rotating schedules that include distance learning online or via paper packets.
• A staggered opening with or without distance learning.
• An improved version of distance learning.
Flores, however, said all those options present challenges for families used to sending their children to school five days a week. There may be gaps in services, for example, for students with disabilities who need access to special services. Students living in poverty whose families may not have access to child care outside of school may struggle with a split schedule.
“We realize we’re going to have families at all different places along the continuum to do a split or rotating schedule,” she said.
Meanwhile, with standardized testing on pause while the pandemic rages on, Flores said it can be difficult to measure how students may be falling behind.
“We are going to see the (opportunity gap) widen and not have the data because we didn’t do spring testing,” Flores said.
-- Katie Gillespie Group releases recommendations to safely reopen schools-- 12 News Florida: June 02, 2020 [ abstract] TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (CBS12) — A statewide committee has come out with recommendations for safely reopening the state's public schools that were closed in March due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The recommendations include no testing so teachers can focus solely on teaching.
The recommendations are contained in a 17-page report from the Florida Education Association.
The group says we need to start talking about how we will reopen the state’s 4500 public schools.
“School testing and evaluations should not be conducted in the 2020-2021 school year," said Carol Cleaver, an Escambia County teacher who spoke at an FEA news conference Tuesday.
The Florida Education Association says if kids go back to schools in person in August, or if they take part in distance learning, they should not be tested, because teachers need to focus on getting the students caught up.
“Determining a student's ability to perform on a standardized test or school improvement percentages should not be our concern when we are endeavoring to make up for lost time from the end of our last school year," Cleaver said.
-- Albert Pefley State Department of Education issues guidelines for reopening schools-- Sand Mountain The Reporter Alabama: June 02, 2020 [ abstract]
The Alabama State Department of Education recently issued detailed guidelines for schools as they begin to reopen and allow students back on campus.
Phase 3 of the reopening plan began June 1, when limited access to campus facilities for summer learning opportunities and extracurricular activities was given to students grades seventh-12th under social distancing and heightened sanitation restrictions. Phase 4, which will give younger students the same access as upperclassmen, is scheduled for July 6. The planned return to school for the 2020-2021 academic year — Phase 5 — is set for August.
Included in the checklist and supportive guidance for keeping students and staff healthy and safe during extracurricular and co-curricular activities are:
1. Group Size and Physical standards
• Implement social distancing strategies to maintain at least a six-foot distance between persons from different households
• Change parent drop-off and pick-up processes to limit contact and building access
• Ensure school-sponsored extracurricular and co-curricular activities, including athletics and band, adhere to established safety and hygiene protocols
2. Symptom Monitoring
• Require sick students and staff to stay home
• Maintain adequate number of thermometers to screen students when necessary
• Implement isolation measures if a student becomes sick, then follow with cleaning and disinfecting processes
Address vulnerable students with health conditions
-- DANIEL TAYLOR Plan to reopen San Mateo County schools detailed-- The Daily Journal California: May 28, 2020 [ abstract]
Masked students and teachers, reconfigured classroom arrangements, a continued reliance on remote learning and suspended school gatherings — all part of the plan to reopen campuses this fall, the county’s top education official said Wednesday.
County Superintendent Nancy Magee said officials are putting the finishing touches on a comprehensive framework designed to help local districts start classes again in the safest fashion possible.
The guidelines for K-12 schools, expected to be published next week, are established around four pillars — health and hygiene protocol, face coverings requirements, physical distancing standards and gathering restrictions, said Magee.
For her part, Magee said educators and health officials are working hard to come up with a thoughtful set of strategies and measures while acknowledging amendments will be needed when unanticipated issues are encountered.
“Planning is a challenge. I believe we will get there. I don’t believe it will be an easy road,” she said. “I think we will have a two steps forward, one step backward scenario.”
Face coverings
Magee said students and staff will be expected to always wear face coverings while on campus, especially in common areas shared by large groups, as officials are focused on slowing the spread of COVID-19.
Once in the classroom, she suggested there could be some latitude among smaller student groups. And exceptions will be made for those with sensory complications or other issues which make wearing masks or face coverings challenging.
-- Austin Walsh School Renovation: Proposed bond taxes will be delayed-- The Chronicle Oregon: April 28, 2020 [ abstract] The St. Helens School District Board of Directors has announced that if Measure 5-282 passes during the May 19 election, they have instructed the District to delay the sale of bonds until 2022.
The delay would not impact the proposed construction schedule to the high school, according to a release from the St. Helens School District.
The following is the release from the District.
Bond Package Developed, Referred to Voters
In 2015 when the St. Helens School District held listening sessions throughout the community about the direction they wanted their school district to lead, they were told, among other things, that the Middle School and High School needed to be updated to modern health, safety and education standards.
“Over the past five years, the St. Helens School District has been planning and working with our community to upgrade these facilities,” Board Chair Bill Amos said. “We have built a new middle school and a new options high school building both of which were built under budget."
For the past year and a half, the District has worked with the community to develop a High School improvement plan that would address health, safety, building systems and education programs at the facility. In February, the board of directors referred the proposed bond to voters for the May 2020 ballot.
-- Staff Writer Dearborn and Crestwood School Districts respond to school building closure order-- The Arab American News Michigan: April 03, 2020 [ abstract] Dearborn/Dearborn Heights — Superintendents from Dearborn Public Schools (DPS) and the Crestwood School District responded on Thursday to Governor Whitmer’s latest executive order, which closes all school buildings for the remainder of the school year, but continues distant-learning and other remote services.
DPS Superintendent Dr. Glenn Maleyko applauded the governor’s decision and summarized the order’s main points:
All public school buildings will be closed for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year.
All school districts must develop a plan for continued on-line/distance learning.
Seniors will be allowed to graduate and students will move to the next grade, assuming they are on track to graduate, have met standards and/or will show they have met standards over the next several weeks via online learning or other methods.
Assessments are waived (SAT, PSAT, M-STEP). Students who were scheduled to take the SAT this spring will have an opportunity to take the SAT, which may occur in the fall.
Food distribution programs will continue.
The state will continue to provide school aid payments allowing districts to pay staff regular wages/salary and benefits for the remainder of the school year.
“We are still reviewing all of the details in the governor’s order and awaiting further direction from the Michigan Department of Education,” Maleyko said in a statement. “However, our administrative team has already started developing a distance learning plan that will be submitted to our local Intermediate School District (ISD) as required by the governor’s order.
“Approval by the ISD will ensure the remainder of the school year will count for the district and that we will continue to receive our school aid budgetary payments. A key component in the governor’s order is that students need to participate in distance learning or other forms of continued learning that is provided by the district.”
-- HASSAN ABBAS Defense Department schools in Japan, South Korea to remain shuttered beyond spring break-- Stars & Stripes DoDEA: March 30, 2020 [ abstract] URUMA, Okinawa — Defense Department schools in Japan and South Korea will remain closed beyond spring break and virtual instructions will continue “until further notice” due to ongoing coronavirus concerns, school officials announced Tuesday.
“Due to the current health protection conditions in our communities, we will not be able to resume our normal operations on April 13,” said Lois Rapp, director of the Department of Defense Education Activity Pacific, wrote in a letter Tuesday, a copy of which was obtained by Stars and Stripes.
The goal remains for students to meet required standards to move on to their next grade level “and for seniors to graduate as scheduled, whether that accomplishment is celebrated in person or virtually,” Rapp wrote.
DODEA schools in South Korea will also remain closed through spring break, and DODEA-Pacific officials will “continue to monitor the environment in coordination with U.S. Forces Korea,” DODEA-Pacific spokeswoman Miranda Ferguson told Stars and Stripes on Tuesday.
-- DAVE ORNAUER How Bibb County schools are keeping facilities clean during the COVID-19 pandemic-- WGXA Georgia: March 24, 2020 [ abstract] MACON, Ga. -- All Bibb County schools have been closed since March 6 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and two school district employees have since tested positive for the virus.
One of those employees works at Ballard Hudson Middle School, and the other is employed at Southwest High School. During these ongoing closures, all buildings are undergoing deep cleaning.
Keith Simmons, Chief of Staff for the Bibb County School District, says typically schools run on what the district calls level three cleaning, which involves standard cleaning measures.
-- Nick Gibson Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb announces all Indiana schools closed through May 1-- WSBT Indiana: March 19, 2020 [ abstract] Indiana's governor gave a coronavirus briefing on Thursday afternoon. One of the biggest announcements was that all Indiana schools will be closed an additional 30 days -- to May 1. In addition to this, Governor Holcomb announced the cancellation of all state standardized testing.
The governor's office issued the following release:
INDIANAPOLIS — Governor Eric J. Holcomb took additional unprecedented actions today to protect and support Hoosiers during the COVID-19 outbreak by signing executive orders that extend the closure of schools, provide economic relief and protections for individuals and businesses, and expand unemployment insurance benefits for those impacted by job loss.
“Every day we learn more about how to tackle this monster. We are being thoughtful about how to approach every action we are taking in this national public health emergency and putting Hoosiers’ health and safety first,” said Gov. Holcomb.
Daily COVID-19 testing capacity in Indiana has expanded with the addition of a new partnership between the Indiana State Department of Health and Eli Lilly and Company, and at least one other entity has initiated testing this week. In the past 24 hours, about 200 tests have been completed.
-- Staff Writer Some schools closing Tuesday for cleanings, remote learning training-- KomoNews Washington: March 02, 2020 [ abstract]
BOTHELL, Wash. -- A day after 11 schools in the Puget Sound region closed their doors to clean classrooms amid coronavirus concerns, some schools are once again closed Tuesday as a precaution.
Kentwood High School and Covington Elementary School will be closed Tuesday while crews thoroughly clean and disinfect both schools to keep up with the Center for Disease Control standards. A parent who has children at both schools became sick with flu-like symptoms last week. The students were at school during the week and has not shown any symptoms but the district made the decision to close both schools for a deep cleaning.
In Kirkland, both Puget Sound Adventist Academy and Kirkland Seventh Day Adventist School are closed Tuesday for cleaning, but no other details were given.
In Marysville, the Early Learning Center and Grove Elementary are closed for cleaning on Tuesday.
But in the Northshore School District, all schools are closed for a different reason. Instead of being in the classroom, teachers and staff will spend the day training on techniques for conducting remote lessons, should any need for an extended school closure arise.
Teachers spent Monday to "connect with students to foreshadow the possibility of remote learning should it become necessary," Northshore Superintendent Michelle Reid said in a letter to students' families. Schools will also be cleaned during the closure.
The district is also making contingency plans to help any students who do not have computers or internet at home to be loaned a computer and an internet hot spot, if needed, Reid said.
Eastside Prep is also taking the next step to have students complete lessons from home. They will conducting school online for the first three weeks of their third trimester from March 9 through March 27 and plan to resume classes on campus on April 13, according to school head Terry Macaluso.
-- Staff Writer Adelman, Bendor, O’Grady: Neglect of Arizona schools’ capital needs violates Constitution-- Glendale Independent Arizona: February 17, 2020 [ abstract] School districts all over Arizona are challenged today by aging schools and inadequate funds to repair or replace them. This is a major problem for our educators and for the children they teach --- and it is a violation of the Arizona Constitution, which requires the state to maintain a “general and uniform” system of public schools.
We’ve faced this problem before. In the 1990’s, a school district’s ability to have decent buildings, textbooks, and computers depended almost entirely on whether it could pass bonds and overrides. Kids in districts with little property wealth or with voters who wouldn’t pass bonds were left behind. After years of litigation, the Arizona Supreme Court held that this system violated the Arizona Constitution.
As a result, the Legislature eventually enacted legislation called Students FIRST to fix this problem. Students FIRST provided money to fix the disrepair that had built up over the years, take care of buildings going forward, build new schools in growing districts, and buy “soft capital” items like textbooks, computers, and buses.
Unfortunately, the state has broken the promise of Students FIRST. It eliminated a “building renewal” program designed to give schools funds to take care of their buildings, and replaced it with a bureaucratic grant program with paltry funding that is only available after a building system --- like a roof or air-conditioning unit --- has failed. The state also ignored its statutory duty to inspect schools; slashed funding for textbooks, computers, and buses; stopped updating its facilities, security, and technology standards --- used to determine funding; and made the program for new school construction a shadow of its former self, providing too little funding and delaying what funding there was until after districts were already overcapacity for years.
-- Opinion Infrastructure plan could point to sea change for schools-- Roll Call National: February 06, 2020 [ abstract]
The nation’s roads and bridges may be falling down, but its schools aren’t far behind.
So education proponents paid attention last week when, unveiling a $760 billion legislative infrastructure framework, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi suggested that any infrastructure package would ultimately include federal dollars for school construction.
“We tell children that education is important, they should study, it’s important to their own self'fulfillment and to that of our country, and yet we send some of them to schools that are so substandard that it sends a different message,” Pelosi said the day after rolling out the infrastructure plan.
A bigger federal role in school construction would amount to a sea change for public education in the U.S., where state and local governments have traditionally paid for building and renovation. While the federal government has demanded school districts educate all children equally, it hasn’t demanded that the school buildings themselves be equal.
High-profile incidents in Baltimore, where schools lacked heat, and in Philadelphia, where schools were contaminated with asbestos, have drawn attention to the state of those buildings. In its latest report card on infrastructure, the American Society of Civil Engineers gave schools a D-plus.
Democrats may be looking to change that.
-- Jessica Wehrman Measure E will fund facilities upgrades in Sebastopol School District
-- Sonoma West Times & News California: February 05, 2020 [ abstract] Faced with aging classrooms and the need to bring school facilities up to current building standards, the Sebastopol Union School District has placed a $17.5 million general obligation bond measure on the March 3 ballot.
“In order to maintain a safe and healthy environment for our students, we need to keep our facilities upgraded and in good working order,” Sebastopol Union Superintendent Linda Irving said.
The proceeds of the bond will be used to modernize and renovate the district’s aging school facilities, particularly Park Side Elementary, which serves grades K-4, and Brook Haven, which serves grades 5-8.
General obligation bonds or GO bonds are used to fund both school renovation projects and new construction. Similar to home loans, they are typically repaid over 25 to 30 years. The loan repayment comes from a tax on residential, commercial, agricultural and industrial property located within the district’s boundaries.
The tax rate per property owner for Measure E is estimated to be $25 per $100,000 of assessed valuation per year. For example, the owner of a home that is assessed by the county at $800,000 would pay $200 per year for this bond.
Irving said the district needs voters to approve Measure E because the scope of the facilities improvements needed by the district is far more than it can pay out of its operating budget.
-- Laura Hagar Rush Representative Udall's Bill for Funding School Capital-- prescott eNews Arizona: January 22, 2020 [ abstract] STATE CAPITOL, PHOENIX – Representative Michelle Udall (R-25) has introduced HB 2679, legislation that would make significant changes to improve how the state funds school capital. The bill would eliminate the School Facilities Board (SFB) and assign its duties to the Arizona Department of Administration (ADOA) and a School Facilities Oversight Board. Additionally, the bill specifies that building renewal would be funded both through a formula distributed to schools on a per student basis as well as a state grant program for larger expenses.
“After years of unsuccessful efforts to fix the problems within the Schools Facilities Board, and given its most recent audit, it’s clear that big changes are necessary,” said Representative Udall. “It is time to eliminate the board and entrust the responsibility of building new schools and approving repairs to an agency that has a track record of efficient grant management and building oversight.”
The School Facilities Board was created to help ensure schools were built and repaired in a timely, efficient manner so that all Arizona students could attend schools that met a minimum set of standards.
-- Lynne LaMaster Dept. of Education to Continue Facilities Master Planning Sessions to Guide New Schools Construction-- The Virgin Islands Consortium U.S. Virgin Islands: January 15, 2020 [ abstract] The New Schools Construction Advisory Board, comprised of Virgin Islands Department of Education professionals and other V.I. residents, will continue work on a Facilities Master Plan for a period of six months beginning January 15 at Bertha C. Boschulte Middle School that will guide the construction of new public schools expected to be built in the territory over the next 5-10 years. A similar meeting will take place January 21 on St. Croix, D.O.E. has announced.
The federally mandated Facilities Master Plan will establish the use of building standards and scope of work for all Department of Education facilities that will be constructed. Planning sessions are expected to continue through June, with periodic community workshops as milestones are reached.
D.O.E. said the planning sessions follow a series of public meetings the Board held last October to update residents on the work it had been doing since January 2019 and to gain the community’s input on the building of schools—an opportunity made available through funding from Congress following the 2017 storms.
-- Staff Writer School Closures Can Hit Rural Communities Hard-- Truthout National: January 11, 2020 [ abstract]
The school bus begins picking up children before 6 a.m. in Elaine, Arkansas, a small, mostly African American town on the Mississippi River floodplains about 120 miles east of Little Rock. It crawls past long stretches of oxbow lakes, acres of soybean and cotton fields, and two closed schools to arrive – nearly two hours later – in another small Arkansas town called Marvell. At 3:30, the bus begins its winding return trip.
While researching rural education, I have seen how these kinds of school closures are causing as much, if not more, upheaval as what’s going on when public schools in Chicago and other cities close.
And more of this disruption might be imminent: Measures are being debated or implemented in several states, including New Jersey and Vermont, that I believe would lead more rural schools to close.
Rationales and Policies
Proponents of closing schools often claim that the step will save tax dollars, boost academic performance and give disadvantaged students more opportunities. These rationales have inspired many national, state and local policies that have led to closure.
Some policies, like federal accountability regulations permit or mandate closure directly. These policies cause officials to close schools with low standardized test scores, as happened with mass closures in Chicago or, more quietly, in efforts in Washington, Virginia and other states to swiftly “turn around” low-performing schools.
These policies rest on two, usually unstated, assumptions. First, the threat of closure will encourage better teaching. Second, if a school closes, its students will get a better education elsewhere.
-- Mara Casey Tieken Senate bills to improve Virginia school facilities, teacher planning time head to finance committee-- The Roanoke Times Virginia: January 09, 2020 [ abstract]
RICHMOND — A Senate committee signed off Thursday on efforts to improve school facilities across the state and give teachers more planning time.
The Senate Education and Health Committee, the first Senate panel to meet during the 2020 General Assembly session, approved the bills by two Republican senators, sending them to the newly-named Finance and Appropriations Committee.
Sen. Bill Stanley, R-Franklin County, has brought back his legislation that seeks to improve school infrastructure after leading a special committee on the issue in 2018.
One bill, Senate Bill 4, would create a special fund — formally called the Public School Assistance Fund and Program — to give grants to school districts to repair or replace school roofs.
“It was not a situation that was regional, it was statewide,” Stanley said. “We found this to be pervasive in almost every school.”
The bill was unanimously approved by the 15-member committee and referred to the chamber’s money committee. So was Senate Bill 5, which would require the Virginia Board of Education to create minimum standards for public school buildings.
If approved, the bill would require school boards to evaluate each building annually and submit a plan to comply with the standards.
-- Justin Mattingly Push Continues for New School Facilities-- Newportnow Rhode Island: December 27, 2019 [ abstract] Newport might not receive the reported 52.5 percent state reimbursement to help finance new school facilities. Instead, according to Joseph da Silva of the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE), the reimbursement could be only 50 percent.
Currently, financial assistance is based largely on a fixed rate, which is determined by a formula that considers the latest median family income and the total amount of that community’s property tax base, which in Newport’s case works out to the state minimum of 35 percent.
There are also temporary incentive bonuses funded by a $250 million state bond issue in 2018. By law, there are six criteria that can each increase the reimbursement rate by five percent. Da Silva said that Newport is assured to qualify for three of the criteria, yielding only an additional 15 percent.
Those three criteria are Health and Safety, where a new school is demonstrably more secure than the one it’s replacing; Educational Enhancements, which the new high school and pre-K designs achieve; and Replacement, where the facility to be replaced falls below a formulaically calculated standard of suitability.
-- Andy Long Corvallis schools have busy construction schedule in 2020-- Corvallis Gazette-Times Oregon: December 26, 2019 [ abstract] Construction of new buildings at Lincoln and Hoover elementary schools. A major renovation and expansion at Garfield Elementary School. And the first phases of renovations at Crescent Valley High School and Cheldelin Middle School.
All of these projects — and more — are scheduled to begin in 2020 as part of the Corvallis School District’s $200 million facilities bond.
Approved by voters in May 2018, the bond includes funding for projects including upgrading schools to modern seismic standards; building new secure entrances at some schools; adding dedicated cafeterias at most elementary schools that didn’t already have them; adding career and technical education spaces at secondary schools; and adding permanent classrooms to district elementary schools to eliminate the need for modular classrooms.
Garfield Elementary School
Kim Patten, director of facilities and transportation for the district, said work will begin at Garfield before school lets out for the summer. Contractors will be doing site preparation on the school’s field so that crews can move three existing modular classrooms and place eight additional modulars there to house students during construction, which will continue through the 2020-21 school year.
“Half the school will be in modulars,” she said.
According to Patten, the project will include construction of a new wing of classrooms near the gym, major renovations to the classrooms on the north side of the building’s east wing, and a redo of the school’s main entrance and office area. The renovation projects will continue inside the building through the year, which is why so much of the school will be in modular classrooms.
Signs of ongoing work will be present throughout the year, with temporary walls to keep students away from construction, a temporary main entrance and office in a vacant classroom, a construction fence on one side of the school’s blacktop, and modular classrooms two rows deep on the field.
“It’s going to feel a lot different here come September,” Patten told the Gazette-Times during a tour last week of the planned construction.
The modular classrooms will fill the view of anyone looking out the back of the school, said Dale Kuykendall with the Wenaha Group, the district’s project management firm for its bond projects.
Patten said even the school’s garden will have to be removed to make way for modulars, although she said the district is committed to rebuilding it. However, she added, the cafeteria and gym shouldn't be affected by construction, and most of the school’s blacktop and playground should still be available. The school’s parking lot expansion should be completed over the summer.
-- Anthony Rimel School construction projects, strategic plan on CCISD horizon-- Houston Chronicle Texas: December 24, 2019 [ abstract]
Clear Creek ISD will focus in 2020 on projects to renovate one school that is 55 years old, rebuild another constructed nearly 75 years ago and develop a multiyear strategic plan for the district.
Construction projects
The district is continuing a building program voters approved in the 2017 $487 million bond referendum. Late this year, the school board approved design plans for major improvements to start in 2020 at Ed White ESTEM Magnet School and for a complete rebuild of Clear View High School.
Clear View, an alternative campus with an enrollment of just under 200, was built in 1938 as Webster High School. Using $45 million of bond funds, the district will rebuild the campus next to the existing facility with plans for a 350-student capacity. Construction is set to begin in June 2020, with expected completion in December 2021.
Next summer will see the start of the reconstruction of Ed White ESTEM Magnet School. The project, which will cost $19.7 million, will mean additional space, renovations and repairs aimed at bringing the nearly 55-year-old building up to current safety standards. The additions to White will support the magnet school’s science, technology, engineering and math curriculum.
“Ed White, one of our oldest schools, will be a huge renovation,” district spokeswoman Alaina Polsen said.
-- Carissa D. Lamkahouan State database provides information about lead in water of school districts-- CentralJersey.com New Jersey: December 06, 2019 [ abstract]
The New Jersey Department of Education has recently released a centralized database designed to provide lead testing information on school districts in the state.
The database is part of the state’s three-pronged approach to strengthen New Jersey’s response to lead testing and remedy elevated lead levels in drinking water in state schools, according to officials.
Princeton Public Schools was one of more than 24 districts in the database that had too much lead discovered in its water samples in the database’s latest report.
For the Princeton, the most recent lead sampling and analysis was done in 2017.
“The only issues identified in earlier testing involved a few older faucets and water fountains. Those issues were immediately addressed. We were attentive back then,” Superintendent Steve Cochrane said. “Our water has tested fine, as has our pipe infrastructure. “We are happy to report that the water in our schools meets all acceptable standards.”
He said everything has been fine since the 2017 test.
-- ANDREW HARRISON Report: Rural Arizona Schools Struggle with Lack of Funding-- Public News Service Arizona: November 18, 2019 [ abstract] COTTONWOOD, Ariz. — Out in Arizona's wide-open spaces, dozens of rural school districts are struggling to serve their communities and often are challenged just to keep the doors open.
A recent report by The Rural School and Community Trust found rural schools in Arizona and across the country struggle with inadequate funding, changes to the communities they serve and providing educational opportunities for all of their students.
The report found Arizona's rural school graduation rates are among the lowest in the country. Wes Brownfield, executive director of the Arizona Rural Schools Association, said the biggest struggle for many districts is to fund and maintain school facilities.
"If I've got a high school with 80 kids in it, first of all, I have to provide the same services as if I had 800 kids," Brownfield said. "When a school building is built, there's money to build the building, but there's never money included in preventive maintenance.”
He said other recurring problems include low teacher and staff salaries, transportation costs, and the "hollowing out" of living standards for middle-class rural families.
The report said about 50,000 of Arizona's 1.1 million public- and charter-school students attend rural schools. Outside of the state's three main cities, rural schools are found in Arizona's pine forests, arid deserts and vast reservation lands.
Brownfield said the expansive distances can wreak havoc on school bus systems.
-- Staff Writer 350 renovation projects are coming to Jackson public school campuses-- WJTV Mississippi: November 14, 2019 [ abstract] JACKSON, Miss (WJTV) – At Northwest Jackson Middle School the public had a chance to meet with members of the Jackson Public School board for updates on school renovation projects.
Scheduled to be done in three phases, we recap where the board is on addressing serious infrastructure needs at Jackson schools.
In total 350 projects need to be done under this bond plan which 86% of Jackson voters said yes to, pumping $65 million to upgrade Jackson public school facilities.
From parents to former educators, many came to Northwest Jackson Middle voicing concerns on school buildings they want the superintendent’s office to address.
“I’m glad that they will fix that walkway in front of Murrah because it’s scary,” retired teacher Cheryl Smith told us. “There are a lot of loose stones, loose pavers out there in front. If you don’t step on the right one they pop right out of the ground.”
In the first phase of the bond seven high schools, two middle and four elementary schools will receive construction activities to bring them in compliance with state department of education standards.
“The smaller projects include up to $50,000 or doesn’t exceed that,” Don McCrakin of JPS explained. “So those are the ones we knocked out very quickly. Pretty much in your larger package, we’ll be right at $500,000 up to $7.7 Million.”
-- Staff Writer Why Public Measure E for schools is controversial in Cedar Rapids-- The Gazette Iowa: October 31, 2019 [ abstract] CEDAR RAPIDS — Lengthy public measures will be on the back of ballots in several Iowa school districts Tuesday that if approved would give schools access to billions in state sales tax revenue.
The Revenue Purpose Statements — versions of which are on ballots in the Cedar Rapids, Mount Vernon, College Community, Clear Creek Amana, Marion Independent and Linn-Mar school districts — would authorize schools to use revenue from SAVE, an existing penny sales tax that was extended earlier this year by the Iowa Legislature.
The Secure an Advanced Vision for Education tax can be used for schools facilities projects, technology purchases and other expenses.
But in Cedar Rapids, where the school board has agreed to use SAVE to enact a facilities plan that would close eight elementary schools, remodel three and raze and rebuild 10, some see the vote as a chance to register dissent they feel the board has ignored.
On the ballot as Public Measure E, the Revenue Purpose Statement’s most outspoken opponent is Janelle Lund, a candidate for an at-large seat on the Cedar Rapids school board.
“You could use it as a revolt against the school board,” Lund said Wednesday after a candidate forum. “Use it to force them to listen to the community.”
A simply majority is required to pass Public Measure E. If it fails, its impact on the school district would not be immediate but eventually could complicate Cedar Rapids schools’ facilities master plan, said Business Services Director David Nicholson. The district likely would bring back a version of the measure for a new vote in as soon as six months.
Without an approved Revenue Purpose Statement, the district would eventually have to use SAVE funds to provide property tax relief.
“To a certain extent, we could be limited to how much of the plan we could do until a Revenue Purpose Statement is passed,” he said. The facilities master plan has a 20-year timeline.
The last Revenue Purpose Statement for the Cedar Rapids district was easily approved by more than 80 percent of voters in 2009, according to records from the Linn County Auditor’s Office. Ballot language for this election is similar to the 2009 statement, and Nicholson said most school districts use standardized language.
“In the majority of the school districts, the Revenue Purpose Statement is going to be very similar to what we have in place here,” he said. “This is tailored to what the law allows.”
Tuesday is the first regular school election since the Legislature extended SAVE to 2051.
Lund is the only candidate who publicly has called for a no vote on Public Measure E. She is one of five running for two at-large seats on the seven-member board.
-- Molly Duffy Demolition and modernization of some schools in USVI to start by summer 2020, D.O.E. says; residents encouraged to atten-- The Virgin Islands Consortium U.S. Virgin Islands: October 29, 2019 [ abstract] St. Croix residents – parents, students, educators, employers – are urged to attend V.I. Department of Education (V.I.D.O.E.) meetings this week. The workshops are meant to shine light on the lengthy process of recovery from tens of millions of dollars in storm-damaged schools and facilities. During the process, Virgin Islands schools are expected to reach, or exceed, national school facilities standards long met in the states.
This week’s public meetings on St. Croix will be held:
Tuesday, Oct. 29th at the Juanita Gardine Elementary School auditorium from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m.
Wednesday, Oct. 30th at the St. Croix Central High School cafeteria from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m.
“We want the community to come out and to be a part of the process,” said V.I.D.O.E. Chief Operating Officer Dr. Dionne Wells-Hedrington.
Ms. Wells-Hedrington, the department’s operational-side expert, and Chaneel Callwood-Daniels, who leads the V.I.D.O.E. schools’ architecture project – sat down with the VI Consortium to lay out an ambitious plan that, if successful, would see virtually every school in the territory rebuilt, better than ever, in the coming years.
New Schools
“Our desire is to build new schools,” said Ms. Wells-Hedrington. “When we are asked how many schools do we want to replace: all … That is our position going forward,” she said. “Every one,” added Ms. Callwood-Daniels.
And how likely is that? “Will we get all? We are not sure,” Ms. Wells-Hedrington said.
In March 2020, the Federal Emergency Management Agency is expected to announce a round of disaster recovery grants that should include school construction funding. As FEMA goes about work, the V.I.D.O.E. “… has been working on getting us ready and prepared for what FEMA says to us,” Ms. Wells-Hedrington said.
By the summer, demolition, critical repairs and modernization of some existing buildings could begin, based on FEMA’s edicts, with the input of a local School Construction Advisory Board.
The Board, which has 20 members in the St. Croix District and another 20 members in the St. Thomas-St. John District, is taking public feedback from St. Croix tomorrow and Wednesday. “We are doing this in tandem along with FEMA,” Ms. Wells-Hedrington said.
New construction would have to meet or exceed school construction standards found stateside. “… Not just up to (the VI) Code, but providing our students with really rich, nourishing learning environments,” Ms. Wells-Hedrington said. Schools like Arthur Richards Junior High School in Frederiksted or Addelita Cancryn Junior High on St. Thomas would never look the same.
-- Staff Writer Grant High School remodel: Erasing inequity-- Portland Tribune Oregon: October 22, 2019 [ abstract] When voters in 2012 approved a $482 million school construction bond for Portland Public Schools, they expected part of the money would be used to upgrade seismic standards and address deferred maintenance issues at some of the district's existing school buildings.
While the $158 million modernization project that recently wrapped up at Grant High School accomplished those goals, it also helped address another problem at the school — that of inequality among students resulting from the outdated design of the nearly 95-year-old building.
On a recent October morning, during an open flex period, students mixed and mingled in Grant's new, light-flooded commons area that doubles as the school's cafeteria space.
It's a far different scene from two years ago, when a team from Mahlum Architects first visited the school to talk with students and faculty as they began the process of creating a design for the modernization project.
At the time, the outdated building contained five basement areas used as classrooms and a cafeteria that students told the design team had created an unintended division among students at the school.
It was insight that would drive the direction of the overall design of the project, and provide team members and Grant High School administrators with some new lessons along the way.
"The design process focus was not just modernization and aesthetics," Carol Campbell, the high school's principal, said. "(It) was a real intentional focus on the spaces themselves, how they were serving students and faculty and the community."
-- Stephanie Basalyga The 3 Democratic front-runners now have education plans-- The Intercept National: October 21, 2019 [ abstract] Sen. Elizabeth Warren released a wide-ranging education plan Monday, pledging to invest hundreds of billions of dollars into public schools if she wins the presidency, paid in part through her proposed two-cent tax on wealth over $50 million. Warren’s plan is infused with her broader campaign themes of reducing corruption and fraud; she backs measures like new taxes on education lobbying, limiting the profiteering of tech companies that sell digital products to schools, and curbing self-dealing within charter schools.
And it builds on some of her earlier campaign proposals, like pledging to appoint a former public school teacher as education secretary, supporting schools in teaching Native American history and culture, and expanding early learning opportunities for infants and toddlers.
In May, fellow Democratic hopeful Sen. Bernie Sanders’s own education plan sent shockwaves when he endorsed the NAACP’s call for banning for-profit charter schools and holding nonprofit charters to the same transparency and accountability standards as traditional public schools. In her new plan, Warren joins Sanders in embracing these positions.
Warren goes further than Sanders in calling not only for a for-profit charter school ban, but also extending the ban to any nonprofit charter that “actually serve[s] for-profit interests.” Warren said she would even direct the IRS to investigate nonprofit charters for potential tax status abuse and recommends referring “cases to the Tax Fraud Division of the Department of Justice when appropriate.”
On the subject of school infrastructure, Warren also goes beyond her two top rivals in outlining how she would improve aging facilities.
Sanders’s plan pledges to “fully close the gap in school infrastructure funding to renovate, modernize, and green the nation’s schools” but doesn’t offer details. Biden pledges to include funding for school buildings in a larger federal infrastructure bill but doesn’t estimate how much that investment should be. (Republican Sen. Susan Collins managed to defeat a measure to boost federal investment in school buildings last time the nation authorized significant infrastructure spending through the 2009 stimulus.)
Warren’s education plan commits to at least $50 billion in additional school facility funding, and notes that some of her other plans include funds for school modernization and repair, like the lead abatement grant program in her environmental justice package, and money for retrofitting and upgrading buildings in her clean energy plan. The need for school infrastructure investment is substantial: A 2016 report estimated the nation underfunds school facility needs by $46 billion each year.
-- Rachel M. Cohen School construction costs increasing; SBA makes corresponding move-- MetroNews West Virginia: October 14, 2019 [ abstract] CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Proposed school construction projects that members of the state School Building Authority will hear about next month will include a recently approved provision that raises the square foot construction cost.
Members of the SBA approved the increase in September. SBA Director of Architectural Services Ben Ashley said the move follows a pattern of higher school construction costs.
“We’ve had projects bid over the last year or so that have been over our dollars-per-square foot funding allowance,” Ashley said. “With that in mind and looking at the construction cost indexes in both Cincinnati and Pittsburgh, we are finding an upward trend.”
So as architects hired by county school boards prepare projects for their Nov. 18-19 presentations before the SBA they are working in the higher allowed costs, Ashley said.
“We don’t necessarily use this standard as setting the budget but we ask counties to set the budgets and then make sure it doesn’t exceed this fair cost that we’re establishing around the state,” Ashley said.
-- Jeff Jenkins N.J. to offer schools $100 million for lead remediation, require more frequent tests-- WHYY New Jersey: October 07, 2019 [ abstract] New Jersey will begin borrowing $100 million to pay for lead remediation projects in schools across the state and require educational facilities to test for lead contamination more often.
The efforts are Gov. Phil Murphy’s latest attempts to deal with growing public concern about lead contamination in homes and schools across the state.
“Lead contamination is not a Newark problem or an urban problem,” Murphy said at a Monday press conference in Bergenfield. “It’s a problem that has been building in communities up and down our state and, indeed, across the country.”
Although tests showed that lead levels in Newark’s water system were lower than some had initially feared, the episode got lawmakers and the public talking about whether the state was doing enough to prevent lead contamination.
Murphy said the state would start requiring schools to test for lead contamination every three years instead of the current standard of every six years, and the state Department of Education would create and online portal with lead testing results from schools across the state.
The Democrat also announced that the state would begin borrowing $100 million approved by voters last year to help schools pay for urgent projects to address lead contamination.
-- Joe Hernandez High lead levels in NJ school water add to need for action, Murphy and lawmakers say-- northjersey.com New Jersey: September 26, 2019 [ abstract] Gov. Phil Murphy and lawmakers said Wednesday that the prevalence of water with dangerous amounts of lead found in schools around the state in recent years should bolster a drive to finally eliminate the longstanding health hazard.
Although officials have known for at least two decades that lead was leaching from pipes into homes and pouring from school drinking fountains, an analysis by the Trenton bureau of the USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey published Wednesday added new details showing the extent of the problem.
The analysis estimates that in one year of testing, between 2016 and 2017, more than 250,000 students were exposed to water with lead levels above the federal government's 15 parts per billion standard requiring corrective action. But it's likely that many more students may have ingested toxic water, since the state did not require testing until 2016, when about half of Newark's schools shut off their taps because of elevated lead levels.
And although health officials agree that there is no safe level of lead for children, the state does not require schools to report levels below the federal standard.
"It’s another data point that this is not a Newark issue or a New Jersey issue. This is a national issue," Murphy said in an interview Wednesday. "I’m looking forward to working with leadership to move the lead-related things" pending in the Legislature, he added.
-- Dustin Racioppi and Stacey Barchenger Ogden school board approves first sale of bonds to fund school construction-- Standard-Examiner Utah: September 21, 2019 [ abstract] OGDEN — Voters approved the sale of $87 million in bonds to improve school buildings in Ogden School District in November 2018.
Thursday night, Ogden school board members voted to authorize the sale of the first portion of that $87 million — about $30 million in bonds, and no more than $33 million — that will be repaid over about 20 years.
“This is ... the first substantial step toward implementing the capital program represented by the bonds adopted last fall,” said Dale Okerlund, senior vice president at Lewis Young Robertson and Burningham, a municipal advisory and consulting firm in Salt Lake City.
Okerlund serves as a financial advisor to the board.
“The interest rate environment at the moment is quite extraordinary,” Okerlund said. “It’s very cheap to borrow money in terms of interest rate cost ... in the short end, it’s getting cheaper. So, in that way, it’s a good time to borrow money. That’s been true to one degree or another for the past decade. It’s particularly true at the moment.”
The bonds will actually be sold just under a month after Thursday’s approval, so it’s possible the market may change somewhat, Okerlund said.
There are three ways for the district to sell these bonds.
-- Megan Olsen Not just old age: Sealed asbestos, inadequate space create big hurdles for Hingham Foster School-- Wicked Local Hingham Massachusetts: September 10, 2019 [ abstract] Hingham this year submitted its third statement of interest for state funding to rebuild or renovate Foster School. The town has been denied funding from the Massachusetts School Building Authority for the last two years and will find out in December if the third time is the charm in regard to getting state help.
The Journal looked into what is wrong with the school and where it falls short on Massachusetts standards. We found that age is not the only issue with Foster:
Sealed asbestos in pipes and under tile raises cost of repair and rebuild
There is asbestos in some of the steam pipes in the basement and crawl spaces of the school, according to the FY 2019 statement of interest sent to the MSBA from the town. The steam pipe distribution system has been failing at an increasing rate due to corrosion.
Hingham cannot repair the pipes without first removing the asbestos.
Director of Business John Ferris said there is asbestos under tile, in caulking around windows at the school as well. Ferris said it is encapsulated, sealed, covered and safe.
The town has taken care of asbestos in just under 5,000 square feet of classroom flooring and 15,000 square feet of flooring throughout the rest of the school, according to Foster School’s Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act report.
As of the 2017 report, the school still had to address asbestos in plaster walls throughout the building, floors in stairwells and storage rooms, and the boiler room.
The report removal priority does not exceed a hazard ranking of 3, which requires the asbestos to be removed, enclosed, encapsulated or repaired to correct damage.
-- Amy McKeever Column: New schools: A thankless job-- Gloucester Daily Times Massachusetts: September 03, 2019 [ abstract] Being a member of a school building committee is a thankless job. Just ask the former chairman of the Ipswich School Committee. After a Town Meeting vote for a new elementary school failed to pass a few months ago, the School Committee chairman decided to step down. The quest for a new elementary school in Ipswich appears dead, at least for now. At her last meeting, Chairman Sarah Player was honored by her colleagues for her leadership and for “doing a thankless job.” A proposal for a new school in Swampscott suffered a similar fate.
Who wins when plans for new schools are shot down? Not the kids, teachers and parents who see lost opportunities for a better education. And probably not the larger community.
Think about Gloucester and recent coverage of plans to renovate existing schools or build a new, larger one to meet contemporary needs and standards.
Two elementary schools -- East Gloucester and Veteran’s, both built in the shadow of World War II -- crowd students and teachers into classrooms that were never designed to hold so many. The HVAC systems are inefficient. Kids and teachers shouldn’t have to meet in hallways for reading classes. And what about technology? Kids who are growing up with the latest in technology at home are denied the learning tools found in schools throughout the state — and in other parts of Gloucester — because a World War II-era building is not designed to accommodate the networks and systems needed to leverage contemporary learning technology.
-- Carl Gustin Medford schools prepare for a natural disaster-- New10 Oregon: August 29, 2019 [ abstract] MEDFORD, Ore. — Due to the constant threat of earthquakes in the region, the Medford School District is working on completing seismic upgrades to all 20 schools in the district.
Hoover Elementary School began construction during spring break while students were still in school and completed the cafeteria on Thursday, August 28th. All classrooms were finalized on Friday, August 23rd just in time for the new academic school year.
"In light of the threat and the awareness that it's brought, it's the right thing for us to bring these buildings up to life safety standards and to make sure that we are prepared. We don't want to wait until the moment of need to try and go prepare, at that time we will be responding," Jon Havniear of the Medford School District said.
-- Marissa Olid All School Playgrounds To Close For Soil Tests: Fairfield Supt.-- Patch - Fairfield, CT Connecticut: August 25, 2019 [ abstract] FAIRFIELD, CT — The Fairfield school district is closing all of its playgrounds after three school sites tested positive for contaminants. The tests were conducted in connection with an investigation of illegal dumping at the town public works yard and the contractor hired to run the facility.
Arsenic found at the Jennings Elementary School soccer field and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons found at the Mill Hill Elementary School playground walkway and the Riverfield Elementary School baseball fields and playground exceeded residential standards, the town of Fairfield announced Saturday.
"Given the proximity of the test sites at Jennings, Mill Hill and Riverfield which raised concerns we are going to close our playscape areas at all schools and test the soil beneath those areas," Superintendent Mike Cummings stated in an email Sunday to parents. "We will also secure more information on the mulch we use and post that information online."
State officials said the levels of contamination at the sites that tested positive will not cause any health effects, according to the town. The sites will be remediated and access will be restricted in the interim.
-- Anna Bybee-Schier New York City and the Challenge of Integrating Schools-- Education Week New York: August 23, 2019 [ abstract] Richard Carranza, now a year into leading the New York schools, said that desegrating the nation's largest school district was one of his top priorities.
According to a new article in the New York Times, however, Carranza appears to be dialing back expectations:
At an event for student activists this spring, [Carranza] slapped the side of a podium and shouted: "No, we will not wait to integrate our schools, we will not wait to dismantle the segregated systems we have!"
He repeated the message in speeches, television appearances and national magazine profiles. But now, as he enters his second year, he seems to be trying to reset expectations. In an interview, Mr. Carranza described himself as a "realist."
"If I integrated the system, the next thing I'm going to do is I'm going to walk on water," he said.
The story goes on to catalogue Carranza's efforts in the million-student district, which is also one of the nation's most segregated, according to a report by the Civil Rights Project at UCLA. About 41 percent of New York's students are Hispanic, 26 percent are black, 16 percent are Asian and 15 percent are white.
The city has set aside funds to help desegregate schools in some of the city's most racially mixed neighborhoods. And in some neighborhoods, parents have created their own grassroots integration plans that were ultimately approved by city leaders.
But other efforts by Carranza, such as throwing his support behind a plan to change the entrance requirement for the system's prestigious specialized high schools, ran into deep opposition. Asian students make up the bulk of the student body in those elite schools, and those families led the opposition to a proposal by the mayor to create a multifaceted admissions process. Plans to change the single-test admission standard appear dead, for now.
-- Christina Samuels SCHOOL PATROL: School facilities report given to Hamilton County-- WRCBtv Tennessee: July 24, 2019 [ abstract] It took six months to compile the initial data according to Dan Schmidt with MGT Consulting. One Hamilton County School Board member did raise concerns during Tuesday's meeting about what this data could mean for her county.
Two of the 15 Hamilton County Schools that could close are in District 5 school board member Karitsa Jones' district. Tyner Middle School and Lakeside Academy are both on the list of closed schools.
Hillcrest Elementary could have their students split up between two other schools, and that building would be re-purposed for other programs. Dalewood Middle School Students would be moved to Orchard Knob MS, and that building would be renovated and re-purposed for CCA.
"I know that since I've been on the board in 2014 it's are they going to close our schools, and no they're not closing them because they're low performing or its not being recommended that they close for low performing, it's being recommended for population and I know that numbers matter," said Jones. "I get it, I get the rationale but it's just going to kill our community."
Schmidt said the list was compiled using data.
"But that doesn't mean that we are ignorant of reality, and that doesn't mean that we aren't ultimately factoring emotion in as well," said Schmidt.
The data shows it will cost $1.36 billion dollars to put the ten year plan to work.
They use a formula for each school:
(100-score) x building square footage x cost per square foot = cost to renovate school.
That price tag came from the sum of the cost of all the school's renovations.
"We develop these guidelines through meetings with your academic leadership with the district," said Schmidt. "So it's drawn from national standards but it's tailored to expectations here."
An engineer or an architect, someone with a background in educational facilities, and an educator toured all 74 Hamilton County Schools.
They focus on four categories:
Building Condition
Educational Suitability
Technology Readiness
Grounds Conditions
Educational suitability and Technology readiness both have an even more focused set of criteria.
Environment: The rooms should provide an inviting and stimulating environment for learning
Size: The room should meet the sq. footage standards
Location: The rooms should be appropriately located for the program.
Storage/Fixed Equipment: The rooms should have adequate storage space and fixed equipment appropriate to the program.
"Anytime we score something less than good, there's a comment saying why we scored it less than good," said Schmidt.
Here's an example of a school assessment sheet.
Sequoyah Vocational High School scored a 68. There are comments left on the side like, "interior classrooms don't have natural light, and the HVAC system is inconsistent.
-- WRCB Staff & Claudia Coco San Diego district bond update: $2 billion spent, $6.4 billion to go-- American School & University California: July 12, 2019 [ abstract] The San Diego Unified School District says it has spent about $2.2 billion of the $8.4 billion that voters have approved for bond projects since 2008.
The San Diego Union-Tribune reports that the district's goal for its bond program is to improve the poor overall condition of its education facilities.
Related: San Diego school board puts $3.5 billion bond request on ballot
San Diego Unified's current facilities condition index is considered “poor” by industry standards. District officials hope to reach a “fair” condition, or 10 percent, by 2024.
Improving the facilities condition index number is difficult because buildings deteriorate every year, says Andy Berg, member of the Independent Citizens Oversight Committee, which monitors the district’s bond programs.
San Diego voters have approved three large bond requests in the last decade—a $2.1 billion bond program in 2008, a $2.8 billion program in 2012, and a $3.5 billion in 2018..”
To date, the district has spent $53 million from its bond programs on school security renovations, which include adding perimeter fences, isolating school access to a single entry point and installing emergency communication devices such as intercoms and mobile notification systems.
The district plans to spend another $250 million on school security over the next five years, says Lee Dulgeroff, chief facilities planning and construction officer.
Bond money has also been earmarked for lowering lead levels in drinking water.
-- Mike Kennedy Many Washington schools are not prepared for a major earthquake-- MyNorthwest Washington: July 02, 2019 [ abstract] Washington state has thousands of school buildings and many are unprepared for a major earthquake, which experts say looms on the horizon.
“These buildings really are benchmarks for our communities,” said Corina Forson, chief hazards geologist for Washington Geological Survey with the Department of Natural Resources. “This is where people gather following a natural disaster. This is where we would potentially have shelter options. In my mind, it’s critical that these schools be upgraded to withstand earthquakes that will happen in the future.”
A new study on school seismic safety in Washington considers how well the state’s school buildings can withstand a major earthquake. Geologists and other researchers visited a sample size of 222 schools in Washington, assessed the geography of the area, and looked into structural conditions. They found that many of the state’s school buildings are not prepared for a shakeup, especially older buildings.
Upgrades and retrofits will be required to make the buildings safe and able to resist an earthquake. The state adopted seismic building standards in 1975, and many Washington schools were built prior to that.
Northwest is currently in an earthquake drought
Earthquake map shows Washington’s at-risk buildings
The assessment was delivered to the Legislature on Friday. It was also delivered to the 222 schools involved in the study. That’s a small sample given that there are 4,444 school buildings in Washington state.
-- DYER OXLEY NYC Congressional Delegation Calls For Additional Lead Tests In Schools-- gothamist New York: June 27, 2019 [ abstract] All twelve Congressional delegates from New York City, led by Representative Nydia Velázquez, issued a letter to NYC Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza and NYC Health Commissioner Dr. Oxiris Barbot on Thursday, urging them to conduct lead-dust testing in public school buildings.
The call-to-action cited a WNYC investigation that found deteriorated lead paint in four public elementary schools, along with lead-dust levels as much as 1,000 times the city’s current safety standard.
“We call on your agencies to immediately begin a collaborative response effort to identify the scope of current lead issues,” the letter reads. “Families should have the peace of mind knowing that their children are attending schools that are safe and free of dangerous lead levels.”
It asks the agencies to begin by prioritizing schools that will soon open for summer classes and the city’s free Summer Meals program. “With these programs beginning next week, it is critical that we ensure that children are not going to be exposed to hazardous conditions when the intent of their participation in summer programs is to enrich their academic potential,” wrote the members of Congress.
-- Christopher Werth $13 billion state bond for school construction targeted for 2020 California ballot-- EdSource California: June 20, 2019 [ abstract] Legislation to put a $13 billion school construction bond on the state ballot next year and a second bond in 2022 moved forward this week with strong support overall from the education community — and a vague promise by the bill’s author to address concerns that state building aid to school districts isn’t equitably distributed.
With $9 billion in state funding from the last state bond, in 2016, either spent or committed, Assembly Bill 48 received unanimous approval of the Senate Education Committee after a short hearing on Wednesday. But important details remain to be fleshed out before the full Senate votes later this summer and Gov. Gavin Newsom has yet to give his opinion of the proposed amount and other aspects of the bill. The size of the second bond also hasn’t been determined. School construction bonds that voters passed in 2002, 2004 and 2006 ranged from $10.4 billion to $13.1 billion.
Under the state school construction program, the state supplements the cost of construction projects that school districts and community colleges fund with bonds raised through local property taxes. The state pays half of the cost of a new school and pays for 60 percent of the cost of renovating a school or college campus.
AB 48 would include preschool facilities in next year’s next bond, and the bill’s author, Patrick O’Donnell, D-Long Beach, who chairs the Assembly Education Committee, confirmed Wednesday that $500 million would be set aside for charter school construction — the same as in the 2016 bond, Proposition 51. There also would be money to fix water systems contaminated by levels of lead violating federal standards. But where the rest of the money would go hasn’t been set. If Prop. 51 is a guide, however, $10 billion would likely go to K-12 districts and $3 billion to community colleges.
-- JOHN FENSTERWALD Sonoma County schools superintendent testifies before House on wildfire impacts, asks for increased recovery funds-- The Press Democrat California: June 05, 2019 [ abstract] The Sonoma County schools superintendent appeared before a Congressional committee Wednesday, urging for more federal funding for schools and mental health resources for students and staff affected by wildfires.
Superintendent Steve Herrington testified on the financial, emotional and physical impacts the 2017 wildfires had local schools and children during a U.S. House Committee on Education and Labor hearing on schools’ response and recovery in the wake of natural disasters.
“In my 46 years as an educator, I have responded to numerous floods and earthquakes. But I have never seen a natural disaster take such a toll on an educational community as did the Tubbs fire,” said Herrington, who testified alongside education officials from Florida, the Northern Mariana Islands and the U.S. Virgin Islands, places that are recovering from typhoons or hurricanes.
Herrington asked lawmakers for portable structures that schools can use after fires, more time for districts to spend recovery grant funds and for the Federal Emergency Management Agency to reimburse schools that set up community shelters. He also urged the committee to create federal standards for school disaster response, as well as guidelines for reopening campuses after wildfires.
“You need to reopen schools as soon as possible because it gives children a sense of security,” Herrington told the committee.
His requests appeared to resonate with committee members, who followed up his testimony with questions about how schools made up for lost time and how other western states can prepare schools for wildfires.
“As climate change continues to intensify, the federal government’s responsibility to provide school communities with resources to recover from natural disasters is more important now than ever before,” said Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan, committee chairman and delegate of the Northern Mariana Islands.
Insurance companies paid Sonoma County schools over $7.1 million to cover losses and damages after the 2017 wildfires.
-- SUSAN MINICHIELLO Years of inadequate funding have left many school facilities neglected-- Education Drive National: May 31, 2019 [ abstract]
- Many students in Virginia and other parts of the nation are attending school in substandard or even dangerous conditions because of a lack of funding for maintaining, updating, or building school facilities, the Washington Post reports. A 2013 study found that it would require more than $18 billion to renovate schools more than 30 years old in Virginia alone, and a 2014 federal study indicated that 53% of the nation’s schools were in need of repairs and upgrades. Estimates for addressing these school facility needs range from $197 billion to $542 billion.
- Schools that are not properly maintained or replaced can contribute to health problems in students and teachers, impact attendance rates at the schools and interfere with a student’s ability to learn. Neglected schools also impact student and teacher morale and are often indicative of equity issues, with schools in more affluent — and white communities — often better maintained than in low-income, minority neighborhoods.
- Some states and cities are increasing funding for school capital projects by raising local taxes or diverting more state funding to school construction. But some bond referendums have failed, and the additional funds that are made available are inadequate to meet the need. Some school districts are pursuing public-private partnerships to help address the issue and, at the federal level, Congress is considering investing $100 billion over a 10-year period to rebuild public schools.
-- AMELIA HARPER Borderline criminal: Many public schools teeter on the edge of decrepitude-- The Washington Post National: May 25, 2019 [ abstract] RICHMOND — Each morning for several years, Keri Treadway switched the classroom lights on and stomped loudly to frighten away the mice. She checked the sticky traps. She swabbed tables with disinfectant wipes and cleared droppings from the colorful rug where her kindergarten students sat.
After the school day ended, Treadway rested her legs on a chair to avoid the scurrying rodents. The routine at William Fox Elementary School persisted until the 108-year-old brick building in the city’s vibrant Fan neighborhood was visited by exterminators last year.
Treadway isn’t familiar with much else. She has taught for 16 years in Richmond Public Schools, learning to adapt to deteriorating buildings. But she pauses when she hears from friends who teach elsewhere, in schools that are not rundown.
“You’re like, ‘Wait a minute, clearing up mouse droppings — that’s part of my daily routine,’ ” she said.
There are other routines teachers and students have ritualized to cope with building conditions in the 24,760-student school system.
They dress in layers, bundling up in heavy winter coats and scarves when classrooms become frigid, or peeling off sweaters when rooms are sweltering. They find ways to work around leaky roofs and falling ceiling tiles and mold, windows that don’t open and restrooms without stall doors.
The experience is familiar to schoolchildren in financially struggling districts throughout the country — from Baltimore to Detroit to rural Colorado — who are forced to contend with failing boilers and vermin.
Substandard conditions can compromise students’ attendance and performance, leading to absenteeism and lower achievement, studies show. Parents, students and teachers in some states have sued over neglected school buildings and inadequate resources, arguing, with mixed results, that poor conditions undermine students’ ability to receive a public education.
-- Debbie Truong 2 more Long Island school facilities shut down because of mercury vapor-- Newsday New York: May 19, 2019 [ abstract] Two more Long Island districts have shut down facilities after tests found mercury vapor coming from rubberlike synthetic flooring, prompting lawmakers to call for a wider state investigation into an issue that now impacts three public schools.
Tests found low levels of mercury vapor in Amityville and Merrick elementary schools, according to notices sent to parents in April and May. Miller Place closed its high school gymnasium April 28 after tests found mercury vapor above an old synthetic floor that had been covered by wood.
Schools told parents there was no threat to children and that the facilities were closed as a precaution.
Health experts said mercury vapors can accumulate in the body and eventually affect brain function, particularly in children. They also said mercury concentration levels increase during warmer weather, and when ventilation systems are shut off.
"You don’t want your kids exposed to mercury in any form, especially not in a school," said Dr. David Carpenter, director of the Institute for Health and the Environment at University at Albany. "It reduces IQ, causes reduced attention span. It's associated with more anti-social behavior … all the last things you want associated with schools."
While there's no New York state standard for mercury exposure in schools, testing reports prepared for Merrick and Amityville show concentration levels there mostly below standards set by other states for short- and long-term exposures. The levels, however, were above a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency standard for a lifetime of continuous exposure.
Miller Place has not yet released its testing reports in response to a May 7 Freedom of Information Law request.
-- David M. Schwartz and Joie Tyrrell Only six school districts poised to receive state approval for school facility projects-- WhatsUpNewsp Rhode Island: May 13, 2019 [ abstract] The Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE), on Tuesday, will determine funding levels for the six school districts that applied for aid from the $250 million school facilities bond approved by voters last fall.
The bond issue was in response to a RIDE report that rated every Rhode Island public and charter school, most schools not meeting adequate standards. The report said it would cost more than $2.2 billion to bring the state’s schools to an adequate level, and more than $600 million just to bring all schools to a safe level.
Initially six districts applied, and all are being recommended for approval to RIDE’s Council on Elementary and Secondary Education, which meets Tuesday.
Notably absent from the first group is Newport, whose Rogers High School was rated among the worst facilities in the state, a replacement candidate. City officials are facing what they believe will be a rebuilding project of upwards of $100 million, plus debt service. Newport officials are actively trying to engage Middletown officials in discussions of a possible merger of the two high school systems. Middletown’s High School was rated poor by RIDE.
There will be a second round of grants in the fall, with school districts vying for what remains of the $250 million bond. Some officials, from other districts, seem confident the state will continue to seek additional referenda to help improve school facilities.
-- Frank Prosnitz A Camp Pendleton Elementary School Receives $47.5 Million Federal Grant-- Military.com California: April 27, 2019 [ abstract] The Fallbrook Union School District will receive more than $47.5 million in federal funding to address problems with its capacity and aging facilities at Mary Fay Pendleton Elementary School, located on Camp Pendleton.
Those funds come from the Department of Defense Public Schools Military Installations Program, which bases the allocations on a priority list developed by the Secretary of Defense. The law provides funds to build, repair or expand public schools on military installations "to ensure the children of service members are learning in safe, modern, and efficient facilities that meet the local standard."
"I am thrilled to announce that the Fallbrook Union School District is being awarded nearly $50 million for critical upgrades to the Mary Fay Pendleton Elementary School..." said Rep. Mike Levin, (D-San Juan Capistrano) who represents the congressional district where the school is located. "Students deserve safe and healthy learning environments, and I am glad to see the Defense Department invest in our district and address these much needed repairs."
The existing school was built in 1954 for a student population of 361, but the campus is outdated and the student body has outgrown its space. It now enrolls about 772 students, according to the California School dashboard, and many students attend class in relocatable units.
-- Deborah Sullivan Brennan, San Diego Union-Tribune Lowell officials cite progress on school heating issues-- Lowell Sun Massachusetts: April 01, 2019 [ abstract] LOWELL -- Classrooms are sufficiently heated.
That's what city officials argued in a response to orders from the Department of Labor standards.
"Based on the information presented from the site inspection and the information included in the responses noted below, the city does have sufficient heat throughout all 27 schools," according to a statement from the city dated Feb. 28 and presented to the Lowell School Committee last week. The response's cover letter is signed by City Manager Eileen Donoghue and City Solicitor Christine O'Connor.
"Isolated and unoccupied cold spots may exist from time to time. When such areas are identified, they are immediately evaluated and timely addressed," the response continued.
The nine-page document addresses orders for corrective action issued by the state on Jan. 28, which described "conditions that place employees at risk of work-related injury or illness."
The city addressed these concerns item by item in "preliminary responses." It requested an extension beyond the Feb. 28 deadline to address some of the orders and provide documentation.
In the response, the city also argues provisions in state law are "not intended to result in the nature and scope of required actions as set forth" in the state's order.
"While there will be occasional heating failures within our schools, as with every district, the city is obviously committed to a working environment that is in full compliance with the laws of the Commonwealth," the response reads.
-- Elizabeth Dobbins Report: Pennsylvania gets 'F' for not addressing lead in school drinking water-- Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Pennsylvania: March 26, 2019 [ abstract] A statewide advocacy group has given Pennsylvania a failing grade for lead in school drinking water and is looking to a state bill introduced Tuesday for solutions.
For the second time in roughly as many years, the organization PennEnvironment has given an “F” to the state in its “Get the Lead Out” report for not requiring lead testing of water in schools.
“We released this report for the first time in 2017 and identified gaps in Pennsylvania law around protecting kids from lead in school drinking water,” said Ashleigh Deemer, spokesperson for PennEnvironment. “The gaps were that there’s no regular testing required in schools to assure us of the drinking water quality there, and when schools do test voluntarily, they’re not required to disclose the results to the public or parents. and then finally they’re not really required to fix the problem if they find that lead levels are high.”
Lead is a known neurotoxin, and according to the federal Environmental Protection Agency, low levels in a child’s blood can result in learning and behavioral problems, slowed growth, and other issues.
"There is no safe level of lead for children," Karen Hacker, Allegheny County Health Department director said in a news release Tuesday on the report. “The health department is working hard to identify and address lead hazards in Allegheny County, and we support any measures the state can take to make our schools safer.”
A bill in the state House would require annual testing of water used for drinking and cooking in schools, require results to be disclosed to parents and set a statewide standard that lead concentrations in school water can be no higher than 5 parts per billion.
-- ASHLEY MURRAY AND ELIZABETH BEHRMAN Va. among 21 states failing to keep lead out of school water; DC, Md. improve-- WTOP Virginia: March 22, 2019 [ abstract] Lead in drinking water isn’t only a problem in Flint, Michigan. This week, a new report has given Virginia and 21 other states a failing grade for their efforts in keeping lead out of the water used to drink and cook at schools.
The Environment America Research and Policy Center and U.S. Public Interest Rights Group report “Get the Lead Out” gave Maryland a C after earning an F in the report two years ago and gave D.C. a B+, an improvement from a B in 2017.
Here’s a further look at how they ranked.
Virginia
Virginia was one of nearly two dozen states to get an F in this report.
The state recently passed a law requiring schools built before 1986 to test taps and fountains for lead every year, but the report notes that doesn’t apply to schools built after that year and it doesn’t apply to day care centers.
Virginia is also faulted for not having any standard for when it comes to how much lead can be found in water before triggering action. In Maryland, it’s a 15 parts per billion (ppb) standard, while in D.C. it’s just 5 ppb.
The report said the American Academy of Pediatrics is pushing for laws that “ensure that water fountains in schools do not exceed water lead concentrations of 1 ppb.” It goes on to say that “water exceeding this concentration should immediately be removed from service until permanent remediation” steps are taken.
-- John Domen East Helena breaks ground on new high school site-- Independent Record Montana: March 19, 2019 [ abstract] The East Helena community broke ground at the site of the upcoming East Helena High School on Monday.
The building, designed by SMA Architects, is set to open in fall 2020. Dick Anderson Construction will begin site prep as early as next week, according to school district superintendent Ron Whitmoyer.
"This school stands for something that is unique about this community," Whitmoyer said. "And what education is all about."
Whitmoyer said the school is representative of the East Helena community's pride. He hoped that the sunny weather during groundbreaking will be an omen of good success for the school.
The school will be an official breakaway from the Helena school district for the community. Traditionally, East Helena students received their elementary education in East Helena before traveling to Helena for high school. With 110 students already signing up for East Helena High, Whitmoyer is excited to start a new journey with the community.
Whitmoyer expressed admiration for the soon-to-be East Helena High School students. He said their willingness to break tradition with Helena will set the standard for the next 100 years.
Scott Walter, East Helena school board chairman, said the school is representative of the genuine passion the community has for education.
"The measure of our success is not the building we build," Walter said. "It's what takes place inside the building."
-- Tyler Manning Once slated for closure due to low enrollment, turnaround at Francis-Stevens yields new challenge-- The DC Line District of Columbia: March 15, 2019 [ abstract] DC Public Schools plans to resolve an impending over-enrollment problem at School Without Walls at Francis-Stevens by increasing funding and creating three new classrooms, school system representatives said at a recent community meeting. The need to do so marks a turnaround at the Ward 2 school, which was re-envisioned in 2013 after being targeted for closure because of too few students.
Community members began pushing months ago for the city to meet the need for additional funds and space, attracting attention from the DC Council and three local advisory neighborhood commissions, including ANC 2A (Foggy Bottom/West End).
“We cannot wait until August when children show up to then try to hire teachers who fit in with the culture and the standards that we have enacted,” Walls parent Julian Wright said at a DC Council public roundtable on Feb. 12. “At that point, there will be no one in the pool.”
An unusually large influx of students from its two feeder elementary schools contributed to over-enrollment in the sixth-grade class at School Without Walls at Francis-Stevens for the 2019-20 school year, principal Richard Trogisch told ANC 2A last month. The school is expecting 17 students from Ross and 16 from Thomson — which, when combined with Francis-Stevens’ own fifth-grade class of 40, far exceeds the 50 sixth-graders the school is currently equipped to handle.
-- Jake Maher Florida legislators announce bill to ensure structurally sound schools for all students in the state-- Southern Poverty Law Center Florida: March 12, 2019 [ abstract] Florida state Rep. Anna Eskamani and Florida state Sen. Janet Cruz today announced legislation that would create uniform requirements to ensure that all Florida students can receive an education in school buildings that are structurally sound.
The legislation, House Bill 1233 and Senate Bill 586, would create what is known as the Florida Students’ Bill of Rights.
The Students’ Bill of Rights requires that all Florida students attend schools that are designed and constructed, where applicable, to minimize the impact from hurricanes or other natural disasters; that meet required fire-safety and health standards; that are accessible to individuals with disabilities; that follow safe school design principles; and that have sound infrastructure.
Because not all school buildings adhere to the same construction safety standards, many Florida students lack access to life-saving protections. Private schools supported by state funds – and some charter schools – do not have to meet the state building code requirements that public schools do. Additionally, they are not built to the same safety standards as most public schools, and they are not required to meet the same minimum safety requirements.
“When newly built schools do not play by the same rules and do not adhere to basic structural safety requirements, student lives are at risk,” Eskamani said. “There are Florida children attending schools that are falsifying fire-safety and health records. How can we expect our students to reach their fullest potential, when we are not protecting them with some of the most basic safety requirements?”
-- Staff Writer Consultant: Greenwich school district lacks policies for managing projects-- Greenwich Time Connecticut: February 27, 2019 [ abstract] GREENWICH — When Interim Superintendent Ralph Mayo walked into his new office last July 15, his chief operating officer told him point-blank that the school district has few systems in place to manage capital projects.
That was because earlier that month, members of the town’s finance department discovered that work had started to replace the roof at Julian Curtiss School without the funding in place to pay for it.
An interim appropriation for $617,000 was rushed through the Board of Education, the Board of Estimate and Taxation and the Representative Town Meeting. As the request made its way through the process, town officials asked how such a misstep could have occurred.
Together, the BOE and the BET asked blumshapiro, a consulting firm, to investigate how the district manages maintenance work and capital projects.
The boards got their answer Tuesday night. The school district has no policies outlining to staff how to open, manage and close projects; no checklists to hold them accountable; no software to keep track of progress; and little understanding of their financial management software, MUNIS, the consultants said.
“We had hoped to see policies, procedures and a protocol manual,” blumshapiro partner Jeff Ziplow said. “That does not exist. The way things are tracked right now — manual notebooks, Excel spreadsheets — there is nothing centralized. There is no consistency across all projects. There are no governing standards in place.”
-- Jo Kroeker Officials plan school construction to accommodate population influx-- WINK Florida: February 12, 2019 [ abstract] As people are flocking to Southwest Florida in high numbers, officials have been addressing ways to accommodate the growth in the education sector.
For many Gateway parents like Jeff Gerardo who have kids in grade school, they are excited about a potential new school opening just down the road.
“You’re getting three schools all the way to 5th grade and after, towards middle school, 6th, 7th and 8th grade, where are they going to go?” Gerardo said. “The choices are very limited.”
The Lee County School Board is considering the construction of several schools to match county growth.
They plan to build a middle and high school in the east zone. This and other projects, like the expansion of Lehigh Senior High School, are being paid for by the half-cent sales tax approved by voters.
The district and Lee County are also making sure the school is up to shelter standards while looking for ways to reduce expenses. The east zone high school, for instance, is projected to cost $78 million with construction to start this summer.
“We actually go in and do what we call value engineering,” said Scott Reichenbacher, Senior Program Manager. “That’s rethinking materials, rethinking layout means and methods that could save dollars.”
-- Brea Hollingsworth and Michael Mora North Branford schools chief says high school upgrade overdue-- New Haven Register Connecticut: February 10, 2019 [ abstract] NORTH BRANFORD — On a recent morning, North Branford Superintendent of Schools Scott Schoonmaker stepped in front of a high school Spanish class. “Raise your hands if you think we need a new or renovated high school,” he said.
Without hesitation, each student shot a hand into the air and the group began chattering excitedly.
Though the project is in its early phases, the North Branford Board of Education is considering options to either renovate or rebuild the town’s high school, which was constructed in the 1960s and serves around 600 students.
“If you look at the high school and the condition that it’s in, we’re at that critical point where we need to do something,” Schoonmaker said.
About whether legislative bills calling for development of plans for school regionalization for small districts are impacting the project, Shawna Papa-Holzer, chairwoman of the Board of Education, wrote in an email that the town and board are keeping an eye on the legislation but “the plan to pursue the project continues.”
Schoonmaker said project planning takes a long time, and construction is unlikely to begin for at least two years. Though he is also monitoring the regionalization bills, he said, he does not think student relocation would make sense for the district and doubts that any schools in the area would be able to accommodate North Branford High School’s population.
Schoonmaker has served as the superintendent for 10 years and he said since he started, the need for an upgrade has been a topic of discussion. As the high school struggles with poor heating, undersized rooms, building traits unconducive to high security standards and a problematic elevator, that upgrade is overdue, Schoonmaker said.
A visitor walking into a section of the school called “the diamond,” which is hit hard by the building’s heating problem, felt the temperature drop. A student wearing a thick winter coat walked by.
-- Meghan Friedmann Lowell High School maintenance issues probed by state-- Lowell Sun Massachusetts: February 02, 2019 [ abstract] LOWELL -- The head of the local teacher's union has called upon a state agency to investigate ongoing building issues, particularly heating, at Lowell Public Schools.
Paul Georges, president of the United Teachers of Lowell, said he contacted the state Department of Labor standards in mid-December, initiating an investigation that included visits to Lowell High School and other school buildings.
"What we're trying to do is ensure time in school is productive and conducive to learning," Georges said.
The Department of Labor standards was not immediately available for comment Friday evening, but multiple city officials indicated they were aware of the complaint. A report from the agency has not yet been released, though it is expected soon, according to Georges.
In response, city officials contend more work than ever is being done to address years of deferred maintenance at school buildings.
"Is it going to happen overnight? No," Mayor Bill Samaras said.
Long-term efforts -- like preparing requests for state funding for repairs at nine schools -- are a sign the district and city are "absolutely working in the right direction," according to Georges. He said the complaint is meant to pressure the district to implement short term solutions and prevention measures.
"I was finding out things that were preventable weren't being done," Georges said.
When Georges filed the complaint in December, he said an electronic system notifying the district when boilers shut off in school buildings was not functioning.
-- Elizabeth Dobbins Marion County Releases Report on Lead in School Drinking Water-- Nuvo Indiana: January 31, 2019 [ abstract] The Marion County Public Health Department has released the results of a comprehensive survey of county schools, which showed that, before remediation, of the 297 facilities initially tested, 161 of them were in violation of Environmental Protection Agency standard for lead at the time.
The Report on Lead in School Drinking Water led by the MCPHD included extensive voluntary testing of thousands of water fountains and other potable water supplies within area schools, according to Curt Brantingham, media and public information coordinator.
There are currently no federal or state laws mandating regular testing of school drinking water for lead in Indiana.
Over the course of the testing, 8,842 water samples were taken, of which, 5.4 percent, or 475, were in violation of EPA lead standards at the time. After remediation, fixtures in all schools are in compliance with EPA standards at the time of testing, or have been taken out of service, according to Dr. Virginia A. Caine, MCPHD director.
“Testing sites included all areas where children had access, or one could reasonably assume a child could access,” stated Caine. “These areas included kitchen prep sinks, fountains, bathroom sinks in classrooms for younger children, clinics and teacher lounges if children were allowed to access them. Testing staff relied on school personnel to identify areas within the buildings that children had access. Out buildings, such as concession stands and athletic facilities, were included in testing sites.”
-- Rob Burgess Sen. Bill Stanley rebukes Attorney General Mark Herring over opinion on deteriorating schools-- The Roanoke Times Virginia: January 11, 2019 [ abstract] RICHMOND — State Sen. Bill Stanley criticized Attorney General Mark Herring’s recent legal opinion that the condition of public school buildings is the primary responsibility of local governments and their school boards.
Stanley asked Herring for a legal opinion about whether the state and localities are in violation of the state or federal constitutions by sending children to learn in deteriorating schools.
Last week, Herring said the General Assembly provides for a system of free public education and decides the level of funding for schools to meet required standards of quality, but the legislative body tasked localities with building and maintaining schools.
In a statement issued Thursday, Stanley called Herring’s response his “Not My Priority” legal opinion.
Herring is a Democrat who announced last month he planned to run for governor in 2020. Stanley is a Franklin County Republican who last summer also expressed interest in running for governor.
“Attorney General Mark Herring appears at this time to be the leading candidate right now for the Democratic Party gubernatorial nomination,” Stanley said. “His legal opinion on this issue demonstrates why we are in this mess in the first place, and why this very critical issue continues to remain unsolved.”
-- Amy Friedenberger New round of mandated lead testing finds elevated levels in six Howard County schools, bringing total to 18-- The Baltimore Sun Maryland: January 07, 2019 [ abstract] The latest round of testing for lead in water at Howard County public schools found levels exceeding federal standards in six buildings — bringing the total to 18 schools where lead has been found since the start of a state-mandated review.
Jurisdictions across Maryland are being required to test for lead under a law passed last year. By 2020, all 77 Howard County school facilities will be tested for lead.
Twenty-nine county schools were tested between September and December, and lead levels exceeding federal health standards were detected in water from some fixtures in 18 overall, according to the school system’s test results.
Cafeteria sinks, drinking fountains, ice machines and any other outlets that dispense cooking or drinking water are sampled. If elevated levels of lead are detected, the water fountain or faucet is shut off until repairs are completed.
In the latest round of sampling at 13 public schools, elevated levels were detected in various sinks and fountains at Harpers Choice Middle School and Waterloo Elementary School in Columbia; Centennial High and Manor Woods Elementary in Ellicott City; Glenelg High School in Glenelg; and Hammond Middle School in Laurel.
The tests were completed between Nov. 3 and Dec. 22.
The samples testing positive for lead showed readings in a range between 20 parts per billion — which is the federal threshold — and 78.3 parts per billion, according to school data.
-- Jess Nocera Address school facilities-- The Telegraph New Hampshire: December 14, 2018 [ abstract] In an area as affluent as Greater Nashua, it is inexcusable to ask students to attend an antiquated school with “undulating” floors, inadequate plumbing and a lack of insulation.
In June, The Telegraph reported these conditions as some of those facing students and teachers at Elm Street Middle School.
The projected costs of upgrading the school to meet current standards is $50 million.
Now, city and school leaders are determining the best approach. Should they spend the $50 million to renovate Elm Street, or should they abandon it in favor of an entirely new structure?
Last week, Nashua Board of Aldermen member Rick Dowd announced the Joint Special School Building Committee (JSSBC) has officially selected a construction manager and an architect for the middle school project.
“We need to end up with a school that meets the educational challenges of a middle school going forward, as well as being mindful of cost,” Dowd said during a recent meeting.
“When we look at the cost of renovating Elm Street versus new, we’re not only looking at initial cost, but also 20 years from now. What is the difference in lifecycle cost between the two? It makes a huge difference because we anticipate that this school will be around for another 50 years, and the current school is 80 years old,” Dowd added.
-- Editorial Perrysburg schools facing $38 million in renovations-- Sentinel-Tribune Ohio: December 07, 2018 [ abstract] PERRYSBURG — The possibility of renovations — as well as building new schools — is being discussed by the board of education.
The district is considering rapid growth in enrollment and limited capacity, organizers said during Wednesday’s planning session “Master Planning: Charting the Future of Perrysburg Schools.”
The board, along with representatives of the Collaborative Inc., Toledo, openly discussed capacity and quality of educational facilities.
Principal of the Collaborative Inc., Dave Sera, said that the company has spent nine months assessing the district’s educational facilities, with the exception of Hull Prairie Intermediate which recently opened last year.
Sera said that the building analysis shows that district would be looking at spending $51 million to bring its facilities up to the standards of the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission.
-- Bri'on Whiteside Florence-Penrose School District: Meeting ADA standards reason behind move to close middle school-- Daily Record Florence Colorado: November 30, 2018 [ abstract] FLORENCE — In a move to comply with Americans with Disabilities Act standards, the Florence-Penrose School District is pursuing a plan that would shut down Fremont Middle School in fall 2019 and divide middle school students among Florence High School and local elementary schools, sparking mixed feelings among parents.
Under the new plan, seventh- and eighth-grade students would join their peers at Florence High School and sixth-grade students would remain at either Penrose or Fremont elementary schools for the 2019-2020 school year.
Nearly a century old, FMS has received few upgrades since the 1970s, and in 2004, when an elevator was installed in the main building. Features of the school's bathrooms are not ADA accessible and neither is the school's front entrance nor a seventh-grade science classroom. FMS's annex building does not have an elevator.
"The fact of the matter is this building just presents significant safety and ADA compliance issues," said Brenda Krage, Florence-Penrose superintendent, who is overseeing the transition in her first year as district leader.
-- Zahria Rogers Arlington County Board seems satisfied on school-construction audit-- Inside Nova Virginia: November 28, 2018 [ abstract] The two County Board members on the Arlington government’s audit committee appear to have come away satisfied with an audit on school-construction costs.
The remarks by John Vihstadt and Erik Gutshall come after the audit committee met on Nov. 20 with its school-system counterpart to review a consultant’s report on the cost to build county schools, which often are among the highest in the commonwealth.
While recommending some procedural changes, the consultant concluded that, given a number of specific-to-Arlington factors, construction costs for schools were not necessarily out of line with those in similar jurisdictions.
In briefing fellow board members, Vihstadt and Gutshall seemed to accept that view. It was “a very helpful study,” Vihstadt said.
Arlington is “a community with very limited [available] land,” said Vihstadt, agreeing with one reason the report gave for high building costs. Other complexities raised in the audit included an unusually high level of public engagement prior to adoption of development plans; the requirement that some school facilities (such as gyms and theaters) to be built to standards allowing them to serve the broader community; and a complex regulatory environment.
Vihstadt said the county government has been taking steps to lessen red-tape hurdles required to get to approval of a use permit allowing a school’s construction.
In separate remarks, Gutshall intimated that while having lengthy community conversations about the size, scope and amenities of school buildings could result in delays and higher costs, they remain important discussions to have.
The County Board and School Board are “fully appreciative of the role of community engagement,” he said.
-- SCOTT McCAFFREY Construction on new elementary school in Merced County to start soon, officials say-- Merced Sun-Star California: November 26, 2018 [ abstract] School officials expect Los Banos to have a new elementary school ready by the start of school in 2020.
“Our elementary schools are bursting at the seams,” Los Banos Unified School District Board President Anthony Parreira said, adding officials are trying to get the new school built as soon as possible.
The new school is anticipated to cost around $25 million and will be funded by Measure X, passed by Los Banos voters in June, and district facility funds, Superintendent Mark Marshall said.
It is expected to be built at the corner of B Street and Place Road, right behind the old junior high school, Parreira said. The location and rough design of the school was purchased and approved years ago.
Last year, the school district needed to send updated school plans that complied with current facility standards to the state for re-approval.
The new school, which has yet to be named, will be built to accommodate 990 students from Kindergarten to sixth grade, Marshall said.
For years, Los Banos school officials have been sounding the alarm about the burgeoning student population and need for more schools and classrooms.
The school district finished construction last year on doubling the size of Mercey Springs Elementary School. The district also recently built Creekside Junior High School in 2016 and Pacheco High School opened in 2010.
-- VIKAAS SHANKER Get the lead out, state’s schools told: New law requires parental notice-- Times-Gazette Tennessee: November 25, 2018 [ abstract] New state law taking effect in January makes it mandatory that parents of Bedford County students be notified within five days if any school’s water tests show high levels of lead.
The state considers anything more than 15 parts per billion of lead content to be high. But if level tests show 20 parts ppb, parents have to be warned of the potential risks.
“I know that we did test on our own two or three years ago,” School Superintendent Don Embry said.
Sources outside the school system will be conducting future biennial lead detection tests, Daniel Kleindienst, school maintenance director, told school board members Tuesday night. Tests only have to be conducted every two years if lead levels remain in the acceptable range — one which trickles down from the Environmental Protection Agency.
Complicated standards
When it comes to knowing whether water’s safe to drink, it very nearly requires an environmental degree to understand those EPA standards.
If test results show that lead levels equal or exceed 20 bbp, the school system will immediately remove the water source, such as a drinking fountain. That source cannot be used until retesting confirms the water is within policy standards.
-- DAWN HANKINS REPORT: Most Tennessee school facilities meet safety standards, but more work is needed-- Brentwood Home Page Tennessee: November 14, 2018 [ abstract] Findings in a new report on school safety show that most of Tennessee’s schools meet or exceed standards on many items related to school facilities and operations, but data gathered in the study revealed the greatest weaknesses to be in vehicle control, access control, and surveillance for schools across the state.
Education Commissioner Candice McQueen on Wednesday released the report to provide insight on the strengths and challenges in school security seen across districts. This new report allows the state to increase awareness, prompt further conversations, and spur future action.
“We take seriously the responsibility of providing a safe and secure learning environment for Tennessee students and will continue to support our schools in this daily effort,” Commissioner McQueen said. “Critical work to improve school safety has been started under Governor Haslam’s leadership and this report shows us several ways we can continue to improve our practices moving forward.
“I am grateful for the partnership of our state legislature, other departments, school districts, and law enforcement agencies to make this work a priority in Tennessee.”
While Tennessee has made several efforts in recent years to promote student safety and prepare schools for potential threats, Haslam took further action in March 2018 by convening a School Safety Working Group that recommended a statewide review of school facilities and safety procedures and precautions. These recommendations were swiftly accepted by the governor, which led to the first statewide individual school safety assessments that rated each school on 89 safety standards and was overseen by the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security, in coordination with the Department of Education and local school officials.
“My goal was to ensure the committee work carefully yet swiftly to develop a well-informed plan that would provide security guidelines for our TN school districts,” Department of Safety and Homeland Security Commissioner David W. Purkey said. “A 17-member committee represented by professionals in the area of education, mental health and public safety from across the state were able to accomplish this mission.”
-- Mark Cook Ohio Bill Could Direct School Funding Toward Air Conditioning-- the News Ohio: November 09, 2018 [ abstract] Columbus, Ohio — Ohio would be required to study which of its schools have air conditioning under a state lawmaker’s proposal to put school construction funding specifically toward meeting standards for climate control, among other school infrastructure improvements.
HB 738, introduced Oct. 4 by Rep. Niraj Antani (R-Miamisburg), requires the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission (OFCC) and the Department of Education (ODE) to study the status of school buildings regarding air conditioning, accessibility, and school safety. The bill also requires that once the study is completed, 25 percent of future school construction money be dedicated to air conditioning, disability accessibility, and safety.
The state lacks data on how many Ohio schools have air conditioning or how much it would cost to air condition school buildings in Ohio that do not already have it. Earlier this school year, a heat wave caused multiple Ohio schools to close or send students home early, sparking debate on social media from educators and parents over whether climate control is necessary for a good learning environment.
-- Staff Author Erie's Public Schools Need Millions of Dollars Worth of Repairs-- Erie News Pennsylvania: October 31, 2018 [ abstract]
The Erie School Board is about to get a detailed look at the condition of the district's school buildings and how much work they need.
Erie's Public Schools Superintendent Brian Polito said it will cost millions of dollars for the recommended building improvements to achieve a basic standard they refer to as warm, dry and safe. "Warm, dry and safe will cost somewhere around $60-million," Polito said, "so we’re really talking about all the things you really can’t see in a building renovation such as roofs, the exterior of the building, we hope to get all our parking lots done, our building systems like hvac electrical and plumbing."
The firm, HHSDR Architects/Engineers from Sharon, Pennsylvania put together the draft report after spending several months evaluating each school in the district. In the process, the firm uncovered the structural issues with old coal bin storage spaces we recently reported on at Woodrow Wilson Middle School and Jefferson Elementary School.
The study makes recommendations for every school, but NW PA Collegiate Academy's exterior promenade, propped up with underground wooden supports, and heating a cooling issues at Erie High are among the top priorities, along with needs at Edison and Lincoln Elementary schools.
The superintendent said the building needs are as critical as plans underway to refresh the entire k-12 curriculum for Math, English/Language Arts, Science and Social Studies, and there are funding ideas to cover the costs of both. "Very critical, as you know we’ve been talking about doing things to our buildings for a number of years now and it’s really getting to a point where we can’t wait any longer so this is going to be a big piece of the financial plan that we’re working on with Mr. Zogby," said Superintendent Polito.
-- Lisa Adams City announces plan to use vacant Shaw site for Banneker expansion-- The DC Line District of Columbia: October 26, 2018 [ abstract] Mayor Muriel Bowser and her top education officials announced plans today to modernize Banneker Academic High School by relocating it to a new location a few blocks south: the former Shaw Junior High School site.
The news is likely to upset many local parents who had hoped the long-vacant Shaw property, at 925 Rhode Island Ave. NW, would become home to a new middle school instead. The city now intends to build a new Banneker campus at the Shaw site to offer more room for students and programming for the magnet high school now located at 800 Euclid St. NW.
The new Banneker High is slated to open in 2021. Its site in Shaw will be able to accommodate 800 students, increasing Banneker’s capacity by 300 students, DC deputy mayor for education Paul Kihn told reporters today.
“Banneker is one of the most successful academic programs in the city, and we really want to build on what we know is working for our students with this model,” said interim DC Public Schools chancellor Amanda Alexander.
Banneker — which debuted as a magnet program in 1981 and is now one of seven application high schools with citywide enrollment — offers a structured college preparatory curriculum, which includes AP and honors courses and an International Baccalaureate program. Banneker students scored well above the city averages on last year’s Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) exams, with 92 percent of students meeting proficiency standards in English Language Arts and 70 percent in math — the second-highest marks among DCPS high schools.
Many community members have been troubled by the lack of transparency and engagement from DCPS leading up to this week’s decision. A large contingent of parents believed the Shaw site offered the best option to create a new stand-alone public middle school to serve students from five elementary schools in wards 1, 2 and 6.
-- Catherine Douglas Moran Can School District depend on receiving state money?-- The Athens News Ohio: October 24, 2018 [ abstract] Voters in the Athens City School District are continuing to debate whether to approve or reject a proposed property tax levy to fund new and renovated facilities in the district.
The proposed 5.88-mill levy, over the next 30 years, would generate the funds to repay $60.5 million in bonds, which the district would sell in order to complete its master plan for new facilities, along with funding from the state.
In a recent Facebook poll posted by The Athens NEWS, 599 people shared whether they support or oppose Issue 3 on the Nov. 6 ballot. The poll received 23 comments and 27 shares. Of those who responded, 52 percent (312 people) voted in favor and 48 percent (287 people) voted opposed. Though the poll doesn’t show much beyond the opinions of some Facebook users, it does show a narrow divide even in the small sample of people who responded.
One of the most confusing and contentious points regarding the levy has been the issue of state funding. The district aims to secure funding through the Classroom Facilities Assistance Program, or CFAP, which is how conversations about new facilities and a master plan began. Through this program, offered by the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission (OFCC), the state would pay 32 percent of the total cost for the district’s master plan to renovate and/or build new school buildings according to state standards.
-- Kayla Beard Here’s why Modesto’s elementary schools need your support-- The Modesto Bee California: October 12, 2018 [ abstract] Modesto City School District has provided a quality education to students in the greater Modesto community for over 150 years. Aging classrooms, science labs and educational facilities need repairs and upgrades to meet modern academic and safety standards.
While the district has discussed and planned for school facility improvements for many years, starting in 2017 the Modesto City Schools Board of Education conducted a series of public workshops to identify and prioritize school facility improvement projects. This process included input from facility experts as well as parents, teachers, staff and members of the community to identify the upgrades needed at each school site in order to meet modern safety standards, current academic standards and to address priorities at individual school sites.
While we have been able to make some repairs and upgrades to a few of our facilities, it has been nearly 20 years since the last significant upgrades were made to most of our Modesto schools.
Many basic repairs have been identified at most of our schools, such as replacing leaky roofs, making classrooms accessible for students with disabilities and upgrading outdated cafeterias, restrooms, plumbing, heating, air conditioning and electrical systems. Urgent student safety upgrades were also identified, like upgrading fire and earthquake safety and improving campus security, including lighting, security cameras and fencing to control access. Updates to classrooms and science labs are needed to support quality academic instruction and 21st century learning.
-- BY MEMBERS OF MODESTO STUDENTS FIRST 2018 New ordinance could address school repairs: School district budgeting process for education could be a hurdle-- Daily News-Miner Alaska: October 12, 2018 [ abstract] News-Miner opinion: Borough Mayor Karl Kassel wants to limit how much money the school district can set aside into its reserves and to require excess money be placed into the district’s facilities maintenance account. An ordinance introduced at the Fairbanks North Star Borough Assembly meeting Thursday would do that.
Every year, the Fairbanks school district has money left over from its operating budget. This money is moved into reserve accounts, which has been standard practice. However, the district was scrutinized in the spring when it threatened layoffs and program cuts in spite of having ballooning reserve funds. Superintendent Karen Gaborik defended the district’s then-$30 million fund balance by saying it reflected long-term responsible management. She said this budgeting would help the district get through the state’s fiscal crisis.
The borough is in a tight situation with its $270 million maintenance backlog. School repairs are on that to-do list. The borough owns the schools, but the district’s facilities maintenance account is what pays for improvements such as new roofs or windows. A bond package that would have paid for some school repairs, Proposition 1, was rejected by the voters in the Oct. 2 municipal election. Proposition 2 would have allowed the borough to collect money for more facilities maintenance, but that failed too.
The proposed ordinance is Mayor Kassel’s contingency plan. It would cap the funds in the school district’s unrestricted reserve accounts, or fund balance, at $9 million. Any other unused operating budget money beyond that $9 million would need to be moved to the district’s facilities maintenance account so there will be money to repair schools.
On paper it sounds like a good idea, but the Board of Education and district officials aren’t keen on it.
Board of Education President Heidi Haas said in an email that the ordinance “will have significant negative impact on the finances and operations of the district and the school board budgeting process. It is critical that the board have a full understanding of the financial and legal implications of this proposed action by the assembly.”
-- News-Miner opinion Residents question multi-million-dollar outdoor facilities project at Unionville school-- Daily Local News Pennsylvania: October 12, 2018 [ abstract] EAST MARLBOROUGH—A planned multi-million outdoor facilities project in the Unionville-Chadds Ford School District is being challenged by some residents who claim it will put an undue financial burden on the district’s taxpayers.
District officials hired a consulting firm to review existing outdoor facilities and make recommendations. Some of those recommendations indicate fields used for varsity softball, soccer, field hockey, middle school football and girls’ lacrosse are over established standards but sustainable with high levels of maintenance.
In addition, the existing synthetic turn and synthetic track should receive new surfaces within the next two years. The consulting firm reported that the greenhouse program could be expanded with potential community-based gardening. The report states that the upper portion of land at the Unionville High School campus could be utilized for expanded stormwater management facilities serving new synthetic turf tennis, and parking areas.
“I don’t see a need for this project,” said Jack Greenwood of East Marlborough, who was a health and physical education teacher in the Kennett School District for 40 years and who coached numerous sports. “Your long-range plan is based on constant spending.”
Greenwood said the outdoor facilities project, which could cost in excess of $10 million, would put a financial strain on the district’s seniors on a fixed income.
-- Fran Maye CU collaborates on FEMA natural disaster emergency preparedness guide for K-12 schools-- Times-Call Colorado: October 05, 2018 [ abstract] Local schools had their preparedness for natural disasters tested with the 2013 floods and can offer lessons in responding, especially during the recovery phase.
In a collaboration with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, CU's Natural Hazards Center is highlighting the risks posed to K-12 schools by a variety of potential disasters — and Lyons schools' flood response was highlighted as an example of best practice.
University of Colorado Boulder sociology professor Lori Peek was one of the authors of the free FEMA guide "Safer, Stronger, Smarter: A Guide to Improving School Natural Hazard Safety."
While much attention has been paid to violence-prevention, Peek said, parents and policymakers often overlook the growing threat of natural hazards.
"We are experiencing more frequent and more intense climate-related disaster events, including severe storms and floods," she said. "Yet many of our schools were built before modern codes existed or are in places where codes and land use planning standards are not rigorous."
Locally, flooding, wildfires, snowstorms and high winds are the main threats.
"Natural disasters by their nature are unpredictable," said Rob Price, Boulder Valley's assistant superintendent of operational services. "We want to make sure staff is ready to respond to an emergency and is prepared as possible."
He added that the district follows the guidelines suggested by FEMA.
"A lot of what I read in the FEMA report is what we're doing," Price said.
Hard to plan for a catastrophe
Boulder Valley and St. Vrain Valley have the advantage of being among the better funded school districts in the state thanks to local voters' willingness to approve property tax increases.
-- Amy Bounds Republican State Senator May Carry Bill In 2019 To Modernize Virginia’s Crumbling Schools-- The Republican Standard Virginia: October 02, 2018 [ abstract] According to recent developments, one piece of legislation that may be coming to the standard.com/whats-next-for-the-virginia-general-assembly/" style="box-sizing: border-box; background: transparent; color: rgb(191, 30, 46); text-decoration-line: none !important;">General Assembly in the 2019 session is an effort to modernize crumbling school infrastructure throughout the Commonwealth. As the consensus to fix Virginia’s deteriorating schools gains widespread bipartisan acclaim, a contingent of state senators who formed a subcommittee to investigate school modernization have been touring school systems around the Commonwealth for the last few months.
Following meetings with local lawmakers, teachers, and school advocates on the state of school infrastructure, standard.com/republican-senator-asks-ag-is-virginia-violating-brown-v-board-as-school-infrastructure-deteriorates/" style="box-sizing: border-box; background: transparent; color: rgb(191, 30, 46); text-decoration-line: none !important;">State Senator Bill Stanley (R-Franklin) penned a letter to Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring asking, “63 years later, does the U.S. Constitution or federal law provide a legal remedy for the failure to satisfy the Brown II mandate on school infrastructure?” He referenced the landmark Court case due to it’s direction to states to provide schools that are “fully modernized or maintained as seemingly required,” by the U.S. Constitution.
Schools in Virginia typically have an average lifespan of 40 years. Considering the average school age is above 46 years, the need to begin fixing schools has become very evident in both rural and urban settings. In fact, nearly one-third of schools in Virginia are 60 or more years old, some of which date back to before World War I.
“Every school division has the same problem, which is decaying schools. We’ve got to do something about it,” Stanley said in a report from WTVR.
-- Alex Lemieux Walla Walla school facilities are in poor condition-- Union-Bulletin Washington: September 23, 2018 [ abstract]
All of the Walla Walla Public Schools’ facilities were extensively inspected, investigated and evaluated by several specialized consultants of various disciplines to determine the condition of the buildings and all their subassemblies and components including materials and equipment.
A most important part of these evaluations of the schools’ facilities was that performed by the Washington state Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction-certified building evaluators.
These certified evaluators utilized the standardized state school facility rating system that evaluates building envelopes and core conditions including roofs, foundations electrical, plumbing, HVAC and accessibility.
They rated the condition of each school building envelopes and 17 subassemblies and 47 components of each building as being excellent, good, fair or poor, and determined the building condition score for each feature.
They also provided the levels of action required in order to bring the facilities up to current standards.
In brief, these evaluators determined that the facilities at Lincoln High School, Pioneer Middle School and the Walla Walla High School academic building are in poor condition and all require major renovations.
-- Dean Lodmell UL facilities plan could cost district $46 million-- The Times Leader Ohio: September 21, 2018 [ abstract] BELMONT — Union Local School District will hold a series of meetings to seek input from staff and the community about a school facility improvement plan that could cost $46 million.
John Jefferis, project manager with PCS & Manage in Barnesville, and David Sneed, education planner and consultant, presented Thursday a plan to the school board about what improvements the district could make. Board members had commissioned the educational facilities plan earlier this year. The purpose is to meet the needs imposed by aging infrastructure and buildings.
“It’s an evaluation of space and building components and codes and standards,” Sneed said of the plan. “The first phase, of course, is to complete this assessment. It addresses all those issues, as well as some issues the staff brought up.”
Sneed said one of those issues is the need for space.
“All that was factored in. We gave a price tag for all of that,” he said. “We’ve got a comprehensive plan that will involve curriculum, operations, maintenance, school access and safety.”
Sneed said the bus garage and maintenance buildings also were evaluated, as were the athletic fields. The total cost of the initial plan is about $46 million.
-- Staff Author Abilene ISD bond: Three elementary schools too much of a fixer-upper for modern standards-- Abilene Reporter News Texas: September 14, 2018 [ abstract] What would you do with $69.1 million?
The Abilene Independent School District is hoping to borrow that amount to build three elementary schools, just a portion of a record-breaking $138.7 million bond trustees placed on the Nov. 6 ballot for voter consideration.
If it's approved, Austin, Dyess and Taylor elementary schools each will receive new campuses within the first couple of years of work, a push meant to address the most significant facility needs within the district.
Age was a major factor in selecting the three schools for replacement. And with age, each campus has glaring security needs requiring attention.
Taylor Elementary, the district's oldest elementary still in use, was built in 1955. Dyess was built two years later, while Austin was finished in 1959.
Needs at each of the schools are different. Taylor has classrooms with doors directly to the outside, as does Austin. Dyess has cracking infrastructure. All three have issues with plumbing.
Taylor also stands alone among the three in its need for a new location, though school officials said there is enough room to build a new school along North Judge Ely Boulevard. There has been talk in the past of swapping land with Abilene Christian University, which has its intramural fields butting up against Taylor's current campus, for access to a less intrusive location.
-- Timothy Chipp Butte schools officials make their case for $35 million bond issue-- Montana Standard Montana: September 13, 2018 [ abstract]
Editor's note: This article has been changed to correct the amount the proposed bond issue would cost the owner of a $100,000 home. That amount is $69.30 a year.
On Wednesday night, the Butte School District held a public information meeting about a $35 million bond that will pay for renovations at East Middle School and security updates at all district elementary school, if voters pass it this November.
In July, the district’s board of trustees unanimously approved the proposed bond. Since their approval, district employees have been working with SMA Architects, a Montana-based architecture company, to figure out the logistics of the bond and determine how it will impact Butte’s public schools. The goal of the meeting Wednesday night was to share in detail what upgrades and renovations will take place in each school and how much they will cost.
“We want to inform all Butte voters of exactly what this bond entails so they can make an educated decision,” said Dennis Clague, the district’s director of business affairs, before the meeting.
Using a PowerPoint presentation, SMA Architect employees and district administrators showed the audience of about 40 the tentative renovation plan.
-- MADDIE VINCENT Republican Senator Asks AG: Is Virginia Violating Brown v. Board As School Infrastructure Deteriorates?-- The Republican Standard Virginia: September 07, 2018 [ abstract] As students throughout the Commonwealth head back to school, the discussion that many parents, teachers, advocates, and elected leaders are now having is the state of Virginia’s education infrastructure. There have been scores of reports and inquiries into the condition ofstandard.com/money-allotted-for-rps-maintenance-hidden-in-previous-years-surplus/" style="box-sizing: border-box; background: transparent; color: rgb(191, 30, 46); text-decoration-line: none !important;"> Richmond Public Schools (RPS) and the under-maintained, asbestos-laden, air condition-less, crumbling infrastructure that house the school children of Richmonders. However, as has recently come into the light, the problem is far more widespread.
Rural areas of Virginia are also victim to lacking maintenance in school infrastructure. From leaking roofs, to sub standard internet connections, those from the rolling hills of lesser-traveled parts of the state now having something, unfortunately, in common with the urban areas.
Last month, State Senator Bill Stanley (R-Franklin County) and standard.com/bill-stanley-and-paul-goldman-traversing-political-lines-for-virginias-children/" style="box-sizing: border-box; background: transparent; color: rgb(191, 30, 46); text-decoration-line: none !important;">Paul Goldman, former head of the Democratic Party of Virginia, teamed up to shed light on this previously little known factor. Although a standard.com/stanley-to-lead-senate-subcommittee-to-fix-crumbling-schools/" style="box-sizing: border-box; background: transparent; color: rgb(191, 30, 46); text-decoration-line: none !important;">General Assembly subcommittee has been created to address public concerns surrounding “obsolete” school facilities, which Stanley heads, the Republican from Southwest Virginia has taken it upon himself, with guidance from others, to ask Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring a question: Is Virginia violating the Brown v. Board Supreme Court decision by leaving schools in a dilapidated fashion?
After all, nearly one-third of schools in Virginia are 60 or more years old, some of which date back to before World War I.
-- Alex Lemieux Schools Across the U.S. Find Elevated Lead Levels in Drinking Water-- The Wall Street Journal National: September 05, 2018 [ abstract] Schools in multiple states are tearing out water fountains and old faucets after finding elevated levels of lead in their drinking water.
Indiana tested 915 schools in recent months and found that 61% had one or more fixtures with elevated lead levels. Schools in Colorado and Florida, among others, are taking steps to address lead in drinking water.
Some testing is mandated by new state laws, as in Maryland. In Montgomery County, Md., outside Washington, D.C., the district is midway through replacing 238 fixtures that had elevated lead.
There isn’t a national standard for what level of lead, measured in parts per billion or ppb, is acceptable in school drinking water specifically. Districts and states are struggling to find individual solutions.
The Environmental Protection Agency requires public water systems to take action to reduce lead when more than 10% of samples from homes exceed 15 ppb. Its voluntary guidance for schools, set in the 1990s, states that schools should take individual water fountains and other fixtures out of service if lead exceeds 20 ppb.
-- Kris Maher Pasco School Board nixes capital fund sharing with charter schools-- Tampa Bay Times Florida: September 04, 2018 [ abstract] Citing concerns about promising money they can't assure, Pasco County School Board members on Tuesday killed an effort to craft a plan for sharing capital funds with local charter schools.
"Our budget changes every year," board member Steve Luikart observed. "We can't guarantee something that is not guaranteed to us."
District officials brought the idea of creating a sharing plan, based on criteria such as student demographics and performance standards, to the board in early August. They did so at the behest of charter operators, who worried that without some arrangement they might have no money in 2019-20 to cover maintenance and facilities expenses.
Related coverage: Pasco School Board to discuss whether to share capital funding with charter schools
Their concerns stemmed from legislation that exempts school districts with high debt ratios for construction projects from sharing their property tax revenue with the charters. Lawmakers fully covered a charter construction and maintenance budget of about $150 million this year, but have indicated if they don't repeat that level in the future, districts will be on the hook for the difference.
-- Jeffrey Solochek Officials look for all-girls Excel Academy to thrive under DCPS control-- The DC Line District of Columbia: August 29, 2018 [ abstract] The girls at Excel Academy in Anacostia weren’t sure whether they would have to change schools this year. But by the start of the school year last week, students navigated through a small crowd that cheered “Welcome back to school” and “Black girl magic” as they stepped through the doors of their school.
Excel Academy originally opened in 2008 as a charter school — and the first public all-girls school in the District, hosting pre-K through eighth grades. However, the DC Public Charter School Board voted in January to rescind Excel’s charter, citing below-standard outcomes for students. Excel reopened this fall as a traditional DC Public Schools campus.
To celebrate the transition and encourage the students, Mayor Muriel Bowser and other DC officials, education advocates and community members attended the Aug. 20 kickoff of the Ward 8 school, located at 2501 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. SE.
-- Taylor Mulcahey Manchester Leaders Meet On School Modernization Plan-- Hartford Courant Connecticut: August 28, 2018 [ abstract] For the second phase of a school modernization plan, town and school district leaders on Tuesday focused on enlarging and renovating three elementary schools and converting another to a preschool.
The boards of education and directors met at Lincoln Center to discuss the recommendation of the SMARTR2 (School Modernization and Reinvestment Team Revisited) committee. The panel considered three main options to bring elementary schools that were not part of the ongoing $84 million first modernization phase up to 21st century standards, balance racial enrollment in the district and limit costs to taxpayers through state reimbursements.
-- Jesse Leavenworth Aiken County school district currently managing 11 construction projects-- Aiken Standard South Carolina: August 03, 2018 [ abstract] Construction and renovations are progressing or beginning simultaneously at 11 Aiken County Public Schools.
School Superintendent Dr. Sean Alford updated the status of those facilities Friday morning at the Aiken Chamber of Commerce First Friday breakfast at Newberry Hall. He also shared several “points of celebration.”
Five schools are funded in part by the 1 percent sales tax voters approved in November 2014: Aiken High, North Augusta High, Leavelle McCampbell Middle School, Ridge Spring-Monetta High and Elementary schools and the Aiken County Career and Technology Center.
Aiken High's sign is up on the new administration building, which along with classrooms, the cafeteria and media center, opened in December.
Work is about 30 percent complete on the next phase of construction at Aiken High, which includes an auxiliary gym and classrooms for JROTC, band and the arts.
Work is about 60 percent complete on the next phase of construction at North Augusta High. The roof is up, and windows are being installed on one of two new wings at the school, Alford said.
Construction on the new Ridge Spring-Monetta High should start in August, Alford said. The groundbreaking will be at noon Aug. 17.
“We project to be about $1 million under our comprehensive budget on that project,” Alford said.
-- Larry Woof BOE, Commission to form subgroup to plan school renovations-- Citizen Tribune Tennessee: July 11, 2018 [ abstract]
In addition to celebrating the achievement of West High student Kristoff Lotivio, the Hamblen County Board of Education and the Hamblen County Commission will soon have a meeting to form a subgroup to discuss future building plans as the school system faces millions of dollars in renovation to several schools.
Dr. Jeff Perry, school superintendent, announced to the school board Tuesday night that he had been in talks with County Mayor Bill Brittain and other county commissioners about forming the group.
He said he thought it would be important to have county input.
“I think sometimes we go and demand, ‘This is what we need,’ without their input,” he said.
School board members favored the move and Dr. Joe Gibson, chairman of the board, and school board member Roger Greene agreed to serve on the committee. Perry said he would arrange a meeting soon, but the time and location were not announced.
The commission and school system faces more than $40 million in estimated construction costs to get Hamblen County schools up to acceptable standards. The projects are part of a long-term improvement plan.
First priority for the school system is to complete renovations at Morristown-Hamblen High School West and then also renovate four other schools that currently have “open classrooms.”
-- Staff Author School district considers expense of old classrooms-- Half Moon Bay Review California: July 11, 2018 [ abstract]
Construction for new La Honda Elementary School classrooms is complete, but the community is split on what should become of the old.
The La Honda-Pescadero Unified School District board punted on a decision over the future of 58-year-old classrooms at La Honda Elementary at its June 21 board meeting. People worry about the cost of either tearing them down or maintaining them.
“Parents said it needs to go. Others said we should keep it at least a year. It wasn’t completely clear,” board member Andy Wilson said.
Without modernization or repair, the district estimates that annual upkeep would cost $36,000, and $2,000 per month for utilities.
Essential maintenance would require additional expenditures for roofing, heaters and upgrades to make them fully accessible. Those would total up to $647,000, and could necessitate greater electrical capacity, which might result in an additional $100,000 to $150,0000 to support.
A complete overhaul of the classrooms to bring them up to contemporary standards could cost $4.1 million to $4.2 million.
Those who suggested keeping the old facilities have floated several ideas.
District documents note the possibility for a new community meeting space, science lab or museum of local history. It could become a workshop for bikes, drones, woodworking, computers and coding, or possibly an art school. Some have even suggested that it could be used as homes to alleviate a housing shortage for local teachers who don’t make enough money to buy property in the area.
-- Sara Hayden Many schools keep gardening efforts going all summer-- The Columbian National: June 28, 2018 [ abstract] The school year runs just the opposite of the growing season, making it difficult for educators to teach kids how to garden. But many school systems enlist volunteers to prep garden beds while students are on summer break, making the crops ready to tend when classes resume in September.
“We’re working against nature but we add a lot of season extenders,” said Seth Raabe, South Whidbey (Island) School Farms coordinator in Langley. “That includes greenhouses and different plant varieties. We want to get the school gardens going as early as possible and then extend them as late as possible in order to fit class schedules.”
School gardens have been used as an educational tool in the United States for well over a century, developing from standard vegetable beds into year-round windowsill settings, Grow Labs and hydroponic towers.
Fresh student-grown edibles augment public school menus, contribute to healthier nutritional habits and food safety, teach record keeping and marketing, provide exercise and build a life-long appreciation for the environment.
-- DEAN FOSDICK Many schools keep gardening efforts going all summer-- OA Online National: June 26, 2018 [ abstract] The school year runs just the opposite of the growing season, making it difficult for educators to teach kids how to garden. But many school systems enlist volunteers to prep garden beds while students are on summer break, making the crops ready to tend when classes resume in September.
"We're working against nature but we add a lot of season extenders," said Seth Raabe, South Whidbey (Island) School Farms coordinator in Langley, Washington. "That includes greenhouses and different plant varieties. We want to get the school gardens going as early as possible and then extend them as late as possible in order to fit class schedules."
School gardens have been used as an educational tool in the United States for well over a century, developing from standard vegetable beds into year-round windowsill settings, Grow Labs and hydroponic towers.
Fresh student-grown edibles augment public school menus, contribute to healthier nutritional habits and food safety, teach record keeping and marketing, provide exercise and build a life-long appreciation for the environment.
In short, students are encouraged to shift from being couch potatoes to cultivating lunchroom tomatoes.
-- Associated Press School Facilities - Heat and Learning-- Education Week National: June 12, 2018 [ abstract] Students who learn in hotter classrooms perform worse on college-admissions tests, according to a new study from the National Bureau of Economic Research.
Researchers tracked 10 million high school students who took the PSAT multiple years between 2001 and 2014. On average, students improved their score by a third of a standard deviation by retaking the test. But a student's performance dropped by nearly 1 percent of a year's worth of learning for every degree Fahrenheit hotter the outside temperature was during the school year before a student took the test. The effect was three times as strong for low-income, black, and Hispanic students. In schools with air conditioning, 75 percent of the declines associated with hot days disappeared.
-- Sarah D. Sparks Voters say 'yes' to $90M school bond referendum; plans on six projects should begin soon-- Aiken Standard South Carolina: May 02, 2018 [ abstract] Voters in Aiken County and part of Saluda County approved Tuesday the $90 million Aiken County Public School District's bond to help pay for expansions, additions and security enhancements at four existing schools and to build two new schools.
-- Larry Wood School notes: FCPS recommends new building to address Waverley Elementary crowding-- The Frederick News-Post Maryland: April 09, 2018 [ abstract] A replacement building for Waverley Elementary School on the same site is being recommended, regardless of capacity, as the Board of Education considers its options.
Frederick County Public Schools staff looked at options for a school with a capacity of 725 students, which has been the standard in recent elementary school construction projects, and 1,019 students. While staff didn’t take a position on which size school to build, it recommended a new building after conducting a feasibility study.
-- Allen Etzler Letter: What the school building committee learned-- The Local News Massachusetts: April 03, 2018 [ abstract] In December 2015, the school building committee (SBC) and our architectural design team from Perkins Eastman started the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) process to assess the facility conditions at the Doyon and Winthrop Schools, and to determine if the facilities properly support the current educational plan.
As part of the MSBA process, the architect and their design and engineering consultants performed existing condition studies of the Doyon and Winthrop Schools.
During this process, we learned that the general classrooms are 10 percent to 20 percent below MSBA standards for room size.
-- Mitchell H. Lowe Can ‘hardening’ our schools keep our kids safe?-- Curbed.com National: March 30, 2018 [ abstract] In the wake of the Parkland shooting and the March for Our Lives movement, the question of school safety has gotten renewed focus. The president’s calls to “harden our schools” has ignited debates about the cost and efficacy of applying design solutions to protect students.
But for architects and designers, what does “hardening” our schools really mean? Is the solution for keeping kids safe fortress-like standards pushed by the NRA?
-- Patrick Sisson Anaconda schools get tested for lead, arsenic-- Montana Standard Montana: March 27, 2018 [ abstract] It’s been a long time coming, but Anaconda’s public schools got tested for lead and arsenic contamination this week.
County officials have been pushing the Environmental Protection Agency since at least last fall to test for both arsenic and lead in the schools. The Washoe Smelter shut down in 1980.
EPA made Anaconda a Superfund site in 1983 due to the smelter’s nearly 100 years of emissions.
-- Susan Dunlap Richmond Heights Schools to offer bonds to residents for new school facilities-- The News-Herald Ohio: March 27, 2018 [ abstract] The Richmond Heights School District is set to sell about $9.9 million in bonds April 4 as a portion of the $17.5 million bond and tax levy issue approved by voters Nov. 7.
The bonds will pay for construction of the district’s grades 7-12 high school and Community Learning Center building.
School officials last week met with standard & Poor’s Rating Service in New York to secure a bond rating on the planned bond issues, a district news release stated. Officials anticipate receiving a favorable rating on the bonds in light of their recent notification by the Ohio Department of Education that the school district has been released from Fiscal Caution, a result of improved financial condition and sound management.
-- Chad Felton Water taking toll on William Blount High School-- The Daily Times Tennessee: March 19, 2018 [ abstract] This is the second in a two-part series on proposed renovations to Blount County’s two high schools. Yesterday’s article provided an overview and focused on Heritage High School.
Spalling brick, leaking roofs, damaged floors and 15 industrial dehumidifiers all are symptoms of structural problems at William Blount High School.
Opened in 1979, the school met building standards of the time, but now has two main structural issues, a consultant working on proposed renovations for WBHS and Heritage High School has explained at several meetings.
-- Amy Beth Miller Valley Springs school tax increase passes to fund new high school building-- KY3 Arkansas: February 14, 2018 [ abstract] Valley Springs School district will get a much needed makeover.
Sara Fredlund, whose children go to Valley Springs, said, "I actually graduated from Valley, and I grew up here. And I know the buildings are old, and it's time for something a little bit more updated."
Two of the school buildings do not meet state standards.
Albright Hall will have to be torn down , and the Old Main building will be transformed into an administration building.
-- Caitlin Sinett Voters to decide on levy, bond for school facilities-- Santa Fe New Mexican New Mexico: February 03, 2018 [ abstract] The thermometer in the Nina Otero Community School classroom read 73.6 degrees " warmer than the school’s standard temperature. But the teacher and the students said they were cold, so service technician Brodie Bell showed up wearing a backpack of gadgetry, including a laptop, to find out why the thermostat wasn’t operating correctly.
Student comfort, he said, is a priority.
Bell, a contractor for Santa Fe Public Schools, quickly moved through the hallways of Nina Otero to a small room where he worked. Though Principal Pamela Hyde greeted Bell as he walked by, few teachers or students noticed him.
-- Robert Nott Budget plan seeks $250M bond to launch R.I. school infrastructure improvements-- Providence Journal Rhode Island: January 18, 2018 [ abstract] PROVIDENCE " Gov. Gina Raimondo’s 2019 budget calls for a massive infusion of spending to repair Rhode Island’s deteriorating school buildings.
An engineering study recently concluded that the state’s 306 public schools need $2.2 billion worth of repairs " $500 million alone to bring schools to minimum standards called “warm, safe and dry.” The report found more than 50,000 deficiencies, many of them severe.
Her budget asks voters to approve a $250-million bond to begin what Raimondo is calling “a once-in-a-generation” investment in the state’s aging school infrastructure. This would be in addition to the $80 million a year that the state has been spending on school construction, including repairs that address immediate health and safety hazards.
-- Linda Borg Danbury bond sales finance new school construction-- The Facts Texas: January 18, 2018 [ abstract] DANBURY " Despite the weather, the Danbury ISD school board met Tuesday night and approved the sale of $15 million of debt to the lowest bidder: Bank of America and Merrill Lynch.
The interest rate for the debt will be 3.65 percent, a satisfactory low rate the district was able to receive because of its AAA and A plus ratings from standard & Poor’s, Superintendent Greg Anderson said. The rating is based on how the district handles its finances, along with the economic status of the community. Anderson said the superior ratings are a good sign for Brazoria County.
The approval helps the district move forward with building the new elementary school, which is projected to be ready for use by the 2019-20 school year.
-- Maddy McCarty St. Henry boosters raise $1M for facility
-- The Daily Standard Ohio: January 09, 2018 [ abstract] ST. HENRY - The St. Henry Booster Club so far has raised about $1 million for a proposed new athletic building and members expect more donations to help reach the $1.5 million goal.
Booster Club member Eric Huelskamp said the current building design by Garmann Miller & Associates would place the facility in the lot east of the high school. The roughly 19,400-square-foot building is designed for athletic, school and community use and includes a weight room and two basketball courts.
-- Sydney Albert 2012 closures may have contributed to 6 Waco ISD schools' struggles-- Waco Tribune-Herald Texas: December 23, 2017 [ abstract] When fifth-grade teacher Jo Spark joined Alta Vista Elementary School in August 2012, the atmosphere was chaotic, she said.
The campus had just changed from a magnet school, where people applied to come and parents were regularly involved, to a standard campus, and working parents found it more difficult to attend school functions, Spark said.
“My daughter-in-law taught here, and I had attended several things that happened during her tenure here, and was amazed at the amount of parental involvement and the level of interest in this school being a showcase for Waco,” Spark said. “But we changed attendance zones, and we changed from being the magnet school. We changed administration. We had almost an entirely new faculty, and we had a new student body.”
-- Shelly Conlon Sarasota School Board modifies new facilities policy-- Herald-Tribune Florida: December 16, 2017 [ abstract] SARASOTA " After conflicts over when Sarasota County School Board members should be notified by district administrators about the cost of building and renovation plans, the board and district modified their policy at a board meeting last week to reflect clear numerical standards indicating when the board must be told about a new facilities project.
Under the new policy, a project that is not already listed in the capital improvement budget must come before the board if it costs $325,000 or more at a school site and $150,000 or more at a non-school site. While the policy review was part of a standard board process of re-evaluating multiple district and board policies as they arise, the topic had attracted some attention after a few board members expressed surprise that they had not been told about plans for a $450,000 renovation project at the Landings administrative complex as part of an administration reorganization led by new Superintendent Todd Bowden.
-- Elizabeth Djinis School Board to consider maintenance projects-- Aiken Standard South Carolina: November 27, 2017 [ abstract] The Aiken County School Board is expected to approve maintenance projects at Midland Valley High and A.L. Corbett Middle-Busbee Elementary at its regular meeting Tuesday, Nov. 28.
The meeting will be at 7 p.m. at the Aiken County Public School District at 1000 Brookhaven Drive.
The district received a low bid of $299,988 to install flooring at Midland Valley High and a low bid of $140,000 to paint A.L. Corbett Middle-Busbee Elementary. The Five-Year Facility Improvement Plan for 2018-19 has the funds needed to complete both projects.
-- Larry Wood School notes: Cutting costs for school construction-- Frederick News-Post Maryland: November 20, 2017 [ abstract] In an effort to cut down school construction costs, the Frederick County Board of Education wants to develop minimal standards for developers to meet before the school system starts work on a school site.
At the board’s joint meeting with the County Council last week, the two bodies encouraged the board to develop site standards that would cut down construction costs, and then the council could adopt those regulations.
-- Allen Etzler Report: several Dartmouth schools need major building upgrades-- South Coast Today Massachusetts: August 31, 2017 [ abstract] DARTMOUTH " A preliminary report on a district-wide assessment of current school facilities and future educational needs presented to the Dartmouth School Committee this week indicated that two of the town’s three elementary schools will need some expensive renovations and systems upgrades if they are going to stay in use for many more decades.
Quinn Elementary School, the newest of the buildings used for elementary instruction, is in the best shape, consultants reported. The oldest of the six school buildings in the district, the Cushman School, is obsolete by modern standards and should be abandoned for educational purposes, their report suggested.
-- Robert Barboza Upcoming renovation gives Syracuse school walls for 1st time in 42 years-- Syracuse Post-Standard New York: March 09, 2017 [ abstract] Bellevue will be renovated as part of the Joint School Construction Board's second phase, which allocated almost $300 million for the renovation of 15 district schools.
The renovation at Bellevue will cost a little more than $21.5 million, and is expected to start in late 2017 or early 2018.Â
-- Katie Shafsky Bills would offer state facility funding for charter schools -- Associated Press Texas: March 07, 2017 [ abstract] AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Bills in the Texas House and Senate would authorize state facilities funding for charter schools.
Charters are public schools whose students are subject to the same academic accountability standards as those in traditional public schools. But they don't get state funding to pay for buildings and facility maintenance.
New Braunfels Republican Sen. Donna Campbell is proposing to shrink those funding gaps. She's also a leading proponent of "school choice" voucher plans seeking to offer public money for students attending private schools.
Campbell said Tuesday that traditional public schools get an average of $1,400 per student annually for facilities, while charters get none.
Democrat- and Republican-supported House bills also are seeking charter school facilities funding.
Advocates say nearly 250,000 students attend Texas charter schools, and 140,000-plus are on waitlists for them.
-- Staff Writer Boston Public Schools now has data to help plan for rehab of facilities-- Dorchester Reporter Massachusetts: March 02, 2017 [ abstract] Boston’s public schools are in line for a massive overhaul in the next decade, with the majority of facilities in need of some repair and changing educational standards expected to push the limits of the district’s existing building capacity, according to a city report released by Mayor Martin Walsh on Wednesday at the Boston Municipal Research Bureau’s annual meeting.
The document is the culmination of more than a year of work under the BuildBPS initiative, the city’s 10-year educational and facilities master plan.
-- Jennifer Smith Commentary: Update Philadelphia schools by amending tax credit law-- philly.com Pennsylvania: February 09, 2017 [ abstract] Philadelphia schools recently issued a facilities report showing that the average student attends a school built in the year Brooklyn Dodger great Jackie Robinson stunned a Yankee Stadium crowd by stealing home during Game 1 of the World Series.
That was 1955.
This means our children go to the same aged, rundown K-12 facilities considered functionally obsolete by national standards a generation ago, when their parents attended the same dilapidated buildings.
The report puts a price tag on fixing this intolerable situation: $5 billion.
Philly isn't alone. A 1995 federal survey showed that the average K-12 facility across America to be similarly obsolete. And studies indicate that students forced to attend these structures lose statistically one educational year.
There has been much talk in this past year about bipartisan cooperation on a major infrastructure program. And both presidential candidates, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, specifically said these investments must include modernizing school facilities.
And there is already a law in place that would help get this work done.
-- Opinion - Dwight Evans State officials visiting schools they could recommend closing-- Michigan Radio Michigan: February 05, 2017 [ abstract] State officials who announced the potential closure of 38 “priority” schools across the state are now visiting those schools. The schools on this list scored in the bottom 5% on state standardized tests for three consecutive years.
They’ll be in Kalamazoo this week.
A couple of weeks ago parents at two elementary schools in Kalamazoo got a letter in the mail from the School Reform Office. It said their kid’s school might close.
Superintendent Michael Rice says the state did not warn them the letter had gone out.
“I will tell you that simply the suggestion of this, the presence on a list, is disruptive to our children and families,” Rice said.
Rice recognizes the schools need to do better. But he thinks local school boards should decide if a school should close, not the state.
“It seems a little backwards, charitably, to make a determination about school closure and then do a site visit,” he said.
-- LINDSEY SMITH Schools seek help from the state to pay for building repairs-- Montana Standard Montana: January 29, 2017 [ abstract] HELENA — One issue dominated testimony to the School Funding Interim Commission last year: a backlog of major maintenance statewide. But legislators disagree on how best to help districts — or if they can afford to do so at all.
A District Court judge ruled in 2008 that the Montana Constitution requires the state to chip in for significant school repairs and updates. Yet, state leaders have repeatedly failed to provide enough funding or to adjust regulations about district budgets that make it difficult to save money. The challenge is largely twofold: State assistance must be adequate and it also must be equitable so a student in Grass Range receives an education equal to one in Missoula.
Two programs the state had used to assist some schools in recent years went unfunded or underfunded in the 2015 session. Both are on the chopping block this session as legislators debate how much responsibility the state has to pay for these projects and the fairest way to divide the money between the state's more than 400 districts.
-- JAYME FRASER New city codes for storm shelters won’t affect school district’s 2017 bond issue-- LJWorld.com Kansas: January 18, 2017 [ abstract] New building and construction codes regarding storm shelter safety requirements will have no effect on the Lawrence school district’s upcoming bond issue.
The code amendments, approved Tuesday by the Lawrence City Commission, require storm shelters for any new K-12 educational facilities as well as any existing schools where an addition would increase current square footage by more than 25 percent. This rules out any ongoing projects, including the final renovations being carried out now as part of the district’s 2013 bond issue for elementary schools, as well as the proposed $87 million bond issue slated for a May election that would renovate Lawrence’s secondary schools.
“We’re going to meet the code as it stands, but the code is not requiring us to build any ICC-500 shelters,” said Tony Barron, the district’s director of facilities and operations.
District leaders voiced concern over the new requirements first proposed in early 2016, which incorporated the 2015 editions of the International Code Council (ICC) model construction codes, among other standards. At issue then was the requirement that storm shelters be designed and constructed to withstand winds of up to 250 mph, a mandate in line with standards developed by the ICC in consultation with the National Storm Shelter Association and FEMA.
Although renovations at all 20 Lawrence schools as part of the 2013 bond issue included "hardened space” shelters with steel reinforcements and concrete ceilings, those spaces do not meet international or national FEMA-approved codes for storm shelters, district spokeswoman Julie Boyle told the Journal-World last February.
-- Joanna Hlavacek Behind sale of closed schools, a legacy of segregation-- The Chicago Reporter Illinois: January 13, 2017 [ abstract] Key Elementary School, a sandy-colored brick building on a tree-lined street on Chicago’s West Side, sits empty now. Several windows near its entrance are boarded up, giving the school’s façade the look of a smile that is missing front teeth. The school is in a busy, historic section of the Austin neighborhood near a stately town hall inspired by the building where the Declaration of Independence was signed.
In 2013, Mayor Rahm Emanuel closed Key and 49 more public schools"the most at one time in any school district in the nation"in an attempt to save money by shuttering schools with low enrollment. About 11,000 students, or 3 percent of the district, were forced to change schools.
Emanuel said residents would have a say in turning the former schools into facilities that would benefit the surrounding neighborhoods. Yet four years later, two-thirds of the buildings are still vacant. There are no common standards for community involvement in determining their reuse. And aldermen, who until recently oversaw the process, have not held public meetings to discuss the future of about half of the schools, including Key.
In response to a widely criticized and failing reuse plan, Chicago Public Schools put 28 vacant schools that were shuttered in 2013 on the market this week, taking decision-making about their future out of aldermen’s hands. The announcement came months after The Chicago Reporter began questioning CPS officials about the status of the repurposing.
District spokesman Michael Passman said in a statement that the decision to expedite the sales was made to “accelerate the reuse and revitalization of former school sites and help spur new value from properties throughout the city.” School officials hope a mass sale will increase the number of offers, as the approach has in other cities.
-- Kalyn Belsha Bozeman schools weigh green building vs. greenbacks-- Bozeman Daily Chronicle Montana: December 30, 2016 [ abstract] As the proposal to build Bozeman’s second high school gets closer to a public vote, school officials recommend following Montana’s state standards for green construction, but some parents are concerned that may not go far enough.
The Bozeman School Board is expected to vote in January on revising its policy for energy conservation in new buildings, which hasn’t been updated since 1991.
The school district’s long-range building committee has recommended using the state of Montana’s High Performance Building standards, adopted in 2013, but with three changes.
With those changes, the state standards would only apply to Bozeman’s new school buildings. The school district would keep using the federal Energy Star system to rate its buildings for energy efficiency. And the School Board would decide case-by-case whether to seek a stamp of approval for new buildings from an outside agency.
The last point is contentious. Superintendent Rob Watson told the School Board at its December meeting that the second high school would be built to LEED “silver” standards, “but we may not seek the plaque on the wall.”
-- Gail Schontzler Move away from bond financing for public school construction-- San Francisco Chronicle California: December 19, 2016 [ abstract] Proposition 51, which state voters passed Nov. 8, does nothing to improve how school facilities are paid for. Rather than doubling down on debt to construct needed school facilities, the state should enact sensible reforms that enable all public schools " not just those that can afford powerful lobbyists " to fund ongoing facilities renewal and construction costs.
Switching from debt-based facilities funding to a cash-based strategy could cut current construction and maintenance expenses nearly in half by simply eliminating interest payments. Viewed another way, for the same cost California could buy twice as much as it does now.
California should overhaul its funding formula to include ongoing facilities maintenance because, by using industry formulas and standards, these costs are highly predictable. Taxpayers are on the hook for already approved bonds and interest; they should at least have more fiscally responsible funding options in the future.
Prop. 51, a $9 billion statewide school bond, allocates the lion’s share of the bond monies to district and charter school construction and modernization. When interest on the debt is counted, its true cost nearly doubles to $17.6 billion.
-- Vicki Alger and Jacob Richards High Schoolers With Disabilities Struggle to Find Space in City Schools-- dnainfo New York: December 16, 2016 [ abstract] MANHATTAN — Navigating the high school admissions process is challenging for anyone, but there's an extra layer of difficulty for students with disabilities.
Parents not only have to find programs that can support their children's academic needs, they also have to navigate confusing and incomplete information about whether their students will even be able to get around inside the school if, for example, they use a wheelchair or other assistive device.
Only 56 of the city's district high schools are considered â€"fully accessible†and meet the standards set by the Americans with Disabilities Act, according to Department of Education data — less than 12 percent of the city's roughly 480 high school programs.
About 61 percent of high schools are considered â€"partially†accessible, meaning that people with limited mobility or in wheelchairs can access part, but not all of the building — but the city's high school directory doesn't outline exactly what â€"partially†accessible means in detail at each school, according to Jaclyn Okin Barney, a lawyer who runs the grassroots group Parents for Inclusive Education, or PIE.
-- Amy Zimmer Lead level 88 times the state standard is one of 68 high readings found in Buffalo schools-- The Buffalo News New York: October 25, 2016 [ abstract] The water testing results for 18 Buffalo public school buildings, so far, show that 68 water outlets had elevated lead levels.
And the single highest reading came from a third-floor drinking fountain at the Olmsted School at Kensington " which had lead levels that were 88 times the state standard.
"We have had a concern about lead poisoning in children for quite some time," said Superintendent Kriner Cash on Tuesday afternoon.
Tests have been completed for nearly a third of Buffalo schools. The district was required to test roughly 6,700 water outlets throughout its 58 schools, Central Registration Building, and three athletic field facilities.
-- Sandra Tan Schools hope state match triggers building boom-- Dayton Daily News Ohio: October 14, 2016 [ abstract] Aging buildings with no air conditioning, ailing mechanical systems, leaky roofs and substandard technology are among the reasons five local school districts are seeking money on the Nov. 8 ballot to build new schools.
Xenia, Fairborn, Valley View, Jefferson Twp. and Preble Shawnee are all trying to take advantage of a funding match from the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission. The state program contributes a multimillion-dollar share of local projects if voters agree to cover the rest via bond levies.
The number of school building issues locally is higher than in any election this decade.
School officials say the building upgrades would dramatically improve the learning environment for students.
“Every time it rains, water is coming through certain areas of the roof and the walls into the hallways. Would that affect you at your work?” Fairborn Superintendent Mark North asked. “Or if your computers are not working, or the heating system is not working right? … It’s not a good environment for learning or for teaching either.”
-- Jeremy P. Kelley Community decries 19th Ward school restructuring plan as racially motivated, divisive-- Chicago Tribune Illinois: September 13, 2016 [ abstract] Ald. Matt O'Shea, whose plan to reconfigure schools within the 19th Ward has drawn criticism from some residents, took a different tack when explaining the controversial proposal Monday — presenting it as crucial to freeing up money to renovate crumbling Esmond Elementary, a nearly all-black, low-income school in Morgan Park that he called "the greatest need in our community."
He opened the evening's presentation of his plan to relocate or consolidate four elementary schools in his district by rolling out staff from Esmond, which is not part of the restructuring plan, to detail the substandard conditions at their building and plead for help.
"To me, these two items are absolutely linked," said O'Shea, who explained that under his proposal, a portion of the $20 million previously being considered for construction of a junior high expansion at the Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences in Mount Greenwood would go to upgrading Esmond.
"If we do nothing, the children at Esmond, most of whom live in poverty, will be forced to learn in an unsafe environment, and for me that's not an option," he said.
-- Zak Koeske, Daily Southtown UPDATED: Public concerns mount over contaminated school site-- The Morgan Hill Times California: September 12, 2016 [ abstract] One parent’s concern over the development of a new elementary school site on former agricultural land was made clear Sept. 6 when the mother of two addressed the school board and district leadership on the matter.
Now, school officials, who are working with environmental experts as well as the State Department of Toxic Substances Control, are planning to “off-haul” 38,000 tons of dirt from the property to alleviate the contamination problem. The cost of the work is estimated at less than $2 million, according to district staff.
Local resident Melissa Hartley, who lives in the Terra Mia neighborhood right next door to the 10-acre field on Peet Road, told the board that she would never feel entirely comfortable sending her children to the proposed school due to the presence of harmful pesticides in the soil.
“I am concerned, gravely concerned that we’re putting our most vulnerable in a plot of land that we don’t know if we’re going to be able to clean it all up; if it’s going to be safe with these long-term studies of how it’s going to affect them,” said Hartley, one of only two speakers at the Sept. 6 public hearing.
Bioremediation was used to cleanse the soil more than a decade ago"a procedure that warranted a safe declaration for residential use from the State Department of Toxic Substances Control. However, the district’s environmental consultant detected the same dangerous toxins (dieldren and toxaphene) in the soil during a 2014 site assessment. DTSC standards are more stringent for school use than for residential.
The school board has not yet heard the final Remedial Action Workplan, which must be approved by state officials who act as the oversight agency for the project, according to district staff.
-- Scott Forstner Noisy air conditioner at new Lakewood school drives neighbors crazy-- Cleveland 19 News Ohio: August 29, 2016 [ abstract] LAKEWOOD, OH (WOIO) -
The new Roosevelt School in Lakewood opened the week of Aug. 22. Even before the doors opened, neighbors had to endure an annoying sound coming from the air conditioning unit.
With the heatwave it is nuisance all day and into the night.
"I made two police reports and they said they would turn it over to the school and they would do something. But they never did," said neighbor, Dan Scherzer.
He called it noise pollution. His observation is backed up by Lakewood's building code which said no noise over 65 decibels is allowed.
Using a sound level reader we measured the sound at 35 yards away from the air conditioning unit and got readings of between 72 and 75. We moved
closer. At 15 yards we hit 80 decibels. At 85 decibels hearing can begin to be damaged, according to a national standard.
-- Paul Orlousky District officials finished installing filters on all DCPS drinking sources-- Fox 5 District of Columbia: August 28, 2016 [ abstract] After alarming levels of lead were found in D.C. public schools and other buildings, district officials have finished installing filters on all DCPS drinking sources, but are still working to get filters on fountains in recreation centers.
D.C.’s Department of General Services is in charge of that work.
“DGS completed the installation of filter systems on traditional drinking sources in D.C. Public Schools on August 19, 2016,” mayor’s office spokesman Shayne Wells said in an email to Fox 5. “This was comprised of 2,805 drinking water devices made up of coolers, fountains, health room sinks, and a kitchen food prep sink at each school. Installation of filtration systems on traditional drinking water sources in DPR Recreation Centers is progress and will conclude with sample collection by September 30th.”
FOX 5 was first to report on D.C.’s stringent new lead standards and plans to install filters on all drinking watersources at public schools, public libraries and rec centers, at a cost of $2 million at the onset and $1.5 million annually.
The news came after public officials apologized for failing to take proper steps after high levels of lead were discovered at multiple D.C. schools.
-- Lindsay Watts Can a revamped Roosevelt High serve everyone in its gentrifying neighborhood?-- Washington Post District of Columbia: August 21, 2016 [ abstract] When students arrive for their first day at Theodore Roosevelt High School on Monday, they will walk up a grand staircase surrounded by large, colonial columns and into the results of a $127 million renovation that includes an Olympic-size swimming pool.
The restored 1932 building has a capacity of about 1,100 students; just 460 are enrolled at the long-struggling school in the District’s Petworth neighborhood. But Monday " the first day of class for most D.C. schools " marks a renewed city effort to transform Roosevelt into a high-achieving neighborhood school that parents from all demographics in the gentrifying area want to choose for their children.
And it’s going to be a challenge: In 2012, there were 1,906 high school students living within Roosevelt’s boundaries, and just 301 of them attended the school, according to data from the 21st Century School Fund. In the 2014-2015 school year, no Roosevelt students met or exceeded expectations on math and English standardized tests linked to the Common Core state standards. Just 9 percent of students approached expectations, making it one of the lowest-performing high schools in the city.
-- Perry Stein Howard County schools test high for mold, but questions still remain-- The Baltimore Sun Maryland: August 16, 2016 [ abstract] Glenwood Middle School was one of 12 schools tested in Howard County and found to have higher levels of mold spores than expected, based on industry standard practices, according to a study published on Aug. 8 that was commissioned by the Howard County government.
Conducted through an independent contractor, Skelly and Loy Inc., the school air quality tests measured 15 different mold spores. The results were published based on which classrooms they were found. Levels higher than industry standard practice were highlighted in red. Glenwood Middle School had 27 red measurements, with most as a result of penicillium mold spores and basidiospores.
John White, director of communications for Howard County Schools, said they have hired their own industrial hygienist to review the report. He said the county's contractor described the mold readings within normal ranges that do not present a health hazard.
"Students, staff and the community members can look forward to returning to healthy schools on Aug. 29," wrote White in an email.
Report: Lead in water at nearly all Corvallis elementary schools-- Corvallis Gazette-Times Oregon: August 08, 2016 [ abstract] Seven of the Corvallis School District's eight elementary schools have elevated levels of lead in the water in at least one location, the district announced Monday.
Only Hoover Elementary School, which at 48 years old is the newest elementary building in the district, had no fixtures showing actionable levels of lead, under U.S. Environmental Protection Agency standards.
The results came from districtwide testing of water fixtures performed in July, after lead was found in the water in Portland schools. An amendment to the Safe Drinking Water Act in 1986 banned installation of lead pipes and reduced the amount of lead allowed in fixtures, but all district elementary schools predate that law. The average age of elementary schools in the district is 59 years.
An announcement on the district's website says it is shutting off water to the fixtures with actionable lead levels and posting warning signs on them. The district will replace the fixtures and retest them to make sure they are safe.
-- ANTHONY RIMEL Mold, mildew samples don't meet standards in two county schools-- WSAZ3 West Virginia: July 26, 2016 [ abstract] ELKVIEW, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- Crews are working around the clock to get Elkview Middle School and Bridge Elementary ready for the first day of school on August 8, following the June 23 floods.
With only 13 days left until students go back to school, many parents are concerned there isn't enough time to clean the schools well enough to ensure their children are learning in a healthy environment.
According to Kanawha County Schools Maintenance Manager Terry Hollingsworth, Kanawha County Schools hired outside contractors trained in flood clean up and restoration.
Kanawha County Schools also hired an environmental contractor to take samples from the floor, walls, and air of the buildings and test them to "ensure that the levels of cleanliness and mold remediation are met."
"They look for the bound of particulates in the air so it could be mold, mildew, dust, dirt," Stanley Mills, with the Kanawha Charleston Health Department, said.
If those levels do not meet the Health Department's standards, the contractor must go back in and resanitize the building.
-- Katy Andersen Long Beach Unified To Ask Voters For $1.5 Billion-- Gazettes California: June 23, 2016 [ abstract] The Long Beach Unified School District adopted a $896.7 million budget for the 2016-17 school year Thursday night " and will ask voters in November to approve a $1.5 billion bond measure to pay for campus upgrades in the district.
The ballot measure comes eight years after the 2008 passage of Measure K, which gave the LBUSD $1.2 billion in property taxes in order to pay for construction and campus upgrades. That has included the construction of three new high schools, as well as significant renovation to Newcomb K-8 Academy and Jordan High.
“This November, local voters will have an opportunity to decide whether LBUSD schools will receive needed improvements to meet 21st Century safety and environmental standards,” LBUSD Superintendent Chris Steinhauser in a statement.
On Thursday, Steinhauser stressed that about $750 million of the bond would go toward the immediate implementation of air conditioning across the district, a subject that caused parents to circulate a formal petition in the fall of 2015. He also said that there is still a more than $3 billion need in construction funds to carry out the LBUSD’s facility master plan.
-- Mike Guardabascio DC announces new lead standards after dangerous levels found in school water-- Fox5 District of Columbia: June 21, 2016 [ abstract] WASHINGTON - D.C. has announced new standards to prevent high lead levels in school drinking water after new testing showed 6% of water sources had dangerous levels of lead.
"Deputy City Administrator Kevin Donahue announced that the Department of General Services will move to incorporate a 1 PPB (part-per-billion) action level for lead tests on drinking water sources in District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) and Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) centers. The effort comes on the heels of last week’s report by the American Academy of Pediatrics, Prevention of Childhood Lead Toxicity, that lead testing resulting in a reading of more than 1 PPB should be immediately remediated,” reads a press release provided to FOX 5.
The prior standard was 15 PPB.
-- Lindsay Watts Elevated radon levels at some Portland schools-- Education Week Oregon: June 03, 2016 [ abstract] Portland Public Schools says it has received results showing elevated levels of radon in rooms throughout the district.
The announcement late Wednesday comes at a time when the district is facing criticism for its response to tests showing high levels of lead in the drinking water at some schools.
David Hobbs, senior director of facilities and asset management, outlined the radon findings in a memo to the school board and Superintendent Carole Smith.
Hobbs said roughly 800 rooms in 26 buildings were tested, and nine rooms in six schools exceeded an Environmental Protection Agency threshold that requires immediate follow up testing. EPA guidelines suggest the follow ups be done, if possible, during the coldest months of the season.
"We know June is not the coldest month of the season, but want to conduct this test immediately," he wrote.
More than 100 other rooms exceeded an EPA standard that requires further long-term testing. Those tests will occur in the fall.
-- Staff Writer Soil to be tested at Western Middle School-- Greenwich Time Connecticut: June 01, 2016 [ abstract] GREENWICH " The New Lebanon School building committee on Wednesday decided to test the soil at Western Middle School, where temporary classrooms could be placed for New Lebanon students during construction of a new building for their school.
Western’s grounds have faced scrutiny since a neighbor of the school, Dawn Fortunato, sent out in April the results of private soil testing that showed two findings of arsenic and one of lead that exceed state standards for residential exposure.
Those tests, paid for by Fortunato and several of her neighbors, were conducted on Western grounds by land surveyor Michael Finkbeiner. Town and school officials did not authorize Finkbeiner to do the tests, and have chosen not to follow his results with testing of their own.
School officials have kept the Western playing fields open since Finkbeiner’s test results were announced.
The New Lebanon building committee on Wednesday unanimously approved an approximately $33,000 allocation for a land survey and soil testing.
Before Finkbeiner’s test results were disclosed, New Lebanon committee members had considered testing at Western. Marzullo made two unsuccessful motions in April for a land survey and soil testing at the school.
Marzullo has said he is concerned about the middle school’s location because it adjoins the town dump on Holly Hill Lane, which once included an incinerator whose ash has been linked to public health concerns, including the 2011 discovery of PCBs in the ground at Greenwich High School.
Western remains the committee’s top pick for the site of temporary classrooms for New Lebanon students during the 2017-18 school year, when their new school will be built, but a final decision has not been made.
-- Paul Schott More rural Iowa school districts plan to close their doors-- SFGate Iowa: May 29, 2016 [ abstract] DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Once again, the end of a school year means the end of several school districts in Iowa, continuing a trend seen for decades but one that doesn't get easier for the communities involved.
Because of the closure of the Farragut Community School District and merging of two others, classes won't resume after summer vacation at three schools in southwest Iowa. For students, it will require traveling extra miles to reach school, but for the communities it will be more than an inconvenience.
"It's a town of about 500 people here, so there's a bar, a post office and a bank. And then we've got the school," said Lisa Spencer, the principal who oversees 120 students who attended Farragut's seventh through 12th grade school. "That's what makes it even tougher to deal with. It's not just the loss of a school. It feels like it's the loss of a community."
The Iowa Board of Education made the rare decision to dissolve the school district in November, making it the third time the state has forced a school district to shut down, said Staci Hupp, an Education Department spokeswoman. The board made the decision after the district repeatedly overspent and failed to meet education standards.
Since Iowa school funding is based on student enrollment, many rural districts have struggled to keep their student numbers up amid declining populations. U.S. Census estimates released earlier this year showed that 71 of Iowa's 99 counties have lost population since 2010, and the trend stretches back decades.
-- Aleksandra Vujicic, Associated Press West Memphis to build its first new school in 30 years-- Memphis Business Journal Tennessee: May 20, 2016 [ abstract] The West Memphis School District is demolishing its oldest school building to make way for a new, state-of-the-art elementary school that can accommodate more students and keep up with the times.
A $14 million, 72,000-square-foot facility will replace the district's oldest school — Bragg Elementary, originally constructed in the mid-1950s.
Ladd Garey, a project architect with Evans Taylor Foster Childress Architects (ETFC) who attended Bragg as a child, said after trying to bring the existing school up to new classroom-size standards and trying to incorporate technology infrastructure, the district decided it was time for new construction.
"It's an exciting time for West Memphis," Garey said. "They've been making it and doing a great job with what they've had, but they will now be able to take advantage of new technology and what's available to enhance the current learning environment."
-- Michelle Corbet Bigfork Breaks Ground on Historic High School Renovation-- Flathead Beacon Montana: May 09, 2016 [ abstract] BIGFORK " Students, staff and community members cheered as the melody of the school’s pep band echoed in the heart of town. The renovation of the high school commenced with celebration.
“This is an effort stretching back 30 years to make this happen,” Superintendent Matt Jensen told the crowd. “It’s because you persevered through those efforts that we can stand here today and celebrate this.”
Last week crews with Hammerquist Casalegno officially began work on the $14 million multi-year makeover of Bigfork High School. An estimated 30,000 square feet of new space will be built onto the existing building. Other spaces will be renovated and upgraded to modern safety standards. The school was able to add an additional 6,000 square feet, which will include building a multi-use room that could host community events, because of a favorable bond rate below 4 percent, Jensen said.
“We’ve had 30 years that this has been needed. So we’re making up for lost time, but we’re also trying to build something that fits the needs for 20 years down the road,” Jensen said.
-- DILLON TABISH Klamath-Trinity school district secures $10M for mold problems-- Times Standard California: April 21, 2016 [ abstract] Cooperation between local tribes, legislators and the Klamath-Trinity Joint Unified School District resulted in the allocation of almost $10 million dollars in state funds to help with ongoing mold issues the district’s been dealing with for years.
With this money secured and a plan in the works to cover future costs of mold abatement projects and building upgrades, Superintendent Jon Ray said he had tears in his eyes when he heard about the allocation.
“Yesterday (that plan was) cemented into place and coming together,” Ray said Thursday.
In February, all eight campuses in the district closed for two weeks, one of which was a scheduled week off, to give staff time to retrofit mold-free facilities into classrooms.
Dangerous levels of potentially toxic molds were measured at Hoopa Valley Elementary School, Hoopa Valley High School, Jack Norton Elementary School, Orleans Elementary School and Trinity Valley Elementary School facilities.
According to Ray, mold bloomed in these facilities because they were built in the 1950s and ’60s using building plans that weren’t designed for such a wet, rainy environment.
The allocation was announced in a press release from state Sen. Mike McGuire’s office Wednesday evening.
-- Hunter Cresswell Henderson elementary school offers glimpse of CCSD’s future-- Las Vegas Sun Nevada: April 18, 2016 [ abstract] Schools have come a long way since the days of one-room schoolhouses.
The growing demands placed on school districts by crowded classrooms, a shortage of available land, and parents’ desire for safety and efficiency have transformed not only the way the public looks at schools, but how architects design them.
Wallin Elementary in the rapidly growing community of Anthem was completed in 2010, making it one of the Clark County School District’s newest schools. It’s also one of the most advanced in the district and could set the standard for how county schools are built for years to come.
Here’s how:
Multiple entrances
Wallin’s colorful front facade is about more than encouraging a welcoming, happy feeling at the school. It was designed to make it easier for people to enter the campus. The blue main entrance and office are for students and staff. The yellow multipurpose building, positioned at the front of the school, is for members of the community, so they can walk right in for school events. The school also has a third entrance near the library that can be closed during school hours and reopened after school for community use.
-- Ian Whitaker Decaying School Infrastructure Putting Student Health At Risk-- neaToday National: April 05, 2016 [ abstract] School facilities is second only to highways as the largest sector of public infrastructure spending, but it’s been more than 20 years since the federal government conducted a comprehensive review of the nation’s school buildings. The fill this void, the Center for Green Schools teamed up with 21st Century Fund and the National Council on School Facilities to comb through any and all relevant data to answer this question: Are we spending enough on school facilities to support student learning?
According to the just-released report, State of Our Schools: America’s K"12 Facilities, the answer is we’re falling short " to the tune of $46 billion. That’s the size of the funding gap needed to bring all U.S. public school facilities up to modern standards.
“The current system of facilities funding leaves school districts unprepared to provide adequate and equitable school facilities… In total, the nation is underspending by $46 billion " an annual shortfall of 32%,” the report states.
The importance of modernizing school infrastructure cannot be overstated. Too many buildings across the country have been allowed to deteriorate as budget cuts have forced districts to forgo maintenance to pay for programs. Millions of educators and students teach and learn surrounded by peeling paint, crumbing plaster, and poor ventilation and faulty heating and cooling systems.
-- TIM WALKER The Children Left Behind-- Harvard Political Review National: April 03, 2016 [ abstract] Every semester, Professor Kay Merseth begins her course “Dilemmas of Equity and Excellence in American K-12 Education” with a call to action: “If you’re not outraged, you’re not paying attention.” However, most students enter Longfellow Hall for the first lecture excited, not outraged. Merseth’s class is so popular that many students must enter the lottery at least twice before getting the chance to take the course. And for many of these students, myself included, the education system they uncover is nothing like the one they know.
The average American family earns a little over $50,000 and about 90 percent of American students attend public schools. Over half of Harvard’s Class of 2019 reported coming from families with incomes over $125,000. Thirty-five percent of students reported attending a private secondary school. Though some Harvard students come from less-than privileged backgrounds and have confronted overwhelming odds, for the most part, though, Harvard students come from places of privilege.
But what about the millions of young adults produced by the American K-12 education system who didn’t succeed? What about those who did not go to an affluent suburban school or an elite New York private school? What about those who didn’t graduate, let alone make it to Harvard?
This is not to guilt-trip the students who succeeded at a school which had the resources to provide unparalleled opportunities. Creating an equitable education system requires holding underperforming schools to the same standards as top schools. To do that, we must address three shortcomings: physical conditions in schools, inequality in school quality, and the racial achievement gap.
First, our education system suffers from inadequate physical school conditions. Teachers in Detroit’s public schools brought light to the deplorable conditions of schools buildings in their district when they staged a “sick-out” to protest the conditions. Photos and reports of mold, decrepit staircases, and other shortcomings illuminated the financial struggles of a school system that serves nearly 47,000 students. Detroit is not alone.
-- Samarth Gupta Bill Requires Mandatory Water Testing for Lead in All NJ Schools-- NJTVNews New Jersey: March 28, 2016 [ abstract] So far, the white-hot media spotlight’s pinpointed Newark schools where recent surveys of drinking water showed lead levels high enough to shut down 30 buildings. Acting on that red flag, Senate Democrats today introduced a bill that requires immediate, statewide testing for lead in all school drinking water and mandates test results get publicized.
“I’m told that there’s no law that mandates pretty much anything. And I’m thinking, you got to be kidding me. And so the Senate president and I spoke with Sen. [Teresa] Ruiz and I’m saying, we need to mandate testing,” said Sen. Ron Rice.
New Jersey school districts do test for lead using EPA standards, but on their own schedules. Jersey City has a robust testing program. Camden’s been using bottled water in some schools for years. Asbury Park says it hasn’t done random tests since 2009. It’s not required. It will be in this bill.
“Unlike the administration, that doesn’t think it’s a crisis, if it’s your child that gets poisoned and becomes neurologically disabled, you’ll find out,” said Senate President Steve Sweeney.
-- Brenda Flanagan Bowser’s budget changes the city’s approach to school renovations-- Washington Post District of Columbia: March 24, 2016 [ abstract] The District will begin to use more realistic cost estimates when it makes capital improvements to schools and will apply a standard ranking system to decide the order in which schools are renovated, according to senior officials working for Mayor Muriel E. Bowser.
The plan by Bowser (D) to pump an extra $220 million into school modernization over the next two years reflects the true costs to renovate each school " a first, city officials say.
The school system’s chief operating officer, Nathaniel Beers, said the city has long used a flawed formula to determine how much each renovation project would cost, which resulted in work on many of the system’s more than 100 schools being underfunded. The old budgets typically accounted only for the cost to modernize classrooms, not the entire school, he said. That forced officials to scramble to find dollars to finish the work and resulted in final costs that were higher than budgeted amounts, he said.
“What used to happen is that we would swipe money for one project from another project,” Beers said.
-- Perry Stein Fayette County Public Schools approves funding for radon mitigation-- WKYT Kentucky: March 21, 2016 [ abstract] On Monday, the Fayette County School Board voted in favor to approve a sum of $571,846.00 that will be used to make adjustments at nine schools, to reduce the levels of radon.
On Thursday, March 10th, Fayette County Public Schools sent home letters to nine schools that had high levels of radon.
District spokeswoman Lisa Deffendall said high levels of radon was discovered at Bryan Station High School, Booker T. Washington Intermediate Academy, Harrison Elementary, Leestown Middle School, Lexington Traditional Magnet School, Mary Todd Elementary, Russell Cave Elementary, SCAPA and Sandersville Elementary.
The Environmental Protection Agency recommends homes to have a radon level below 4 picocuries/Liter(4pi/L). Fayette County Public Schools follows that same standard.
Approximately 11 different tests were taken at each school. Below shows a chart of the nine schools that, in some areas of the school, tested at a level 4 or higher. The below numbers show the highest level at which each school tested.
Radon is an invisible, odorless, radioactive gas that comes from the natural decay of uranium that is found in soils. It is the second-leading cause of lung cancer, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Two years ago, high levels of radon was discovered at Locust Trace Agri-Science Center, a technical school on Leestown Road. The school was tested after it applied for green ribbon status. Radon testing is mandatory to achieve green ribbon status.
That discovery was made after year-long screening, which found radon levels to be 10 times the recommended level of 4 picocuries per liter. School leaders hired engineers who were able to reduce the amount of radon at the school by installing a mitigation system.
The district had gone for years without testing radon levels because it wasn't a requirement. Instead, the district tested radon on a rotating basis.
-- Staff Writer The kids are all right: Schools say they’re prepared for earthquakes-- Los Angeles Daily News California: March 17, 2016 [ abstract] When the Big One hits, one of the safest places for your child will be in school. Under 1933’s Field Act, public K-12 schools and community colleges are built to a higher standard than virtually any other building in the state.
“Our buildings are less likely to fail” in the event of a major earthquake, said Jill Barnes, coordinator of Emergency Services for the Los Angeles Unified School District. “Although that said, we do still evacuate and inspect the buildings before we let the students back in.”
Students and staff are also taught what to do in case of a major earthquake.
“By law, we’re required to have drills periodically throughout the year,” said Jon Best, director of Student Services for Redlands Unified School District. (This being 2016, those drills involve more than just fires and earthquakes: Schools also hold “lock down” drills where they learn what to do in case an armed intruder is on campus.)
-- Beau Yarbrough, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin Gaps in Cleveland schools' $500,000 E-Rate investigation baffle watchdog panel-- Cleveland.com Ohio: March 14, 2016 [ abstract] CLEVELAND, Ohio – A watchdog panel questioned Saturday why the Cleveland school district is accepting gaps in its $500,000 investigation into how and why the district botched $8.5 million in federal E-Rate technology rebates.
Bond Accountability Commission (BAC) members said they are baffled that the district and investigators from the Squire Patton Boggs law firm failed to answer questions the commission raised about the rebate failures last spring.
The district hired the firm last year right after the BAC outlined how the district had been pre-approved for $12 million in federal rebates for internet communications equipment installed in schools between 2006 and 2011, but failed to collect $8.5 million of that money.
Squire Patton Boggs' report to the district in January gives multiple reasons for those failures, including paperwork mistakes, missing documentation and repeatedly-missed deadlines.
But investigators didn't go far enough on several issues, the BAC wrote in its new review of that investigation, by just writing them off as impossible to determine when answers were not handy.
The biggest: Did contractors ever install the right internet connectivity equipment in schools, the BAC asked? Or did electrical contractor Doan Pyramid electric, whose owner is in jail as part of the Cuyahoga County corruption scandal, cut corners and install sub-standard, or just different, equipment?
-- Patrick O'Donnell, The Plain Dealer Several Years and $1 Billion Later, San Diego Schools Are Actually in Worse Shape-- Voice of San Diego California: March 02, 2016 [ abstract] After a tax hike, two ballot propositions and $1 billion in spending, San Diego’s city schools are in worse condition today than they were eight years ago, according to new data the district handed over to its Independent Citizens’ Oversight Committee.
The report shows the agency’s Facility Condition Index is significantly worse than it was in 2012, when Proposition Z was passed. And even worse than it was in 2008, when voters approved Proposition S.
Proposition Z was a property tax hike officially called the San Diego Neighborhood Schools Classroom Safety and Repair Measure. It had a main objective of “repairing deteriorating 60-year-old classrooms, libraries, wiring, plumbing, bathrooms and leaky roofs,” according to the ballot language voters saw.
Proposition S was an extension of a previous tax hike. Combined, they were worth $4.9 billion.
Now, after the district has spent $1 billion, buildings are in worse shape than they were in 2008.
The index, or FCI, is a standard industry measurement calculated by dividing the total cost of facility replacement, repair and renovation needs by the replacement value " determined by multiplying the district’s total square footage by the current cost for new construction per square foot. The amount to totally repair San Diego Unified’s buildings is $1.25 billion. To replace them entirely comes in at $5.5 billion, the latest figures estimate.
An index below 5 percent is good. Six to 10 percent is fair. Above 10 percent is poor.
-- Ashly McGlone Why the Atlanta superintendent wants to close successful schools-- myAJC Georgia: February 25, 2016 [ abstract] Atlanta school Superintendent Meria Carstarphen’s plan to turn around the struggling school system calls for closing schools that, by Atlanta standards, are succeeding and merge those students with now-failing schools.
The closures will allow her to replace hundreds of teachers, bring in new leaders and save money by closing half-empty schools. District officials says the goal is to improve education for thousands of Atlanta children.
In addition to closing three schools, Carstarphen has also proposed hiring charter school groups to run five low-performing schools.
But her plan doesn’t make sense to some parents.
“Why would you close a school that’s improving?” asked Antonia Mickens, whose daughter attends one of the schools up for closure.
The school board is scheduled to vote on her plan on March 7.
Carstarphen’s plan doesn’t go as far as the school closures proposed by former Superintendent Erroll Davis four years ago. Under his leadership, the school board ultimately voted to close seven schools and move boundaries at dozens of others.
-- Molly Bloom Schools worry about proposed construction caps-- Orlando Sentinel Florida: February 22, 2016 [ abstract] A bill in the Florida Legislature that would put strict limits on how much districts can spend on new and replacement campuses is unfair, Orange and Lake County school leaders say.
HB 873 includes limits on land costs, which school leaders say are unrealistic because the price of property varies widely across the state. The measure also doesn't offer wiggle room if districts encounter unexpected costs, officials say.
School districts already have limits on construction spending, but the cost of land isn't included. The current caps are set at about $21,615 per student for an elementary school, $23,341 for a middle school and $30,318 for a high school.
"Could we build a school and stay in the caps?" said Rick Collins, the chief financial officer for Orange schools. "Yes, if you don't include the off-site improvements and site acquisition costs."
The proposed changes could have a big impact on Orange, which gained 5,000 students this year and is in the midst of a building boom. The district expects to open 13 new campuses over the next five years.
The current limits don't apply if the schools used local sources, such as a sales tax, to build the facility. That would change under the new proposal, which would also change the standards for charter schools to qualify for construction money and shift dollars from the traditional schools to the charter schools.
It's uncertain how much Orange would lose at this point, Collins said.
-- Annie Martin Burden of funding school facilities increasingly falls to local taxpayers-- Independent Record Montana: February 19, 2016 [ abstract] School districts across the state are trying to update their aging buildings and find room for rising enrollments " and worrying that almost all of the money they need to do so comes from local property taxes.
Since the Montana Legislature declined to appropriate money to the Quality Schools Grant Program in its 2015 session, the state’s sole source of assistance with school buildings comes in the form of a program that attempts to help poorer school districts that have passed bonds for capital expenditure projects.
But the program doesn’t have the money to cover the amount of need, and before a school district can take advantage of the assistance, they must first convince local voters to pass a bond issue and raise property taxes.
The school facility reimbursement money is awarded using a formula that essentially calculates the amount of taxable value per student in a district. Districts with a valuation lower than the statewide standard are eligible to receive funding to help them pay back bond debt, with a goal of trying to equalize the ability for districts across the state to bond for their needs.
-- DILLON KATO St. Vrain Valley refinances $115 million in general obligation bonds-- Daily Camera Colorado: February 18, 2016 [ abstract] The St. Vrain Valley School District this week refinanced $115.155 million of its general obligation bonds to take advantage of low interest rates.
Greg Fieth, St. Vrain's chief financial officer, said the lower interest rates should save taxpayers about $20 million in future repayments over the life of the bonds.
"We were very happy with our final savings figures," he said.
The refinancing was for the bonds issued from the $189 million bond voters approved in 2008 and the $212 million bond approved in 2002. The 2008 bond included building a new Frederick High School, building Red Hawk Elementary School in Erie and remodeling Skyline High School.
Since 2010, the district refinanced its bonds four other times, resulting in savings of $14.3 million, district officials said. Combined with the most recent refinancing, St. Vrain has dropped its interest cost on its outstanding general obligation debt by $34.45 million.
Fieth said a high credit rating qualified the district for low rates in the most recent refinancing. standard & Poor's rating for the district is "AA," while Moody's Investor Services gives the district a rating of "Aa2."
The rating reports noted the district's "strong financial management and policies" and a healthy general fund balance. The district's diversified tax base and low to moderate overall debt burden were also cited as reasons for the ratings.
-- Amy Bounds Lack of state funding leaves many Montana schools in disrepair-- Billings Gazette Montana: February 15, 2016 [ abstract] Montana ranks near the bottom nationally for the state's share of funding for school construction and repair — and education leaders say that has caused differences in the quality of education statewide that might run afoul of the law.
What's certain is that the lack of state funding has left some schools in disrepair for years, leading sewage to back up in hallways, snowpack to threaten roof collapses and students to crowd too-small classrooms that don't meet accreditation standards. Advocates say that when the state doesn't pay its fair share, districts have turned to local residents, who increasingly are unwilling or unable to pay more taxes.
In the wake of an education lawsuit a decade ago, the Legislature created two programs to help pay for facilities, but funding for both has not kept pace with growing needs, and the state predicts income for the programs will fall further. Additionally, the 2015 Legislature failed to fund one of them, killing grants to help 53 school districts.
â€"They've certainly made efforts to address building deficiencies but it's not a very viable solution,†said Dianne Burke, executive director of the Montana Quality Education Coalition, noting a 2008 state inventory that tallied $360 million in needed repairs. â€"When you're allocating $10 million a year, that's not really making too much progress. It would take you 36 years to catch up, not even thinking about inflation.â€
-- JAYME FRASER Parents urge board to retain neighborhood schools-- South Charlotte Weekly North Carolina: February 12, 2016 [ abstract] Parents have made one thing clear to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Board of Education (BOE): they want neighborhood schools to be a priority.
The BOE held a public hearing Feb. 9 to discuss four goals the board’s policy committee created as parameters for the student assignment guidelines, which would take effect in the 2017-18 school year.
The goals include: reduced the number of schools with high concentrations of poor and high-needs children; preserve and expand schools in programs that have achieving students; provide school assignment options to students assigned to schools that are not meeting state performance standards; and maximize the use of school facilities, transportation and other capital and operational resources to reduce overcrowding. The board requested public input at Tuesday’s meeting and will vote on the goals at its Feb. 23 meeting.
Parents came to the board on Tuesday with a resounding message that they don’t want forced busing and want to retain neighborhood schools. Many requested the school board add a fifth goal that sets home schools as a priority.
-- Courtney Schultz All eight Trinity-Klamath schools closed due to mold-- Times Standard News California: February 08, 2016 [ abstract] Mold found in classrooms and facilities on five campuses in the Trinity-Klamath Joint Unified School District prompted the closure of all eight schools in the district for this whole week.
Hoopa Valley High School, Hoopa Valley Elementary School, Trinity Valley Elementary School, Orleans Elementary School, Weitchpec Yurok Magnet/Elementary School, Jack Norton Elementary School, Captain John Continuation High School and Two Rivers-Rivers Edge Community Day School are closed this week due to the mold and next week for a scheduled week off. According to a document sent by Superintendent Jon Ray; mold was found in the cafeteria and kitchen of Jack Norton Elementary School, the cafeteria, kitchen, main office, library and boiler room of Orleans Elementary School, 10 classrooms and the boiler room of Hoopa Valley Elementary School, the cafeteria, kitchen, main office, administrative office and three classrooms of Hoopa Valley High School and the cafeteria, kitchen, main office, administrative office and three classrooms of Trinity Valley Elementary School.
“As a father and a family man, I have an understanding how this affects all of us. Please be assured, we are acting in the best interest of our students and staff. Thank you for your time and patience during this incredibly challenging time,” Ray said in a press release.
-- Hunter Cresswell Helena school board meets Tuesday; trustees to focus on educational vision before facilities-- Independent Record Montana: February 07, 2016 [ abstract] At Tuesday night’s Helena School Board meeting, the trustees plan to share insights they gained at their recent board retreat with facilitator Virginia Tribe exploring board governance.
The board meets at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 9, at Ray Bjork Learning Center, 1600 8th St.
What they learned in the retreat is causing them to take a step back from facilities planning to first focus on the district’s educational vision, said board chair Aidan Myhre. “We need more clarity.”
The board intends to use two upcoming board retreats in March and April to outline the educational pieces in more detail before it takes the next steps in school facilities planning. School facilities should match the district’s educational vision, said Myhre. For instance, the district can’t promote more rigorous science standards if it doesn’t have science labs or classroom sinks needed for the classes.
“I think people want a stronger science program,” she said. “What do we need to make that happen?” She also noted that art and music programming have facility needs, as well.
-- MARGA LINCOLN Gym Floor Mercury Poses Painful Puzzle-- Payson Roundup Arizona: February 05, 2016 [ abstract] The discovery of minute amounts of mercury off-gassing from the rubberized floors in the Pine school gym and cafeteria represent one of those nerve-wracking intersections of science and public policy.
#Worried, thoughtful, articulate parents and community members this week peppered representatives of the state health department, state department of environmental quality and school facilities board with intense questions about whether their children face long-term health risks as a result of the mercury salts used to catalyze the hardening of the Tartan brand floors installed decades ago.
#On the face of it, the results of two sets of tests on the gym and cafeteria floors sound pretty reassuring. The levels of mercury in the air at the height of a third-grader’s nose average about 0.29 micrograms per cubic meter of air. Federal standards consider levels safe anywhere below 3.0 micrograms " which is at least 10 times the levels measured in Pine. To try to wrap your mind around how small 1 microgram is " picture one inch covered on a trip between here and Portland, Maine.
#Still, parents raised great questions about the methods of monitoring. These thoughtful questions convinced the state to do additional tests. Parents wanted tests that track concentrations over eight hours when the gym is actually in use. The state representatives agreed to undertake the additional tests and we will fully report the results when we get them.
-- Staff Writer Why Detroit schools are crumbling - look at state's funding foundation-- Mlive Michigan: February 01, 2016 [ abstract] Black mold in school buildings. Classroom heating systems that fail during frigid Michigan winters. Leaky roofs, warped floors, and collapsed ceilings.
As Lansing lawmakers belatedly work to address the Detroit Public Schools' financial crisis, these physical manifestations of that crisis have provoked perhaps the loudest public outcry. Classroom conditions are a focal point of teachers' ongoing protests. And activists warn that the school system's ancient infrastructure poses health risks to both students and employees.
Little attention, however, has been paid to the regressive school-finance system that all but ensured Detroit schools' physical decay. And until legislators reform that system, children from poorer districts across Michigan will continue to face substandard, unequal learning conditions.
A bit of background: Pursuant to Michigan law, the state provides each local school district a per-pupil "allowance" each year. That allowance — which largely derives from state sales and property taxes — is meant to fund basic operations: textbooks, teacher salaries, supplies and so forth.
Not every district receives the same per-pupil allowance. But each district does receive an allowance within a statutorily defined range, theoretically ensuring a modicum of funding equality across the state.
The facade of equality collapses, however, when one realizes that Michigan funds only part of local school districts' expenses. Crucially, Michigan provides zero funds for building new school facilities, or for improving or maintaining older schools. Whenever a district needs to replace or refurbish an aging school building, it must raise the funds itself. And as a practical matter, Michigan provides school districts just one way to pay for physical infrastructure: through local property taxes.
-- Eli Savit Jackson schools map out millions in capital needs-- Smoky Mountain News North Carolina: January 27, 2016 [ abstract] Jackson County Public Schools wants more than $12 million for improvements to its facilities through 2020, but despite the big number, the requests are pretty basic, Superintendent Mike Murray told commissioners last week.
“There’s some point where you say it’s just not right to have kids sitting with buckets in classrooms,” Murray said.
Roofs, heating and athletics
A significant chunk of the $12.6 million ask " a number which is not final and includes projects funded through the budget approved in July " would go to replace failing roofs at five schools in the district, a $2.8 million undertaking. Most of the roofs are 20 or more years old, so given that the standard life of a roof is around 25 years, it’s time to start planning for replacements before failures happen.
In some cases, it’s been too late. Commissioners had to appropriate $190,000 in emergency funds this year when part of the roof at Fairview Elementary School unexpectedly failed. The same thing happened at Cullowhee Valley Elementary School in 2013. In that case, Murray said, it appears something was up with the design " the roof should have lasted longer.
“We should have got another 10 years out of that roof,” Murray said. “There’s no reason in the world that it failed when it did.”
Another big piece of the requested funding is for heating, ventilation and air conditioning renovation, accounting for $2.9 million of the five-year estimate. Looking further ahead, the school system knows it will need to renovate the system at Fairview in year six. There’s no estimate for that project yet, but it will likely come in over a million dollars. The HVAC plan is another one of those expensive but necessary improvements, Murray said " not glamorous, but vital to the function of the schools.
“We put away the wish list and looked at things to keep the roof over our heads,” he told commissioners.
-- Holly Kays City inspections of Detroit schools find rodents, mold-- Detroit Free Press Michigan: January 25, 2016 [ abstract] City of Detroit inspections of 11 public schools — conducted as part of a district-wide review in response to mass teacher sick-outs — revealed widespread code violations, including multiple instances of rodents, mold, damaged roofs and broken glass.
City inspectors found 152 violations, an average of nearly 14 for each school. School officials will have about a month to make repairs.
Cody-Detroit Institute of Technology College Prep High School had the most property maintenance code violations of those inspected with 30. Citations included insect/rodent on the premises, a water-damaged ceiling, a broken sink in a boys' bathroom and mold/mildew in two classrooms.
Benjamin Carson High School had 17 violations, including missing and stained ceiling tiles in several rooms, broken light switches, a broken elevator and a storage room susceptible to water penetration.
Mayor Mike Duggan, who called for the inspections Jan. 13 after he saw conditions at four schools, said the city will take "prompt legal action to enforce compliance" if repairs aren't made on time.
"I don't want there to be any confusion," Duggan said in a statement. "A claim of a shortage of funds is not a defense to violations of building or health codes for any building owner. We're not going to allow our children, DPS employees, or the public to continue to be subjected to substandard conditions."
-- Joe Guillen Construction continues for 3 new post schools-- The Fort Campbell Courier Kentucky: January 21, 2016 [ abstract] A quick drive down Bastogne Avenue toward William C. Lee Road unveils construction workers busily building the walls of the new Fort Campbell High School.
“We’re of course excited that they’re building a brand-new school at Fort Campbell that’s going to be able to supply an education for kids as they move forward in life … we think it’s going to be exciting for the kids,” said Fort Campbell SchoolsAssistant Superintendent Gary Gerstner.
With the start of the new 184,000-square-foot, two-story facility seemingly sprouting overnight, school construction remains on pace at Fort Campbell. The new high school project was awarded to Walsh Federal in November 2014, with site work beginning in May 2015. The contractor initially had to re-route a storm water line, said Community Planner Robert Hilgartner Jr., Fort Campbell Directorate of Public Works Master Plans Division.
The new FCHS is tentatively set to open for students sometime within the 2017-18 academic year with features in line with the Department of Defense Education Activity’s 21st Century learning model.
“Since we did the high school plan, we went through and re-master planned their athletic program,” Hilgartner said. “So once funding comes online, we’re going to bring the athletic program up to 21st Century standards also, which is more ball fields, better facilities to support the kids and their athletics and everything.”
-- Megan Locke Bethel school fire report shows responders lacked critical information-- Alaska Dispatch News Alaska: January 01, 2016 [ abstract] BETHEL " Bethel firefighters struggling to put out a devastating school blaze in November lacked a critical piece of information: the location of a connection to the building’s sprinkler system.
Those standard connections allow crews to hook up a hose and increase the flow of water to sprinklers or ensure a supply at all in case a holding tank runs dry, which can happen in places like Bethel where piped water only serves part of town.
On the morning of Nov. 3, with no building plan in hand, firefighters couldn’t find a sprinkler connection at the old Kilbuck school building. They figured there wasn’t one. After an hour, a new state report says, the sprinkler reservoir went dry. Then the fire took off.
That’s one of the revelations from an investigation completed in mid-December by the state fire marshal’s office into the cause of the fire, which destroyed a Yup’ik immersion school and severely damaged an alternative boarding school housed in the same building.
-- Lisa Demer Report: California’s ailing K-12 facilities need funding fix-- Berkeley News California: November 30, 2015 [ abstract] With forecasts of a super wet California winter, findings released today by UC Berkeley’s Center for Cities and Schools may set off alarms: More than half of the state’s K-12 public school districts fail to meet minimum industry standards for annual spending on maintenance and operations, or on capital improvements like new roofs.
Center researchers took a look at 93 percent of the conventional K-12 districts in the state between 2008 and 2012, the most recent year for which data is available. They found 57 percent of the 879 districts examined fail to meet benchmarks in capital improvement spending, and 62 percent failed to reach the standards for basic maintenance and operation in that period.
Approximately 2.2 million of California’s 6 million K-12 students attend these struggling schools.
“This trend signals costly long-term consequences for the state as accumulated facility needs risk becoming a health and safety crisis,” according to the analysis, which notes that more than two-thirds of the state’s public school buildings are more than 25 years old.
-- Kathleen Maclay Report: Some CMS schools score low on building health inspections-- WSOCTV.com North Carolina: November 18, 2015 [ abstract] Some Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools are in dire need of upgrades and better maintenance, reports found.
Channel 9 dug through building health inspection reports and found that several public schools scored â€"C†on their inspections, some for years in a row.
The Mecklenburg County Health Department conducts the inspections once a year. Scores from 70 to 79.5 are considered a â€"C.â€
Mike Murdock's daughter goes to Olympic High School, which received 70 points on its most recent inspection. The score is the worst among CMS schools.
He said there are a lot of good things going on at the school and the learning that happens within the school's walls is what's most important.
However, he recognized that the condition of the facilities is important too.
â€"It is a distraction from the overall goal when you are paying attention to things that are not related to the teacher engaging with the students,†he said.
Each school is inspected once a year to make sure it's up to health and safety standards.
-- Angela Hong Flint water tests suggest statewide lead issues-- The Detroit News Michigan: October 08, 2015 [ abstract] State and local officials hope switching Flint back to Detroit’s water system, announced Thursday, will solve lead contamination issues there in the short run, but the situation exposed a health issue that may be happening in other parts of the state.
Water sampling at Flint’s schools discovered a few instances of lead levels that exceed the federal safety standard. The findings raised the possibility that lead problems may exist in other parts of the state, including Metro Detroit.
Private and public schools are not covered under federal testing guidelines, said Dan Wyant, director of Michigan’s Department of Environmental Quality.
State testing of four water samples from three Flint schools came back with lead levels exceeding the 15 parts per billion standard set by the federal government. A total of 37 water samples were taken from 13 Flint schools.
“This data underscores the need for a complete and thorough evaluation of the plumbing system in each school,” Wyant said.
State officials plan to contact all schools in the state, urging them to assess their lead levels in drinking water. Facilities built in the last quarter-century are unlikely to have lead issues, but others built before the mid-1980s may have lead connections and could be a problem, according to the agency.
“Schools that have lead infrastructure should be testing,” Wyant said.
-- Jim Lynch Two commissioners want the city to reconsider inspections of Lawrence schools after child injured-- LJWorld.com Kansas: September 13, 2015 [ abstract] With six more Lawrence schools readying for construction this fall, at least two city commissioners said this week that the city should reconsider its previous decision to exempt the district projects from the city’s standard building inspection process.
“Now that we have identified the fact that this work is being done in a way that is not safe for the public, we have to react,” said Commissioner Matthew Herbert, who also is a teacher at Lawrence High School. “We need to look into what we need to do to insert ourselves into this situation.”
Herbert’s comments come as questions continue to be asked about the Lawrence school district’s $92.5 million bond project that is renovating 20 schools and that built a college and career center.
Lawrence Superintendent Rick Doll said he also was willing to discuss with city officials how the city’s inspection process could be used on the remaining projects. School district officials last year asked for a reduction in the estimated $285,000 in building permit fees that would be charged to the school district by the city. City commissioners at the time, though, unexpectedly denied the request for a reduction in fees, and instead said the school district could use third-party inspectors for parts of the project that normally would have been inspected by the city’s building inspections department.
““I am certainly open to talking again to the city of Lawrence about inspections,” Doll said. “The school district never requested a waiver of city inspection services, only a reduction or waiver of fees.”
-- Karen Dillon New Jersey sells $2.2 billion in bonds for school construction-- Reuters New Jersey: August 25, 2015 [ abstract] The New Jersey Economic Development Authority on Tuesday sold $2.2 billion in bonds in a bid to finance construction of new school facilities and to refund debts, according to the pricing scale released by underwriters.
Yields topped out at 5.10 percent for bonds due in 2040 with a 5.25 percent coupon.
The offering consisted of $1.75 billion of tax-exempt bonds and $442 million of federally taxable bonds.
Bonds were rated A-minus with a stable outlook by standard & Poor's Ratings Services and by Fitch Ratings. Moody's rated the deal A3 with a negative outlook. Bank of America Merrill Lynch managed the deal.
New Jersey has suffered nine downgrades during Governor Chris Christie's tenure and is at risk of another because of its underfunded public pensions and financial weakness.
-- Staff Writer The blossoming health and academic benefits of school gardens-- CNN National: August 14, 2015 [ abstract] Many of the kids who go to John J. Pershing Elementary School in Dallas do not spend much time outdoors. They live in what some would describe as unsafe neighborhoods and their parents often do not let them go outside and play.
"They look at life through a window," said Margie Hernandez, the school's principal.
But these kids are at least experiencing the great outdoors when they are at school. Four years ago, Pershing built a garden that has grown to include a pond and four chickens. Teachers take students into the garden at least once a week for class or just for a walk, to pick some basil or water the chickens.
When they are in the garden, "children who normally would not speak or raise their hand are now engaging in a lesson without being prompted," Hernandez said. And the effects seem to last after they leave the garden. The students are scoring better on standardized tests and are just more excited in general about school.
-- Carina Storrs Seattle Public Schools expands geothermal conversion-- King 5 News Washington: August 03, 2015 [ abstract] SEATTLE – The Seattle School District is ramping up efforts at going green and saving green by expanding its geothermal conversion project. Construction is underway at more schools to tap into the Earth's energy.
At Adams Elementary School in Ballard, 80 wells are being drilled 350 feet deep. A total of seven schools in Seattle will soon have the geothermal technology. It's something the district says is becoming its new standard. The project at Adams Elementary is slated to be complete in several weeks.
"When it all ties together, it'll be done before school starts," project manager Jeanette Imanishi said.
The system sends water underground where it takes advantage of the Earth's energy and changes temperature to either heat or cool air in pipes. That air gives a building a consistent and comfortable feel.
"It's probably the best system we can do, the biggest bang for your buck," said architect Jeremy Theodore.
The district anticipates $30,000 of savings on energy reduction every year for Adams Elementary. The total cost for the Adams Elementary project, which includes roof and seismic work, is nearly $3 million.
"We're trying to be responsible," said Imanishi. "Every penny helps to stretch the taxpayers' dollars."
-- Michael Konopasek Colorado pot tax for schools hits record, exceeds 2014 total-- Casper Star Tribune Colorado: July 14, 2015 [ abstract] DENVER — A year after Colorado's marijuana tax for schools came in far short of its goal, the fund is setting records and has accrued more money in the first five months in 2015 than it did for all of 2014.
Recently released tax data showed the 15 percent excise tax for school construction hit $3.5 million in May, the most recent data available. That brings the 2015 total to $13.7 million, edging the $13.3 million it raised in all of 2014.
The jump is partly because there are more marijuana stores and partly because shops last year were given a one-time tax-exempt transfer of their medical plants to the recreational pot side.
"It sounds very encouraging," said state senator Pat Steadman, D-Denver.
"Voters wanted the school capital construction program to benefit, and despite some bumps in the road at the beginning, it looks like what was intended is coming to fruition."
There are three types of state taxes on recreational marijuana: the standard 2.9 percent sales tax, a 10 percent special marijuana sales tax and a 15 percent excise tax on wholesale marijuana transfers.
The new pot tax data also showed that recreational marijuana sales in Colorado plateaued in spring 2015. Those retail sales hardly fluctuated between March and May, staying between $42.4 and $42.7 million, totaling $42.5 million in May.
-- Staff Writer Brown’s California School-Bond Pushback Faces Ballot Challenge-- BloombergBusiness California: July 07, 2015 [ abstract] Governor Jerry Brown’s effort to wean California schools off state funding is facing a challenge from advocates saying the aid is needed now more than ever to repair crumbling buildings.
California has sold $35 billion of general obligations for schools since 1998. Brown, a Democrat, wants to shrink the program, while opponents are going around him to gather support for a $9 billion state bond measure. Brown says California’s 1,028 school systems should sell the debt themselves, rather than rely on the program, which provides matching funds for construction.
Brown, 77, wants to reduce the debt California pays from its general fund, part of a financial overhaul he’s undertaken since assuming office in 2011. His efforts have bolstered the most-populous state’s standing on Wall Street: Last week, California won a AA- grade from standard & Poor’s, its highest in 14 years, and its bond yields are approaching their lowest relative to benchmark debt since 2007.
“The governor is saying we can’t afford to do this,” said Bill Savidge, assistant executive officer to the State Allocation Board, which distributes school aid. “He has other priorities for infrastructure -- our roads and bridges are in terrible shape. And he’s not fond of using long-term bonds as funding sources.”
-- Jennifer OldhamRomy Varghese Vermonters fear education reform bill will close schools-- WRAL.com Vermont: June 16, 2015 [ abstract] BARRE, VT. — Vermont Education Secretary Rebecca Holcombe believes the state's new education reform law gives smaller schools a framework that could help them survive.
Vermont Public Radio reports (http://bit.ly/1JSdd6E ) the law calls for all school districts to have at least 900 students. Presently, a third of the state's school districts have fewer than 100 students.
Critics of the legislation fear its passing means mergers between schools and eventual closures.
Holcombe says schools would need to close regardless of the law's implementation.
A provision of the law allows small districts to keep operating if they can show that they meet new education standards at a reasonable per-pupil cost.
-- Associated Press Timothy C. Duffy: Smart plan to assess, build R.I. schools-- Providence Journal Rhode Island: June 10, 2015 [ abstract] Public schools are the cornerstone of our communities. Our schools are where our children spend most of their time outside their homes, and we have a responsibility to ensure that every child in Rhode Island has the opportunity to learn in a warm, safe, clean and dry school. Rhode Island's economy is also in a tailspin, with bold change needed to spark a comeback and put people back to work.
The recession and the moratorium on school construction have created challenges for local school districts to provide much-needed improvements. Current school regulations demand that new facilities receiving state aid meet the highest standards of building construction, but are silent on the quality of existing buildings. As a result, too many of our educators and students work and learn in facilities that are at best unpleasant, and at worst, unsafe.
With the average school facility being 60 years old, tremendous inequity exists in schools across the state.
Gov. Gina Raimondo's School Building Authority proposal sets out a new and efficient way to administer and fund school construction – one that is focused on creating safe and healthy learning spaces for all children, while also bringing predictability, sustainability, and fiscal responsibility to the state's school construction process. This program is designed to move quickly to create countless construction jobs in the process.
-- Timothy C. Duffy - Opinion Fairfax County Supervisors OK $310 Million School Bond-- Reston Patch Virginia: June 05, 2015 [ abstract] The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors has approved a $310 million bond for 15 school construction projects, including more expenses related to an addition at South Lakes High School in Reston.
Funds from the 2015 bond referendum are identified in the FY 2016-20 CIP, which estimates that Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) enrollment will be approximately 198,000 students by the 2019-20 school year.
The county has the highest credit rating possible, it points out, for any government: Triple-A from Moody’s Investors Service Inc.; from standard & Poor’s Corp.; and from Fitch Ratings. Fairfax County is one of only nine states, 39 counties, and 33 cities to hold a triple-A rating from all three rating agencies.
For this reason, Fairfax County’s bonds sell at relatively low interest rates compared to other tax-free bonds.
-- MARY ANN BARTON
Redwood City officials consider how to spend $200M necessary to upgrade existing facilities-- The Daily Journal California: May 27, 2015 [ abstract] As officials in the Redwood City Elementary School District prioritize how to spend money from a proposed, upcoming bond measure required to fix aging classrooms and campuses, initial indications are there are more needs than the bond could finance.
The district Board of Trustees is slated to approve a facilities master plan during its meeting Wednesday, May 27, which lays out the various issues to be addressed by the $193 million bond measure officials are considering putting on the fall ballot.
But there are roughly $390 million worth of fixes and updates necessary to the district’s campuses, which could indicate officials may consider laying the groundwork for a second bond measure in coming years.
John Gill Elementary as well as Garfield and Taft community schools are among the top priorities to receive a majority of the funds from the bond measure, as all require about $20 million or more in improvements, which would consume about $66 million of the $141 million that would likely to be available for projects, should the bond pass, according to a district report.
But all district schools will benefit from improvements identified in the plan, Superintendent Jan Christensen wrote in an email.
“Most of our schools are 50 years old, and three are more than 80 years old. The schools need updates to current health, safety, fire and earthquake standards. The only way for the district to pay for the improvements detailed in the facilities master plan is by issuing a bond,” she said. “No other source of funding exists at this time; the state is not providing adequate funds for upgrading and repairing our schools.”
Most of the bond money should be used to modernize and reconfigure classrooms and offices with structural upgrades, and improvements to windows, doors, floors, ceilings and paint, according the priorities identified in the report.
-- Austin Walsh Planting seeds: Young students in Brooklyn learn to grow and sell foods in school gardens -- New York Daily News New York: April 27, 2015 [ abstract] Brooklyn’s farms may be long gone, but one school is giving students a chance to delve into the city’s agricultural roots.
Kids at Public School 216 in Gravesend learn to grow, cook and even sell fruits, vegetables and herbs in a half-acre garden oasis in the school’s backyard.
Students as young as preschoolers gather eggs from resident chickens and help cook them up as part of a curriculum that organizers say also meets rigorous Common Core standards.
“Being outdoors and learning how things grow is very nurturing, particularly for young children,” said Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña, who visited the school last week to help celebrate Earth Day and lauded it for helping kids understand “what food really means in our lives.”
A cement lot at PS 216 was transformed into an organic garden by the privately funded Edible Schoolyard NYC program in 2010. It has grown to include plots and trees that yield strawberries, tomatoes, Asian pears, lavender and herbs.
The program involves all of the school’s 600-plus students, who use math principles to measure plots and learn the science behind how wheat is processed.
-- BEN CHAPMAN , LISA L. COLANGELO Unfinished jobs show need for capital outlay reform-- Albuquerque Journal New Mexico: April 26, 2015 [ abstract] Fair or unfair, the legislative session that ended about a month ago has become best known for the failure of the Legislature to pass a capital outlay bill. Since then, numerous organizations " noting that state capital outlay spending spurs economic activity " have urged the governor to call a special session for consideration of a public works package.
They’re right; the economic stimulus would be good for New Mexico.
However, it’s important to remember that hundreds of millions of state capital outlay dollars are already in the pipeline. In fact, between capital dollars earmarked for special programs and discretionary capital outlay funding appropriated in past years but still unspent, the state has nearly a billion dollars in capital outlay funds.
Because certain capital outlay funds are earmarked annually, the state will have nearly $30 million this year for water projects and almost $15 million each for tribal projects and infrastructure in the substandard, semirural communities called colonias.
Another $179 million is designated specifically to public school construction, and Senate Bill 291 reauthorizes about $25 million in capital outlay funds allocated in previous years but unused.
Regrettably, also in the pipeline are hundreds of millions more for projects that have become stuck for one reason or another.
The state’s management of capital outlay spending has improved significantly since the Legislative Finance Committee reported a decade ago that the state had significant outstanding appropriations. But problems remain, a fact made clear by the latest LFC quarterly status report on capital outlay.
-- Sen. John Arthur Smith / Democrat, Deming Voters say yes to $41 million referendum for Madison schools-- Wisconsin State Journal Wisconsin: April 08, 2015 [ abstract] Voters on Tuesday overwhelmingly chose to support a $41 million referendum that will upgrade and expand 16 schools in the Madison School District.
More than 80 percent of voters approved the proposal, which expands five significantly crowded school buildings and makes upgrades in accessibility and major renovations to others.
Madison School District superintendent Jennifer Cheatham said on Tuesday that the landslide approval "not only says a lot about the support for the facilities referendum but more importantly, for public schools."
School district officials plan to begin construction on projects that will relieve crowding this summer, said district spokeswoman Rachel Strauch-Nelson.
The district will expand Hawthorne, Kennedy, Midvale and Sandburg elementary schools, and the shared Van Hise Elementary and Hamilton Middle school building. All five buildings are considered to be near or over capacity.
"The rest of the projects we would move on a more standard timeline with construction starting early next year," she said.
-- Molly Beck Olympia School District won’t seek recovery of $3 million in emergency repairs at Madison-- The Olympian Washington: April 03, 2015 [ abstract] Olympia School District officials say they won’t be able to recoup nearly $3 million that was spent on repairing moisture damage at Madison Elementary School.
The district hired an outside investigator to determine whether it would be feasible to pursue an insurance claim or litigation against another party such as the school’s architect, builder, subcontractors, materials suppliers or any other group that may have been involved in the building’s construction. The school was reopened in January 2014 after undergoing nearly six months of repairs.
The district’s outside investigation for a liable party took more than a year.
“Initial impressions were that it was an engineering problem,” district spokeswoman Rebecca Japhet said this week. “However, further exploration revealed that the building did in fact meet the ‘standards of care’ required at the time it was built. The district’s attorneys have advised us that, given those facts, it is very unlikely the district would be successful if it pursued litigation related to the building.”
-- LISA PEMBERTON School Budget Plan for Capitol Hill Gets Mixed Reviews-- Hill Now District of Columbia: April 03, 2015 [ abstract] New Ward 6 school budget proposals have brought cheers and jeers as locals push for school renovations.
A plan to start upgrading Hill East’s Watkins Elementary School in the coming year drew praise from some locals. But some parents are concerned after Mayor Muriel Bowser’s budget released yesterday looked to fiscal 2019 to begin repairs at Eliot-Hine Middle School in Kingman Park and Jefferson Academy Middle School in Southwest.
Joe Weedon, Ward 6′s representative to the D.C. State Board of Education, said the District must start renovations at Eliot-Hine and Jefferson in the coming year. The schools need functioning heating and cooling systems, repaired bathrooms and classrooms with better lighting and ventilation, he said.
“The facilities at Eliot-Hine MS and Jefferson Academy MS are far below standard and fail to meet the basic needs of students,” Weedon said on his website.
Bowser proposed a total of $24 million to modernize Jefferson in fiscal years 2019 and 2020. The school at 801 7th St. SW had almost 300 students in the 2013-2014 school year.
Eliot-Hine would receive $34.1 million for renovations in fiscal 2019 and 2020 under the mayor’s plan. Nearly 300 students attended the school at 1830 Constitution Ave. NE in the 2013-2014 school year.
“Both Eliot-Hine MS and Jefferson Academy MS are positioned to become thriving school communities that can serve students from Ward 6 and across the city,” Weedon said. “However, they will fail to achieve their promise without needed capital investments.”
-- Andrew Ramonas West Contra Costa school board to create plan for future construction-- Contra Costa Times California: April 02, 2015 [ abstract] For the first time in eight years, the West Contra Costa school district will create a new plan to help guide future construction.
The school board on Wednesday unanimously voted to seek an outside consultant to develop a long-range school facilities plan and to create a special committee to rank projects that could be built with money remaining in the district's $1.6 billion bond construction program.
Trustee Madeline Kronenberg said the district should freeze decisions on new construction projects until the plan, which is expected to take 10 months to complete, is approved by the board.
After voting for the plan, Board President Todd Groves cautioned that trustees would face "tough decisions" in the future because there is not enough money left to rebuild about a dozen schools that haven't yet been upgraded.
After trustee Val Cuevas urged the district to spend money more efficiently, Superintendent Bruce Harter said the district could re-evaluate its construction standards to see if modifications might save money.
Trustee Liz Block -- who has been critical of "extras" such as community kitchens, a mock courtroom, mock health clinic and retractable swim center roof -- said the district should ask whether such items are "educationally necessary" before moving ahead.
-- Theresa Harrington Communities find new life for shuttered school buildings-- The State Journal-Register Illinois: March 28, 2015 [ abstract] Class has been dismissed permanently at some area schools, but for many communities, that’s when the work truly begins.
Buildings that once served as focal points in towns often let school out forever as populations dip, schools consolidate or new technology strains old infrastructure. Some towns rally to reinvent the abandoned schools, while others watch the structures crumble through shattered windows. Many school districts lack the resources to tear down the empty buildings, so they may go up for auction, leaving the problem in a buyer’s hands.
Nearly 20 public schools within 70 miles of Springfield have closed in the past decade alone. Few other concepts fit the multiroom mold of the standard school, but throughout the region, some have been converted into homes, apartment buildings or community centers. Meanwhile, others have rotted, had emergency demolitions or burned to the ground.
-- Maggie Menderski Raimondo urges aid for school construction-- Providence Journal Rhode Island: March 28, 2015 [ abstract] NEWPORT, R.I. — Governor Raimondo on Friday made her case for lifting the state's school construction moratorium at the Pell Elementary School, the last school built before the ban was imposed by the General Assembly three years ago.
The school, near the Community College of Rhode Island and the Newport Bridge, is energy-efficient, full of natural light and student friendly, with its colorful tiled walls and striped floors. It is spacious without feeling cavernous.
Raimondo pitched the need for clean, safe and modern classrooms as more than an educational need but an economic development necessity. New school construction, she said, will create jobs in the building trades at a time when Rhode Island is struggling to reduce its unemployment rate. Rhode Island lost 2,700 jobs in February, although the unemployment rate dropped by two-tenths of a percentage point to 6.3 percent.
"We have a responsibility to provide warm, safe schools to our children," she said during a news conference at the school. "Many kids are in schools with leaking buildings, peeling paint. Lifting the moratorium is about closing equity gaps."
In her proposed budget, Raimondo wants to set aside $90 million the next fiscal year to tackle the most pressing building issues facing Rhode Island's public schools. Going forward, the state would earmark $80 million annually to both build schools and bring existing schools up to current standards.
The governor also called for the creation of a capital fund of $20 million, to help districts reduce debt.
-- Linda Borg Prince George’s seeks input on $2 billion school priority plan-- Gazette.net Maryland: March 11, 2015 [ abstract] A new process for evaluating and rating school system facilities is under development to help Prince George’s Public Schools prioritize over $2 billion worth of deferred maintenance.
“It does seem overwhelming, but if you can break it down into manageable pieces, it can be done, if there is a will, and if the public has a will,” said Sarah Woodhead, PGCPS director of capital programs, during the first of three public hearings, held Tuesday at Charles H. Flowers High School in Springdale.
A final public meeting is scheduled March 19 at Northwestern High School in Hyattsville.
Jay Brinson, project executive for Washington, D.C.,-based project management firm Brailsford and Dunlavey, said a final master plan prioritization report is expected to be completed by the end of May, with drafts released to the school system in late April.
Woodhead said the school system typically has a capital improvements budget of $130 million per year.
“If you look at the number, $130 million sounds like a lot, but if you’re trying to take care of $2 billion in deferred maintenance, overcrowding issues, plus modernizing to meet current standards, we do have a shortfall,” Whitehead said.
Whitehead said the $2 billion backlog is due to maintenance needs over the past 40 years that were put off, and have now added up.
-- Jamie Anfenson-Comeau How An Earthquake Strengthened My School-- myFOXla.com California: March 09, 2015 [ abstract] Eighty-two years ago this month, just before 6:00 p.m., the earth shook and bricks fell as a 6.3 temblor rocked Southern California and ushered the state into an era of earthquake preparedness. Though called the Long Beach quake, Huntington Beach, Compton and much of Los Angeles felt it. Nearly 120 people died in the initial 15 seconds of shaking and numerous aftershocks. Damage approached nearly $1 billion in today's dollars. Beyond the financial toll, the quake's big impact was on the way private and public buildings were affected, especially schools. More than 70 were destroyed, while 120 others sustained significant damage. Had the earthquake struck during school hours, many more deaths and injuries might have occurred.
If you look at the video, you'll see how unreinforced masonry collapsed. Block after block of commercial buildings, churches, schools, hospitals and housing crumbled in the force of the quake. As the structures buckled, entire facades fell out and roofs caved in.
In the wake of the 1933 quake, the state took action.
That year, Sacramento Assemblyman Charles Field sponsored legislation requiring all new public school buildings be built to new earthquake resistant standards. No more unreinforced masonry. All school construction plans would have to be approved by a newly-created Office of the State Architect.
-- Mitch Waldow Barricade rejection prompts state review of school building codes-- The Columbus Dispatch Ohio: March 03, 2015 [ abstract] The Southwest Licking school district shouldn’t return those 300 door barricades that recently were banned by the state just yet.
Existing state building and fire codes ban the use of any door barricade that needs “a key or any special knowledge or effort” to open from the inside, but the director of the Ohio Department of Commerce decided on Monday that maybe it’s time to review those codes.
In a letter to Gerald Holland, chairman of the Board of Building standards, Commerce Director Andre Porter wrote: “The Ohio Building Code exists and has evolved to protect public safety with a major emphasis of that code being to assure the safety of our children in school buildings. Yet, the threats to public safety are ever changing and so we must constantly examine and re-examine the code to assure that it responds to the threats that are known today.”
Porter told the board to examine both “school building emergencies that are created by fire or other disasters that require a fast and safe exit of the building as well as those emergencies that can be created by an intruder intent upon attacking the occupants of the building.”
The letter was prompted by a ruling last month in which the Board of Building Appeals voted 4-1 against allowing the Southwest Licking district to use door barricades.
-- Eric Lyttle Methacton residents oppose school closing-- Montgomery Media Pennsylvania: March 02, 2015 [ abstract] LOWER PROVIDENCE >> Public comment on the potential closing of one or both of two Methacton School District elementary schools continued Feb. 25 with many community members speaking out against possible consolidation efforts by the school board and administration.
Following Superintendent David Zerbe’s Feb. 23 recommendation that the school board consider an option to close Audubon Elementary and leave open Arrowhead Elementary, various stakeholders continued to criticize potential closures as the hearing continued.
Charles Watters, of Pennsylvania Economy League, the company that conducted the enrollment and capacity study that recommends closure to deal with excess capacity, responded to accusations from Feb. 23 that the study was flawed. He went over the methodology used and defended the idea that birth rates were still going to decline and could accurately predict the next several years, and that new housing will not turn around the declining enrollment.
Watters said PEL’s studies have consistently “maintained an accuracy rate higher than industry standards.”
“PEL continues to remain confident” in the figures presented in the study, he said. “They should serve the district well in their long-term planning.”
The school board approved the hearing to consider possible closings on Feb. 3 and concluded that the enrollment decline was concentrated in the elementary schools, of which Audubon and Arrowhead will require approximately $24 million in renovations in the next decade.
-- Brendan Wills More handicap-accessible facilities sought at Highland Park ISD-- The Dallas Morning News Texas: March 02, 2015 [ abstract] At his first high school football game, Jack Murzin couldn’t join his friends in the stands.
The freshman watched from the disabled section of Highland Park High School’s stadium, away from the roars of cheerleaders and the music of the marching band. He sat by his parents instead of his peers.
“We thought, ‘Wait a minute, he’s in high school,’” his mother, Christina Murzin, recalled. “He should not be sitting over here. He should be sitting over there with the other high school students.”
Murzin and her husband, Chris, are urging Highland Park Independent School District leaders to make the schools and athletic facilities easier to navigate for those with mobility limitations, especially as the district prepares for a November bond election that would fund construction and renovation projects.
The Murzins say the district’s old and outdated buildings can exclude students, parents and grandparents who use wheelchairs, canes and crutches, and they urged school trustees in January to include those renovations among the plans. They spoke on behalf of their son, who was born with cerebral palsy and can’t talk. Jack, 15, uses a wheelchair.
“I want Jack and all the other kids to be able to get the most out of high school and all their school experience here,” Christina Murzin said. “It’s just a shame when physical barriers keep these kids from getting the full experience that everyone else gets.”
Most Highland Park ISD facilities were built decades ago, before the federal Americans With Disabilities Act and a Texas law that enforces accessibility standards.
A consultant’s report conducted last year found that Highland Park ISD buildings need improvement. The lengthy report, conducted by Fort Worth-based Pruitt Consulting, listed problems such as inaccessible entrances, too few handicapped bathroom stalls and out-of-reach light switches, sinks and water fountains.
-- Melissa Repko Schools across county need HVAC fixes-- The Montgomery Herald West Virginia: February 25, 2015 [ abstract] The general indoor air quality review of all Fayette County schools by the state Office of School Facilities outlines the district’s desperate need for funds to upgrade HVAC systems in nearly all schools.
Michael Pickens, executive director of the West Virginia Department of Education Office of School Facilities, wrote, “It will take a substantial capital investment to bring all of the mechanical systems up to current standards and improve indoor environmental conditions. In addition to the IAQ (indoor air quality) concerns, due to the age and exceeding life cycle of the equipment, some of the mechanical systems have the potential to experience a failure that would result in the building being without heating and cooling.”
Gatewood Elementary and Ansted Middle schools have already experienced boiler issues and are being heated with temporary electric units in each classroom.
Pickens said space heaters “are less than desirable and require the county to expend funds that only provide a temporary fix. Those funds would be better utilized toward permanent solutions,” and planning these upgrades should be a priority for Fayette.
Ansted has received funding for a replacement boiler from the School Building Authority, and the installation is expected to go out for bid soon, said David Keffer, director of operations.
Planning a countywide HVAC upgrade would be cost-prohibitive as the district only has an annual facility repair and upgrade budget of $1.2 million. As an example of cost, the Ansted boiler replacement is expected to cost more than $700,000. In December the School Building Authority allocated $630,000 toward the project.
School system Treasurer Paula Fridley explained the district has an overall maintenance budget of $7.2 million, but that includes all operational funds like custodial salaries ($2.2 million), utilities ($1.8 million), energy management loan payments ($800,000), and cleaning supplies ($400,000).
-- Sarah Plummer NEF Announces $60 million School Grant program for STEM and Renovations-- PR Newswire National: February 17, 2015 [ abstract] National Education Foundation (NEF), the national non-profit leader in assisting schools to obtain Federal funds for education by giving grants, will offer the mandated 10% matching grant to enable any disadvantaged school district in the nation to receive $1 million to $30 million in Federal funds for STEM, energy efficiency, renovation and technology.
Any school district/school with at least 35% of students on free or reduced cost lunch is eligible to apply at www.qzab.org. Grants are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis.
NEF has set aside $60 million to provide the required 10% matching grant to enable school districts nationally to get a portion of the $600 million Federal funds. NEF will also set up the mandated STEM+ academy for improving Science, Technology, Engineering, Math, English, Social Studies, SAT/ACT, IT and Business skills, and to help districts to meet state standards.
NEF's STEM+ academies are capable of advancing a student one grade level in a subject in 20-30 learning hours as documented by the State University of NY (SUNY), which implements the STEM+ academies nationally with a grant from NEF.
According to Misty Weber, the NEF academy program director at the Warren County School District in PA, "NEF helped us to receive $34 million in Federal funds for renovating our school facilities and improving our energy efficiency programs. In addition, NEF's STEM+ academy, implemented by SUNY, helped our students to advance a grade level in math in 22 learning hours. NEF also set up a parent academy to train our parents in job skills, as well as a teacher academy to enhance our teachers' teaching skills, both additional academies at no cost."
-- National Education Foundation All future Loudoun elementary schools will include playgrounds-- Washington Post Virginia: February 16, 2015 [ abstract] For the first time in Loudoun’s history, all future public elementary schools will be built with a playground on campus.
After months of discussion and debate, the Loudoun County School Board voted Tuesday to approve the inclusion of a standard playground as part of all elementary school construction projects, ending the county’s historical practice of relying on parent-teacher organizations and private donors to foot the bill for the equipment.
Loudoun was one of only two jurisdictions in Virginia that did not provide playgrounds as part of elementary school construction, a fact that has long frustrated county families " especially those in fast-growing communities who had to raise money for more than one playground after their children were rezoned to a new school.
All other jurisdictions in the immediate Washington area provide public elementary school playgrounds, which typically cost from $50,000 to $75,000, Loudoun school officials said.
-- Caitlin Gibson Unexpected Quake Risks in California Public Schools-- NBC Bay Area California: February 06, 2015 [ abstract] California public schools are some of the most earthquake resistant schools in the world. But NBC Bay Area found decades of safety failures from non-structural items not properly attached to school buildings. Experts say some of them can pose a deadly threat to students and staff.
In the recent 6.0 Napa earthquake, school buildings held up fine. In fact, none of Napa Valley Unified’s schools suffered any structural damage. But there were dangerous breakdowns inside classrooms.
Photos taken by inspectors after the quake show a file cabinet collapsed on to desks, a drill press lying on the floor and toppled bookcases blocking exits.
“It was sobering to see so many furnishings unrestrained,” said structural engineer Maryann Phipps.
The failures in Napa weren’t unique - they’ve happened in previous earthquakes across California for decades.
Phipps is co-authoring a report on the Napa earthquake for FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency. When she saw NBC Bay Area’s first story showing damage inside Napa schools, the photos concerned her so much she added a chapter on schools to her report.
“When we all look at those photographs we recognize that, you know, had it been another time of day it would have been a completely different story,” Phipps said. “And we would have been mourning the loss of students.”
California is home to stringent school construction standards.
-- Jessica Aguirre, Barb Kunz and David Burgess PPIC: Many districts still not equipped for digital learning-- Cabinet Report California: February 05, 2015 [ abstract] (Calif.) Most schools in the state likely have sufficient online capacity to administer this spring’s new, computer-assisted student assessments but more work is needed if they are to maximize digital learning opportunities moving forward, according to the Public Policy Institute of California.
Thirty-nine percent of the state’s schools and 44 percent of its districts have Internet connection speeds lower than 100 megabits per second " the federal government’s minimum recommendation for successful digital learning, PPIC researcher Niu Gao wrote in a late January synopsis of the K-12 education system’s digital capabilities.
“It’s a little bit fuzzy as to whether most schools can adequately administer the online testing,” Gao told Cabinet Report. “But things are more clear in terms of their ability to deliver digital instruction.
“Without adequate bandwidth, schools are not likely to be able to provide video conferencing, virtual field trips and personalized audio-visual learning,” the researcher reported.
The advent of Common Core State standards and associated Smarter Balanced assessments, along with both a national and state push toward high-quality digital instruction, revealed huge gaps in school infrastructure needed to meet those technological demands.
Although Gov. Jerry Brown and legislative leaders have each of the past two years provided schools a large share of state revenue, money specifically earmarked for the cost of implementing Common Core " especially as relates to technology infrastructure " has been limited.
-- Kimberly Beltran To Inspire Learning, Architects Reimagine Learning Spaces-- KQED National: January 28, 2015 [ abstract] As K"12 schools refocus on team-based, interdisciplinary learning, they are moving away from standardized, teach-to-test programs that assume a one-size-fits-all approach to teaching. Instead, there is a growing awareness that students learn in a variety of ways, and the differences should be supported. The students often learn better by doing it themselves, so teachers are there to facilitate, not just to instruct. Technology is there as a tool and resource, not as a visual aid or talking head.
Gensler, a national architecture firm that’s working with a broad range of schools " from primary schools in redeveloping inner cities to NYU Magnet, Wharton, and Duke " is working with one of the global pioneers, the PlayMaker School in Los Angeles. Behind the venture is GameDesk, which views gaming as an interactive medium for learning. Launched with a sixth-grade class, the PlayMaker program builds on play and explores how its young students can use a variety of tools and games to learn in new ways. Instead of classrooms, PlayMaker School has a suite of spaces that are interconnected physically and visually. There’s an ideation lab, a maker space, and an immersive gaming and learning zone where the students can try out the games they create and the software they develop. [Read more about PlayMaker School here.]
“There’s no teacher at the front,” says Gensler’s Shawn Gehle. “The rooms are like different scenes in a video game. They inspire active learning.
Also in Los Angeles, Wiseburn School District will collocate three charter schools into a renovated 330,000-square-foot building, the former high-security offices of an aerospace firm. Given the radical change in function, “we’re basically hacking an office building, using strategic interventions to reshape it to fit the schools’ project-based curricula and support their combined staffs and 1,200 students,” says Gensler’s David Herjeczki.
-- MindShift Proposed Bills Could Put School Facilities Task Force Efforts in Jeopardy-- ABC 8 News Virginia: January 22, 2015 [ abstract] RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) " A group has been working more than a year to figure out how to fix crumbling Richmond school buildings, but their efforts may be in vain if proposed legislation is passed.
For 18 months, the School Facilities Task Force has been studying, analyzing, and coming up with ways to improve facilities.
Two lawmakers are proposing bills that offer a different plan and Richmond School Board members are puzzled.
“The bills are unnecessary,” said school board member Jeff Bourne. “They’re redundant to all the work that’s been going on the past year and a half.”
“I wish we had seen something on paper it had been fully vetted by the school board before it went forward,” said school board member Kristen Larson.
Larson is talking about legislation proposed by Senator John Watkins and Delegate Delores McQuinn.
The lawmakers want to establish The Richmond City Public Schools Learning Excellence by Aligning Public Schools Commission, which would be responsible for establishing school building standards.
The mayor, city council, and school board would each appoint two people to the board. Members would then nominate a seventh person as a chairman.
School board members say their group is already doing what these bills are proposing.
“You have this task force in place doing the work that this other committee would do right?” asked 8News Senior Reporter Nate Eaton.
“Absolutely,” Bourne replied. “The task force we created has been working for a year and the report they’re going to issue is imminent.”
-- Will Armbruster Tucson offers help filling closed schools-- Arizona Daily Star Arizona: January 18, 2015 [ abstract] After hearing Gov. Doug Ducey’s call to fill all those empty schools and classrooms rampant in neighborhoods throughout the state, Tucson wants to do its part to help TUSD do exactly that.
Seizing the initiative, the city is considering offering a fast-track route through the city’s bureaucracy to anyone who wants to develop a former school site.
“It’s important to the city for those to be put back to use,” said Mayor Jonathan Rothschild. “If you’re looking at these properties, the city will help you expedite getting the properties developed.”
The city is especially interested in projects that include affordable homes that mesh with a neighborhood’s existing character.
“If we can get people to build single-family homes that are compatible with the neighborhood, that will help us get young families back into the city and make for a stronger city,” Rothschild said.
The city was actually a step ahead of the governor in trying to respond to the shrinking demand for classrooms, said Planning and Development Services Director Ernie Duarte.
Roughly six months ago, city officials set out to determine how they could assist in jump-starting those vacant-school projects, Duarte said.
“The idea is to get through the process with as few speed humps as possible,” Duarte said.
So what are some of the incentives the city will consider offering?
Three-day plan reviews. The current standard is up to 20 days for a review.
Defer building permit and impact fees until the final inspection of a project.
Assign a project manager to oversee that the process is running smoothly.
-- Darren DaRonco, Alexis Huicochea State Inspection Finds Progress in Fixing Unsanitary Conditions at Inglewood Schools-- NBC Los Angeles California: January 16, 2015 [ abstract] Substantial progress has been made in addressing unsanitary and substandard conditions in Inglewood secondary schools, California Supt. of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson said Friday after inspecting two campuses.
"We're seeing major and significant progress," Torlakson said.
The problems had been brought to light last November in reports by media partners KPCC and NBC4. Torlakson said before then, he had been unaware of the extent of maintenance deficiencies that included pest infestations, mold, and unrepaired damage and deterioration of school buildings, all documented in KPCC photos. Teachers complained of cockroaches and, in some cases, rats.
As part of the "action plan" put into effect, some 85 percent of the identified issues have no been fixed, Torlakson said. His inspections took him to Inglewood and Morningside high schools.
-- Patrick Healy In state of the city speech, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh announces new school building authority-- Mass Live Massachusetts: January 13, 2015 [ abstract] BOSTON — Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh announced several new education initiatives during his first State of the City speech at Symphony Hall Tuesday.
Walsh announced the creation of a Boston School Building Authority to oversee construction and refurbishment of city schools. The authority will focus on the design to build process as well as the funding process with a specific focus on the Massachusetts School Building Authority. The city, Walsh said, has failed to secure its share of potential school building fund.
The effort by Walsh is the first comprehensive push to rebuild the city's schools in decades.
"When I talk about building great schools —I mean it lterally. Too many of Boston's aging schools don't meet the standards of 21st century learning or come anywhere close," said Walsh.
-- Garrett Quinn S.C. Lawmakers Ask Court to Rehear Rural School Lawsuit-- Education Week South Carolina: December 31, 2014 [ abstract] South Carolina lawmakers and Gov. Nikki Haley have petitioned the state Supreme Court to rehear a lawsuit that accuses the state of inadequately funding rural schools according to an article by The State.
In November, the South Carolina Supreme Court ruled in favor of the 29 rural districts, which filed a lawsuit in 1993 seeking more funding from the state. In the ruling, the court ordered rural districts and the state to work together to improve school facilities, recruit better teachers, and update the state's school funding formula to more equitably distribute funds to poor, rural schools.
In the petition filed Tuesday, state lawmakers say the court "overlooked recent education initiatives put in place by (Haley's administration) and the General Assembly that will directly affect rural school districts in South Carolina." The petition also refers to the court order as "vague and practically unworkable," and contends that the governor and legislature should have exclusive authority to make such decisions for public schools.
More than 40 percent of students in South Carolina attend rural schools, according to a report by the Rural School and Community Trust, and those students score lower relative to rural students in nearly every other state on national standardized exams. Nearly 10 percent of rural adults in the state are unemployed, and 56 percent of rural South Carolina students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch.
-- Jackie Mader Olympia Regional Learning Academy could be most energy efficient school in state’s history-- The Olympian Washington: December 29, 2014 [ abstract] Olympia School District’s newest school, the Olympia Regional Learning Academy on Boulevard Road, may be the most energy efficient school ever built in Washington, according to contractor Drew Phillips.
Designed as a “net-zero” building, the 66,000-square-foot structure will draw less energy from the grid than it produces on site when all of its eco-friendly bells-and-whistles are in place.
The school district’s project manager Kurt Cross and Phillips, principal with Forma Construction, have been keeping tabs on the building’s rating using the Washington Sustainable Schools Protocol, which is a planning tool related to site, water, materials, energy and other areas.
In order to meet the state’s standard, a building must achieve 45 of 119 points.
So far, ORLA has achieved 72 points, Cross said.
-- LISA PEMBERTON Fairfax schools look to upgrade school design-- Fairfaxtimes.com Virginia: December 11, 2014 [ abstract] The Fairfax County school system is revamping its design standards for school buildings.
With the new standards, school officials plan to offer larger classrooms and more flexible learning environments, such as common areas for group work and student collaboration.
“This really speaks to how we can connect the curriculum and the physical plan of a building,” assistant superintendent for facilities Jeff Platenberg said.
Facilities staff have enlisted Perkins Eastman architecture firm to assist in upgrading the school district’s educational specifications. The firm has done renovations at Stenwood Elementary and Sandburg Middle schools, and is currently working on upgrades at Langley and Oakton high schools.
Representatives from FCPS and Perkins Eastman on Monday gave an initial look at the changes and solicited input from the School Board.
While school layout will not change dramatically, Platenberg said the new standards will offer innovations that maximize instructional space.
-- Kate Yanchulis Decades of Neglect Show Starkly as Indian Schools Cry Out for Repairs-- New York Times Bureau of Indian Education: November 13, 2014 [ abstract] BENA, Minn. — When temperatures drop and snow falls, students bundle themselves in heavy coats inside Marlene Stately’s classroom. Winter comes early and bites hard on this Indian reservation in northern Minnesota, and the pole barn that houses part of the Bug-O-Nay-Ge-Shig School offers limited protection from the elements. “I think we need a new school,” Ms. Stately said last month after her upper-grade students had practiced introducing themselves in the Ojibwe language. “It’s cold here in the wintertime. They’re not comfortable. And how can you learn when you’re freezing?” In the federal Bureau of Indian Education system, the dreadful facilities of Bug-O-Nay-Ge-Shig — named for a late member of the tribe — are far from unique. The network of about 185 congressionally funded schools in 23 states is in the midst of a broad overhaul, but decades of neglect have left reservations with schools where students struggle to meet academic standards, turnover among educators is high and the buildings are often in decay. Officials at the United States Department of the Interior, which oversees the bureau, say they are working to improve schools like Bug-O-Nay-Ge-Shig. But with limited funding and a huge backlog of repairs — the government estimates that it would cost $1.3 billion to restore all buildings to good condition — some administrators and students wonder when they will see the fruits of those policies.
-- MITCH SMITH Report: School kitchens need equipment-- EdSource California: November 13, 2014 [ abstract] The vast majority of school kitchens in California need equipment " from a $5 student meal tray to a $297,000 steam kettle capable of cooking and chilling 5,000 meals a day " to be more successful at serving lunches that meet federal nutrition standards, according to a report released Thursday.
And two of three school districts reported needing additional training for school nutrition staff to fully implement the nutrition requirements, according to the report by The Pew Charitable Trusts, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and The California Endowment.
In a survey of 238 randomly selected school district food service departments in the state, 93 percent said they needed at least one piece of kitchen equipment to help them store fresh, canned and frozen foods, prepare entrees and serve meals, the report said.
Statewide, 95 percent of school districts are meeting the nutrition standards introduced in 2012, which call for more fruits and vegetables, low-fat foods and whole grains, the report said. But food service employees often manually chop pounds of fruits and vegetables, keep food off-site and drive it back every day because of lack of storage space, and prepare lunch in shifts because of lack of counter space, the report said.
Many equipment needs pre-date the requirement that schools serve healthier meals, said Jessica Donze Black, director of the Kids’ Safe and Healthful Foods Project, a collaboration of The Pew Charitable Trusts and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The increase in servings of fruits and vegetables, and the renewed emphasis on fresh rather than processed foods, has prompted the call for more preparation space, slicers, knives and refrigeration and other equipment, Black said.
-- Jane Meredith Adams Voters approve 1 percent sales tax for school renovation, construction-- Aiken Standard South Carolina: November 04, 2014 [ abstract] Voters approved the 1 percent sales tax referendum by a 59 percent margin in Tuesday’s election, allowing the Aiken County Public School District to accelerate renovations and construction at five schools.
The referendum will raise the county’s sales tax from 7 to 8 percent, increasing the cost by 1 percent for every dollar of an item’s purchase price. The tax should go into effect in about four months.
The school board, which proposed the tax, expects it to generate between $16 and $21 million a year over the next 10 years. Money raised from the tax must be used to help finance the costs of constructing and equipping additions and improvements to North Augusta High, Aiken High and Ridge Spring-Monetta High and Elementary; constructing and equipping a new Leavelle McCampbell Middle; and renovating the Aiken County Career and Technology Center, if funds are available.
-- Staff Writer Towns forced to consider renovation or demolition of old, outdated schools-- New Britain Herald Connecticut: October 18, 2014 [ abstract] With its consideration of what to do with the former Linden Street School, Plainville officials are tackling a thorny problem that many communities face or have faced: What to do with large, outdated school buildings that were expensive to build, are expensive to get rid of and are costlier still to renovate.
For the past year, local leaders have mulled various options for the former elementary school that was built in 1928. Many want it demolished, while some have suggested that it be renovated for new uses. Both recommendations will go to voters in a referendum next month.
Other communities are dealing with similar issues.
In Bristol, the sprawling former Memorial Boulevard School, built in 1921, has been vacant since 2010. A year ago, a majority of council members agreed to sell it to a Rhode Island developer. However, the Planning Commission opposed the move and the council lacked a super majority needed to go ahead with the move. Since then, the community has debated using the school for housing or cultural events.
Also vacant in Bristol are the Bingham and O’Connell schools, which were built in 1916 and 1914 respectively. Bingham has been empty since 2011, O’Connell hasn’t been used since 2012 and city planners are still reviewing options.
One of the major problems with reusing such old schools, officials say, is their outdated energy and mechanical systems, which are expensive to use or update. They may also be filled with hazardous materials, such as asbestos. Most also were built before handicap accessibilities laws were enacted.
Jeffrey Beckham, an official with the state’s Department of Administrative Services, said older buildings are only exempt from meeting those standards if the buildings are being used as they were originally built. Once renovated, they have to be made accessible to those with handicaps, which can also be expensive. “Generally speaking, an older building is a lot further out of code than a newer one, so there is a lot more work to be done,” Beckham said.
-- BRIAN M. JOHNSON Eureka City Schools proposes Measure S to modernize, repair buildings-- Times Standard California: October 17, 2014 [ abstract] Eureka City Schools District officials say Measure S " a nearly $50 million bond on the November ballot " will fund the repair of school buildings that are falling apart. Opponents call Measure S too much too soon, pointing to unfinished projects such as a high school gym that were never delivered under a previous bond.
District Superintendent Fred Van Vleck said Measure S will not only fund much-needed repairs, but also help give Eureka students a future in Humboldt County after graduation.
"The bond is focused on student safety at the elementary schools, replacing aging portable classrooms and improving the labs and classrooms for the Career and Technical Education program," he said.
-- Melissa Simon and Will Houston Georgia Governor Deal Approves Use of Wood in School Construction-- nfcNews Georgia: October 12, 2014 [ abstract] The Georgia Forestry Association commends Governor Nathan Deal who recently signed legislation that allows for greater use of wood materials in public school facilities, providing K-12 schools throughout the state with alternative, cost-effective, and sustainable design options.
Governor Nathan Deal recently signed legislation that allows for greater use of wood materials in public school facilities, providing K-12 schools throughout the state with alternative, cost-effective, and sustainable design options.
Senate Bill 301, sponsored by Senator Fran Millar, R-Atlanta, removes language from the Georgia Department of Education (DOE) Guideline for Educational Facility Construction that prohibited the use of light wood framing (or wood stud partitioning) and ordinary wood construction. The bill provides school administrators and design professionals with the option to use wood materials as a design alternative " a standard that is readily accepted in the International Building Code.
“Removing any barrier to the use of wood grown by Georgia landowners and milled by Georgia manufacturers is good for the forestry economy and the continued sustainability of Georgia’s timberland,” Georgia Forestry Association (GFA) President Steve McWilliams said. “This new option could save taxpayers a significant amount of money and create more sustainable structures while making use of a Georgia-grown renewable resource.”
Wood-constructed schools meet the same standards for life safety while providing much needed advantages related to cost, speed of construction, design flexibility, energy efficiency and sustainability. In recent years, states such as Arkansas and South Carolina have removed similar bans and have uncovered huge savings.
-- Staff Writer Oakland schools' bad credit costing homeowners millions-- Contra Costa Times California: October 08, 2014 [ abstract] OAKLAND -- A decade of sloppy financial record keeping in Oakland's schools is now costing city homeowners and businesses more than $29 million in extra property taxes after the district lost its credit rating for borrowing money, according to a new report to the Alameda County grand jury.
Rating agency standard & Poor's withdrew its credit rating of the district in 2011 and Moody's removed its in 2012, driving up the cost of current borrowing on bonds that are repaid in residential and business property taxes.
The credit ratings were removed because the district has not been able to complete any financial audits mandated by the state since 2003 due to missing records, a lack of internal accounting controls and books that are basically in shambles, according to a spokesman with the State Controller's Office.
"The District's financial advisers have estimated the additional cost to Oakland taxpayers may be over $29 million," stated a Sept. 10 report to the Alameda County grand jury signed by school board President David Kakishiba and new Superintendent Antwan Wilson.
Although the cost of borrowing money was driven up by just 1.4 percentage points in a recent round of borrowing, it amounts to a whole lot of money because so much is being borrowed. For example, Measure J, approved by voters in 2012, allows the school district to borrow $475 million for school
-- Doug Oakley - Oakland Tribune School officials turn focus to portable classrooms-- Sothern Maryland Newspaper Online Maryland: September 19, 2014 [ abstract] As overcrowding in Charles County public schools becomes a mounting concern for officials and parents " highlighted by a new report illustrating the shoddy state of some of the system’s schools " the number of portable classrooms the county relies on has come into question.
The system’s portable classrooms mean to mitigate the overflow in traditional classrooms, both as a temporary and long-term fix.
The classrooms vary in size and quality. The classrooms at North Point High School are separated into two solid-looking buildings bearing little resemblance to the stereotypical trailer-style classrooms, and at least one room hosts a full computer lab. The rooms measure about 23 feet by 30 to 35 feet, the average size of a standard brick-and-mortar classroom, said Keith Hettel, assistant superintendent of supporting services.
“Portable classrooms in Charles County are built to order and are of better quality than ‘trailers,’” he wrote in an email.
Nearly every school at every level has multiple portable classrooms on campus, a total 265 at the system’s 36 schools, according to a report supplied by school system officials.
-- Jeremy Bauer-Wolf Facility maintenance report calls for $600 million-- Maryland Community News Online Maryland: August 27, 2014 [ abstract] Six hundred million.
That’s the dollar amount one contractor recommends Charles County Public Schools spend on renovations for its school buildings during a 10-year period.
But in the past 10 years, the school system has funneled $60 million of its own funds into school improvements. For some, the disparity of the two numbers highlights what they say is the squishiness of a new study of the county’s public schools and the long road school and county officials have ahead to restore some of the school system’s more aged facilities.
The county commissioners, on the prompting of state official David Lever, who specializes in public school construction matters and reports to the Board of Public Works, launched the study with an outside contractor, Baltimore-based GWWO Inc./Architects, in late fall 2013.
The $250,000 report, on the dime of the commissioners, would provide the board of education, school and county officials and the public with a look at the state of the county school buildings " a comprehensive roadmap at the successes and failings of the infrastructure of each building, as well as the optimal price tag for the improvements that would bring the schools up to the school system’s standards. The study serves only as a suggestion for school officials.
Dubbed as a draft of a 10-year System-Wide Capital Improvement Plan, the report offered recommendations to mitigate overcrowding in schools, particularly at the elementary level. The company estimated 10 schools would be 121 percent above capacity by 2022 if no action is taken.
-- Jeremy Bauer-Wolf Questions mount about West Contra Costa school district's construction costs-- Contra Costa Times California: August 16, 2014 [ abstract] RICHMOND -- A federal probe. An overdue audit. Voter revolt. After years of smooth sailing, West Contra Costa Unified's massive $1.6 billion bond program is listing as trustees and staff scramble to get back on course, respond to mounting questions and figure out how to complete more than two dozen large construction projects after residents rejected a multimillion bond measure in June.
Their rejection of the district's $270 million Measure H -- the seventh school construction ballot measure in 16 years -- came as a shock to district officials who are now trying to dole out what's left while assessing what to do next.
"My concern is that we're not going to have enough growth in assessed valuation to keep to our current commitments and time schedules as we move forward," said trustee Todd Groves. "We've committed to building schools and building them to standards. If we don't get double digit growth in assessed valuation for three or four years, we're going to have to make some decisions to either scale back standards, delay construction -- which may not save money -- or not follow through with all of our commitments."
But the loss of new bond money is just one woe for the district as residents, elected officials, members of the independent bond oversight committee and even the federal Securities and Exchange Commission pile on and intensify scrutiny of the program and those who run it, including the board president, bond underwriters and the highly paid construction management and design consultants.
-- Theresa Harrington Midland Public Schools facilities need up to $140 million in updates-- Midland Daily News Michigan: August 12, 2014 [ abstract] Midland Public Schools needs an estimated $116.5 million to $140 million to bring its facilities up to date with current health, safety and educational standards, according to a facility assessment released on Monday. MPS Superintendant Michael Sharrow said the district’s buildings are aging, with 88 percent of them more than 50 years old. The average age of MPS school buildings is 61 years old.
Many of the buildings are not energy efficient and they lack safety features found in current educational designs, Sharrow said. He said some facilities that closed in recent years are deteriorating.
-- Tony Lascari Museum recognizes Alabama, new high school for safe rooms-- American School & University National: July 28, 2014 [ abstract] An exhibit at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C. is highlighting the only state in the union " Alabama " that requires tornado safe rooms in new schools.
Designing for Disaster, which runs through Aug. 2, allows visitors to take a close look at how policies, plans and designs can help communities withstand natural disasters. An Alabama school, Park Crossing High School in Montgomery, is featured in a portion of the exhibit that is focused on state building codes.
Park Crossing, which opened last fall, incorporated seven safe rooms into its multi-building, 165,390-square foot campus, with the areas of refuge integrated into classrooms and music/band rehearsal spaces. Instead of building one large safe room, multiple safe rooms were distributed throughout the school so students and staff would have a shelter in close proximity.
The safe rooms span two stories and are enclosed by rebar-reinforced concrete walls designed to meet the state standards that took effect in 2010, according to the design firm, Goodwyn, Mills and Cawood (GMC). Steel shutters, which also function as bulletin boards, are located within the classrooms to keep debris and broken glass from flying inside when locked. The shelters have the capacity to protect 1,200 people from 250-mile-per-hour winds.
-- Jill Nolin Sunnyvale: City discussing joint-use agreement with SCUSD for more access to park space-- San Jose Mercury News California: July 16, 2014 [ abstract] As open space continues tightening and the city's population expands, the city is looking to get creative when it comes to bolstering its parklands.
To that end, the city is exploring a joint-use agreement with the Santa Clara Unified School District for open space areas at Peterson Middle School.
The city has agreements with other school districts within the city's boundaries, where the city maintains the fields and in exchange, the district makes the space available to the public when not in use by the schools.
According to Sunnyvale communications officer Jennifer Garnett, the city has a joint-use agreement with the Santa Clara Unified School District (SCUSD) for the open space at Braly and Ponderosa schools that is very similar to the ones it has with the Sunnyvale and Cupertino school districts.
The agreements include all school open space associated with elementary and middle schools that are within Sunnyvale city limits, just not for Peterson Middle School.
"In years past, the city and SCUSD had an agreement that allowed the city to issue permits for the use of open space at Peterson, but that agreement did not include the city maintaining the fields," Garnett said. "The city and SCUSD have always had a very cooperative relationship and a variety of agreements over the years; however, a new agreement for Peterson was not pursued by either agency."
The open space at Peterson would have to be upgraded to meet city standards, but it is unclear at this point what the cost of such improvements would be or how the terms of use would be dictated.
"The report to the city council will include a general cost estimate; however, detailed cost estimates will have to be provided by an architectural [or] engineering consultant at a later date, should the agencies determine to move forward with developing an agreement," Garnett added.
The idea to explore a joint-use agreement was proposed by a Sunnyvale resident who earlier this year voiced concerns about the increase use of Raynor Park after its sale to the for-profit, private Stratford School.
-- Alia Wilson As Capitol Riverfront grows, DC plans elementary school reopening-- Elevation DC District of Columbia: July 14, 2014 [ abstract] Plans are underway to renovate the currently-closed Van Ness Elementary School, at 1150 5th Street SE, in time for the 2015-2016 academic year.
The renovation of the school is being spurred by the increasing number of families that have moved into the Capitol Riverfront neighborhood, according to Melissa Salmanowitz of DCPS.
Planning and the public input process began this spring. Construction will begin later this year or early next.
The District's Capital Improvement Plan allocated a budget of $15 million for the renovation of the 49,000-square-foot building. â€"We will modernize the classrooms and update the building to current educational standards,†says Salmanowitz. The exterior of the 1950s-era building, however, may not change (no decision has yet been made).
Van Ness was closed as a public school in 2007. Since then, it has been used as a workspace for public school employees.
-- BARBARA PASH Texas comptroller wants more transparency on school construction spending-- American School & University Texas: July 08, 2014 [ abstract] Texas Comptroller Susan Combs wants school districts to provide the public with more information regarding what they spend on new construction.
“Currently there is no required standard for reporting school construction costs, so it is extremely difficult for taxpayers to determine how their tax dollars are being spent,” Combs said in a statement.
According to a report released June 30, the comptroller’s office had to file public information requests to get details on school construction spending. The research showed that campus construction varied as much as $200 per square foot, the Sugar Land Sun reported.
“Unfortunately, we encountered numerous obstacles in our efforts to collect consistent, comparable school construction data and taxpayers are entitled to this information,” Combs said.
-- Kimberlee Payton-Jones Houston area school districts boast low construction costs-- Houston Chronicle Texas: June 30, 2014 [ abstract] The Houston area boasts the lowest school construction costs in Texas at just $135 a square foot, nearly $20 lower than the state average, the Texas Comptroller's Office reported Monday.
The region also includes three of the most prolific builders in the state - the Katy, Cypress Fairbanks and Fort Bend school districts, which have added a combined 6.7 million square feet of facilities since 2007.
The fast-growing Cy-Fair ISD, heavily touted in the report by Comptroller Susan Combs, led the way in thrift with construction costs of $107 a square foot. Channelview ISD has the same costs, but built just 414,100 square feet, compared to Cy-Fair's 2.6 million square feet.
While school districts in the Houston area accounted for 30 percent of statewide enrollment growth, they only accounted for about 20 percent of the 874 campuses built from 2007 through 2013, according to the report. All told, Texas schools carry $64.8 billion worth of debt, or more than $13,000 per student in a district with debt.
Statewide, construction costs ranged from $76 per square foot in Laredo to $260 per square foot for an elementary school in Port Arthur. All costs were adjusted for inflation.
In the Houston region, Fort Bend ISD had among the highest construction costs at $150 per square foot, still a few dollars under the state average.
Cy-Fair officials attributed their low costs to sharing blueprints, using standardized and limiting business to a few contractors.
The $9.4 million McFee Elementary School, for example, cost about $94 a square foot in adjusted dollars to open in August 2007. The $54 million Cypress Ranch High School cost about $102-a-square foot, after inflation adjustments, and came in $162,000 under budget in 2008, according to the state report.
Officials with the northwest Harris County district warn that rising labor and material costs already are affecting the bottom line, with the district's newest elementary school costing $123 a square foot. The next one could reach $160.
-- Jennifer Radcliffe Union School District to Spend $125M for Major Facilitiy Upgrades-- Globest.com California: June 23, 2014 [ abstract] SAN JOSE, CA—Voters here have overwhelmingly supported a $125 million bond measure to upgrade and repair aging facilities of the Union Elementary School District, and implement a plan of the Governing Board and Superintendent to bring their facilities into the highest level of 21st Century Learning Environments.
Earlier this year, the Union Elementary School District approved BCA Architects' Long Range Facilities Master Plan for its schools in a unanimous vote. Union School District was particularly interested in working with BCA because of the firm's focus on campus safety/security in design.
â€"The mission of the Union School District is to enrich the community through learning,†said Jacqueline Horejs, Union School District Superintendent. â€"The District's goal has been to design facilities that will support innovative, state-of-the-art teaching and learning in order to ensure student success on the rigorous new Common Core State standards and to enable them to be successful in all of their future endeavors. Paul Bunton and his Team at BCA Architects provided strong leadership and guidance to our District through thoughtful presentations that ultimately led the Governing Board to a unanimous approval of their visionary master plan.â€
The approval of this master plan and the passage of the Bond Measure comes at an exciting time for the Union School District, as the district celebrates its 150th birthday this year. The district is currently implementing the second year of its three year plan to prepare students for the California Common Core State standards tests. For the past two years, the District has been focusing on providing students with 21st century teaching and learning experiences to prepare them for successful lives in the work world. BCA's powerful school designs will help create a learning environment and culture to give the students every advantage as they matriculate into college and the workforce.
-- David Phillips Cleveland teachers blocked any discussion of plans to extend city's $1 billion school construction project-- Cleveland.com Ohio: May 28, 2014 [ abstract] CLEVELAND, Ohio - The Cleveland school board never heard proposed school construction plans Tuesday night after impatient teachers interrupted and shouted down a presentation on them.
Murmuring from Cleveland Teachers Union members disrupted a discussion at the school board's meeting of plans to replace, update and merge some of the district's aging and often half-empty schools.
The few hundred teachers, unwilling to wait for the standard time at board meetings for public comment, then broke out into chants of "Let us speak. Let us speak."
They had come to protest the likely firings of several teachers and would not wait through discussion of the buildings where they and their students have class every day.
Public meetings in the city's neighborhoods begin tonight about different options for extending the district's 13-year, $1 billion school construction project.
-- Patrick O'Donnell, The Plain Dealer Md. approves $131 million more for state's public schools next year-- ABC7 Maryland: May 14, 2014 [ abstract] ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Maryland state officials announced millions of dollars in additional funding for public schools Wednesday.
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Gov. Martin O'Malley, Comptroller Peter Franchot, Treasurer Nancy Kopp and members of the Board of Public Works said an additional $131.3 million in unallocated funding will be budgeted for the Maryland public school system for FY2015, bringing the total amount budgeted for schools to $323.5 million.
In a statement Wednesday, the office of the comptroller said the additional funds were largely recommended by the Interagency Committee for School Construction (IAC), and that he agreed with the recommendation after touring eight "high-priority" schools across the state to observe conditions.
"The tours enabled the comptroller to hear directly from the teachers, students, staff and county school representatives about what was needed to make their schools better suited for continuing the pursuit of high academic standards for the students," Franchot's office's statement indicated.
Five of the aging schools Franchot toured were located in the D.C. Metro area - Severna Park High in Anne Arundel County, North Frederick Elementary in Frederick County, Bradley Hills Elementary in Montgomery County, Glenarden Woods Elementary in Prince George's County and Potomac High in Prince Georges County.
â€"While education experts continue to rank the Maryland public school system number one in the country, we can't afford to have our students fall behind in their education because of substandard learning conditions,†Franchot said.
-- Staff Writer Georgia Governor Deal Approves Use of Wood in School Construction-- Digital Journal Georgia: May 10, 2014 [ abstract] Governor Nathan Deal recently signed legislation that allows for greater use of wood materials in public school facilities, providing K-12 schools throughout the state with alternative, cost-effective, and sustainable design options.
Senate Bill 301, sponsored by Senator Fran Millar, R-Atlanta, removes language from the Georgia Department of Education (DOE) Guideline for Educational Facility Construction that prohibited the use of light wood framing (or wood stud partitioning) and ordinary wood construction. The bill provides school administrators and design professionals with the option to use wood materials as a design alternative – a standard that is readily accepted in the International Building Code.
"Removing any barrier to the use of wood grown by Georgia landowners and milled by Georgia manufacturers is good for the forestry economy and the continued sustainability of Georgia's timberland," Georgia Forestry Association (GFA) President Steve McWilliams said. "This new option could save taxpayers a significant amount of money and create more sustainable structures while making use of a Georgia-grown renewable resource."
Wood-constructed schools meet the same standards for life safety while providing much needed advantages related to cost, speed of construction, design flexibility, energy efficiency and sustainability. In recent years, states such as Arkansas and South Carolina have removed similar bans and have uncovered huge savings.
-- Georgia Forestry Association Beverly Hills Unified's legal fight against Purple Line subway route paid for with school construction bonds -- Los Angeles Register California: May 08, 2014 [ abstract] LOS ANGELES – The Beverly Hills Unified School District has spent at least $3 million in school construction funds battling the Metro Purple Line extension subway route, spending which appears to be outside the lines of what voters approved when they OK'd Measure E in 2008.
Meanwhile, little progress has been made on the capital improvements that the measure was intended for.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky said he could not comment on the legality of the issue, but the use of Measure E funds for something other than building and improving educational facilities, as the voters intended, â€"certainly raises an eyebrow.â€
State law requires that money raised through such voter-approved school bonds be used only for the projects outlined in the approved list. The district has regularly been dinged on independent audits of the Measure E bond program for not creating a specific master list that would include litigation as well as describe the relationship between the legal matter and construction projects.
Only a general list of goals has been created, according to several annual performance audits completed by Harvey M. Rose Associates, and some local officials believe the money is not being used as intended.
â€"I think that where certain geotechnical studies may have been needed to be done, obviously in preparation for building construction at the high school and other sites, (those) were an appropriate use of funds,†said Beverly Hills Councilman William W. Brien.
â€"Beyond that, it is my opinion that that's not what the taxpayers voted for, for monies to be spent on other activities and legal battles. This is a construction bond and it should be used to enhance and build the finest academic standards for our children in the city.â€
Measure E authorized $334 million worth of bonds to pay for a general list of goals, which included â€"safe and modernized school facilities ... necessary structural seismic safety repairs, (to) upgrade, repair and reconstruct aging classrooms, infrastructure, multi-use, gyms, libraries, science, technology and labs.â€
-- Matthew Fleming Cleveland considers closing Collinwood, Glenville and MLK Jr. high schools-- www.cleveland.com Ohio: May 05, 2014 [ abstract] CLEVELAND, Ohio " The Cleveland school district is considering closing Collinwood, Glenville and Martin Luther King Jr. high schools, as it puts together a new building plan.
The Triad Research Group has started calling residents to ask their opinions about some of the decisions the district must make with its older and often unfilled buildings.
Included in the choices that Triad is asking about: Closing any of the three East Side high schools, merging students into another school or closing off part of the school buildings.
A full list of questions is not available. The Plain Dealer requested the list at last Tuesday’s school board meeting and district Chief Executive Officer Eric Gordon and Chief Operating Officer Patrick Zohn said they would provide one.
The district did not release a list last week and has not yet responded to renewed requests for it Friday evening and this morning.
If you have received a polling call, please share any of the questions below.
City Councilman Mike Polensek said he received a polling call meant for parents because his son was recently a student at Colinwood High School.
“If they try to close Collinwood High School, there’s going to be a royal battle,” Polensek said.
Polensek has blamed the school’s longstanding academic troubles on a lack of discipline and standards in the building. He accused the district of blaming the school for problems the administration has created by not setting the right tone.
-- Patrick O'Donnell, The Plain Dealer Chicago Public Schools issues $423 million capital plan-- Chicago Tribune Illinois: May 02, 2014 [ abstract] Mayor Rahm Emanuel's cash-strapped Chicago Public Schools on Friday unveiled a $423 million construction and renovation plan for 2015 that directs nearly half of the money toward facilities on the city's North and Northwest sides.
While not large by recent standards, the majority of the new capital plan is to be financed by borrowing, adding new pressure to a CPS budget already threatening to buckle under mounting pension costs, a projected $1 billion deficit and bad credit ratings.
CPS said it would finance $260 million in construction spending with revenue from bond sales, with an additional $134 million coming from tax increment financing district revenues as well as state and federal funds. The plan also includes $29 million in costs associated with moving the district's headquarters, which CPS said will be paid for with savings from that move.
Laurence Msall, president of the financial watchdog Civic Federation, noted that only a year ago CPS was fretting about a looming "financial tsunami" brought on by its pension problem, with officials declaring that they needed to reduce the costs of borrowing in order to preserve cash for more pressing needs.
"It's hard to reconcile reduction in your debt service when you are proposing such a large borrowing," Msall said.
The proposed spending plan, which must be approved by the Chicago Board of Education, is fraught with political and financial ramifications.
Nearly $100 million of the projected spending is devoted to three North Side selective-enrollment high schools: the existing Walter Payton and Lane Tech college preps, and a new school near Goose Island that will be named for President Barack Obama.
Overall, 46 percent of the planned school construction money is earmarked for North and Northwest side neighborhoods, according to a Tribune analysis.
-- Noreen S. Ahmed-Ullah and Bob Secter, Tribune repo Woods says growth drives school bonds-- mySanAntonio.com Texas: April 29, 2014 [ abstract] Growth and renovation of aging schools are the two major issues driving the $648.34 million School Bond 2014, Northside Independent School District Superintendent Brian T. Woods told the Dominion Rotary April 15.
Northside, he says, is expected to grow by 2,000 to 2,500 students every year for the next 20 to 25 years, which equals 100 classrooms per year.
â€"The second issue is renovation of aging schools,†Woods said. â€"The ZIP code doesn't matter in keeping existing structures up to standard.â€
The school district encompasses 25 percent of Bexar County, according to Woods. â€"Bexar County is a fast growth county and Northside is growing twice the rate of the rest of the county,†he said.
â€"About one-half of all the homes built in the county are built in the Northside (district area),†Woods said. â€"There are several areas past Taft High School with neighborhoods platted for 6,000 to 7,000 new houses.â€
While growth is expected throughout NISD, the largest projected expansion is expected outside Loop 1604 from Bandera to Potranco roads, he said.
NISD is proposing to build five elementary schools and one high school â€"right on the district line.†â€"But one of the five elementary schools would be built completely out of savings from the last bond,†Woods said. â€"In each bond proposal, we get way out in front.â€
Woods says no middle schools would be constructed out of Bond 2014, although the proposal does call for the design of the next middle school to be paid for out of a future bond issue because the district has caught up with the growth in that age group.
-- JONI SIMON, CONTRIBUTING WRITER Do ‘green’ schools help kids learn?-- The Columbus Dispatch Ohio: April 21, 2014 [ abstract] Researchers know that energy-efficient “green” schools cost less to operate and offer a more-healthful learning environment for students and teachers.
But scientists at Battelle want to study whether the environmentally friendly buildings help children learn. Researchers began comparing student test scores, attendance rates and discipline in green schools and traditional schools last year. Preliminary results show a link between green buildings and fewer disciplinary problems.
“The idea is to better inform the public debate about sustainable design,” said Ian MacGregor, the project’s lead investigator and a senior research scientist for Battelle Energy & Environment.
The study comes as state lawmakers debate whether to allow state agencies, including the Ohio School Facilities Commission, to continue to require new state-funded buildings to meet certain environmental standards.
A bill the Senate has passed would ban state use of LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, standards. LEED is used as a worldwide benchmark for environmental building design. The House has yet to hold hearings on the proposal.
Advocates of the ban say a recent update to LEED hurts Ohio businesses by discouraging the use of materials produced in the state. The latest version of LEED calls for companies to disclose the chemical ingredients in their building materials.
Others, including the U.S. Green Building Council, defend LEED, saying green schools in Ohio use an average of 34 percent less energy and 37 percent less water than traditional buildings. Green schools also increase students’ exposure to daylight and improve indoor air quality, they say.
Ohio has more than 130 green schools, and it leads the nation in LEED-certified schools. That’s because all schools built with state help must be LEED-certified.
-- Charlie Boss 7 W.Va. buildings given architecture awards-- WVgazette.com West Virginia: April 20, 2014 [ abstract] Seven West Virginia buildings, including a Morgantown elementary school and a Girl Scouts building in Charleston, were honored with awards from the American Institute of Architects at its dinner for the West Virginia Design Awards earlier this month.
“The architecture profession always wants to recognize and promote the outstanding work of their peers and highlight the importance of their work of the past year,” said Jonathan Adler with the AIA-WV chapter.
The winning projects exhibited sustainability features, extraordinary detailing and designs that mirrored the building’s purpose.
Entries were judged by Gina Hilberry who serves as the president of the AIA-St. Louis chapter.
Assemblage Architects was the only out-of-state firm to win an award. The firm received an honor award for excellence in architecture for its multi-purpose building at Camp Dawson.
The other honor award for excellence in architecture in sustainable design went to Williamson Shriver Architects for its Eastwood Elementary School project in Morgantown.
The project consolidated Easton and Woodburn Elementary Schools. The School Building Authority wanted the school to meet LEED silver certification sustainability standards.
“There are a lot of demands and expectations there that need to be met at that level,” said Ted Shriver, lead architect for the project.
Shriver said there are a number of ways to go about meeting that certification, geared toward energy savings and sustainability.
“We looked at the ones that made sense for the location and type of facility that we were designing,” he said. “With sustainability there are some things that cost more than others. And there is only a certain amount of dollars that can be spent on a project so it’s a balancing act to make sure we meet the standards but also make sure it’s the right thing based on costs.”
-- Caitlin Cook USDA Awards Grants for New School Food Service Equipment to Help Schools Dish Up Healthy Meals-- United States Department of Agriculture National: April 18, 2014 [ abstract] WASHINGTON, April 18, 2014 – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is awarding $25 million in grants to help schools purchase needed kitchen equipment as they continue to provide school lunches and breakfasts that give children the nutrition they need to learn and grow. Over 90 percent of schools report that they are successfully meeting the updated nutrition standards, serving meals with more whole grains, fruits, vegetables, lean protein and low-fat dairy, and less sodium and fat. These new grants provide additional support to schools to help them prepare meals that meet those standards.
"We know that there is still a significant unmet need for kitchen equipment in schools, and outdated equipment can make it more difficult to prepare healthy meals," said Vilsack. "With these grants, schools will be able to get the tools they need to make the healthy choice the easy choice for America's youngsters."
In December, USDA awarded $11 million in grants to the District of Columbia, Guam and 14 states. For the latest round of funding, USDA will ensure all State agencies receive a proportional share of the funding. States will competitively award the funds to school districts to purchase needed equipment, giving priority to high-need schools where 50 percent or more of the enrolled students are eligible for free or reduced price meals.
Download the list of funding by state for FY13 and FY14.
The Kids' Safe and Healthful Foods Project – a collaboration with The Pew Charitable Trusts and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation – recently released a report on school kitchen equipment needs that shows most school districts in the U.S. (88 percent) need at least one additional piece of kitchen equipment, and more than half (55 percent) need infrastructure upgrades to serve healthier meals that meet science-based nutrition standards. The report concluded: Investing in kitchens and cafeterias will help schools better serve the nutritious foods and beverages that students need.
-- Office of Communications Deteriorating Schools Require Funding for Construction, Upkeep-- TheLedger.com Florida: April 13, 2014 [ abstract] Public school buildings in Florida are rapidly deteriorating because funding for maintenance and repairs has been declining for several years. The state has relied on the Public Education Capital Outlay trust fund, a program established through an amendment to the Florida Constitution and funded through the gross receipts tax on utilities and land-line telecommunications, to fund maintenance, repair and new construction for all public schools.
Because of rapid growth in the state and the need for new school buildings in the early 2000s, the state issued bonds to generate immediate funds. The downside to this is that the state is now forced to use almost all of the PECO funds collected to pay the debt-service cost of these bonds. As a result, PECO funding is virtually nonexistent.
School buildings are designed for a useful service life of 50 years. However, systems such as roofs, air conditioning, windows,and cafeteria equipment require regular replacement at 15- to 20-year intervals. When funding is not available to replace these systems, they become deferred-maintenance costs, simply meaning that you are putting off a problem because you lack the funds to fix the problem now.
The Polk County School District is facing critical needs from both the need for new construction as well as deferred maintenance. We have identified the need for $233 million for new construction and $389 million for deferred maintenance. Without these funds, our students will be housed more and more in portable classrooms, and our existing permanent classrooms will become increasingly substandard because of deteriorating building conditions.
-- Letter - Kathryn LeRoy - Superintendent of Schools LEAs struggle to fulfill new facilities mandates-- Cabinet Report California: April 07, 2014 [ abstract] (Calif.) With the upkeep of school buildings traditionally a key focus of state financing, districts across California are struggling under the new funding formula not only with finding money for needed repairs but also with meeting a maintenance standard that is not clearly defined.
In the past, the state provided some funding specifically earmarked for facility maintenance and repair. Under Gov. Jerry Brown’s Local Control Funding Formula that money has been absorbed into one big pool to be distributed among districts, which are finding it increasingly difficult to cover everything required by the state " including keeping facilities “in good repair.”
Districts face a deadline at the end of June for adopting their Local Control Accountability Plans "reports to the public detailing how they will use the funds to meet a list of eight state priorities in the LCFF, including the needs of educationally disadvantaged students and maintaining adequate facilities " a directive that may sound simple enough to follow but may need to be further refined by state regulators or the Legislature.
“The question is ‘How is good repair defined? What is good repair for the purposes of meeting LCAP’s requirements?’,” said Ian Padilla, legislative analyst for CASH " the Coalition for Adequate School Housing. “Long story short there really isn’t any kind of a statewide or a local standard for that; it’s really a local decision at this point.”
However, said Padilla, CASH and California school facilities officials can reference as a starting point a state tool known as the Facilities Inspection Tool, or FIT. The index was created as part of the settlement of a 2000 class action suit " commonly known as Williams " that required schools, among other things, to provide students access to to safe and decent facilities.
FIT, said Padilla, offers “very basic” standards for acceptable school building conditions " such as clean, functioning restrooms, pest abatement, working fire alarms and heating and air circulation systems.
But the intent of the Legislature, Padilla believes, is that under the LCFF districts would do more than the bare minimum when it comes to providing a good learning environment for their students.
“Once piece in particular here is to include not just cleanliness and the basic levels of maintenance but also educational adequacy,” he said. “In addition to the very basic FIT assessments, districts should be looking to build capacity to make sure that school facilities are part of the education process " you know, teaching and learning.”
-- Kimberly Beltran School officials discuss facilities maintenance as part of new spending plans-- EdSource California: April 03, 2014 [ abstract] As school districts across California work to craft their school spending and accountability plans, one area that has received little notice is a requirement that school facilities are maintained in “good repair.”
The Center for Cities and Schools at UC Berkeley hosted a webinar today to address how districts should meet the healthy school facilities’ goal in the new Local Control and Accountability Plans (LCAP), which are mandated under the state’s new funding formula. More than 100 people across the state, including district administrators, registered for the discussion. The Center for Cities and Schools is a research and technical assistance center that promotes high-quality education as a means to support urban development.
Jeff Vincent, the center’s deputy director, said a building in “good repair” is defined as a facility that is maintained in “a manner that assures that it is clean, safe, and functional.” But Vincent, along with the other webinar presenters, stressed that “good repair” is merely a minimum standard and urged school district leaders to go “above and beyond” that level when drafting their plans.
Bill Savidge, assistant executive officer of the State Allocation Board in the Office of Public School Construction, said during the webinar that districts would use the state’s Facility Inspection Tool (FIT) to evaluate whether their buildings meet the “good repair” standard. The inspection tool, which was adopted by the State Allocation Board in 2007, is a ranking and scoring system that evaluates the cleanliness, safety, and function of school buildings.
The evaluation system is, in part, a result of the so-called Williams Settlement, the resolution of a class-action lawsuit filed against the state in 2000 that alleged that public school students were denied equal access to instructional materials, safe and decent schools, and qualified teachers. Savidge emphasized, however, that although Facility Inspection Tool is thorough, it does not address the critical modernization needs of California’s schools.
-- Karla Scoon Reid/EdSource correspondent Pasadena school cafeterias begin health department inspections-- Pasadena Star-News California: March 27, 2014 [ abstract] PASADENA >> The Pasadena Department of Public Health now will inspect Pasadena Unified School District cafeterias and issue them numerical scores as part of the department’s increased effort to enforce food safety standards throughout the city.
The Health Department completed the first round of inspections of the 21 PUSD campuses within city boundaries in December and will conduct a second series of inspections before the school year ends. Before November, school cafeterias had not been inspected by the department, Environmental Health Division Manager Liza Frias said, which raised concern.
“It’s making sure that anybody who is being served food is being served food from a regulated facility to make sure minimum food safety standards are being followed and adhered to,” Frias said.
Frias said the decision to begin cafeteria inspections was mutual between PDPH and PUSD.
All kitchens passed the health inspection, though only six of the schools received an official score, all in the 90s. Frias said the other schools were not issued a score because of time constraints. Violations found by health inspectors included dirty and moldy parts in ice machines, dusty equipment, lack of employee hand washing and dirty floors, according to documents obtained by this news organization.
The six PUSD schools that are not within the city borders have not yet been inspected because the district is still trying to formulate an agreement with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, PUSD spokesman Adam Wolfson said.
Public school food facilities are required to have two health inspections each year in order to receive funding for the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs, a requirement that has been in place since 2004, according to a California Department of Education spokeswoman.
-- Lauren Gold Lawmakers face loss of school building money-- WRAL.com Wyoming: March 20, 2014 [ abstract] CHEYENNE, WYO. — The Wyoming Legislature this month approved nearly $231 million in new K-12 school construction for the next fiscal year, but the building bonanza may be coming to an end because the state's main funding source for school building projects is expected to dry up.
Since 1998, the state has tapped the hundreds of millions of dollars it has received in coal lease bonus money to fund billions of dollars of school construction projects.
"We've ridden a pretty amazing wave," Sen. Bill Landen, R-Casper, said.
But the federal government's move to toughen federal carbon pollution standards and other regulations on coal is sapping future investment in coal mining.
As a result, Wyoming is seeing fewer coal lease auctions go through, and state budget projections forecast coal lease bonus money virtually nonexistent in a few years.
"Money is really going to be tight with school capital construction," Sen. Eli Bebout, R-Riverton and chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said.
This summer, lawmakers will be looking at how best to address school construction and maintenance in the long term. The state has about 375 schools.
"How do we do the best job possible of taking care for those resources so that they do last us the expected lifespan? And along with that, how do you put a plan in place so that when schools are ready you can get them replaced?" Landen, who chairs the Select Committee on School Facilities, said.
However, one member of the state School Facilities Commission, which sets school building standards across the state, said lawmakers aren't doing enough to address the problem.
-- BOB MOEN, Associated Press $100M for Newark school construction waits for approval-- nj.com New Jersey: February 12, 2014 [ abstract] Days after a massive school reorganization plan was met with biting criticism from the community, Newark Superintendent Cami Anderson announced the state had committed $100 million to repair the district’s dilapidated buildings.
It was a piece of good news for the superintendent, who is facing strong opposition to her school reorganization plan, and represented the state’s continued investment in New Jersey’s largest school district. Anderson described the money as a "key first step" to helping the district to bring its buildings up to 21st century standards.
The release failed to mention, however, that $30 million of the $100 million cited had been authorized last year. The remaining nearly $70 million represented a wish list of projects the state has not yet approved, according to the Schools Development Authority.
After the announcement, Sen. Ronald Rice (D-Essex) sent a letter to the New Jersey SDA, the state agency responsible for school facilities repairs and construction for the state’s 31 special needs districts, seeking a list of projects and budgets that had been approved.
SDA Chief Executive Charles McKenna responded last month with a letter saying the SDA had approved $30.6 million for Newark projects, most of which were authorized last year. "The school district has indicated that they have at least $69.4 million in additional projects that they will submit for review and approval," McKenna wrote. "At this time the final list of projects has not been completed and the DOE and SDA have not formally approved any additional projects."
-- Peggy McGlone/The Star-Ledger Do we need another selective DCPS high school? A group at Dunbar thinks so-- Greater Greater Education District of Columbia: February 12, 2014 [ abstract] A group of alumni and parents are proposing to turn Dunbar High School into a selective school. What's behind this idea, and does it make sense?
Last month, the Washington Post reported that the group had spent months discussing the idea of giving Dunbar greater autonomy, including the ability to select its students, and intend to put the proposal before DCPS Chancellor Kaya Henderson.
Those in favor of the plan see it as a way of restoring the school to its former glory. Dunbar, the first public high school for black students, served the African-American elite during the era of segregation. Some students even moved to DC in order to attend.
The school had high academic standards, and many of its teachers held advanced degrees. Its alumni, six of whom have appeared on postage stamps, include leaders in law, medicine, science, and government.
Two recent developments may have spurred the Dunbar group to action. One is the construction of a new $122-million building with plaques bearing the names of illustrious alumni—along with others left blank in hopes that future alumni will make their mark.
The other is the publication of a book, First Class, that traces Dunbar's history and contrasts it with the school's present struggles. Last year the school's on-time graduation rate was about 60%, and only about 20% of students were proficient in reading and math on DC's standardized tests.
The author, Alison Stewart—whose parents went to the school—admits in the book that Dunbar is now in many ways a typical high-poverty urban high school. But, she writes, the sight of what it had come to was "shocking given Dunbar's rich history."
-- Natalie Wexler A new school is an investment choice, not an expense-- SeaCoastonline.com New Hampshire: February 11, 2014 [ abstract] To the Editor:
I choose to invest in a new school for Newmarket. I make that choice confidently because I've spent eight years educating myself — attending facilities meetings and town meetings, taking tours of our schools and schools in surrounding towns, reading about the history of our town, and understanding the diversity of the population that makes up our community. I make that choice because I want to see the value of my house appreciate. I make that choice because I believe in our country and want to invest in its future. Education mobilizes the economy.
I choose to invest in a building that meets the basic needs for our students in order to give them the opportunity to pursue excellence. I am choosing to invest in our community hoping that in five to ten years when neighboring communities are renegotiating their tuition agreements, they will look favorably upon our town, and will choose to invest in us too. The new school is designed to be expandable and does not limit long-term possibilities or opportunities.
"If we build it, they will come." This phrase often causes angst. I prefer to say, "They have already come, and we need to build it." If you vote only to meet fire and life safety standards then we will need portables. If you still believe we can renovate and that it will be cheaper, we know that not to be the case. The summer science lab egress project showed that we'd continue to uncover unexpected problems and expenses.
Most importantly, a renovation would require three years of portables and interrupted learning. The final result would be a piece-mailed building that inadequately supports our educational programs. Portables are a visual eyesore and a reminder of less than optimal planning.
Finally, you cannot move students back to the elementary school and resolve the high school facility issues. The town chose to forgo building the elementary school with load-bearing walls. We can't expand upwards. There is not enough acreage to support moving students back. We must focus on a long-term plan for necessary upgrades to the elementary school in smaller bites once we solve the junior-senior high school problem.
-- Opinion - Jill Berry Anaconda mulls school closure in face of lowest ever enrollment in school district-- The Montana Standard Montana: January 30, 2014 [ abstract] Anaconda is considering closing another school as enrollment in the district has dropped to its lowest ever.
The district has already closed Beaver Dam Elementary in Opportunity and Washington Elementary and Dwyer Intermediate in Anaconda.
Now, the School District 10 board of trustees has formed a committee to consider shuttering another building to combine junior high and high school students under a single roof. The committee’s task means balancing the financial needs of the district with the best interest of its students, and the proposition is already drawing concern from parents and teachers.
The committee hopes to reach a conclusion this spring and send a recommendation to the full board of trustees.
“Our district, like many other districts in Montana, has suffered declining enrollment since the closing of the smelter in 1980,” Superintendent Tom Darnell said. “We’ve suffered a reduction in the population of the county, but also a severe reduction of school-aged kids. We’ve gone from 2,500-plus kids to now just over 1,000.”
Darnell said the costs of operating schools that have empty classrooms are eating up a budget that could be spent in other places.
“We’re in a situation now: Do we operate buildings or do we maintain programs?” Darnell said. “By consolidating one building, the district could redirect close to $500,000 annually.”
-- Kelley Christensen Toxins at proposed site for high school spark worries-- ctpost.com Connecticut: January 28, 2014 [ abstract] BRIDGEPORT -- Concern about building the new Harding High School atop a former manufacturing site that contains arsenic, lead and petroleum-based pollutants has kicked up again.
Members of the new city school board, bolstered by worried members of the public, want to hit the pause button on the $78 million project to relocate the city high school to the former GE site on the city's East Side.
"We have to be aware of what is going on ... We don't want another Three Mile Island situation occurring there," Board Chairman Sauda Baraka said during a meeting Monday night, referring to a 1979 nuclear accident in Pennsylvania -- a huge environmental disaster.
Baraka wrote a letter to the city's Planning and Zoning Commission asking it to postpone acting on the matter until the board has seen the site plans and environmental reports from the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. The zoning meeting has been rescheduled to Feb. 10.
The property is bounded by Boston Avenue and Bond Street, and is still owned by GE, which for decades manufactured small motors and various electrical devices in its factories there. Before that, Remington Arms made munitions on the property. The board gave an initial nod to the location last year, but has not been consulted on the plans.
GE is responsible for the cleanup, and outgoing Schools Superintendent Paul Vallas said the property must be brought up to residential standards for the federal Environmental Protection Agency to allow a school there.
-- Linda Conner Lambeck R.I. school officials get education on building costs-- Providence Journal Rhode Island: January 18, 2014 [ abstract] Communities around Rhode Island would have to pump a combined $1.7 billion into construction projects to bring all of the state's aging schools up to top condition, according to a recently completed assessment by the state Department of Education.
To bring Rhode Island's education facilities up to that standard will require cooperation from state, municipal, school leaders and residents, acknowledged attendees at a Saturday conference at Rhode Island College hosted by the Rhode Island Association of School Committees.
The information comes from the Public Schoolhouse Assessment, a report developed as an outgrowth of recent state law that requires school districts to follow standardized facility planning, design and construction regulations for school construction.
Release of the data comes as a state moratorium on school construction is set to expire June 30 - the end of the current fiscal year.
Physical conditions are central to the "equity and adequacy" of schools, said Joseph DaSilva, the state's school construction coordinator. Those attributes are core matters to ensure districts across the state create and maintain high-performing education systems.
According to the assessment, 70 percent of the state's schools were built between 25 and 75 years ago. The average age of a school building in Rhode Island is 58 years.
Meanwhile, excess capacity exists at every school level in Rhode Island, with middle schools having the most. With enrollments projected to decline over the next five years in most Rhode Island districts, excess capacity should continue to climb to more than 20 percent by 2016-2017.
The education department, in 2007, revised its school construction regulations to curb the steady increase in state spending on reimbursements. Since the regulations were changed (and until the moratorium kicked in), the department has cut its construction reimbursements from an annual average of $182 million to approximately $75 million annually.
While cutting state spending, the moratorium hampered school districts by draining money from maintenance of roofs, heating, and ventilation systems and other infrastructure needs. Only work needed to ensure the "immediate health and safety" of students, staff and visitors could be undertaken.
In the three years since the General Assembly imposed the moratorium, $600 million in repairs, energy efficiency work and other school improvements have been deferred, DaSilva told a Senate task force last week. When the moratorium lifts, schools will apply to the education department for roughly $50 million in school construction projects.
One way for districts to reduce costs is to be more thoughtful about energy use, something that construction regulations encourage and which another state agency -- the Office of Energy Resources -- promotes through a partnership with National Grid.
The opening of a new school on Aquidneck Island is an example of how these tandem programs are creating "21st century buildings," DaSilva said.
-- Paul Grimaldi Tucson school uses garden, ecology projects to cultivate math skills-- Tucson Sentinel Arizona: January 02, 2014 [ abstract] Kindergartners use a long wooden stick with inch-spaced marks to make sure carrot seeds planted in Manzo Elementary School’s garden will grow without crowding each other. In the process, they’re learning units of measure.
Third-graders at the West Side school log when they start and stop churning compost bins filled with plant matter and cafeteria scraps to learn how to calculate time spent on their shifts.
When produce, eggs and fish raised by students are ready to sell at a twice-monthly farmers’ market, fifth-graders work the register, learning to make change.
At this school serving an underserved area, students learn math concepts by working with one greenhouse, two tilapia fish tanks, two soil gardens, eight compost bins, 14 chickens and 17,000 gallons of rainwater collected in 15 tanks " all part of an ecology project teaching sustainability principles.
Mark Alvarez, Manzo’s principal, said linking classroom math with ecology has been key to increasing the school’s standardized math test pass rate from 18 percent to almost 50 percent in the past two and a half years.
“The hardest part of learning math is making a connection to something real and practical, so that over time a deeper, sustained understanding of math happens instead of just memorizing multiplication tables that are forgotten,” he said.
Alvarez said he anticipates even better scores over the next few years when today’s kindergartners become fifth-graders who’ve had six years of ecology-based math lessons.
-- Kay Miller Temple Parents implore school board to preserve neighborhood schools-- Journal Inquirer Connecticut: December 19, 2013 [ abstract] Parents called on school board members Wednesday to retain small, neighborhood elementary schools, saying they are better for the community and students.
“I don’t want my child to become a number,” Waddell School PTA President Matthew Carter said. Parental involvement will drop off at larger schools, and more students will “fall through the cracks,” as a result, he said.
“Would you break apart a family?” asked Michael Reynolds of John Olds Drive. “That’s what you’re doing here.”
The Board of Education on Wednesday held the first of at least three forums on a $100 million school renovation plan that would move all fifth-graders to a renovated Cheney building at Bennet Academy by September 2016; close two elementary schools and renovate two others to “like-new” standards to house up to 530 students; and refurbish the remaining four smaller elementary schools.
The School Modernization and Reinvestment Team Revisited Committee, a 13-member panel consisting of members of the school board, Board of Directors, town staff, and the public, devised the plan after a two-year, in-depth study driven by the deterioration of the town’s school buildings.
The plan creates a 21st century learning environment for all elementary students by 2020, corrects racial imbalance, and optimizes state reimbursement for renovations, making it less costly to taxpayers, the committee said.
Options for the elementary schools include enlarging and renovating Robertson, Washington, or Verplanck schools, and widening those attendance areas to take in 200 more students. Schools being considered for closure include Waddell, Washington, and Verplanck.
A few parents in the packed auditorium at Waddell on Wednesday questioned why Martin or Keeney elementary schools, located in wealthier neighborhoods, weren’t considered for closure. Many of those students don’t walk to school anyway, one parent noted.
Security would also be an issue at larger, “mega-schools,” West Middle Turnpike resident Amber Jones told board members.
And racial balance, which the plan addresses, could be out of whack in 10 years as parents would relocate to be in neighborhoods with smaller schools, added Jennifer Osella, a Butler Road resident and kindergarten teacher at Robertson School.
-- Kym Soper Milford wants exemptions on zoning for school building project-- Milford Daily News Massachusetts: December 14, 2013 [ abstract] The Woodland School Building Committee will be seeking a zoning change from Special Town Meeting to exempt public school buildings from height limits and setbacks in residential zones. This action follows the filing in Superior Court of two appeals by neighbors to a variance granted by the Zoning Board of Appeals.
Neighbors are opposing the construction of the three-story, 132,500-square-foot building at the North Vine Street property behind the current school. The proposal has the building standing 70 feet tall and has play areas within the currently required 100-foot setback from homes. The Zoning Board of Appeals approved a variance for the height and setback last month.
Dan Niro has filed one of the appeals and two abutters on Senate Road, Antonio Demoura and Jian Gao, have jointly filed the other appeal.
“This is in my backyard, to say it doesn’t conflict with the neighborhood or is not inconvenient, I think it ludicrous,” said Dan Niro at the Zoning Board of Appeals hearing.
Several other neighbors also voiced their concern over the new placement of the school closer to homes at the Zoning Board meeting.
The architect for the project, Laura Lerner from HMFH Architects, explained the placement of the building was the only way to comply with the state’s building standards and keep the current school open during construction.
-- Lindsay Corcoran Utica schools capital project entering home stretch-- UTICAOD.com New York: November 19, 2013 [ abstract] The Utica City School District’s capital project soon could be entering its final stages.
At Tuesday night’s school board meeting, Terry Damon of Armlin, Damon & McMordie, the firm overseeing the project, gave an update on the $187.6 million capital project and showed that many projects were wrapped up this summer or will be completed by January.
The district-wide project set to be completed by 2016 includes the renovation of all schools, bringing them up to modern standards for air exchange, lighting and information technology, as well as roof replacements for several of the buildings.
Armlin said the company is in the process of preparing an updated budget for the project; the original was prepared in 2008.
“We want to make sure that everything that was promised to the voters has been covered in the work,” he said. “We want to make sure as we move into the last phase of the project that we remain on time and under budget.”
The next phase includes work at John F. Hughes and Kernan elementary schools, John F. Kennedy Middle School and Thomas R. Proctor High School.
-- KESHIA CLUKEY Montgomery parents tell school officials that upgrades can’t wait-- Washington Post Maryland: November 17, 2013 [ abstract] Parents from across Montgomery County have delivered a strong message in public hearings focused on fixing the suburban district’s deteriorating and overcrowded schools: More needs to be done than is outlined in the school system’s $1.55 billion proposal.
More than 400 people showed up at meetings during two days last week in Rockville, bringing small children, big signs and detailed stories about leaky roofs, schoolyards crammed with portable classrooms and building enrollments above capacity.
It was the beginning of a budget debate about school construction in the fast-growing school system.
PTA leader Hollie Taylor, one of nearly 60 who testified, said that the temperamental heating system at Cloverly Elementary School in Silver Spring had broken down on a day set aside for Maryland’s standardized exams, the MSAs.
Students took their exams bundled up in hats, gloves and jackets, she said. “It’s an unacceptable way to take a test,” Taylor said.
The hearings came two weeks after Superintendent Joshua P. Starr proposed a construction plan that seeks to build five new schools and 22 classroom additions during the next six years. With Montgomery’s enrollment surging, Starr has said its schools are “bursting at the seams.”
But Starr’s plan also would delay 20 school revitalization projects by one to two years.
Parents said that the plan leaves too many needs unmet. Many testified that their children’s schools had already endured construction postponements.
-- Donna St. George Violation of procurement code leads NM school district to rescind $24M construction contract-- Daily Journal New Mexico: November 09, 2013 [ abstract] The Los Lunas school district has rescinded a $24 million contract from an out-of-state construction company after learning the firm paid an entry fee for one of the school's bid evaluators to enter a shooting competition.
Another bidder reported seeing the school district's construction supervisor, Antonio Sedillo, participating with a team from McCarthy Building Cos. at a skeet shooting match in Albuquerque, the Albuquerque Journal reported (http://bit.ly/198N8sq ) in a story published Saturday.
School Superintendent Bernard Saiz told the newspaper it was a "clear violation" of procurement rules.
Saiz said Sedillo was a member of the district's team that was evaluating competitive bid proposals for the second phase of work on a new high school. The shooting competition was held after the bids came in but before a decision was made on which company to hire.
Sedillo has been placed on administrative leave with pay and is expected to face discipline.
The district will put the project out to bid again, Saiz said.
Bo Calbert, president of McCarthy's Southwest Division, said the company plans to resubmit a bid for the contract.
"McCarthy NM has the utmost respect for the Los Lunas District's RFP process and believes its selection of our team was based wholly on the professional standards and qualifications that they seek," Calbert said in an email. "It's disappointing that the district is in a position where the students and community may be impacted because of this appeal."
McCarthy won an $18 million contract for the first phase of the project last year. The company has headed the construction of several major public and private projects in the state, such as the Sandia Hotel at Sandia Resort and Casino and the Presbyterian Rust Medical Center in Rio Rancho.
-- The Associated Press Seattle School Board to vote on next steps for Mann groups-- Central District News Washington: November 05, 2013 [ abstract] A battle over inequality and “sub-standard” resources that has a community group taking over a Central District schoolhouse slated for a significant construction project may finally have reached a point of solution. Wednesday night the Seattle School Board will consider and vote on a proposal that will give community groups currently in control of the district’s Horace Mann building at 23rd and Cherry access to Seattle Schools-funded portables on the Mann campus and rooms at another district facility.
In September, Seattle Public Schools told us it was working out a deal with the Central District community groups using the Horace Mann building. It’s November and the old school house lined up for a major renovation is still filled with community groups who said they’re not going anywhere " even if it puts a major wrinkle in the SPS plans to move programs there to make way for the $14.2 million project to rebuild Capitol Hill’s Meany Middle School.
The groups were told to vacate multiple times since summer so renovations could begin to make way for a planned return of the Nova Alternative High School return next fall, Central District News reports. Grassroots community group More 4 Mann continues to operate out of the building, according to CDN. The revelation prompted the Seattle Times to go on the offensive as the paper called More 4 Mann “squatters” and called for the groups to be removed from the building.
More 4 Mann, however, says it is doing much more than squatting in the building:
-- Justin - publisher of Capitol Hill Seattle Tucson school uses garden, ecology to teach math-- Mohave Valley Daily News Arizona: October 24, 2013 [ abstract] Kindergartners use a long wooden stick with inch-spaced marks to make sure carrot seeds planted in Manzo Elementary School’s garden will grow without crowding each other. In the process, they’re learning units of measure.
Third-graders log when they start and stop churning compost bins filled with plant matter and cafeteria scraps to learn how to calculate time spent on their shifts.
When produce, eggs and fish raised by students are ready to sell at a twice-monthly farmers’ market, fifth-graders work the register, learning to make change.
At this school serving an underserved area, students learn math concepts by working with one greenhouse, two tilapia fish tanks, two soil gardens, eight compost bins, 14 chickens and 17,000 gallons of rainwater collected in 15 tanks " all part of an ecology project teaching sustainability principles.
Mark Alvarez, Manzo’s principal, said linking classroom math with ecology has been key to increasing the school’s standardized math test pass rate from 18 percent to almost 50 percent in the past 21/2 years.
“The hardest part of learning math is making a connection to something real and practical, so that over time a deeper, sustained understanding of math happens instead of just memorizing multiplication tables that are forgotten,” he said.
Alvarez said he anticipates even better scores over the next few years when today’s kindergartners become fifth-graders who’ve had six years of ecology-based math lessons.
-- KAY MILLER TEMPLE/Cronkite News Service Report: Better Equipped Schools Mean Better Learning, Student Advantages-- Arkansasmatters.com Arkansas: October 15, 2013 [ abstract] State funding for school facilities should be increased to meet the needs of all districts. The official standard, that facilities need only be warm, safe, and dry, is not good enough.
According to a new report by Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, the quality of school facilities can have a major impact on the education that our children receive and whether they succeed in school. Research, court decisions, and states have long recognized that disparities in access to basic school facilities can lead to differences in educational outcomes, especially for low-income students.
According to the report, “Why School Facilities Matter: And what we can do to fix the disparities,” all students should have access to a high-quality learning environment.
“In some wealthier zip codes in the state, students have access to state-of-the-art facilities that promote hands on learning, “ says Jerri Derlikowski, author of the report and Director of Education Policy and Finance at AACF. “They have things like television broadcast facilities, performing arts centers, and health careers rooms with computerized college quality equipment. That’s not always the case for lower-income districts.”
According to the report, students in low property-wealth areas of the state are typically educated in outdated, no-frills facilities that do no more than meet minimal state standards for being warm, safe, and dry. They often do not have access to state of the art facilities that do more to enhance learning. This creates an opportunity gap that limits the success these students can have in the competitive environments of college and careers. These inequities don’t just occur from one side of the state to the other. They occur within the same county and even within the same school district.
The report is accompanied by a 15-minute video (attached to this page) aimed at highlighting why the state of school facilities is so important. The film was produced by Bailey Perkins, a graduate student at the University of Oklahoma who spent the summer as an intern for AACF. The goal of her internship was to examine school facility disparities in the state and develop recommendations with local stakeholders for more equitably resourcing school buildings state-wide.
“This project was an eye-opening experience and one that taught me the importance of investing in our public school facilities,” Perkins says. “A quality educational environment should be available to all of our students, not just the districts that can afford it. Our lawmakers need to take a stronger role to ensure that our school facilities are more than just ‘warm, safe, and dry.’ They need to be equitable and fair and provide innovative learning environments that prepare ALL students to thrive in an evolving and globalized world.”
-- Staff Writer Gov. Brown OKs bills to tighten rules on schools' use of bond type-- Los Angeles Times California: October 02, 2013 [ abstract] Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation Wednesday cracking down on a risky method of financing that hundreds of school districts and community colleges in the state have relied on to pay for new construction.
The measure, authored by Democratic state Sen. Ben Hueso of San Diego and Assemblywoman Joan Buchanan of Alamo, will rein in the use of long-term capital appreciation bonds that can carry debt payments many times the amount borrowed.
In other action, the governor approved legislation ending the current state tests in favor of exams geared toward new learning standards. The Obama administration has objected to the move on the grounds that too few students would be tested and that a lack of test scores could prevent parents and the public from evaluating teachers and schools.
Meanwhile, fiscal watchdogs, including county treasurers and California Treasurer Bill Lockyer, have warned repeatedly that the bonds — which let school districts postpone the start of payments for decades — are reminiscent of the lending and Wall Street excesses that contributed to the Great Recession.
The bill "ensures that school districts no longer can heap outrageous debt burdens on the backs of future generations of taxpayers," Lockyer said. "The reforms are reasonable and balanced, and they won't harm districts' ability to meet their school construction needs."
-- Dan Weikel and Howard Blume Streetsboro School Leaders Say New Buildings Necessary-- Streetsboro Gateway News Ohio: October 02, 2013 [ abstract] With a bond issue on the November ballot to help pay for new school buildings in the district, school leaders strongly believe there is a definite need for new and renovated facilities.
"Renovation of some of our school buildings, as well as building a new high school, will address many of the challenges the district faces with respect to its facilities," said School Board President Denise Baba. "Currently, several of our school buildings are at capacity. We simply need more space. Our student population is growing. In addition, we need to update some of our facilities to meet the needs of today's students. The way education is delivered has changed, and we need to adapt to those changes. New curriculum standards and high stakes testing being implemented by the state are factors in our need to enhance how we help our children learn."
Voters will decide on a combined bond issue and permanent improvement levy totaling 5.06 mills on the November ballot that would pay for the construction and upgrading of the district schools.
Baba said a new high school would provide a better environment for teaching and learning.
"It would also be more energy efficient, and provide the latest security features to protect students and staff," she said. "It would offer greater technological benefits than are currently available to our student population."
Andrew Lesak, School Board vice president, said when School Board members took their annual building tour in August, "it became more evident why new school buildings are needed."
"We've needed a bigger high school for a long time," Lesak said. "We have four trailers [for extra classroom space] at the back of the high school. Obviously, we need more room."
Lesak said after he toured Wait Primary School, he realized its particularly full.
"It's just bulging with students," he said. "They needed another room for first graders, so the teachers' lounge had to move to the stage."
Henry Defer Intermediate School is also "bulging," Lesak said. Moving sixth-graders to the middle school will help relieve crowding there, he said.
-- Mike Lesko CPS announces possible exceptions to school closing moratorium-- Chicago Sun Times Illinois: October 01, 2013 [ abstract] Chicago Public School officials have pledged not to close any more schools because of academic or enrollment problems for at least five years " but on Tuesday they made it clear they could close them for other reasons.
Schools CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett wants the right this year to hasten the closure of schools already being phased out, or to close or consolidate schools “due to a safety hazard presented by the physical condition of the school,” according to a draft of guidelines the district released Tuesday.
As CPS children continue to transition from a record number of school closings this year, the district opened a new season of major school actions with the release of the guidelines it could use to drastically change schools this year.
CPS also could locate more than one school within the same facility if the total projected enrollment fits, according to CPS’ space utilization standards. The CEO also may consider safety, school culture, leadership, building quality and transition costs.
“We recognize the importance of balancing needed change with stability, and this committed to a five-year moratorium on proposing additional facility closures for reasons of under enrollment. We reiterate that commitment within those guidelines,” the proposal reads.
“We may have new school options that will require co-locations [putting more than one school in the same building],” it continues. “Also, while we do not anticipate needing to take actions due to building conditions, these guidelines preserve our ability to take action in the coming months should conditions change. Inclusion of the provision in the guidelines should not be read to signal an intent to take action.”
-- LAUREN FITZPATRICK Bleacher safety at sports events being questioned-- WKYC-TV Ohio: September 24, 2013 [ abstract] Two recent school bleacher accidents in Ohio are causing concern about bleacher safety.
In those cases, near Columbus and Cincinnati, people were hurt when a railing gave way at a football game.
Ohio does not have a state law on inspecting bleachers -- the state only stipulates that schools need to keep their buildings and grounds safe.
But the Ohio administrative code does say that bleachers should be inspected once a year.
Many schools aren't aware, and no one is keeping track of whether those inspections are done.
Local schools WKYC checked with do inspect once a year, either with bleacher companies or maintenance staff.
Euclid Superintendent Keith Bell says, "It is challenging with budgets but safety is always our number one priority."
New code standards require bleachers to have a six inch gap between steps.
Many of the older bleachers we found have about 16 inches between steps.
"80 to 85 percent of all schools in America are not in full compliance with today's law" said Ray Todd, owner of RT ATHCO.
-- Kim Wheeler Schools wonder: If they build, will state reimburse?-- phillyburbs.com Pennsylvania: September 24, 2013 [ abstract] A state moratorium on reimbursements for approved school construction costs has some districts concerned the money might not come.
“You kind of worry about the future,” said Bob Riegel, Quakertown’s business manager, “and whether the money’s going to really be there for reimbursement.”
The worry stems from a moratorium of the state’s so-called PlanCon reimbursement. PlanCon refers to the Education Department’s $300 million a year “Planning and Construction Workbook,” a complicated review that runs from justifying the need for a project to designing it, acquiring the land, building it and paying for it.
Schools, under financial pressure from growing pension obligations, are concerned the moratorium could lead to the program’s elimination.
This is no more evident than in Bucks County, where officials warned of “devastating effects” to districts if the moratorium continues.
Mark Klein of Council Rock and Samuel Lee of Bristol Township told members of a state House Democratic Policy Committee this summer that putting off renovations would force taxpayers to pay more in the long run.
Churchville Elementary School in Northampton was completed in 2011 for $13.8 million. Yet, despite approvals from the Pennsylvania Department of Education, Council Rock has not seen the state’s $3.2 million reimbursement.
“It’s forced us to continue to drain our reserve fund,” Klein said. “The funding has stopped, but the regulations are still in place.”
When Riegel, Quakertown’s business manager, sees what Council Rock is dealing with, he worries about Quakertown’s budget.
“If they’re complete already and not getting the subsidy, maybe there’s not enough money in the allocation,” he said. “My biggest fear is we may never see it.”
Quakertown High School, built in the 1950s, was renovated in the 1960s. Decades after the presidencies of Eisenhower and Kennedy, the school is undergoing $71 million worth of improvements.
“It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to upgrade what is a substandard core building,” Riegel said. “With interest rates this low, now is the time to get the building up to today’s standards.”
But with $4.6 million of the money due from PlanCon, Riegel said the district could have “a backlog making debt service payments. ... It will affect our budget.”
-- Gary Weckselblatt Austin ISD board develops guidance for facilities use-- Community Impact Newspaper Texas: September 17, 2013 [ abstract] In less than one year, Austin ISD plans to complete a master plan for how the school district funds its facilities, and AISD's board of trustees is working to develop guiding principles that will shape the way that plan is formed and implemented.
The language of those guiding principles was the subject of the group's Sept. 16 work session. Specifically, the board focused on two topics—how to define equity when comparing facilities, and what policies and practices will allow for the best way to use AISD facilities.
Once it is complete, the Facility Master Plan will be a continually updated document that charts the current and future uses of AISD facilities. It will also guide capital improvements and help plan for future bond elections, according to board documents.
At the Sept. 16 meeting, Board president Vincent Torres was among the board members who wanted to change some wording in the principle about facility equity and advised against using the phrase "equitable facilities†that was in the draft FMP principles.
â€"[The term] almost presumes that there is some theoretical equitable level to which we want to raise all of our facilities,†trustee Jayme Mathias agreed.
Trustee Robert Schneider said such a level exists, pointing to educational specifications—the standards staff develops for program areas and other facility considerations.
Trustees continued to revise the draft principle, which states that the district will work to provide all schools and other sites with facilities based on current education specifications, public input and board-approved programs.
The board also discussed strategies to address overenrolled and underenrolled schools as part of its draft optimal utilization principle.
-- Kelli Weldon Local school to become community arts center-- Yale Daily News Connecticut: September 10, 2013 [ abstract] On Grand Avenue in Fair Haven, an unoccupied school building is undergoing a transformation into a new home for New Haven’s local arts scene.
The Strong Performing Arts Center, or SPACe, is an initiative led by Lee Cruz of the Chatham Square Neighborhood Association to convert the former Strong School building in Fair Haven into a venue for community arts performances, exhibitions and education. In addition to common spaces that can feature work by any tenant, the building will be occupied by various community arts organizations and businesses. The project has progressed significantly in the past few months, with the most recent development being an environmental study conducted on the building and submitted to the city for review at the end of August.
“This is a relatively poor neighborhood in New Haven that is looking to lift itself up by creating an economic engine that also serves the social good,” Cruz said.
Cruz explained that SPACe will have a sustainable business model in which revenues from the building’s occupants will cover its operating costs in addition to paying for a building administrator. He added that the only outside funding the group is applying for will go toward bringing the facility up to certain standards, which necessitate the installation of handicap-accessible ramps and bathrooms among other features.
Anika Singh Lemar ’01, a visiting professor at Yale Law School who represents the Chatham Square Neighborhood Association in the project, said the association has conducted a careful analysis of project costs and has shown its viability effectively. Cruz said that in its consideration of whether to grant approval for the project, the Board of Aldermen requires an economically sustainable building plan.
“If I said that I needed 80 or 90 percent of the building to be rented out at all times to cover the cost, it would not be considered a reasonable business plan,” Cruz said, explaining that it is standard to expect only 70 percent of the building to be rented out at any given time.
-- DANIEL GIRALDO Worldwide Honors for Edison High School Building-- KSEE24 News California: September 09, 2013 [ abstract] Edison High School has attracted a new honor, this time for its dramatic academic building completed last spring.
The 42,647-square-foot classroom and lab building is ranked 18th in the world among a list of 30 most impressive modern high school buildings compiled by Best Education Degrees.com.
The two-story building was built with funds from Measure Q, Fresno Unified School District’s $280 million local school bond passed by voters in November 2010. The building was designed by Darden Architects and built by Turner Construction.
It houses 20 standard classrooms, a special education classroom, four career technical education labs, a computer lab and presentation space with theater seating for 100. With the completion of the new building, the school was able to remove 16 portable classrooms and eight outdated labs.
Edison’s black and yellow school colors are used on the exterior and interior and the design establishes a new architectural vernacular for the campus and a dramatic visual identity that Edison High did not have before.
-- Staff Writer 20,000 Gallons Of Water Taken From Tank At California Elementary School-- Opposing Views California: September 08, 2013 [ abstract] A school was forced to closed for a day after 20,000 gallons of water was stolen from an onsite tank in Bridgeville, Calif. It was the second theft of water in the area in the last few weeks.
Think Progress reports that according to the Humboldt County sheriff's office, the culprit used a school garden hose to drain the water tank and carried it off in a truck. The school had to close for a day as the tank was refilled.
Bridgeville Superintendent and Principal Beth Anderson said a maintenance worker arrived at the K-8 campus and realized there was no running water. She said when he checked the onsite 20,000-gallon tank which stores water for the school -- which serves 43 students -- he discovered it was completely drained, according to the Times-standard.
â€We've not had to deal with cases like this before, but with the warm dry weather conditions we've been having, we expect to see more this year,†Humboldt County Sheriff's Office Lt. Steve Knight said. â€"It's disturbing that someone would put their own water needs before children.â€
-- Andy Kossak States Still Fall Short on Schools' Disaster Preparedness, Says Report-- Education Week National: September 04, 2013 [ abstract] Despite the tragedies of the last school year in Newtown, Conn., and Moore, Okla., more than half of states are lacking when it comes to their policies and plans for school emergency preparedness, according to Save the Children's 2013 National Report Card on Protecting Children in Disasters.
The report judged states' school preparedness based on four minimum standards:
• A plan for evacuating children in child care;
• A plan for reuniting families after a disaster;
• A plan for children with disabilities and those with access and functional needs;
• And a plan for multiple types of hazards for K-12 schools.
According to the report, 28 states and the District of Columbia fail to meet minimum standards set by the National Commission on Children and Disaster in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Seventeen states lack a child-care evacuation plan requirement, and 16 don't require providers to have a family-reunification plan.
Six states and the District of Columbia were found to fall short of the K-12 school multi-hazard plan standard—one that the report qualified as "extremely basic."
The report includes a full list of how each state measures up against the set standards.
-- Alyssa Morones - Guest Post For some students, a fresh start at new schools-- Baltimore Sun Maryland: August 26, 2013 [ abstract] School was poised to start in several area jurisdictions Monday, but Howard County officials got a head start Sunday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new $34 million Ducketts Lane Elementary School in Elkridge.
"It's truly a 21st-century learning facility," said Howard County school board Chairman Frank Aquino. "The building is designed to inspire creative and interactive learning, both within and beyond the classroom. The facility integrates beautifully with its environment."
Hundreds of parents, students and school and county officials attended Sunday's preview of the first school in Howard to achieve a gold standard in Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design from the U.S. Green Building Council.
Built on a 10-acre campus, the school features several outdoor classrooms — both a science courtyard and teaching courtyard — and a wetlands observation area with a stormwater management pond and a boardwalk path. Fifth-grade teacher Katherine Kidds said she was excited her students can receive more hands-on science education.
"I'm really looking forward to teaching science because there's all these outdoor resources," she said. "It all ties in with the curriculum, so it's really nice."
Ducketts Lane is one of several new public schools opening Monday in area jurisdictions.
In Baltimore County, school officials are showing off the system's biggest addition this fall — the $80 million combined campuses of Dundalk and Sollers Point Technical high schools. The new school was built on the campus of the former Dundalk High, and includes a new 500-seat auditorium, health/fitness and music suites, automotive, construction and maritime labs, a cosmetology suite and a culinary arts cafe.
-- Sara Toth and Pamela Wood Galaxy Elementary: Back to school in Palm Beach County at an all-new school in Boynton Beach-- WPTV.com Florida: August 19, 2013 [ abstract] For the first time, Galaxy Elementary opens its doors to students and teachers for class on the first day of school.
The school replaces a 53-year-old school building with a state-of-the-art campus.
The Palm Beach County School District is calling it the “Greenest School in the Galaxy,” as it is the first LEED Platinum-certified new public school campus in the state of Florida.
The distinction is the highest of LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, certifications available.
The “green” school has been designed with environmentally friendly standards.
At the center of the school, a double-tall area called a “Wonderment Center.”
It is like a small science museum, complete with interactive exhibits that educators will use with curriculum.
-- Ashleigh Walters $300 million-plus in school construction underway in Lower Bucks County-- phillyburbs.com Pennsylvania: August 18, 2013 [ abstract] At least $316 million in public school construction has been recently completed, is underway or is in the pipeline for public school districts in Lower Bucks County.
And that's just among four local districts.
Construction projects will update or replace facilities built decades ago, mostly during Bucks County's population boom in the mid-20th century. These are buildings constructed way before today's energy-efficiency standards, when a library was mainly a place to store books, newspapers and magazines, and cloud computing, Wi-Fi networks and e-books hadn't even been invented.
The superintendent at the Bristol Township School District says his district is at a crossroads.
â€"We have three options,†said Superintendent Samuel Lee, the top administrator for a public school system that educates 6,200 students with 13 facilities in cash-strapped Bristol Township.
The three options: do nothing; renovate or proceed with what's on the table now, which is a massive mixture of building (three new, state-of-the-art elementary schools) and renovating (two middle schools).
And Bristol Township isn't alone in its $152 million school construction/renovation plans.
Here's what else is in the pipeline in Lower Bucks:
-- Danny Adler When schools close, look around the corner-- The Detroit News Michigan: August 09, 2013 [ abstract] A year and a half ago, I toured the halls and classrooms of Baylor-Woodson Elementary School in Inkster. I came away impressed with the well-behaved young students and dedicated teachers and administrators who worked there.
The school, part of the city’s public school system, came to my attention because it had won a national award for delivering strong academic results despite most of its students coming from minority and low-income households. The students’ standardized test scores put some of them on par with their peers in Grosse Pointe and Bloomfield Hills.
“You need one vision and one goal " to increase student achievement,” Inkster Public Schools Superintendent Mischa Bashir told me then. And she seemed to be succeeding.
So it came as a shock that this school won’t exist anymore. The district is closing, an unprecedented move in Michigan, because it ran out of money. For the more than 500 students who attended the elementary school " half of whom came from outside the district " this means finding someplace else to learn.
At the end of July, a new state law allowed for the dissolution of the Inkster and Buena Vista school districts, after administrators could not come up with the funding necessary to stay afloat financially.
Now it’s up to the Intermediate School Districts in Wayne and Saginaw counties to ensure the children in these schools make their way legally to neighboring districts.
Inkster had 2,200 students and Buena Vista had 432. Buena Vista made lots of news in May when the district ran out of money and had to close down for two weeks " leaving students in the lurch.
-- INGRID JACQUES Mold, lead could delay Cheltenham school openings-- philly.com Pennsylvania: August 08, 2013 [ abstract] The Cheltenham Township School District is dealing with mold in the middle school and lead paint in an elementary school that could delay the start of the academic year.
Summer maintenance crews discovered "a significant presence of mold" at Cedarbrook Middle School in July, Superintendent Natalie Thomas wrote to staff.
They placed vacuum systems and dehumidifiers in several classrooms and hallways to eradicate it, but the mold kept reappearing due to "excessive damp weather and humidity," according to district documents.
Around the same time, crews began repairing a water leak in the basement of Myers Elementary School. When workers tore back drywall, they found peeling paint on the original foundation. About a third of the paint tested positive for lead.
At a special meeting Tuesday night, the school board approved a $47,000 mold-removal contract with Langan Engineering & Environmental Service of Philadelphia, and a $35,300 lead-paint removal contract with Anthony Biddle Contractors of Ambler.
An independent environmental auditor will have to certify air-quality levels at both campuses before students and staff will be allowed to return, Thomas said.
The district believes Myers will be cleaned up in time for the first day of school on Sept. 3. But for Cedarbrook, it's too early to tell, and officials are exploring alternative starting dates or locations.
Cedarbrook faced a similar scenario in 2003, when the school year started a week late due to mold cleanup. Since then, the district has spent nearly $750,000 on mold control.
Schools are subject to strict air-quality standards for mold, which can cause allergies and trigger asthma attacks, and lead, which can cause brain damage, stunted growth and anemia, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
-- Jessica Parks Frisco High School's $20 million renovations ready for students' return-- Frisco Enterprise Texas: August 06, 2013 [ abstract] With $20 million and 70,000 square feet in renovations, Frisco High School is ready to welcome students for the first day of school.
Fondly nicknamed "THE Original," Frisco High School is the oldest high school in Frisco, founded more than 100 years ago. The school's current campus was built in 1996, with the most recent additions built in 2001. Now, more than a decade later, school officials thought the school was due for an upgrade.
"We want to make sure we're providing adequate spaces for those programs that either weren't as large or that we didn't have when they designed and built Frisco High School," said Richard Wilkinson, deputy superintendent of business services.
In fact, it is the most extensive renovation project in Frisco ISD, said Shana Wortham, executive director of district communications.
"We didn't have twice the resources we have now," Wortham said. "It needed to be brought up to the standards of our high schools today. That's why it costs more than some of the others."
The additions include a new competition gym large enough to house varsity and junior varsity games at the same time, something the high school hadn't been able to do in the past.
-- Rachel Diebner Redesigning Recess: Why Kids Need Natural Playgrounds-- Good National: August 05, 2013 [ abstract] Two preschoolers live in a city. Los Angeles, perhaps, or Houston. Both attend full-time preschool. Both are learning to write their names and developing social skills through peer interactions. Both profess enduring love for Daniel Tiger and the color yellow. On paper, these two children emerge from similar circumstances and have similar educational experiences and opportunities. Except for one distinction.
Charlotte has two 20-minute recess breaks each day. Her teachers wish they could spend more time outside with their young charges, but they have to rotate usage with other teachers, and the playground is also small and somewhat unwelcoming. It's surrounded by eight-foot chain link fencing and features standard-issue swings and monkey bars on blacktop. When she doesn't feel like chasing her friends, Charlotte sits with her back against her school's brick façade and watches cars pass on an adjacent freeway. She's usually eager to return to her classroom when a bell signals that recess time is over.
Ivy's preschool recently added an outdoor classroom. Fencing created from natural materials conceals a hidden wonderland divided into intentional learning and play areas. In one part of the classroom, Ivy and her friends can get their hands dirty with "messy materials." Across a mosaic stone path, they can snip samples of organic greens grown in their own raised beds. There are weatherproof marimbas for the musically inclined—and really, aren't all preschoolers musically inclined?—and "tree cookies," rough wooden building blocks, for use in elaborate building projects.
-- Sara Gilliam Boucher tapped for School Construction Oversight Committee-- Minuteman News Center Connecticut: July 31, 2013 [ abstract] State Senate Toni Boucher (R-Wilton, Westport) has been reappointed to pivotal committee in charge of reviewing and prioritizing school construction regulations and projects for the state.
“This role is a great opportunity to ensure that appropriate and beneficial school construction projects are completed and financed with proper oversight,” said Boucher.
Boucher, one of eight members on The Committee to Review School Construction Regulations and Priority Listings for School Construction Projects, will be tasked with determining if property listings are compliant with Connecticut General Statute and standards and regulations established by the State Board of Education.
“I am honored to have been reappointed to this committee,” said Boucher. “I have been a long-time champion of better education and schools for the children and future generations of our state.”
Senate Minority Leader John McKinney, who appointed Boucher, pointed to her desire to volunteer time as well as her dedicated background in education saying, “I hope that your service in this position will be challenging and satisfying. I know that the talents and expertise you bring to it will be of great value and service to our state and its citizens. Your desire to volunteer your time and expertise is commendable and very much appreciated. Thank you.”
As the current Ranking member of Education Committee and the Higher Education Committee, Senator Boucher helps to oversee legislation relating to the state Department of Education, local and regional school boards, Connecticut Public Universities and Community Colleges, state libraries, museums and other historical associations. She previously served as Ranking Member of the Select Committee on Children, working on legislation dealing with children’s issues.
-- Staff Writer NYC Gets First Net-Zero Energy School-- Sustainable Business New York: July 26, 2013 [ abstract] An elementary school on Staten Island will be the net-zero energy school in New York City (NYC) and the Northeast, and one of the few in the world.
The 68,000-square-foot, two-story building will serve 444 pre-kindergarten through fifth grade students. Construction began just a few days before Hurricane Sandy hit - it won't be completed until 2015.
Designed to comply with NYC School Construction Authority guidelines instead of LEED, the project will be the first the Authority's "sustainability lab." The school is being designed to use half the energy of a typical NYC public school.
The design features what are becoming standard net-zero practices: siting the building to maximize passive solar and covering the building with rooftop solar PV for electricity, as well geothermal for heating and cooling and thermal solar for hot water.
Gov. Chafee signs legislation strengthening safety standards for school building construction in RI-- Providence Journal Rhode Island: July 25, 2013 [ abstract] Governor Chafee has signed legislation strengthening safety standards for the construction of school buildings on properties previously used for industrial or manufacturing purposes.
Sponsored by Rep. John G. Edwards, D-Portsmouth, the bill requires that properties adhere to the Department of Environmental Management's residential use requirements, in addition to a list of safeguards contained in the statute. Sen. Juan M. Pichardo, D-Providence, sponsored the matching companion bill.
"This law is about protecting our students while making available new school sites," Edwards said. "This will be one of the strongest school siting bills in the country. In order to make that possible, we needed DEM to adopt a process with the necessary protections in place, including a protocol to determine any potential for harmful vapors entering the buildings."
Last year, the General Assembly enacted a related law that requires a public hearing when a school is proposed for a former industrial, manufacturing or landfill site and is likely contaminated. The law was meant to open up the process to public scrutiny.
-- Linda Borg EXPLAINER: ABBOTT V. BURKE, CHANGING THE RULES FOR FUNDING SCHOOLS-- NJspotlight.com New Jersey: July 23, 2013 [ abstract] A series of state Supreme Court rulings starting in 1985, Abbott v. Burke continues to shape and reshape education -- especially for New Jersey's poorest kids.
Summary
The state Supreme Court's landmark school-equity rulings starting in 1985, referred to in shorthand as "Abbott," as in Abbott district or Abbott school. Actually a series of decisions made over the past 30 years, Abbott remains the centerpiece of how the state funds its urban and suburban schools. Abbott's core principle is to ensure that schools in 31 of the New Jersey's poorest communities receive the "thorough and efficient" system of education guaranteed by the state constitution.
What it means
With a legal history dating back to the early 1970s, the Abbott rulings remain one of the most important set of decisions on school equity in the country and are still a major force in New Jersey. It was Abbott that led to universal preschool in the state's poorest districts, the state's massive school construction and renovation program, and the addition of extra programs and funding for the disadvantaged initiatives in and outside Abbott schools.
Recent decisions
In 2009, the court ruled as part of its Abbott v. Burke deliberations that the state's existing school funding formula met its constitutional standards under Abbott, and then two years later in 2011, ordered that Gov. Chris Christie and the Legislature had to provide an additional $477 million to Abbott districts to meet the provisions of the funding law.
-- JOHN MOONEY Our View: New Lourdes school will help Rochester grow-- PostBulletin.com Minnesota: July 09, 2013 [ abstract] If you haven't visited the new Lourdes High School, be prepared to be impressed.
The 24-acre campus at 19th Street Northwest and Valleyhigh Drive Northwest is a first-class addition to the community. The green space surrounding the 170,000-square-foot building is a welcome change to the landlocked site in downtown Rochester that was Lourdes' home for 72 years.
The timing of the new $34 million building is fortuitous as Rochester continues to grow. Since 1970, Rochester's population has more than doubled to nearly 108,000 people becoming Minnesota's third-largest city. City planners are projecting the population to grow by another 32,000 in the next 20 years — and that figure might turn out to be low, depending on the success of the Destination Medical Center initiative.
School quality will be one of the major draws for families considering a move to Rochester. Although quality public schools are usually thought of as a main factor in such decisions, there's no question that some newcomers to Rochester will want the option of private, faith-based education with smaller class sizes, rigorous academic standards, cutting-edge technology and exceptional athletic and fine arts facilities.
-- Staff Writer - Local Opinion Putting A Safe Room In Every School -- Why Not Sooner?-- NewsOn6.com Oklahoma: July 08, 2013 [ abstract] OKLAHOMA CITY - A safe room in every Oklahoma school -- that's what state leaders are calling for, in the wake of the devastating -- and deadly -- May 20th tornado. Seven Plaza Towers elementary school students were killed when the EF5 tornado tore their school building apart.
The deaths quickly sparked the universal safe room initiative, but, at the same time, raised questions about a safe room program already in existence. They also have inspired debate over the larger question of whether it makes financial sense to put safe rooms in public schools.
There are approximately 1,700 schools in Oklahoma. There is no precise count of the number of schools with storm shelters or safe rooms that meet federal standards, but it appears to be less than ten percent.
Parents are among those who want to see that percentage go up. Parents like Rick Stroud:
"I was on the interstate, trying to get here."
On May 20th, Stroud was on a mission to pick up his 5th grade daughter, Claire.
"It was chaos," said Claire.
In the hallways of her Moore elementary school, children were crying, and teachers and parents were worried -- the massive tornado was heading their way.
"By the time I got here, that was it," explained Stroud, "We just had to close the doors and hunker down, and hope for the best."
As it turned out, Claire's school, Kelley elementary, wasn't hit -- not this time, anyway.
May 3, 1999 was a different story. Kelley was wiped out. But when it was rebuilt, it became one of the first schools in the state to be equipped with a safe room.
The 'doors' Rick Stroud referred to are specially fortified roll-down doors that are part of the school's safe room system, which provided a layer of security that was fully appreciated May 20th.
"It doesn't take the terror out of it," said Stroud, "but I would say that the comfort would have to be much greater."
Kelley principal Dena Taylor was also grateful to have been able to move everyone into safe areas, but wishes that her counterparts at Plaza Towers and Briarwood elementary schools could have done the same thing.
-- Alex Cameron Schools still seeking funds for shelters-- The St. Clair Times Alabama: June 20, 2013 [ abstract] It’s been just over two years since an EF5 tornado left a path of destruction throughout St. Clair County, mainly Shoal Creek Valley. That evening storm of April 27, 2011 killed 13 people in the county and numerous others throughout the state.
Earlier that morning, a smaller tornado hit parts of St. Clair County, killing a person in Pell City and a person in Moody.
A month ago, killer twisters hit Oklahoma, including an elementary school in Moore, Okla. killing nine students.
With the recent outbreak of storms, school officials are doing everything possible to make sure students are as safe as they can be when storms threaten.
Almost a year to the day before the April 27, 2011 storms (April 30, 2010), Gov. Bob Riley signed Bill 459 enacting a mandatory requirement that K-12 schools built in the state of Alabama be provided with safe space facilities.
Lee Bryant is senior vice president of Lathan Associates Architects. Bryant has been the architect for many new building projects in the St. Clair County School System the past several years.
“From July 1, 2010 forward, all new K-12 schools built in the state of Alabama are to be provided with safe space facilities based on adopted safe space design criteria,” Bryant said. “The State of Alabama became the first and only state in the country to have enacted such a law.”
Bryant said minimum design criterion was specifically developed in conjunction with the State of Alabama Building Commission for new school construction and incorporated strenuous standards respectfully established by ICC 500 / NSSA standard for the Design of Strom Shelters.
-- Gary Hanner Woomore board president expresses concerns to OFCC-- The News-messenger Ohio: June 19, 2013 [ abstract] Woodmore Local Schools is asking the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission to allow 20 percent of the work on its new elementary school to be done by the project’s main contractor, something the state agency is resisting, the school district’s superintendent said Tuesday.
Superintendent Linda Bringman said the district had recommended language in its bid process to ensure that the main contractor is invested in the construction through the end of the project.
She said that the district is asking for the remaining 80 percent of the construction to be done by subcontractors.
Bringman said the OFCC had so far resisted the idea of attaching percentages to the amount of work done by the project’s contractor and subcontractors.
Board president Steve Huss wrote a June 17 letter to OFCC project administrator Madison Dowlen regarding the project and told the state official that the school district expected to have future contractors that have their own workforce, use standards that meet the district’s standards and take pride in their work.
He said that the community as well as the school board had a high standard for quality work.
-- Daniel Carson Loudoun officials consider changing school site review process-- Washington Post Virginia: June 14, 2013 [ abstract]
In the coming weeks, Loudoun County officials will consider changing the long-standing process used to find sites for new public schools " and decide whether public hearings will remain a required part of every review.
That prospect has drawn a sharp response from some residents and representatives of Loudoun’s western districts who worry that the public would lose its voice in critical development decisions.
.
The Board of Supervisors voted, 7 to 2, at its June 5 meeting to consider amending the county zoning ordinance, which now requires the proposed sites of all new public schools to undergo what’s called a “special exception” review, a process that involves a comprehensive look at whether a site meets the standards required by law and also takes the public’s response to the proposed location into consideration.
County officials will now examine whether building schools should be considered “by right” use of land in many zoning districts, meaning that they would be allowed in those areas without the need for a special permit. In those circumstances, proposed school sites would not necessarily be the subject of a public hearing before receiving approval.
The possibility of changing the process was first raised last year by the county’s Joint Board of Supervisors and School Board Committee. A presentation by the committee included concerns about the high cost and low speed of subjecting all school sites to the special-exception process, especially in a county where the student population continues to rise steadily and new schools are urgently needed, officials said.
-- Caitlin Gibson Study: Improved classroom ventilation could reduce student absences-- EdSource California: June 07, 2013 [ abstract] California could significantly improve elementary school student attendance and health by increasing the amount of fresh air coming into classrooms, according to the largest U.S. study to date of ventilation rates in classrooms.
Poor ventilation in classrooms is correlated with student absences due to illness, researchers at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory found, and they calculated that increasing air flow in all California classrooms to state-mandated ventilation rates may have potentially significant effects: reducing student absences caused by illness by 3.4 percent and, because schools are funded based on average daily attendance, increasing overall state funding to schools by $33 million.
“Our overall findings suggest that, if you increased ventilation rates of classrooms up to the state standard, or even above it, you would get net benefits to schools, to families, to everybody, at very low cost,” Berkeley lab scientist Mark Mendell, lead author of the study, published in the journal Indoor Air, said in a news release. “It’s really a win-win situation.”
The Berkeley Lab scientists collected data from 28 schools in three California school districts in the Central Valley, the Bay Area and the south coast, but the study did not identify the districts. Instrumental to the study were small environmental sensors placed in 162 3rd, 4th and 5th grade classrooms, which allowed researchers to measure carbon dioxide levels as 5-minute averages. The data were transmitted online to the researchers, who compared indoor carbon dioxide levels to estimates of outdoor carbon dioxide levels to calculate ventilation rates.
-- Jane Meredith Adams Access to school storm shelters varies by region-- The City Wire National: May 30, 2013 [ abstract] Following the deadly EF5 tornado that struck Moore, Okla., on May 20, a public discussion has begun regarding the construction of storm shelters at public schools.
Schools in Oklahoma and Arkansas are not required to build or retro-fit buildings for tornado shelters, though many schools in both states have begun installing the shelters through the years.
In the Fort Smith area, many of the city's schools have tornado shelters that serve not only students, faculty and staff, but also the community when a warning is issued outside of regular school hours. The larger school districts in Northwest Arkansas have not included such shelters in their facility plans.
Outside of the city, eight emergency storm shelters are located in LeFlore County, Okla., including four within Poteau Public Schools. According to administrative assistant John Spencer of Poteau Schools, the shelters have been in place for at least five years.
"They were direct spinoffs from the Moore tornado in 1999 and the grants that came from that," he said, referencing the last EF5 tornado to hit the city in central Oklahoma.
FEMA GRANTS
The grants Spencer mentioned are grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which cover 75% of the cost of a storm shelter that meets the agency's standards.
While Poteau has invested in shelters at each of the district's four schools, Sallisaw Public School Superintendent Scott Farmer said his district had not yet received grants from FEMA to construct the same number of shelters.
-- Ryan Saylor Asbestos Contributes to Overall Failing Grades of New Jersey School District According to Architect Reports-- Mesothelioma.com New Jersey: May 21, 2013 [ abstract] Hamilton, New Jersey - A damning report rocked a community in New Jersey this week after the results revealed that virtually every school in the school district is facing considerable – and oftentimes, dangerous – problems. The architectural firm of Fraytak Veisz Hopkins Duthie explored each school in the Hamilton, New Jersey area and found that nearly half of the schools were contaminated with the lethal toxin asbestos and other schools failed to meet federal accessibility standards.
However, the litany of issues now facing the Hamilton school district is far more comprehensive than just asbestos and accessibility concerns. Out of the twenty four schools, the architectural firm granted three Hamilton schools grades of â€"A.â€
Unfortunately for school administrators and school board members, the failing conditions of the buildings did not come as a shock. In 2010, the school district was forced to cut $16 million from its overall budget in order to meet new regulations issued by the state. Reducing routine maintenance of school facilities was one of the tough budgetary decisions school district officials had to make.
According to Jeff Hewitson, school board president, this â€"rob Peter to pay Paul†mentality left the school district in disarray.
Among the faults found by the architectural firms include spacing issues, not enough bathroom facilities to meet the students and faculty needs, not enough emergency exits and electrical system problems. The ages of the school buildings range from over one hundred years old to facilities considered â€"newer,†clocking in at just under a half of a century. Even the schools that received passing grades – B's and C's – have a number of structural concerns.
-- Kristen Griffin Baltimore schools prep for massive renovations-- BeaumontEnterprise.com Maryland: May 12, 2013 [ abstract] Baltimore public schools are on the verge of a system-wide makeover that officials hope will provide safer learning conditions for students and spark an era of academic achievement.
About $1 billion in new funding is expected to transform some of Baltimore's most run-down schools — where students and staff endure leaky pipes, undrinkable water and inadequate heating and air conditioning — into state-of-the-art learning sites with science and computer labs.
Recent data has shown a small but positive relationship between the quality of a public school's building and its academic outcomes. School districts across the country, including Los Angeles and New Haven, Conn., saw gains in student performance when they improved outdated or dilapidated schools.
Baltimore's teachers and families are hoping for a similar result.
Despite gains in graduation rates and declines in suspension and dropout rates over the past few years, Baltimore schools struggle to meet state and national standards. Data collected from states by the National Center for Education Statistics show about 78 percent of students across the country earned a diploma within four years of starting high school. That compared with 83 percent of students in Maryland, but just 66 percent in Baltimore.
Experts say that higher rates of student attendance and, in some cases, teacher retention make sense when dilapidated schools are revitalized.
"Students and teachers don't really want to be in very poor conditions, so they don't show up to school as much. They are not as engaged," said Mary Filardo, executive director of the 21st Century School Fund, a nonprofit organization in Washington that advocates for improving school buildings.
Daisha Wood, a fifth-grade honor roll student at John Eager Howard isn't seeking anything fancy at her school.
"Cleaner bathrooms and lockers that close," is what Wood said she would implement if she could help plan a new school.
School officials say that the benefits of new and renovated facilities extend beyond improved test scores.
"It's about creating a set of conditions that articulate how we value you," Alonso said. "That message gets internalized in communities and in kids."
-- MICHELLE JANAYE NEALY - Associate Press D.C. to establish a hybrid traditional-charter school in Southeast-- Washington Post District of Columbia: May 09, 2013 [ abstract] A long-struggling Southeast D.C. elementary school will undergo a renovation and then reopen under the management of a high-performing charter school, Chancellor Kaya Henderson announced Wednesday evening.
Malcolm X Elementary was among five city schools that the chancellor proposed to close last fall but later decided to keep open. Now the school, after the completion of a $21 million renovation next year, will be operated by Achievement Prep Public Charter School.
Henderson described the effort as a first-of-its-kind partnership that will produce neither a traditional school nor a charter school but something in between. Neighborhood children will have a right to attend the new Malcolm X, she said, but the school’s leaders will have charter-like freedom to run the building as they see fit.
Charter operators have won contracts to run city schools in the past, but this would be different, according to the chancellor, who called the hybrid a “new school model.”
“It’s an animal that we’ve never seen before,” said Henderson, adding that she hopes it inspires future partnerships between the school system and charters, two sectors that have more frequently competed for resources than collaborated.
“If I can provide a set of high-performing seats, an opportunity where kids are going to get more than we were able to give them at Malcolm X, I’m good,” Henderson said. “I don’t care whose shingle they’re under.”
Fewer than one in five Malcolm X students are proficient in reading and math, according to their scores on the city’s standardized tests. Meanwhile, Achievement Prep " a middle school that serves children in the same part of town " 86 percent of children are proficient in math and 69 percent are proficient in reading.
The school system has not signed any agreement with Achievement Prep yet and the two sides are still working out important details of the arrangement, including how to navigate rules and regulations that require charter schools to be open to children across the city.
-- Emma Brown Architecture for Humanity and the Center for Green Schools at USGBC Release "The Green Schools Investment Guide"-- Sacramento Bee National: April 30, 2013 [ abstract] rchitecture for Humanity and the Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) today released "The Green Schools Investment Guide for Healthy, Efficient and Inspiring Learning Spaces," a free downloadable resource for K-12 schools and communities that demonstrates how schools can implement healthy and resource-efficient building improvements.
"The Green Schools Investment Guide" outlines the steps that any school stakeholders – from school administrators and elected officials to staff and students to parents and businesses – can take to transform their local schools. The 70-page, action-oriented resource demonstrates how investments in America's school buildings can improve student and staff well-being and academic performance, conserve scarce resources and foster thriving and sustainable communities.
"At the Center for Green Schools, we work to equip and deploy a variety of school stakeholders – the people who make the case, make the decisions and get things done – with the tools they need to create healthy, efficient and inspiring learning environments. We designed this guide, in partnership with Architecture for Humanity, to make sure that everyone has a common language for how school improvement projects get proposed, funded and implemented," said Rachel Gutter, director of the Center for Green Schools at USGBC. "From parents to teachers to principals, we're confident that this resource will provide champions with the guidance that they need to advocate for schools that enhance the educational experience and encourage our children to dream of a brighter future."
In the 2013 "State of Our Schools" report released earlier this year, the Center for Green Schools estimated that it would take approximately $271 billion to bring public school buildings up to working order and comply with laws. When the cost of modernizing existing school buildings up to today's education, safety and health standards is factored in, the total rises to an estimated $542 billion. "The Green Schools Investment Guide" serves as a first step to fix this deficit, presenting ideas and tools for immediate action in schools.
-- Architecture for Humanity More Bang for the Tax Dollar: Building Schools and Careers in San Diego -- Huffington Post California: April 22, 2013 [ abstract] Inside a tangle of scaffolding that rises above the modest homes of a south-central San Diego neighborhood, a new energy-efficient school is taking shape.
On the second floor of the skeletal structure, a young man in a hardhat carefully measures and bends a metal conduit to a precise angle. Then he climbs a ladder and connects the thin pipe to an electrical switch box on the ceiling, where it eventually will hold wires over the heads of middle-school students.
The young worker is Artem Voloshanovskiy. A year ago, he was selling used cars and wondering where his life was headed.
Now he's an apprentice with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW). At age 22, he's learning a trade and building a solid career while proudly helping build a state-of-the-art school.
When the San Diego Unified School District board passed a $2.1 billion bond a few years ago, it decided to get a triple bang for the money, providing environmental sustainability and good jobs while paying for school construction and renovation.
"We realized that as a school district we've got a lot of capacity to leverage change in our communities," said former school Board President Richard Barrera. "When taxpayers invest in rebuilding our schools, we can create not only great facilities but also a whole generation of career opportunities for young people in our most distressed communities. That way our students will graduate into a better economy."
First, the bond included strong green-building requirements that surpass California's latest energy efficiency standards.
Knox Middle School, where Artem is working, is one of many dilapidated schools throughout the district that the bond money is transforming into models of energy efficiency. It is located in a quiet, mostly Hispanic neighborhood where the median household income is under $30,000.
-- Susan Duerksen Ballou will be latest renovated D.C. high school-- WTOP District of Columbia: March 26, 2013 [ abstract] District of Columbia Mayor Vincent Gray says the modernized Ballou Senior High School in southeast Washington will be "one of the finest academic facilities in the United States."
Gray will attend a groundbreaking ceremony on Tuesday at Ballou, which is the latest public high school in the district to undergo a major renovation.
Ballou will get multimedia data projectors, improved sound systems in classrooms and new computer and science labs. The building will become more energy-efficient.
Many students at Ballou live in poverty and struggle academically. On the city's most recent standardized tests, only 22 percent of Ballou 10th-graders were proficient in math, and just 18 percent were proficient in reading.
Former mayor and current Councilmember Marion Barry is also scheduled to attend the groundbreaking.
-- Staff Writer Another City Construction Contracting Mystery-- Washington City Paper District of Columbia: March 13, 2013 [ abstract] Last October, LL reported on a mystery in city contracting involving Keith Lomax, the owner of a construction company and one-time chauffeur to former Mayor Adrian Fenty. The mystery: what exactly did Lomax's company, RBK Construction, do to receive a $2.8 million drywall contract at Anacostia Senior High School in which it did not, in fact, do any drywall work? The contractor who did the actual work says he bid the contract with Forrester Construction, the Maryland-based general contractor. The contractor says his contract was accepted, but Forrester directed him to partner with RBK for reasons he says were not explained to him. Neither Forrester or Lomax offered an explanation to LL either.
The Department of General Services, which oversees public school construction, said that it requires subcontractors to perform at least 35 percent of a contract, and that it was "evident" RBK did not meet that standard on the Anacostia job. What the consequences are of RBK not meeting that standard have yet to be explained to LL, despite having questioned DGS Director Brian Hanlon several times.
New DGS records uncovered through Freedom of Information Act requests raise similar questions about another partnership between Forrester and RBK on a relatively small public park construction project. Records show Forrester was selected as the general contractor to renovate 10th Street Park near the convention center, a project whose total cost was $2 million and was completed in 2011.
The records show Forrester hired RBK as a subcontractor to do "site construction" for $530,000. DGS counts this amount towards the 91 percent of construction work on the park it says were done by Certified Business Enterprises, as RBK is a registered CBE. Here's a shot of the records (you'll have to click to enlarge):
-- Alan Suderman School construction waiting on Gov. Christie: Opinion-- Star-Ledger New Jersey: February 28, 2013 [ abstract] New Jersey school children who want safe, productive learning environments got a useful civics lesson this month from Gov. Chris Christie: “Watch out for politicians who say one thing but do another.”
Christie appeared at recently built Colin Powell Elementary School in Union City to take credit for the new construction.
He said that, when it comes to modernizing the state’s schools, he is proud to be delivering “results and not just talk.”
Here are the “results” Christie has delivered:
Before he took office, the Legislature made $3.9 billion available for school construction and repairs in low-income districts where the need was greatest. This funding was mandated by the courts because teaching and learning conditions were completely substandard in those districts " problems that included hazardous electrical systems, leaking roofs and pipes, and air contaminated with deadly asbestos, lead, mold or other toxins.
Moving forward with school modernization would have not only protected school children and improved education, it also would have supported thousands of jobs during the worst recession in decades.
But Christie had other priorities. He stopped action on all 52 approved school construction projects in the state. At the same time, he gave more than $1 billion in new tax loopholes to corporations.
-- Star-Ledger Editorial Board School closings: Combining CPS schools could pose security challenge-- Chicago Tribune Illinois: February 25, 2013 [ abstract] When KIPP charter school was given space inside Penn elementary in North Lawndale nearly four years ago, charter students were bused from all over the West Side to a school in the heart of the "Holy City," home turf of the Vice Lords street gang.
Penn, where classrooms were still equipped with blackboards and where less than half of the students met state standards, had to share its building with a national charter network that furnished its classrooms with state-of-the-art projectors, enforced a strict discipline code and emphasized a path to college.
The cultural schism that developed inside the halls of the building at 1616 S. Avers Ave. led to conflicts between students and even teachers. A mediator had to be called in to settle bickering between the two schools over space.
The neighborhood also resented the outsiders from KIPP using their school. Violence has been a constant threat.
As Chicago Public Schools gets ready to close an unknown number of schools across the city this year, officials acknowledge it's possible that more neighborhood schools could wind up sharing space with privately run charters, which in most cases have greater resources. What happened at Penn and KIPP is a lesson in the trouble that can result from closing schools and shifting students around the city. It also illustrates the stark inequalities that exist throughout the system.
Leaders of Ceasefire say they have helped defuse potential clashes outside the school. The anti-violence group moved its North Lawndale operation into the building this school year.
"The kids themselves, they feel different," said Corin Federick, whose son is an eighth-grader at Penn. "They feel the KIPP kids think they're better than them. It teaches separatism, and that's not OK."
In a neighborhood where gang violence is an everyday occurrence, conflicts over control of a school is a serious concern. The 2009 videotaped beating death of Derrion Albert was the result of a brawl between Fenger High School students from different neighborhoods. Gang alliances and a culture of turf control create daily risks for schoolkids in Chicago.
District officials say security is a primary concern as they decide which buildings to close and which school communities to combine. "CPS knows the importance of reviewing the dynamics involved with merging school communities in planning for a safe environment," Jadine Chou, the district's safety and security chief, said in an email.
But those who've witnessed the tensions brought on by putting Penn and KIPP together say CPS failed to understand the dynamics of the neighborhood.
"When the KIPP kids came, we were like, 'These people don't know where they're at,'"said the Rev. Robin Hood, Ceasefire's administrator for North Lawndale.
-- Noreen S. Ahmed-Ullah and David Heinzmann School Closings a Civil Rights Issue, Activist Jitu Brown Tells Feds-- DNA Info Illinois: February 11, 2013 [ abstract] A South Side community organizer is leading a national effort to fight school closings on civil rights grounds.
"Regardless of the results of their civil rights investigations, we know that our civil rights have been violated," said Jitu Brown, education organizer for the Kenwood Oakland Community Organization. "Our children know it, and our communities know it."
Brown recently attended a Washington, D.C., hearing that included Education Secretary Arne Duncan and senior policy staff at the White House, he said, along with representatives from four other cities who presented case studies on how school closings unfairly target downtrodden African-American neighborhoods. Chicago was featured along with Detroit, New Orleans, Oakland and Philadelphia.
Brown said sometimes the local education districts target "underachieving" schools, sometimes "underutilized" schools — the standard Chicago Public Schools only recently shifted to — but in any case those closings tended to fall in large part on poor, African-American areas. Critics have charged that this only serves to blame the victims of poverty.
"It really doesn't matter what their rationale is, because it changes from year to year, it changes within the year. I think the overall goal is to empty these schools out," Brown charged. "The common denominator in all of it is it's being done without any real community input."
"CPS sets guidelines for school actions to ensure that every student in every neighborhood has access to high-quality school options," countered CPS spokeswoman Marielle Sainvilus. "Last year's guidelines were about academic performance. This year, the guidelines are based on utilization.
"Some of this is being done keeping in mind that we have a significant achievement gap that needs to be closed that disproportionately affects African-American students," she added. "And we cannot close that gap if we don't address that too many schools with too few children are taking resources away and could be better spent by being reinvested in all students to support their needs."
-- Ted Cox Rebuilding schools, rebuilding Baltimore-- Baltimore Sun Maryland: February 04, 2013 [ abstract] Over the last 10 years leaders from the private, public and nonprofit sectors have begun to transform Baltimore's approach to its future. Traditional public subsidies have given way to strategic investments and tough decisions, using market-based techniques to reform our schools, rebuild our population, and make our neighborhoods safe, clean, green and vibrant.
Now, the General Assembly must do its part to strengthen the city's future by passing legislation to reshape how the city makes improvements to its public school buildings. The city's plan is straightforward and achievable: act aggressively now to build or rebuild our school buildings and give every child in the city a welcoming school environment that will help engage them in learning.
It is a proposal that will help kids, create a stronger school system, bolster the city's prospects for growth and benefit the entire state.
Legislators must be reminded that Baltimore has already taken many hard steps to improve its educational system. A "choice" system gives middle and high school students the opportunity to "vote with their feet," with dollars following those students to the best-performing schools. A union contract sets a national standard for holding teachers and principals accountable for their students' performance. And focused initiatives have increased the high school graduation rate and the number of preschoolers who are "ready for school." And schools that fail to meet increasingly rigorous standards are being closed.
These steps and more show that our civic and private leaders are serious about creating great schools that will change the trajectory of inner-city youth while attracting the middle class families necessary to any city's success.
Now, the focus is on providing a physical environment in Baltimore schools comparable to that in schools across Maryland. The legislative proposal to revamp the school system's capital process would lead to major and accelerated improvements in our school buildings, benefiting kids, teachers, staff and families.
The school system has done its homework, commissioning a study that put a price tag on infrastructure needs in every school building in Baltimore, and it has developed a plan that would shutter buildings, cut or merge programs, and renovate or rebuild 136 buildings.
-- Tom Wilcox, Wes Moore and Tom Bozzuto Sacramento moves to close 11 public elementary schools-- World Socialist Web Site California: January 30, 2013 [ abstract] The Sacramento City Unified School District’s decision to close 11 elementary schools, primarily in the neighborhoods and suburbs around South Sacramento and in the downtown area, is a direct attack on working people’s right to a decent education. In a district with approximately 50 public elementary schools, the closures represent about one fifth of the total. This will force nearly 3,700 students to change schools.
The school board plans to hold a formal vote to confirm the decision on February 21.
The closing of 11 elementary schools in Sacramento is not an isolated occurrence, but is part of broader trend taking place across the US and internationally. Democratic Party lawmakers, primarily California Governor Jerry Brown and US President Barack Obama in the US, have been at the center of driving this forward.
The official reason given for the school closings is their alleged “underutilization,” although there are larger budgetary problems at the heart of the decision. Sacramento unified school district has been anticipating a $10-12 million budget shortfall, although the proponents of the November 2012 California state Proposition 30 claimed that this shortfall would be reduced by the passage of the education tax measure. In fact, the closing of so many schools in the immediate aftermath of the election points to the sham nature of Proposition 30. The measure enacted a regressive sales tax increase that will take money predominantly from working people, ostensibly to fund public education. And yet, in the wake of the election, Brown and company are ramping up the assault on public education. Since coming to office, Brown has cut $18 billion from K-12 education.
Brown’s actions place him at the head of a national trend. Following in the footsteps George W. Bush, Obama’s “Race to the Top” program penalizes schools for failing to achieve benchmarks on standardized tests. The primary beneficiaries of these actions are charter schools, whose numbers have ballooned faster in California than in any other state. The dramatic growth of charter schools has played a role in cherry-picking students away from public schools, thus lowering their test scores.
-- Julien Kiemle Loudoun school community fights possible closing of Lincoln Elementary-- Washington Post Virginia: January 20, 2013 [ abstract] Faced again this year with a difficult budget process, the Loudoun County School Board last week raised the possibility of closing one of the county’s oldest and smallest schools: Lincoln Elementary, a national blue-ribbon school that serves 136 students in the village of Lincoln, in western Loudoun.
It’s become something of a familiar routine in Loudoun. When searching for ways to close funding gaps, the School Board often considers closing one or more of the county’s older, smaller schools to eliminate the costs of maintaining aging facilities.
More than $300,000 would be required to pay for upgrades to Lincoln’s fire alarm and electrical systems and to replace several HVAC units, Loudoun school officials said
School Board Chairman Eric Hornberger (Ashburn) asked School Superintendent Edgar B. Hatrick III last week to report back to the board with more details on what would be involved in closing the school.
In the past, strong resistance from parents and other community members has prevented similar proposed closings from going forward. That has not changed: Members of the Lincoln Elementary community made it clear that they would not watch their school close without putting up a fight.
At a public hearing Tuesday evening, about 40 parents and members of the school community implored the School Board to keep Lincoln open, pointing to the school’s impressive academic record, as well as its place as the center of a historic community.
“Yes, Lincoln Elementary is small and maybe not as efficient or high-tech as the bigger and newer schools,” said Colleen Gustavson, a Loudoun native and the parent of two children at Lincoln, “but it is the center of a community and has been for generations. . . . If you add up all the ways Lincoln Elementary serves the community, you will see it is well worth the investment.”
Ian Tillman, parent of a first-grader at Lincoln, pointed to the school’s success as evidence that high-tech expenditures aren’t necessary for students to excel academically. The school is a small building with no gymnasium, auditorium or cutting-edge classroom technology, but its students have consistently scored 100 percent on standards of Learning exams, he said.
“All you need is great teachers, a great administration and a high level of parent involvement, both in the classroom and at home,” he said.
Kerry Blake, a sixth-grader at Blue Ridge Middle School, said she wanted her two younger siblings to have the chance to finish elementary school at Lincoln, as she did.
“Lincoln won the governor’s award for five years in a row, and in the year 2011, Lincoln won the blue-ribbon award,” Kerry said. “I’m proud to be going on from Lincoln, because I know that no other school could ever work as hard for me.”
-- Caitlin Gibson Academic Benefits of Schoolyard Habitats-- National Wildlife Federation National: January 16, 2013 [ abstract] The planning, design, implementation, and on-going monitoring and maintenance of a schoolyard habitat provides endless opportunities to meet and exceed high academic standards across the curriculum. Teaching with Schoolyard Habitats® as an integrating context across the subject areas can both support and deepen the quality of instruction and student engagement.
Educators who participate in the Schoolyard Habitats® program realize that use of these outdoor classrooms is an excellent way to meet the requirements of national and state educational standards.
•Science standards: A schoolyard habitat serves as a living laboratory where students engage in hands-on inquiries into the natural world.
•Geography and Social Studies standards: Geography and social studies involve understanding connections between people, social constructs and the environment, and the Schoolyard Habitats program can be applied successfully to help teach those connections by assisting students in understanding both space and place.
•Math standards: A schoolyard habitat provides students with the opportunity to apply math concepts to the real world; whether estimating numbers of plants in an on-site plant community or looking for geometric shapes in nature, an outdoor area is full of mathematical wonders.
•English standards: A schoolyard habitat provides a quiet space for creative writing about nature or a research laboratory where students can develop research, writing and communication skills.
In today's learning environments, where schools are striving to meet and exceed high standards of learning, educators and youth leaders must be creative in presenting content. The schoolyard can provide a valuable avenue for reinforcing concepts for students.
-- Staff Writer City school board OKs 10-year facilities plan-- Baltimore Sun Maryland: January 08, 2013 [ abstract] The Baltimore school board approved Tuesday a sweeping plan that would close or renovate more than 150 schools, with the goal of bringing the oldest school infrastructure in the state up to 21st-century standards in one decade.
The board voted unanimously to approve the $2.4 billion plan, introduced by city schools CEO Andrés Alonso in November. The vote came on the eve of the 2013 legislative session, and a day after Gov. Martin O'Malley said he would devote $336 million to school construction this year.
The system's 10-year plan will rely heavily on persuading lawmakers to approve a measure that would allow the system to borrow more than $1 billion, and pay it back by securing at least $32 million in funding from the state over several years in the form of a block grant.
The district, with the support of Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and advocates, plans to use the 10-year plan to lobby lawmakers for the block grant commitment this session. The city's delegation has identified school funding as its top priority.
"We haven't made history yet, but we will," Jimmy Stuart, co-chair of the Baltimore Education Coalition, said of the board's approval. The coalition will hold a rally in support of the plan in Annapolis in February.
In response to a question Monday, O'Malley said he was open to the idea and looked forward to learning more about the proposal.
School officials in Baltimore County, which has a larger population and the second-oldest infrastructure in the state, are considering a similar plan. Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz said Tuesday that education funding will be his top priority in the Assembly session and that he'll seek $123 million for school renovation and construction projects.
The city's plan would close 26 buildings, shut down or merge 29 programs, and renovate or rebuild 136 facilities. All of the actions will require annual school board approval.
The first schools affected will close at the end of this school year: Baltimore Rising Star Academy, Garrison Middle, Patapsco Elementary/Middle and William C. March Middle.
Northwestern High School, which is recommended for closure in 2015-2016, is the only high school on the list. Alumni and community leaders said they also plan to take their fight to Annapolis.
"We plan to protest and question the decisions about several schools and about the whole process," said the Rev. C.D. Witherspoon.
The district built the plan from a $1 million study it commissioned, known as the Jacobs Report, that detailed the infrastructure needs of every school building in the city. The report also identified where the system's buildings were grossly underused.
-- Erica L. Green Educational school gardens are cropping up all over -- North County Times California: January 04, 2013 [ abstract] When gardens are classrooms, lessons are abundant " the life cycle of caterpillars, Native American foods, plant anatomy, mapping, math, journal writing and more.
But academic growth isn’t all that blossoms as seeds sprout, compost “cooks” and pumpkins swell. Social skills, nature appreciation and cultural understanding grow there, too.
All help explain why school gardens are enjoying a renaissance here. More than half of the county’s 600 elementary and secondary schools have gardens in what were weedy landscapes, barren asphalt or neglected parts of playground. Some are new, while others are rejuvenated plots that originated years and even decades ago in the wake of World War II Victory Gardens.
School gardens generally survive on minuscule budgets " a few hundred to a few thousand dollars " stretched to make every penny count by resourceful teachers, parents and volunteers. They drum up small grants, donated supplies from big-box and other retailers and cooperation from PTAs, Boy Scouts, San Diego Master Gardener Association, garden clubs and other civic-minded groups.
Subjects taught outside classrooms mesh with curricula inside tied to state proficiency standards in math, science and other subjects. But teachers are quick to point out that a bed of cherry tomatoes holds educational and life lessons elusive in textbooks or on computer screens.
“What we do is academic but very hands on,” say Loc Leute, Silver Gate Elementary school garden volunteer coordinator. “Kids see practical applications, and they learn to work cooperatively.”
It’s hard to resist the high-energy buzz of students, adults " and yes, bees, too " inside a school garden. Here are mini-profiles of three where learning always starts from the ground up.
-- Mary James Philadelphia School District Plans to Close Dozens of Schools-- New York Times Pennsylvania: December 30, 2012 [ abstract] Like many public schools here, University City High School is underused, underfinanced and underperforming.
Nearly 80 percent of its 11th-grade students read below grade level in statewide tests this year, while 85 percent failed to make the grade in math. Last year, about only a quarter of its students participated in precollege testing like the SAT.
Largely because of the lure of local charter schools, the school is one-quarter full, with fewer than 600 students for its nearly 2,200 seats. It needs major work on its infrastructure, including lighting and heating systems, that would cost an estimated $30 million.
Now, facing deep financial problems, the Philadelphia School District has proposed an unprecedented downsizing that would close 37 campuses by June " roughly one out of six public schools, including University City. If the sweeping plan is approved, the district says it will improve academic standards by diverting money used for maintaining crumbling buildings to hire teachers and improve classroom equipment.
The 237-school district faces a cumulative budget deficit of $1.1 billion over the next five years, after $419 million in state cuts to educational financing this year. The district’s problems are compounded by the end of federal stimulus money and rising pension costs.
Even after borrowing $300 million to pay the bills for this academic year, the district faces a deficit of $27.6 million, a figure that officials say will rise sharply in coming years.
Its problems are worsened by having to maintain buildings that are drastically underused. Among 195,000 student “seats,” 53,000 are empty, according to the district’s new superintendent, William R. Hite Jr., who argues that the solution is to close the schools, sell their buildings and transfer students into those that remain open. Some middle schools would be converted to elementary schools, and vice versa, and many students would be moved to different schools, sometimes in different neighborhoods.
In all, 17,000 students and more than 1,100 teachers would be affected by closings, program changes and new grade configurations. Schools that would be closed were selected on the basis of their physical condition, usage, academic record and cost per student.
-- JON HURDLE Construction slow down could help preserve historic schools in Wyoming-- Star Tribune Wyoming: December 13, 2012 [ abstract] Gov. Matt Mead has proposed slowing the process of razing old and constructing new schools for budget reasons.
The Alliance for Historic Wyoming likes that idea, for different reasons.
“A slowdown in construction might be good news for some of these historic schools,” Alliance for Historic Wyoming President Mary Humstone said.
The alliance is pushing for school repurposing, or adaptation, as part of its “More than Bricks and Mortar” campaign.
Since the state took over the construction of schools a decade ago as a result of a Wyoming Supreme Court mandate, the pace of razing and rebuilding has been feverish and costly.
An unfortunate consequence, according to some people, was the demolition of schools that failed to meet the standards of the new state School Facilities Commission.
This was particularly painful to people in small towns where the school was the heart of the community.
Nearly 50 schools were destroyed in the past eight years because of the push for new schools, Humstone said. The list includes National Historic Register schools in Buffalo, Upton, Lander, Rawlins and Rock Springs. Other historic schools are threatened with future demolition, she noted.
There have been some success stories. The old Pine Bluffs High School was turned into a community center in 2004; and College Heights Baptist Church in Casper successfully bid on the old Garfield Elementary School and converted it into the College Heights Community Center.
-- JOAN BARRON Green schools: Long on promise, short on delivery-- USA Today National: December 11, 2012 [ abstract] The Houston Independent School District took a big step in 2007 toward becoming environmentally friendly by designing two new schools to meet a coveted "green" standard set by a private-builders' group.
The nation's seventh-largest school district added features such as automated light sensors and a heat-reflecting roof, in hopes of minimizing energy use.
But the schools are not operating as promised.
Thompson Elementary ranked 205th out of 239 Houston schools in a report last year for the district that showed each school's energy cost per student. Walnut Bend Elementary ranked 155th. A third "green" school, built in 2010, ranked 46th in the report, which a local utility did for the district to find ways of cutting energy costs.
Poor equipment maintenance plagued the schools built in 2007, a problem that districtwide improvements are now addressing, said Gavin Dillingham, the district's energy manager until August.
"People have the mistaken impression that once buildings are LEED-certified, they're always going to run energy-efficiently," Dillingham said. "They don't."
The problems in Houston illustrate the little-discussed uncertainty of "green schools," which promise huge energy savings and rising student performance, but do not always deliver, despite their extra cost.
-- Thomas Frank Charters not immune from closings, CPS says-- Chicago Tribune Illinois: November 15, 2012 [ abstract] Chicago Public Schools officials say they plan to get tough with privately run charter schools that are failing academically this year and could shut down those that aren't making the grade.
CPS is accused by the teachers union and others of failing to invest in those schools even as the number of charter schools grows, and by threatening to close charters the district sends a message aimed at quieting those critics.
The district's contracts with networks that run 32 charter schools are up for renewal this year. At least seven of those schools are rated by the district at "Level 3," the lowest standard for academic performance.
Charter schools have been promoted by Mayor Rahm Emanuel and reform advocates as one way to turn around the troubled system, but state data show many are performing no better than traditional neighborhood schools and some are doing much worse.
In the 2011-12 school year, more than two dozen charter schools scored below district averages on key state assessment tests.
"Charters, like neighborhood schools, are public schools that receive taxpayer dollars and must be held accountable for results just as any other in our district," schools CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett said in a statement.
The district's options include renewing a charter network's contract, but on a shorter term, or terminating the contract altogether.
In the coming weeks, CPS officials plan to meet with community groups and residents to develop a list of neighborhood schools that will be closed. That list will be released in March, if CPS is granted an extension by state legislators.
The district has for several years targeted neighborhood schools for closing based on low performance or underenrollment. But the district has not opted to close charter schools in recent years. On Wednesday, charter advocates said they agreed with the district's efforts to close failing charters but said the district needs to look beyond state test scores.
"I want to caution that (CPS shouldn't) just look at absolute performance of schools, but that they also look at growth," said Phyllis Lockett, president of New Schools for Chicago, which has helped fund many charter school startups. "Most of our kids are coming in three or four grades behind. And I hope that they also consider graduation and college enrollment rates."
-- Noreen S. Ahmed-Ullah The Open Seats of Chicago Public Schools-- Huffington Post Illinois: October 26, 2012 [ abstract] Since the teachers strike ended it is obvious that the Chicago Public Schools appointed Board of Education and Mayor Emmanuel are gearing up to close a large number of public schools. Their rhetoric is that public schools have large numbers of under-utilized buildings, meaning that there are not enough students for all the available seats in public schools across the city.
The claim by the mayor and Board of Education is there are 600,000 seats and only 400,000 students. On December 1st CPS is legally required to announce any plans for closing schools. When CPS announces the expected school closing list a large number of schools will be closed (expect 80-120 schools) students will have new teachers, principals, and building staff. The community will lose institutions that are central parts of the neighborhood. CPS has been closing schools for the past 10 years and the data shows no real improvement is made by closing schools. In fact the research shows that when a school is closed it further destabilizes a community. CPS' primary justification for closing schools is based on standardized test scores (even though again research shows that test scores are not an accurate measure of intelligence).
In fact there is already an official hit list of 80 schools that UNO charter school leader Juan Rangel (who also served on Mayor Emanuel's education team) wants to close. Rangel wants these 80 public schools to be turned over into privately run charter schools. Turning public schools into charter schools would benefit Mr. Rangel as well as the other charter school network heads, because they could get more public and private funds, which increases their already large salaries.
So even though CPS claims there are 200,000 "empty seats" CPS and the mayor now want to reopen many of the closed public schools as new charter schools. If there really was 200,000 empty seats wouldn't the logic be that we do not need to open any more schools? Yet our mayor in all his genius wants to open even more charter schools even though research shows charters do NOT perform better than public schools.
-- Dave Stieber Imperial County earthquakes highlight unresolved school risks -- North County Times California: October 10, 2012 [ abstract] The swarm of earthquakes that rippled through Imperial County in late August has exposed more fissures in the state's system for identifying and fixing school buildings considered structurally unsound.
At Brawley Union High School, an Aug. 27 inspection of the school's auditorium by state and district engineers found cracked walls, toppled fixtures and chunks of ceiling plaster littered across floors, seats and the performance stage. The auditorium has yet to reopen. School officials estimate the building could be closed for a full year.
The damage to Palmer Auditorium occurred when 400 small earthquakes erupted from Aug. 25 to Aug. 28 in Brawley and other areas in Imperial County. There were no deaths or major injuries, but scattered power outages occurred. One hospital temporarily evacuated its patients.
State officials now acknowledge the auditorium should have been red flagged well before the quake.
Eric Lamoureux, spokesman for the Division of the State Architect, said structural engineers reviewed building plans last month and determined the auditorium was a Category 2 structure - the state's riskiest designation, reserved for buildings "not likely to perform well during an earthquake."
The state architect's office, which oversees the construction of public schools, reviewed the auditorium's building plans in response to California Watch questions about the safety of the structure and why it was missing from the state's list of school buildings deemed potentially hazardous.
Known as the AB 300 list, the database consists of all public school buildings constructed before 1978 - when earthquake safe building standards were at their weakest. The state architect's office completed the list in 2002. Since then, some school officials have criticized the AB 300 list as incomplete.
Lamoureux said he couldn't explain why the Brawley auditorium wasn't included
-- Corey G. Johnson - California Watch School Construction: Fixing Facilities -- American School and university National: October 01, 2012 [ abstract] About two decades ago, a consensus began to take root among educators and policymakers that school systems in the United States could no longer afford to ignore the inadequate building conditions that made teaching and learning difficult in many classrooms.
Since then, billions of dollars have been spent, and thousands of modern classrooms have been built to replace decrepit, deficient and dangerous spaces. In 2012, there seems to be no need to debate whether the quality of school facilities affects student performance-most agree that substandard facilities prevent many students from achieving their potential.
But it's one thing to embrace the concept of improving school facilities to provide students a better education. It's quite another thing to spend the money to make the concept a reality. Looking at estimates of the still staggering unmet facility needs in the nation's schools, one could reach the conclusion that the goal of modernizing all U.S. schools is more of a pipe dream than a real possibility.
Recognizing a need
Twenty years ago, the baby boom generation had worked its way through elementary and secondary schools, and many education administrators found themselves in charge of hurriedly built and prematurely aging facilities that no longer provided a suitable learning environment for students.
An array of voices-the Education Writers Association, the American Association of School Administrators, muckraking authors like Jonathon Kozol-began to shine a spotlight on the deplorable conditions in many U.S. classrooms. American School & University began to focus its attention on the issue in 1992; the "Facilities Impact on Learning" series of articles sought to create awareness that the poor condition of school facilities was a national problem.
A 1995 report from the General Accounting Office put a hard number to the school facilities problem-$112 billion. Although some thought the estimate was too low, the figure was sizable enough to draw attention to school facilities as a national problem.
-- Mike Kennedy CANE: Charter schools offer brighter futures to D.C. children-- Washington Times District of Columbia: September 23, 2012 [ abstract] Twenty years ago this month, the nation’s first public charter school opened. Today, more than 1.6 million public school students are attending close to 5,000 public charter schools in 40 states and the District of Columbia.
Charter schools are public schools, but they operate independently of the traditional public school system. They have greater freedom to create their own academic cultures. Like every public school, charter schools are open to all students and receive funds from local taxpayer dollars. Unlike some magnet or academically selective public schools, charters cannot use admission tests or any other selective criteria to determine enrollment.
Many people who live and work in the nation’s capital may be surprised to learn that 41 percent of students in the District attend public charter schools. Designed to bring school choice to parents whose income otherwise would deny them that opportunity, charters have become increasingly popular. Half as many children are on waiting lists to get into D.C. charters as the number who attend them.
The District’s public charter schools also have profoundly improved student academics. Charter high schools graduate 80 percent of their students in four years, compared with only 53 percent in the city-run school system. Public charter schools also outperform their traditional counterparts on standardized reading and math tests, and have a higher share of high school students accepted to college.
-- Editorial Pick Assembly quietly kills school seismic reform measure -- North County Times California: September 06, 2012 [ abstract] A proposal to study seismic safety improvements for public schools - which won initial legislative support - quietly died in an Assembly committee during the last weeks of the legislative session.
The measure, SB 1271, focused on whether schools should allow staff and students to occupy unsafe structures andwhether the state can penalize officials for evading California's seismic safety law, known as the Field Act. Under the bill, independent experts would have proposed improvements for the Division of the State Architect, which regulates school construction.
The Legislature went home without approving the measure, written by Senate Majority Leader Ellen Corbett.
"We did all we could do," Corbett said, "and we will continue to monitor (the state architect's office) to make sure it is fulfilling its mission to protect California's schoolchildren and certify the seismic safety of new school buildings in a timely fashion."
School districts pay the state architect to approve school building plans, monitor construction in the field and then certify the work has met strict quality control standards. Such certification is mandatory under state law, to ensure the structures can withstand an earthquake's violent shaking.
A California Watch investigation last year found the office routinely allowed children and teachers to occupy buildings with structural flaws and potential safety hazards reported during construction. More than 16,000 school projects across the state lack the required certification, with roughly 42,000 students in buildings with unresolved safety issues.
The California State Auditor's Office has concluded that the office's oversight flaws had increased the safety risk to schools. One report slammed the agency's enforcement of building standards, calling its supervision neither comprehensive nor effective.
In their defense, officials in the state architect's office blamed the seismic safety law itself, which they argue doesn't give them the authority to stop children and teachers from entering unsafe structures. The state auditor's report urged the state architect to push for legal changes to prevent occupancy of unsafe schools, and SB 1271 would have asked experts to recommend ways to do so.
-- Corey G. Johnson City Courts Investors to Fix Schools -- Wall Street Journal New York: September 06, 2012 [ abstract] Officials in Yonkers, N.Y., are looking to partner with investors to raise $1.7 billion for renovating the city's crumbling public schools, in an unusual approach to education funding that is being watched by other cash-strapped school systems.
U.S. school districts traditionally finance infrastructure improvements by issuing bonds backed by local tax revenue, and they routinely maintain facilities through their operating budgets. The Yonkers school district, which sits just north of New York City, is weighing plans to contract with investors to pay for improvements and maintenance for as long as 30 years on more than three dozen school buildings with an average age of 73.
In exchange, the investors would receive a steady stream of payments from the city and the state—which helps fund the district. The investors also might be able to use school facilities after school hours for profit, sharing any proceeds with the district.
Joseph Bracchitta, chief administrative officer for Yonkers schools, said the district would consider ideas from investors such as a for-profit health club at a new school gym. "Everything is on the table," he said, emphasizing that the district would have to agree to any plans.
"It's definitely to our benefit if [private investors] can develop separate revenue streams," he said.
Low interest rates make issuing debt relatively cheap right now. But district officials say there are advantages to the idea of contracting with private investors.
Such a contract could help minimize the need for new local taxes or budget cuts to cover the renovations, while offloading the risk of cost overruns to private investors and avoiding the need to staff-up for a huge, multi-phased construction project. Investors, meanwhile, potentially would get returns above standard bonds, with the added security of an investment in hard assets.
Similar partnerships with the private sector have been used widely in the U.S. to finance revenue-producing infrastructure like toll roads and bridges. If it proceeds, the Yonkers plan could set a model for adapting the structure to large public school systems at a time when many are having to slash budgets while struggling to maintain aging facilities.
"We're following [Yonkers's effort] with a good deal of interest," said David Lever, executive director of Maryland's Public School Construction Program, which oversees funding for the state's school projects. Mr. Lever said Maryland officials are exploring public-private partnerships, among other means, to help pay for more than $15 billion in needed renovations and new construction, though he noted that for-profit, after-hours operation of school facilities isn't currently among the considerations.
-- BOB SECHLER Wyoming School Facilities Commission discusses stabilizing school priorities list-- Star-Tribune Wyoming: August 24, 2012 [ abstract] The Wyoming School Facilities Commission acknowledged that state school districts lack confidence in the organization that oversees school construction funding in the state and will try to address some of those concerns.
One major concern is the needs index list, which prioritizes school construction projects.
The School Facilities Department oversees, re-evaluates and adjusts the list annually per state statute. In addition, the methodology of evaluating the facilities has changed over the past years, which in turn changes where schools fall on the list.
The School Facilities Department manages planning, design and construction of school projects. The School Facilities Commission, whose members are appointed by the governor, oversees the department.
Commissioners said the changes can make it difficult for districts to plan schools and agreed to discuss with legislators an idea of how to create a more stable list that won’t change as much from year to year.
“I think we need to first admit that what’s going on now is a bit chaotic,” Commissioner Pete Jorgensen said in a work session Wednesday. “And whether that’s a perception by the districts or a perception by the Legislature, I think we ought to look to making a solid statement ... if we can come to an agreement on what that statement would be.”
The state again is adjusting to a new method of evaluating school needs. This past year, the SFD contracted with Facilities Engineering and Associates Inc. to complete a condition assessment of all of the Wyoming schools. The company developed standards that include illumination, air quality, technology readiness and the appropriateness of educational space.
-- ELYSIA CONNER Board vows to upgrade all Rockford schools in 5 years-- Rockford Register Star Illinois: August 15, 2012 [ abstract] The Rockford School Board made no promises tonight to build a new school in the next five years. Instead, officials promised to touch every school building within the district with much-needed upgrades through an estimated $311 million, 10-year plan.
The board unanimously approved a 10-year facilities master plan that includes upgrades to all district schools; work on the first phase of projects would cost an estimated $212 million, start in 2013 and be completed within five years.
Board member Tim Rollins said he couldn’t vote to build a new school somewhere " as was initially pitched " knowing that could shortchange another school of much-needed upgrades.
“The best thing we could do for the district is to use this opportunity to bring all our facilities up to standards,” Rollins said.
Funding the first phase of the plan also earned board approval tonight: Voters Nov. 6 will be asked to approve $139 million in bond sales to upgrade the district’s facilities in Phase 1 of the 10-year plan. Board members amended the bond referendum question to remove reference to building a new school. That means even if voters approve a bond sale, none of that revenue can be put toward building a new school.
Officials say they’ll be able to repay that bond sale debt without increasing the tax rate; those bonds will replace other retiring bond debt. School leaders are also counting on revenue from $20 million in Health/Life Safety bonds, and another $26 million in alternative revenue bonds. That estimated $46 million in bond sales doesn’t require voter approval. Officials could also use reserve cash set aside in a capital fund.
-- Cathy Bayer Improvements await some suburban students as school opens-- Chicago Tribune Illinois: August 15, 2012 [ abstract] Haircuts and backpacks won't be the only new things on the first day of school for many students across the Chicago suburbs. From New Trier to New Lenox, students will be greeted on campus by new and improved facilities and technologies.
At one Des Plaines grade school, students walked into class to a sight they hadn't seen before: The outside. Des Plaines School District 62 added new windows in classrooms at Iroquois Community School. It was part of a recently completed $109 million, three-year project that renovated each school in the district.
"It felt like a cave with lights," said third-grader Isaiah Luat, 8, as he surveyed his classroom. "Now it feels so bright now that there's windows."
Another renovation at Iroquois was the expansion of the library, including glass walls and work areas for small groups of students.
"It was a bunker," the school's library media specialist, Cathy Borge, said of the old design. "I see this space now as such a motivator. It's bright — conducive to learning."
Air conditioning
If some students at St. Charles Community Unit School District 303 are sweating this coming school year, it won't be because of the heat. The district recently installed air conditioning at five of its elementary schools. Eventually all 12 elementary schools will be cooled. A project to install AC at two middle schools in the district has been put on hold because of the estimated $1 million price tag, officials said.
After voters rejected a 2009 referendum to fund capital projects, the district has yet to find the cash to fund such improvements at its two aging middle schools.
"They're good facilities, but they're very old facilities," said Superintendent Donald Schlomann. "It's been difficult to bring up to standards."
-- Jonathan Bullington GRPS losing students, closing schools-- woodtv.com Michigan: August 10, 2012 [ abstract] Grand Rapids Public Schools will be closing between eight and twelve schools by the end of next year. The move, 24 Hour News 8 was told, is to â€"prioritize classrooms over roofs and boilers."
The Grand Rapids Public School Board spent all day Friday talking about the future of the district and the changes they will have to make for it to survive and thrive.
GRPS officials told 24 Hour News 8 they do not want the same thing that happened to other districts, like Muskegon Heights, to happen at West Michigan's largest school district.
"I think if we continue down the paths that we are, it would not take long for us to be in the situation that other districts are in," said GRPS Superintendent Teresa Weatherall Neal. "I think that is why we have to be proactive, we have to do it quickly and we have to involve our stakeholders in making the decision."
Grand Rapids Public School officials said they know they've lost students in recent years and know they need to change how they do business.
Weatherall Neal said the goal is to create a new curriculum and new standards for each grade level. She said in Friday's meeting this issue is personal to her – she mentioned she's thinking about what kind of education and opportunities she would want her grandchildren to have.
She said the goal is to figure out what would be best for each grade level first, and to worry about funding later.
The goal is not only to try to attract back students who have left, but to offer a better education for all students who choose Grand Rapids Public Schools.
"A year out we are going to look very differently than we do today," said Weatherall Neal.
-- Dani Carlson Oregon School facilities: Keeping up with aging buildings -- Herald and News Oregon: July 31, 2012 [ abstract]
In 2006, the Klamath County School District was repairing the roof of the 1929 Henley Elementary School building, when a rainstorm blew in and the downpour caused such damage the school was never reopened. It was demolished three years later and students have attended class in modular buildings the past six years.
Though that rainstorm was the final blow, the school had been deteriorating to such an extent that students and staff thought it might be making them sick.
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In 2006, the district tried to pass a $74.9 million bond, but voters turned it down.
Since then the district has been working to fix schools piecemeal, getting projects done a little at a time. The district doesn’t want to have another Henley Elementary situation.
No schools in the district are being considered for closure, but it faces the never ending challenges of keeping its aging schools in good condition.
“There is no question we’ve got old buildings,” said Greg Thede, county schools superintendent.
The old schools built before the 1960s often have little or no insulation and single-pane windows, Thede said, as opposed to current insulating standards for conserving energy. Some buildings need repairs on electrical systems or plumbing, or updates to lighting.
“The buildings are 40 to 50 years old,” Thede said. “It’s normal wear and tear.”
-- SAMANTHA TIPLER School Board raises concerns about costly, unchecked change orders on construction, renovations-- Las Vegas Sun Nevada: July 11, 2012 [ abstract] As the Clark County School District prepares for a potential capital improvement overhaul, its School Board is looking more closely at the mounting cost of change orders to school construction and maintenance projects.
School Board members said Wednesday there was a widespread public perception that contractors are “gaming the system” by bidding low on building projects to receive the contract, and then getting more money by putting in change orders, which alter the terms, breadth and cost of the project.
“I think there is a perception out there that it hasn’t been on the up and up,” School Board President Linda Young said during a work session Wednesday. “We’re airing our concerns in public. These (change orders) need to come to the forefront.”
Change orders usually occur when unforeseen site conditions are discovered, when design deficiencies are found, a government agency levies a requirement or the School District changes the scope of the project under construction.
Examples include finding a cavern underneath the construction site of East Career and Technical Academy, having to install additional ramps to comply with the American with Disabilities Act and having to change out piping because the design called for the wrong size.
Oftentimes, these change orders cost more money than originally estimated.
That’s a problem for the cash-strapped district, which saw an increase in the number of change orders for new construction projects over the past decade. (There has been a decrease in the number of change orders for renovations, however.)
While designers have been billed in the past to offset the cost of excessive or unwarranted change orders, School Board members are now discussing stepping up standards. They are also contemplating fundamentally changing how the district accepts bids and awards contracts.
-- Paul Takahashi Newark's fight to take control of schools from state hits snag over new numbers-- nj.com New Jersey: July 08, 2012 [ abstract] It was a glimmer of hope in a community that has longed for home rule for close to two decades.
Last year, when the Newark Public Schools passed four out of five requirements for restoration of local control from the state, many hoped they would begin to assume control over city schools " control held by the state since 1995.
So when it didn’t happen, Newark’s Education Law Center and a bank of community groups filed suit against the state in August 2011.
In the intervening months the Attorney General’s office has declined to respond to the district’s appeal for local control.
Now, a week before the state approaches its fourth deadline to answer the appeal, the Department of Education has released new interim numbers gauging Newark’s fitness for local control. In areas where Newark scored passing marks on state metrics, the DOE has downgraded scores to well below failing levels.
"It’s very rare for the state to come in and do another review so quickly, when a district is high performing," said David Sciarra, executive director of the Education Law Center. "It could very well be that these scores were reduced to bring the district down below 80 and allow the state to argue in court that its decision to maintain state control is now proper."
The state maintains that the interim review is standard procedure, and the scores are legitimate.
-- David Giambusso Report finds $2.45 billion in Baltimore school building upgrades needed-- Baltimore Sun Maryland: June 26, 2012 [ abstract] Fifty Baltimore schools are so dilapidated or underused that they should be closed or rebuilt, according to a new report that also identified $2.45 billion in school infrastructure needs across the city. The findings, released Tuesday, were used by school officials to launch a 10-year campaign to bring the system's buildings up to 21st-century standards. The exhaustive, yearlong assessment of the system's 182 campuses rated the system's overall infrastructure — as well as 69 percent of the schools — as "very poor."
-- Erica L. Green DODEA ramping up effort to fix dilapidated schools-- Stars and Stripes DoDEA: June 20, 2012 [ abstract] The Department of Defense Education Activity said Thursday that it plans to massively ramp up construction efforts in order to meet its goal of replacing 134 severely aging schools — 78 percent of its facilities around the world — before the end of the decade. So far, only a fraction of those deteriorating schools is in the process of being rebuilt or is factored into drafts of next year’s federal budget. Meanwhile, 102 schools that have aged beyond repair remain unbudgeted. In what could be one of its largest facilities overhauls ever, the agency will request about $2.2 billion from Congress over just a two-year period beginning in the fall of 2013 to replace those remaining schools and eliminate a widespread problem of failing building standards before the end of 2019, DODEA Director Marilee Fitzgerald said. Most base schools in the Pacific, Europe and the United States were built during the Cold War — some are even pre-World War II — and are failing physically, according to DODEA’s own surveys. The lack of major upgrades over the years has led to deterioration of roofs, plumbing, wiring, and heating and cooling systems, which are often too costly to fix in a critically aging school. The price tag for the agency’s 2010 plan to replace the old buildings is estimated to top $3.7 billion, according to DODEA, and the bulk of the money must now be requested over the next two years as Congress wrestles with the possibility of mandatory defense cuts. “You talk about the pressures that are there in the [federal] budget. There is a great deal of pressure and concern that these schools meet quality standards,” Fitzgerald said. “We must not forget that these schools are in this condition because they were neglected over time.”
-- Travis Tritten Audit: Seismic regulator must improve California school building plan oversight -- U-T San Diego California: June 12, 2012 [ abstract] The office that oversees the seismic safety of California's public schools can't show that it has approved all building plan changes, heightening the risk that some schools don't meet standards and are unsafe, according to a state auditor's report.
The Division of the State Architect is required to review all school building plans to ensure earthquake standards are met. But a review by the California State Auditor's office found thatchanges in plans frequently aren't approved and that the regulatory office lacks processes to track the alterations.
The report urges regulators to improve their handling of school "change documents" to lessen the possibility of contractors erecting an unsafe building. The report states: Regulations require that the school districts' design professionals submit plan changes to the division for review and approval before undertaking related construction. However, several holes in the plan change process create a situation where the division cannot demonstrate that it has approved all plan changes before the start of related construction, risking construction that does not meet building standards and that may be unsafe.
In fact, the division's Project Certification Guide states that there have been many instances where the field change process was not followed and change orders did not receive division approval, yet construction was completed. In a letter to the auditor, Fred Klass, director of the Department of General Services, pledged that new rules would be implemented by the end of the year that would assure "all relevant plan changes are received, reviewed, approved and documented by the division." The general services department is the parent body of the state architect's office.
-- Johnson, Corey G OP-ED: Should We Really Be Tearing Down Our Old Schools?-- Long Beach Post California: June 06, 2012 [ abstract] Last year, and then again as recently as May 1, the Long Beach Unified School Board voted unanimously to begin the death knell for our city’s amazing collection of historic school buildings, starting with the demolitions of Cecil B. DeMille School (1956 " Kenneth Wing, Architect), Newcomb School (1963 " Hugh Gibbs, Architect) and Theodore Roosevelt Elementary School (1935 " George Kahrs, Architect).
Funded by Measure K, the LBUSD is undertaking a plan to bring our schools up to today’s educational standards. On the surface, this seems like a great idea and one which we can all support. A deeper review, however, reveals that the district may be taking the easy way out. The plan for the future seems to adhere to the traditional and uninspiring scorched-earth policy of demolish and re-build versus renovate and rehabilitate.
The current (2008) Facilities Master Plan calls for the demolition or major renovation of over 30 schools. Many of these are historically and architecturally significant, considered historic resources under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
-- Maureen Neeley Maryland approves extra $161.5m for school construction-- washington examiner Maryland: May 23, 2012 [ abstract] Maryland officials voted Wednesday to spend an additional $161.5 million on school construction projects, bringing the total to $349.2 million for the upcoming school year.
That's a 32 percent bump over the current fiscal year, for which the Maryland Board of Public Works doled out $264.5 million across the state.
With the newly approved funds, Montgomery County is set to receive $43.1 million to build and update schools, for an increase of $18.4 million over the state's initial offer in January. Prince George's County is slated to get an additional $16.7 million atop its initial $23.6 million.
"We can't afford to have our students fall behind in their education because of substandard learning conditions," said Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot, a member of the Board of Public Works with Gov. Martin O'Malley and State Treasurer Nancy Kopp.
But don't expect to see new buildings cropping up all over the Washington suburbs: The state allocates additional funds every spring, and local governments estimate how much they will get in their budgets.
For example, Montgomery received several million more dollars than the $40 million officials were expecting, but that just means the county government gets to spend $3 million less on school construction and budget it elsewhere.
-- Lisa Gartner Historic 1922 elementary school receives Gold LEED distinction-- Montgomery Media Pennsylvania: May 13, 2012 [ abstract] Myers Elementary in Cheltenham Township received the Gold LEED distinction for the environmentally friendly design and function of the school building that was renovated back in 2009. LEED, an acronym for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, was designed by the U.S. Green Building Council in 2000 as an internationally known symbol of excellence for buildings who aim to achieve high performance in human and environmental health, sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency and materials selected for indoor environmental quality, according to the U.S. GBC website.
Myer’s received its distinction for meeting the LEED requirements with environmentally friendly features such as bike ranks, car pool parking perks, motion censored lighting in every room and bathroom, and eco-friendly roofing that reflects light off the roof and back into the atmosphere. Each restroom has low-flow sinks and toilets at a flow rate of 0.5 gallons per flush compared to the standard rate of 2.5 gallons per flush creating 31 percent water use and disposal reduction, said Lorna Rosenberg Myer’s parent, member of the Cheltenham Township Environmental Advisory Council and co-chair of the Delaware Valley Green Building Council. Rosenberg said the low energy light bulbs are used in each room, eco-friendly materials such as paints and flooring for the gymnasium were used and native plants were chosen to landscape the grounds. The building also makes efficient use of natural day light as a result of the windows which have been placed in 90 percent of the rooms in the building.
Also, students, faculty and administrators at Myers are breathing in fresher air because of a special heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning system that brings outside air into the building and an air treatment censor that monitors the carbon dioxide levels in the school, Rosenberg said.
Rosenberg said that another interesting feature the Myer’s has is that teachers can use the building as a teaching tool through a dash board that shows the temperature levels in each room and indicates how much energy the building is using. Teachers can reference the dash board in lessons and can encourage students to track the different climate changes that may happen around them on a daily basis.
-- Jarreau Freeman School seismic reform advances in Senate despite budget worries-- California Watch California: April 24, 2012 [ abstract] A state Senate committee voted today to support legislation that would create a task force to strengthen the state's oversight of earthquake protections for public schools.
Sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Ellen Corbett, D-San Leandro, SB 1271 now heads to the Appropriations Committee for review. Under the bill, a task force would have until Jan. 1, 2014, to study and recommend new building standards and policies to bolster school seismic safety.
Corbett introduced the bill in late February following a California Watch investigation and scathing state audit that found regulators charged with overseeing school construction had failed to ensure that buildings were safe.
Corbett presented her bill during a hearing of the Senate Governmental Organization Committee, which voted 8-2 in favor of the measure. The bill was supported by Thomas Duffy, legislative director for California's Coalition for Adequate School Housing; Skip Daum, lobbyist for the California Coalition of Professional Construction Inspectors; and Raul Arambula, legislative analyst for the California Community Colleges, who all spoke at the hearing.
However, some lawmakers expressed doubts. Sen. Roderick D. Wright, D-Inglewood, chairman of the governmental organization committee, questioned whether the seismic safety laws were outdated and too costly for schools. Sen. Leland Yee, D-San Francisco, said he, too, was concerned that the bill could re-route scarce funds away from other school needs.
"We want safe schools for our students," Yee said. "On the other hand, we also have to understand that we have limited dollars available for the rehab and construction of our schools. So the question is: Where are we going to get the money to ensure that all of our schools are tested for Field Act compliance?"
-- Corey G. Johnson Senate proposal addresses repair and maintenance backlog at state facilities, creates jobs-- therepublic.com Hawaii: April 03, 2012 [ abstract] A state Senate proposal to fund $500 million in capital improvement projects would go a long way toward addressing repair and maintenance backlogs at Hawaii's public facilities.
At Farrington High School, $8.3 million in construction funds could address a number of problems, such as leaking roofs, cracked walkways and broken gym bleachers.
Department of Education Public Works Administrator Duane Kashiwai led a tour of Farrington on Tuesday to demonstrate how public schools could benefit from the Senate's "Invest in Hawaii Act of 2012."
Farrington was selected because it's one of the state's largest and oldest schools, with the biggest backlog of repair and maintenance projects — as evidenced by rusty pipes, exposed foundations, broken security fences and falling railings. Other high schools, such as Kaimuki and Roosevelt, also have repair and maintenance needs in the $4 million to $6 million range, Kashiwai said.
If the bill passes, Farrington's most pressing needs could be addressed and, as Kashiwai described, the DOE could "bring it up to 21st century teaching standards."
The Senate has made the bipartisan Invest in Hawaii Act one of its top priorities for this session, not only to catch up with repair and maintenance needs at state facilities, but also to stimulate the economy.
The idea was to create a flagship bill to put people back to work, explained Sen. Michelle Kidani, vice chair of the Senate Ways and Means Committee.
-- TREENA SHAPIRO, Associated Press School construction safety bill advances-- California Watch California: March 29, 2012 [ abstract] Legislation aimed at overhauling the state's school construction law sailed through the Senate Education Committee yesterday.
Senate Majority Leader Ellen Corbett, D-San Leandro, introduced the bill, SB 1271, following a California Watch investigation and scathing state audit that found state regulators charged with overseeing school construction had failed to ensure that school buildings are safe. It now heads to the Senate Governmental Organization Committee.
The bill establishes a task force that would have until Jan. 1, 2014, to consider changes in the law to better protect schoolchildren during earthquakes.
Following committee recommendations, the bill was narrowed yesterday to focus the task force's activities on changes that would prohibit the use of a school building where the state has identified significant safety concerns and would implement penalties for school districts that do not provide all the required construction documents.
Corbett said the bill is still a work in progress pending a public hearing of the Senate Select Committee on Earthquake and Disaster Preparedness, Response and Recovery, scheduled for April 20.
Representatives from California's Coalition for Adequate School Housing and the California Coalition of Professional Construction Inspectors spoke yesterday in support of the bill.
In a letter to the committee, the inspectors coalition stressed that the current practice of allowing schools to use buildings that have not complied with state standards compromises the entire seismic safety program. â€"No other private or public permit department allows occupancy before the building is signed off as safe so why should schools be allowed this loophole?†wrote Skip Daum, on behalf of the organization.
-- Kendall Taggart Editorial: End all-in-one building deals-- Denver Post Colorado: March 12, 2012 [ abstract] The trail of school construction deficiencies that the Neenan Co. has left in its wake is unfortunate for many reasons. Chief among them is that the errors could have been caught had school districts made a key decision at the front end.
These districts, many of them rural and lacking personnel who are well-versed in construction, should have made it a point to give one piece of the plan-design-build-oversight process to an entity other than Neenan.
In saying that, we don't mean to disparage Neenan, which has stepped up to fix its errors. And we understand the enormous financial hurdles these districts faced in finding affordable bids and getting bond issues approved.
But just as these districts wouldn't let schoolchildren write their own report cards, they shouldn't have allowed Neenan to control every facet of the process.
Going forward, we hope other districts will take from the episode the absolute necessity to have appropriately sophisticated checks and balances.
Since November, Denver Post staff writers Eric Gorski and David Olinger have written stories about problems found at schools built by Neenan.
It started with Meeker Elementary, an $18.9 million building that was shuttered after a year for repairs. Engineers found the school had been designed to standards required for storage sheds and could collapse in severe weather. Neenan acknowledged the mistakes and agreed to pay for repairs.
Alarmed at the discovery, Colorado officials asked for reviews of engineering at every Neenan-built school that received money through the state's Building Excellent Schools Today program.
-- Denver Post Editorial Arizona school funding gap grows between ‘have’, ‘have-not’ districts-- Tucson Citizen Arizona: March 03, 2012 [ abstract] The cracks in the school walls are still spreading. The fire alarms sound too often or don’t sound at all. Mechanics struggle to keep old school buses running one more year. Budget managers try to figure out where the money will come from to fix leaky roofs, wheezing air-conditioners and broken vents.
Across Arizona, school districts struggle to find the funds to fix and maintain their buildings, in large part because state lawmakers over the past decade have countered laws and legal rulings meant to help all public-school facilities meet or exceed a basic standard.
-- Bob Ortega Chicago Public School parents take concerns to mayor's doorstep-- ABClocal Illinois: February 20, 2012 [ abstract] A group of parents marched past the home of Mayor Rahm Emanuel Monday night, protesting Chicago Public Schools' plans to turn around or close 16 underperforming schools.
About 200 protesters marched from Lakeview High School where several groups held a rally before walking about a half dozen blocks over to Emanuel's home. They held a candlelight silent vigil just feet from the mayor's front door.
Activists say the turnaround plan destabilizes schools and communities while displacing good teachers who just lack resources.
Wendell Smith Elementary School is on the list, once again leaving some parents shut out.
"This is outcry to have everybody all over the world pay attention," said Sharisa Lee Vaval, parent. "It's not just happening here, it's happening everywhere."
"We have been pushed to the last step," said Darcell Ezell, Wendell Smith school aide.
District officials say Smith is not meeting educational standards and has been chronically underperforming for years.
In a statement CPS spokesperson Becky Carroll writes, "with almost one out of two students not graduating high school, and only 7.9 percent of our 11th graders testing college ready, we can no longer accept schools that fail."
Officials also created the new Office of Community and Family Engagement last July. The purpose of the little-known office is to focus on solely on parents and school communities.
Still, the turnaround program angers those at Smith who blame a lack of funding for the problems at the South Side grade school.
-- Evelyn Holmes Connecticut to cap school building costs-- Hartford Business Connecticut: February 06, 2012 [ abstract] Based on a law passed during last year’s legislative session, a yet-to-be-formed School Building Project Advisory Council will impose a cap on the per square foot cost of all education construction projects, limiting funding for the segment serving as a lifeline for the struggling building industry.
The state currently caps the size of schools based on the number of students, but there is no limit on the project cost. By law, the state has to reimburse each local school district a set percentage of the construction expense, regardless of the total. The reimbursement percentage varies by district " ranging from 20 to 100 percent " and is based upon community wealth.
Magnet schools get 100 percent reimbursement, leaving little incentive for local school districts and designers to skimp on plans.
Meriden engineering and design firm BL Companies designed the $42-million, 100,000-square-foot Mary M. Hooker Environmental Studies Magnet School in Hartford, which was built to some of the highest energy efficiency standards because of its magnet mission. Some of its amenities include a butterfly vivarium and a planetarium.
“It is a unique approach based upon the program of the school and the uniqueness of the site,” said Scott Pellman, senior project manager for BL Companies. “We are not putting in bells and whistles for the sake of putting in bells and whistles.”
-- Brad Kane The delicate balancing act of school construction-- My Record Journal Connecticut: February 04, 2012 [ abstract] Local school renovation projects are a costly, long and drawn out process. In Wallingford, Southington and Meriden, officials have grappled with keeping costs down while also making sure that the needs of students are met and more costs aren't encountered later on down the road.
Meriden officials have drafted plans for a $220 million renovation and expansion of the city's two high schools. The project comes with a large price tag, but education officials wanted the two projects to be done at the same time, as equally as possible, and include all upgrades deemed necessary.
While the state will reimburse Meriden for much of the cost, as is the case in Southington, and was the case in Wallingford, under the current plans, Maloney High School is 35,000 square feet above the maximum area eligible for reimbursement; Platt would be 44,000 square feet over. The overages could cost taxpayers additional millions, but House Speaker Christopher G. Donovan, D-Meriden, has said a waiver may be possible to allow the city to secure maximum reimbursement without significantly shrinking the proposals.
Assistant School Superintendent Michael S. Grove said recently the district knew it wouldn't be getting full reimbursement going into the project, and that the state standards for reimbursement for high schools aren't sufficient to build what is needed. Republican City Councilor Dan Brunet disagreed, calling the plans extravagant.
"I voted against the plan due to the extravagance and size," he said. "It's being built for more students than necessary."
-- Russell Blair More public schools implementing 'safe rooms'-- Daily Dunklin Democrat Missouri: January 31, 2012 [ abstract] In the last seven years, approximately 32 facilities classified as "safe rooms" by the Federal Emergency Management Agency have been built statewide in public school districts or community colleges throughout Missouri. FEMA notes that an additional nine projects are in progress, according to the most recent information available to the agency.
However, in the immediate Bootheel coverage area of the Daily Dunklin Democrat, only one school offers this kind of facility, although others insist that their building's remain structurally sound and meet standard safety guidelines. Schools talked to in the local area include Senath-Hornersville, Southland, Kennett, Holcomb and Delta C-7.
Of these districts, Southland Public Schools, located at Cardwell, is the only one to have a building on its campus that meets FEMA "safe room" guidelines. The building was an extension to its existing classrooms and was constructed around 2006. It houses multi-purpose rooms, additional learning labs and a few classrooms for the elementary students. Former superintendent Raymond Lasley, a long-term administrator for the district, was in on the deal when it was inked and confirmed that the hallway of the new addition is engineered to meet all FEMA standards.
"The floor, walls and ceiling are made of reinforced concrete," Lasley detailed. "The doors, hinges, and locking mechanisms all meet FEMA standards to withstand 100-mile per hour winds for a period of up to 30 minutes, and the glass in the doors is made of an approved shatterproof material."
According to Lasley, the hallway is approximately 150-foot in length and 12-foot wide in most places. He said it is large enough to accommodate all of Southland's students in an emergency and procedures are in place, which the students are well versed in, in the event a storm hits on campus.
"The cost difference between a regular hallway and a safe hallway was negligible," Lasley added, in terms of the costs associated with including these extra specifications. Southland footed the bill for the building project on its own, fully funded through reserve money and what administrator's called a "sizable surplus budget due to good management of the school's funds."
-- DEANNA CORONADO Schools the site of more emergency shelters -- Southeast Missourian Missouri: January 27, 2012 [ abstract] A growing number of emergency shelters in Missouri in recent years may mean more people scramble toward the nearest school the next time a tornado siren sounds. Since 2005, 32 facilities classified as "safe rooms" by the Federal Emergency Management Agency have been built statewide in public school districts or community colleges. Nine projects are in progress, according to the most recent information available from the agency.
FEMA enters into a cost-sharing agreement with schools to build safe rooms, in most cases providing 75 percent of funding through its Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, as long as the facilities meet emergency shelter specifications set by the agency. FEMA's requirements for safe rooms vary based on areas of the country where they are built. Areas more at risk for tornadoes, for example, require steel-reinforced, foot-thick concrete walls that can withstand winds of an EF-5 tornado, or up to 250 mph.
loomfield, Mo., the school district will open bids the first week of February for a $1.6 million multipurpose building with FEMA safe-room standards. It will have classrooms, a gymnasium, locker rooms, a concession area and storage areas. "We felt like every community needed a place for the community to go, and if something happened during the school day, we are obligated for the safety of the students," said Dr. Nicholas Thiele, school superintendent.
FEMA will pick up $1.1 million of the tab for the project, which Thiele said should be completed by December. Puxico, a district next door to Bloomfield, is working on a similar FEMA safe room.
Entities covered by a local hazard mitigation plan are eligible for a safe room grant, said Mike O'Connell, spokesman for the Missouri State Emergency Management Agency, which manages the grants. Those entities are typically counties, cities, school districts, colleges and universities. A private entity could be eligible if a city or county applied on its behalf. For example, O'Connell said, a county government could apply on behalf of a private school.
-- Erin Ragan Task force wants to halt school closings, turnarounds-- Chicago Tribune Illinois: January 13, 2012 [ abstract] A state legislative task force created to address community concerns over Chicago's efforts to shut down or completely overhaul underperforming schools is calling for a moratorium on school closings and "turnarounds."
"This is a new (CPS) administration," said state Rep. Cynthia Soto, D-Chicago, who plans to introduce a bill calling for the ban when the General Assembly returns later this month. "They really have to get to know these communities before they start to take school actions. Some of the schools they've proposed are performing and should not be targeted."
Soto, the task force co-chairwoman, called for a moratorium three years ago and the legislature established the task force, which last year crafted the state law that now holds CPS subject to more rigorous guidelines concerning how officials decide actions like school closings and staff replacement.
The task force will be reporting back to state officials on CPS' compliance with the new law this year. In a resolution passed this week, task force members said CPS' guidelines for determining school closings and turnarounds remain unclear.
In November CPS announced its plans to close seven schools this year and picked another 10 for turnaround, a process by which all staff are fired, new people are hired and millions of dollars worth of programs are poured into the new school in a bid to raise test scores.
But since those announcements, community groups have pointed to the fact that Casals Elementary, a Humboldt Park school in Soto's district, is slated for turnaround even though other schools have lower test scores. More than 61 percent of Casals' students met state standards, which is almost 12 percentage points below the district average but still higher than other schools that are not being closed.
-- Noreen S. Ahmed-Ullah New California state architect to discuss enforcement of earthquake safety requirements for public schools -- California Watch California: January 12, 2012 [ abstract] Newly appointed State Architect Chester Widom is slated to discuss what steps seismic regulators are taking to address problems with their enforcement of earthquake safety requirements for public schools. Widom will brief the state Seismic Safety Commission in Sacramento about a scathing California State Auditor report that concluded that the Division of the State Architect's oversight of school construction projects was â€"neither effective nor comprehensive.â€
The Seismic Safety Commission is made up of commissioners chosen for their expertise and experience. The group includes the state architect, a geologist, a fire protection specialist and a local building official. Established in 1975, after the 1971 San Fernando earthquake, the commission investigates earthquakes, researches earthquake-related issues and recommends threat reduction policies and programs to the governor and Legislature.
The session with the Seismic Safety Commission is likely the first of several public meetings where Widom will discuss the actions of engineers, supervisors and managers at the state architect's office.
Additional questions loom in the face of new revelations that state regulators routinely destroyed key documents that might have shed light on their lax enforcement of earthquake safety standards – despite a binding agreement it has with the State Archives to preserve public records.
Corbett and other legislators called for the audit of the state architect's office in May after a California Watch investigation found that the agency routinely failed to enforce California's landmark earthquake safety law for public schools – known as the Field Act – and allowed children and teachers to occupy buildings with structural flaws and potential safety hazards reported during construction. All public schools must be certified as meeting Field Act standards, and school board members, builders, architects and inspectors can be charged with a felony for failing to follow the act's provisions.
More than 16,000 school projects currently lack Field Act certification, and at least 59,000 more have yet to be fully reviewed by the state architect's office to identify their Field Act status.
-- Corey G. Johnson Colorado school construction problems linked to Neenan Company will likely boost state's scrutiny-- Denver Post Colorado: January 01, 2012 [ abstract] Companies that want to do business through a state grant program dedicated to making school buildings safer likely will face greater scrutiny because of construction problems linked to one contractor. State Treasurer Walker Stapleton told The Denver Post he will press for more thorough reviews of companies taking part in the Building Excellent Schools Today program — which provides money to mostly rural districts to replace and fix dilapidated schools — as questions continue to mount about the Neenan Co.
"This situation is unfortunate and disappointing in that you're going to get a few circumstances of troublesome actors," Stapleton said, adding that he cannot say yet whether Neenan fits that definition"But I think overall, fundamentally, the program is a sound one."
The talk of broader oversight comes as the structural engineer on the project that first caught the attention of state regulators — an elementary school in Meeker — is defending the building as safe and well-designed. In his first interview, former Neenan engineer Gary Howell pointed a finger at local politics and supervisors who silenced his objections to an independent review that led to the school's closure"My perspective is, engineers disagree on their philosophies and there's a lot of gray areas in structural design," Howell said. "I think what we got into here was a school board being pressured by the citizens of Meeker to have a perfect building" built above code requirements. He said one criticism of his work — that the Meeker building's earthquake resistance was designed to standards for a storage shed, not a school — was simply a misprint. "The general notes were wrong," he said, but his actual calculations "used the Occupancy 3 importance factors (the school standard) for snow, wind and earthquake." Howell said he has been given no evidence that his underlying calculations were wrong. He also said there are "absolutely no drywall cracks throughout the building" in Meeker, and that the earthquake risk there "is almost nonexistent."
-- Eric Gorski and David Olinger Chicago Public Schools not using space, study finds-- Chicago Tribune Illinois: December 28, 2011 [ abstract] Half of Chicago Public Schools' buildings enroll fewer students than their classroom space allows, according to new district standards released Wednesday.
Under the new formula, 268 of the district's 527 elementary schools are underutilized, as are 68 high schools.
Only 249 of the city's 662 public schools were deemed to be efficient in terms of space to student population, according to the district analysis made public for the first time.
In a statement, schools CEO Jean-Claude Brizard said the school-by-school reports "will be helpful tools for guiding our decision making."
But several advocates contend the new calculations aren't flexible enough — for example they don't give enough weight to classrooms needed for one-on-one tutoring or for small group instruction, which schools are legally required to provide for some students with learning challenges.
"You can use this as a starting point, as sort of a rough measure," said Don Moore, executive director of Designs for Change and a member of the Chicago Educational Facilities Task Force, a state panel that monitors CPS' compliance with the new law. "But then you have to work with the school and take into consideration all of these other factors that can lead to a quality educational program,"
Chicago schools officials said they now consider an elementary school to be efficient when three-quarters of its classrooms are used for general instruction — with 30 students in every room — and 24 percent of the rooms are reserved for science labs, music or art.
The standards include specific levels of use for labeling schools as efficient, underutilized or overcrowded. A school also may be considered inefficient if space constraints hinder academic programs, according to district records.
District officials also determined standards for high schools, which for years had not been included in traditional definitions of efficiency because, for the most part, crowding in high schools has not been a problem, district officials said.
High schools now will be deemed overcrowded if enrollment exceeds 80 percent of the total number of classrooms multiplied by 30 students.
-- Tara Malone Yonkers prepares to start $1.7B work on aging school facilities-- lohud.com New York: December 22, 2011 [ abstract] Work is expected to begin next year on the city school district’s $1.7 billion plan to rehabilitate nearly all of its aging buildings. The Board of Education unanimously approved the 15-year plan last week. The plan comes as the city grapples with crowding in schools that are dark, poorly ventilated and too small, district officials said. 36 of the district’s 38 buildings are rated “unsatisfactory” under state-mandated guidelines. Many fail to meet disability-accessibility standards. Others have inadequate heating, ventilation and plumbing systems. The first phase alone is expected to create more than 13,560 jobs, according to Russell Davidson of KG&D Architects, which helped the district develop the facilities plan.
-- Colin Gustafson Inequities among Boston’s schools - Gaps in facilities, test scores, safety complicate the school selection process -- Boston Globe Massachusetts: December 12, 2011 [ abstract] The Perkins Elementary School in South Boston is barely visible behind rows of nondescript brick buildings inside the Old Colony public housing development. Students make do without the most basic amenities, eating breakfast and lunch at their desks, taking gym classes at a Boys & Girls Club, and checking out books at a neighborhood library.
About three miles away in a crime-ridden Dorchester neighborhood, the Holland Elementary School stands like a beacon. Nestled among fruit trees, Holland sports two cafeterias that serve freshly prepared meals, an indoor basketball court, an Olympic-size heated swimming pool, a soundproof music room with red and white electric guitars, and a library with more than 7,000 books.
The stark differences between these two schools extend well beyond their facilities. Perkins, with its bare-bones surroundings, often propels students in early grades to great academic heights on standardized tests, while Holland struggles to get students to understand reading and math fundamentals.
Across Boston, astonishing inequities exist among the 78 city-run early-education centers, elementary schools, and K-8 schools, according to a Globe analysis of their test scores, facilities, and programs. The conclusions offer a rare glimpse into the state of the city’s public schools:
- Half were built between 1896 and 1932, and many buildings lack basic amenities. Four don’t have cafeterias; 22 schools lack auditoriums; 30 are without gymnasiums; and 59 schools, three-quarters of those surveyed, do not have athletic fields.
- An impressive facility often does not equate with a stellar academic program. Other schools with meager facilities, such as Bradley in East Boston, Hale in Roxbury, and Mozart in Roslindale, had some of the highest reading and math scores on last spring’s Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System exams in the third grade. By contrast, some schools with swimming pools - such as Hennigan in Jamaica Plain, Marshall in Dorchester, and Mildred Avenue in Mattapan - landed in the bottom.
-- James Vaznis Global Green USA Launches Green Schools Mobile App to Help Create Healthier Classrooms and Lower Energy Bills-- The Student Operated Press National: December 11, 2011 [ abstract] "We are excited to launch this smart tool for green schools with the support of Lincoln MKZ Hybrid," said Global Green President Matt Petersen. "This mobile App will help further protect, educate and inspire our most precious and important natural resource, our children." Global Green is already collaborating with the San Francisco Unified School District to help create and implement school modernization protocols and standards that will lead to the greening of schools that will cost less to operate while improving student performance. This collaboration will also influence the green investment of the recently passed $531 million dollar school modernization bond. "Global Green has been an invaluable partner for the San Francisco Unified School District in our efforts to create healthier, greener classrooms, said Nik Kaestner, SFUSD Director of Sustainability."
-- NewsWire Audit rips California's school construction safety oversight-- Sacramento Bee California: December 08, 2011 [ abstract]
State oversight of seismic and structural safety standards on school construction projects throughout California has been ineffective and incomplete, with thousands of projects left uncertified even after they are finished, the state auditor said today.
State Auditor Elaine Howle said in a report that the Division of the State Architect "has not provided an effective, comprehensive level of oversight of school construction processes," including no evidence of site visits in some cases, and only infrequent site visits in others.
The report, which you can read in full at this link, also criticized the division's oversight of local project inspectors, who are either school district employees or contractors. The state sometimes excused those inspectors from required training and has not always ensured inspectors passed current exams, the audit said.
In violation of regulations, the audit said, California school districts often started construction before the division approved their inspectors.
The audit acknowledges that the Division of the Architect's power is limited: State law allows school districts to occupy uncertified projects, and the division has no authority to penalize those that do.
But the audit said the division has too infrequently used the authority it does have, for example to block construction in cases in which it identifies a public safety risk.
"By not fully taking advantage of the authority state law grants it, the division may be less effective in correcting identified safety concerns before districts complete construction and occupy school facilities," the audit said.
As of December 2010, the division estimated there are about 16,400 uncertified projects throughout the state, according to the audit.
-- David Siders Editorial: Systematic deficiencies in school-building oversight?-- The Denver Post Colorado: December 04, 2011 [ abstract] Revelations that a new, $18.9 million school in rural Meeker was built to dangerously substandard levels have raised questions about the adequacy of Colorado's school design oversight.
State officials are waiting for the results of examinations of other school construction projects before they can determine whether this was an aberration or the sign of a larger problem.
It's an important question, and one that has an air of deja vu about it.
In 2007, we editorialized about a 93-page state audit that found "Colorado has done a shockingly poor job of overseeing the construction of K-12 schools."
The report detailed how the state had been conducting only perfunctory reviews of school construction plans, and engaged in very few on-site inspections.
In response, the state increased staffing with a goal of doing a better job ensuring schools were built to appropriate standards. A different division within state government is now responsible for overseeing school construction plans.
We are hoping the review of structural engineering on 15 additional school projects that got state grant money through BEST, which stands for Building Excellent Schools Today, will provide clarity on the construction oversight process.
-- Staff Writer Plan to Close or Restructure 21 Chicago Schools Draws Quick Reaction-- New York Times Illinois: December 03, 2011 [ abstract] Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s education team made its first attempt at improving struggling schools last week, and the negative reviews came quickly. State legislators and community leaders called the proposed closing or restructuring of 21 schools “very troubling” and said administrators were violating the intent of a new state law.
Chicago Public Schools designated 10 schools for turnaround " a controversial process in which existing staff members are fired and changes are made in the school’s curriculum and learning climate. Four elementary schools will be closed, two high schools will be phased out, and six schools, one of which will also begin phasing out, will share buildings.
About 7,800 students will be affected by the proposed changes, and more than 600 teachers and other employees could lose their jobs. All the designated schools are on the city’s South and West Sides.
Legislation signed in August by Gov. Pat Quinn requires the district to follow a strict timeline for school closings and requires public comment at nearly every step of the process. The district is allowed to set the guidelines for determining which schools are subject to turnaround or closing. District officials are relying on academic achievement as the key factor in those decisions.
But academic performance at the designated schools varies widely. For example, the school district is proposing a turnaround at Pablo Casals Elementary School, where 62 percent of the students met or exceeded state standards in math and reading. At the same time, they also plan to turn around Fuller Elementary School, which had just 37 percent of students meeting or exceeding standards.
Oliver Sicat, the district’s chief portfolio officer, said administrators were careful to take action only at schools where students had a better option nearby.
“Our recommendations are to close schools where we feel like we can put our students in a better seat now,” Mr. Sicat said.
Members of the Chicago Educational Facilities Task Force, a state entity that monitors Chicago Public Schools’ compliance with the new law, said the proposed guidelines were too vague and the process was not transparent enough to satisfy the law’s requirements.
Representative Cynthia Soto, Democrat of Chicago, one of the bill’s sponsors, said, “We need explanations, specific explanations” for the decisions to close or restructure the schools.
-- REBECCA VEVEA Chicago Public Schools Unveils School Turnaround Targets-- Chicago News Coop Illinois: November 29, 2011 [ abstract] Chicago Public Schools officials plan to overhaul 10 schools next year, six of which will be managed by a private organization in the latest move by Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s administration to turn to the private sector to aid poorly performing public schools.
The proposed overhauls"commonly called turnarounds"involve the firing of existing staff and improvements to school curriculum and culture. Turnarounds are the first step in a series of school actions that include consolidating and closing underperforming schools.
A new state law requires CPS to announce all school closings and turnarounds by Thursday. There was vociferous opposition to any proposed closings at recent public hearings, which were also required by the law, even though though the list of targeted schools had not yet been released.
The explicit push to close low-performing schools is a relatively new phenomenon that significantly increases the number of schools eligible for closure, said Mary Filardo, executive director of the 21st Century School Fund, which advocates for improving school environments.
Filardo, who helped draft the state legislation, said the set of guidelines established by CPS, “enables them to close whatever they want.”
“Ultimately I do think it’s about turning over the management of schools to non-district outfits,” Filardo said.
Research on the long-term effects of school turnarounds on student achievement is sparse. District leaders point to large gains on the state standardized tests at both district-managed and AUSL-managed turnaround schools. The U.S. Department of Education, led by former CPS chief executive Arne Duncan, has made school turnarounds a cornerstone of its efforts to improve the nation’s public schools.
-- REBECCA VEVEA Kentucky's School Facility Assessment Scores Released-- Kentucky Department of Education Kentucky: November 29, 2011 [ abstract] The results of the 2011 Kentucky Facilities Inventory and Classification System (KFICS) project are now available on the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) website.
The reports show the list of schools with Kentucky School Scores and the individual School Reports with details of the assessment, such as general school information, deficiencies identified, educational suitability and technology readiness criteria evaluated.
The study indicates Kentucky K12 public schools need $3.7 billion to bring their schools into good repair and make them educationally adequate and technologically ready.
This project assessed the physical condition, educational suitability and technology readiness of the schools relative to Kentucky’s regulations and standards.
-- Staff Writer Series of errors led to new Meeker school's closing for serious structural problems-- The Denver Post Colorado: November 20, 2011 [ abstract] MEEKER — The new grade school sits empty up Sulphur Creek Road.
The doors are locked. A sign taped to the window tells delivery drivers to take their packages elsewhere.
Children attended classes in the $18.9 million building for an entire school year before it was deemed unsafe to occupy — the result of mistakes by the company that designed and built it, a state agency that missed a glaring error and local school officials who kept the building open despite repeated warnings, The Denver Post has found.
The first sign that something was wrong came in October 2010, when dirt piled outside the gym caused a wall to lean a few inches.
When Meeker School District RE-1 finally brought in an outside firm to review the structural integrity of the school nine months later, much deeper problems became apparent: The school had been designed with a building-code standard used for storage sheds and was at risk of collapse in severe weather.
The Neenan Co., the Fort Collins design-and-build firm the district hired, has acknowledged making mistakes and pledged to pay for repairs. School district officials, meanwhile, say they are committed to safety and careful oversight.
But already, reverberations are being felt well beyond this no-stoplight town of 2,500. Two state agencies are reviewing other Neenan school projects, including work in eight districts financed with $150 million in state money.
Over little more than a decade, Neenan has built or upgraded nearly 100 schools in Colorado, most in rural districts.
And the failures in Meeker invite questions about the state's ability to spot whether other schools were designed to safety standards.
-- Eric Gorski and David Olinger Poorer districts limited to 'triage' on renovations-- lohud.com New York: November 13, 2011 [ abstract] During a recent visit to Roosevelt High School in Yonkers, John Carr walked in on workers inspecting a portion of a gym ceiling that had caved in hours before.
Chunks of rock were swept into piles. So Carr, who's in charge of the city's school buildings , ordered the gym closed.
Hours later, he visited Yonkers Montessori Academy and saw bricks protruding dangerously from an outside wall, the result of long-term water damage.
A similar wall had collapsed a few years earlier at Lincoln High School.
So Carr ordered a fence be put up to keep passers-by from the wall.
It was a standard morning for Carr, who says that his job is to do "triage" for some of the neediest school buildings in the country.
The district, desperate for answers, is pushing a radical approach to rebuild its broken, crowded buildings. Officials last week released a 15-year, $1.7 billion plan to fix it all that could center on a financing partnership with a private corporation.
"We're looking for every possible way to finance this, and we have to be creative," said Joseph Bracchitta, chief administrative officer for the schools.
Deteriorating schools are a growing problem everywhere, but they present a particular challenge to urban districts that are being forced to decimate teaching staffs and educational programs due to budget crises.
Affluent suburban districts can expect that vital renovations will be made eventually. But poorer districts that can't pay for the basics mostly try to keep their schools safe day by day.
"When you're in a community with a deteriorating tax base and people residing in that community are struggling financially, how do you prioritize the repairs?" said Brian Butry of the New York State School Boards Association.
-- Gary Stern Closing Time For More DC Public School-- The Washington Teacher Blogspot District of Columbia: November 04, 2011 [ abstract] Empower DC, a well respected community grassroots organization hosted a gathering on Thursday evening, November 3 at the Dorothy Height Library to discuss DC's plans to close more traditional public schools. People assembled from all walks of life including Ward 7 residents, parents, teachers, former principals, nurses, representatives of Teamsters-local 639, community activists, ANC representatives and yours truly. Some familiar faces that I saw included: Mary Levy, former DCPS parent and DCPS budget analyst, Mary Melchoir, DCPS parent from Capitol Hill Montessori and Richard Patterson, former principal of River Terrace Elementary school.
Daniel del Pielago, organizer and facilitator of the Thursday meeting reminded attendees that Chancellor Kaya Henderson told parents during the spring that the city could not afford to continue to operate more than 40 schools with enrollment figures lower than 300 students. This summer, a decision was made by Deputy Mayor of Education, De'Shawn Wright to commission an Illinois based firm known as the Illinois Facilities Fund (IFF) to conduct a foundational study which will help determine which schools will be proposed for closure. While IFF has done similar studies in Chicago, Denver, Milwaukee and St Louis, it is interesting that funding for this project was provided by the Walton Family Foundation who owns Wal-Mart. No competitive bidding process occurred. It is expected that the study will be completed by the end of November.
This study will be looking at schools test scores to determine if a school is â€"performing†or not. They will not take into consideration other ways that a school is excelling for its students, parents and community. In similar studies, schools were determined to either be performing or not performing based on whether they meet or exceed 75% of the state standard in both reading and math. In DC, that standard would equate to 55% or more proficiency rates on the DC CAS. The numbers below reflect the number of â€"under performing DCPS schools†by wards: Ward 1 = 8 schools, Ward 2 = 3 schools, Ward 3 = 0 schools, Ward 4 = 11 schools, Ward 5 = 11 schools, Ward 6 = 11 schools, Ward 7 = 20 schools, and Ward 8 = 20 schools. We could potentially face high closure rates in some of our poorest wards.
-- Candi Peterson Philly plans 9 school closings amid low enrollment-- York Dispatch.com Pennsylvania: November 02, 2011 [ abstract] City education officials on Wednesday proposed closing nine public schools and reconfiguring more than a dozen others in an effort to save money and streamline operations in the face of major enrollment declines.
The proposal, which must still be approved by the School Reform Commission, also recommends selling four buildings.
The state's largest district has lost about 52,000 students over the past decade, largely due to changing demographics and an increase in charter schools.
"We need to aim for a more efficient footprint, reflecting the times and demographics of the city," Acting Superintendent Lee Nunery said at a news briefing. "But we also need to align our resources in a way that benefits the education of our students."
The facilities master plan unveiled Wednesday would close five elementary, two middle and two high schools, mostly over the next two years.
Seventeen other schools would be restructured as the district tries to standardize schools using K-5, 6-8 and 9-12 grade configurations. There are about 25 configurations currently in use in the district.
The plan, which was developed over the past year with community input, is the first comprehensive effort to address district buildings in about 30 years, Nunery said. He described it as flexible enough to meet the district's evolving educational needs and a way to prioritize badly needed maintenance and renovations. The average district school is 63 years old.
Philadelphia currently operates about 250 public schools but owns dozens more buildings; some are administrative offices and some are vacant. It serves about 146,000 students yet has the space to educate slightly more than 227,000.
Put another way, the district is operating at about two-thirds percent of its capacity. The moves proposed Wednesday would be the first phase in an effort to reach 85 percent capacity, Nunery said.
The nine buildings proposed for closure were Levering, Harrison, Sheppard, Drew and E.M. Stanton elementary schools; Sheridan West Academy and Pepper middle schools; Fitzsimons High School and the Philadelphia High School for Business.
Additional recommendations for closings and consolidations will follow, he said.
-- KATHY MATHESON Classroom Noise Rules Go to Congress-- ASHA.org National: November 01, 2011 [ abstract]
School modernization legislation calling for improved classroom acoustics and reduced exposure to environmental noise has been introduced into the U.S. Senate, but observers expect lawmakers to take little or no action on the measure.
ASHA successfully pressed for inclusion of two important stipulations in the funding bill: That funding can be used to reduce noise pollution and that school construction comply with classroom acoustics standards of the American National standards Institute (ANSI), which oversees the creation, promulgation, and use of thousands of standards and guidelines. ANSI revised its classroom acoustics standards in 2010; all ANSI standards, however, are voluntary, and become mandatory only if incorporated into laws such as building codes.
ANSI classroom acoustics standards call for limits on interior-source noise; clarify measurement and evaluation of noise; and require classroom audio distribution/amplification systems.
History
Regardless of a bill's prospects, ASHA often works with congressional representatives and staff on legislation of interest to communication sciences and disorders professionals and the clients they serve. Through these opportunities, ASHA builds relationships and awareness of critical issues.
The recent effort to legislate classroom acoustic standards began in September with the release of President Obama's American Jobs Act, a mix of spending, tax cuts, and other measures intended to stimulate job growth. The measure is expected to be defeated.
Included in the proposal was funding for a new school modernization program. As called for in similar legislation introduced in previous congresses, the funds are intended to modernize school buildings and improve the health and safety of school personnel and students.
Later in September, Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) introduced a stand-alone version of the school modernization proposal, the "Fix America's Schools Today (FAST) Act" (H.R. 2948). However, unlike previous school modernization/construction bills, the House bill does not allow state and local school agencies to use the funding to "reduce human exposure to environmental noise pollution," nor does it recommend that new school construction adhere to the ANSI classroom acoustics standards.
-- Neil Snyder Mississippi schools need millions for renovations-- Clarion Ledger Mississippi: October 31, 2011 [ abstract] Leaky roofs, aging buildings and ancient portable classrooms aren't just aesthetic issues. School buildings in poor condition can impair students' learning, some educators and advocates say.
If everything else is equal, students in a building that's in better condition and has a better design perform better, said Mary Filardo, executive director of the 21st Century School Fund, a Washington, D.C.-based organization that aims to improve facilities in urban public schools. Students in better facilities tend to score between 3 percent and 5 percent higher on standardized tests, she said.
"It doesn't seem like a lot," she said, but district officials spend lots of money on teacher training, tutors and other things that are not as reliable as ensuring buildings are adequate, she said.
-- Marquita Brown LAUSD's $30 million mistake: Schools must make costly repairs to meet standards for disabled
-- Daily News California: October 30, 2011 [ abstract] At Columbus Avenue Elementary School in Van Nuys, the grab bars in the boys' restroom are slightly off, the stair handrails are half an inch too high, and the signs leading from the playground to the library aren't hung at the correct eye level.
For most people, the fixtures pose no problem. But for students in wheelchairs or parents who need help walking, a steep ramp or a high handrail can make the difference between moving around campus and getting stuck.
Yet, despite Los Angeles Unified School District spending some $20 billion on its new construction program, hundreds of repairs are needed at the 80 new schools built over the past decade - at an additional cost of $30 million - because of failure to meet federal handicapped accessibility standards.
"It was a little disappointing that brand new schools were not built to (federal) compliance," said Jay Alleman, administrative coordinator and chief analyst for the Office of the Independent Monitor, which oversees the district's special education programs.
-- Susan Abram Durbin Calls for Passage of Key Provisions from American Jobs Act-- Senator Durbin Office Illinois: October 24, 2011 [ abstract] In order to give the lagging economic recovery a boost, Congress needs to pass critical elements of the American Jobs Act that would invest in school, infrastructure, and transit modernizations while putting people back to work, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) said at Johns Hill Magnet School in Decatur, Illinois.
While passage of the American Jobs Act was blocked earlier this month by a Republican-led filibuster, Democrats in the U.S. Senate will try to pass individual elements of the American Jobs Act in the coming weeks, including a provision that would support school modernization. The legislation will be fully paid for by an income surtax on millionaires and billionaires.
Durbin noted the school modernization provision in the American Jobs Act would provide $25 billion for critical facility and technological upgrades at public schools across the nation. In Illinois, the measure would invest $1.1 billion in school modernization, supporting as many as 14,500 jobs.
Like school districts across Illinois, the Decatur public school system has struggled to make costly, but needed, infrastructure improvements. Johns Hill Magnet School faces many of the same challenges as the other aging schools in the system. The school lacks proper “post-Columbine” security measures, does not meet modern accessibility standards, as the school has many stairways but no elevators, and is challenged by asbestos-containing heating pipes, floor and ceiling tiles, which poses a danger to students and staff if not managed properly and adds substantial time and expense to many small repairs. The school also lacks air conditioning, which resulted in temperatures rising to 100 degrees or higher in some classrooms during the early weeks of the school year. Approximately 70 percent of schools in the Decatur public school system lack air conditioning and relying on heating systems nearly two decades beyond their expected lifetime.
“Schools across Illinois and the country are facing budget cuts that have forced them to postpone desperately needed upgrades to their facilities and consider painful teacher layoffs. This component of the American Jobs Act will help modernize schools across the country, renovating old buildings and supporting new science labs and internet-ready classrooms so that our children are learning in the best possible environment. Not only would this piece of the legislation support as many as 14,500 jobs in Illinois, it would help schools ensure that students growing up in this difficult economy do not see their education suffer as a result,” Durbin said.
-- Staff Writer Durbin Sees American Jobs Act Assisting Decatur, Illinois-- Chicago Homeland Security Examiner Illinois: October 24, 2011 [ abstract] Senator Dick Durbin views infrastructure modernization as critical to employment prospects for Decatur, Illinois. Currently Illinois’s unemployment rate is at 10 percent, higher than the national 9.1 percent. According to Senator Durbin, should the school modernization portion of the “American Jobs Act” pass it would result in $1.1 billion in funds to modernize Illinois schools and result in as many as 145,000 jobs. Speaking at Johns Hill Magnet School in Decatur, Senator Durbin emphasized that Decatur’s public schools were in need of multiple forms of physical modernization including air conditioning and security systems.
After the failure of the “American Jobs Act “ to win passage, Senator Durbin supported an effort to pass individual portions of the bill that could potentially assist the unemployed throughout the U.S. and Illinois. He is highly supportive of modernization of transportation systems, infrastructures development, and school plant modernization as a vehicle toward economic investment, job creation, the growth of small businesses and the further development of Illinois tourism.
Senator Durbin focused on addressing the difficulty that Decatur had in funding costly repairs to schools. Speaking at Johns Hill Magnet School he said, the school “lacked proper post "Columbine” security measures, does not meet modern accessibility standards, as their school has many stairways but no elevators, and is challenged by asbestos-containing heating pipes, floor and ceiling tiles which poses a danger to students and staff if not managed properly and adds substantial time and expense to many small repairs. The school also lacks air conditioning, which resulted in temperatures rising to over 100 degrees or higher in some classrooms during the early weeks of the school year. Approximately 70 percent of schools in the Decatur public schools system lack air conditioning and rely on heating systems nearly two decades beyond their expected lifetime.”
-- Ellen Cannon District Awards Design-Build Contract to Modernize Cardozo High School -- District of Columbia Government District of Columbia: September 21, 2011 [ abstract] Mayor Vincent C. Gray announced today the Office of Public Education Facilities Modernization (OPEFM) has awarded the design-build contract to GCS-SIGAL, LLC to fully modernize Cardozo High School, located at 12th and Clifton Streets in Northwest.
“Today’s announcement on the design-build award for Cardozo continues the momentum in the District of Columbia of turning our schools into 21st Century, high-tech facilities that go hand-in-hand with ensuring a high quality education for our students,” Mayor Gray said.
The full modernization of Cardozo consists of a complete upgrade of the building and its systems, to meet state-of-the-art technical and educational standards. The project will include the addition of a regulation-size gymnasium building for basketball, volleyball, and weightlifting activities, along with atrium spaces in the former courtyards to accommodate a cafeteria.
Originally built in 1916, Cardozo High School is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
“While we are excited about the full modernization of Cardozo High School, we will also be working to ensure that we maintain the school’s historic prestige,” said City Administrator Allen Y. Lew.
Construction on Cardozo High School will begin in December 2011, and is scheduled to be completed in August 2013.
For more information on OPEFM and the Cardozo High School modernization, visit www.OPEFM.dc.gov
-- Staff Writer School district answers new school questions -- Echo Press Virginia: September 21, 2011 [ abstract] School District 206 voters are getting ready to mark their ballots.
On Tuesday, September 27, district voters will decide whether to build a new high school in Alexandria.
This article concludes a four-part series explaining the $65.15 million building bond referendum, focusing on the project, the need, the cost and answering questions posed within the community.
QUESTIONS
AND ANSWERS
People living in the community submitted questions about the upcoming bond referendum to the Echo Press.
Here are the school district’s answers:
Q1. If the bond is approved, grades will be reconfigured to put 9-12th into the new school and move 6th graders into middle school. Wouldn’t this hurt the small elementary schools in the district that have 6th graders?
The school board recognizes that schools are part of a community’s identity and vibrancy and, as such, has remained committed to the elementary schools that serve our rural communities of Garfield, Miltona, and Carlos. A grade configuration of 6-8 at the middle school would create opportunities and efficiencies " 6th graders interested in the music programs could participate on site rather than having to leave their elementary building to go to Discovery as is the current practice; and they could participate in elective course offerings at an earlier age that might open their world to career interests. Finally, changing to K-5 schools reduces crowding in all our elementaries.
Q2. Why not remodel Jefferson? Wouldn’t that be a lot cheaper? I heard it would cost only about one-fourth the amount of the referendum.
Renovation wouldn’t solve the issues identified. To fix leaks and update the mechanical and electrical systems would cost approximately $17 million but wouldn’t address Jefferson’s facilities issues as identified by the school board and construction experts. An extensive renovation would cost approximately $40 million and still wouldn’t address issues such as needed space for learning, athletics and extra-curricular; appropriate building design for today’s educational standards; safety/security issues; and flexible technology infrastructure. The recommendation to build new is based on several years of research, planning and listening " including community and expert opinion.
Q3. Why not expand at Jefferson’s current location? There seems to be plenty of room there.
-- Staff Writer Montgomery Board of Ed president intrigued by privatizing construction, maintenance-- Gazette.net Maryland: September 20, 2011 [ abstract] Montgomery County’s top elected education official is intrigued by the concept of using private sector dollars to build and operate schools.
“I’m actually pretty excited about finding out what potential options are out there,” said Board of Education President Christopher S. Barclay (Dist. 4) of Takoma Park.
With the amount of traditional state and local money inadequate to keep up with short- and long-term capital needs, schools throughout Maryland are giving closer scrutiny to alternatives, some of which have been tested in other countries.
For example, in fiscal 2012, Montgomery County requested $163 million in state aid for projects under way or already completed, but only received $42 million.
Barclay and dozens of other school and government officials attended the meeting for “Alternative Funding and Financing of School Facilities” in Annapolis on Monday, which was hosted by the Public School Construction Program.
On Monday, David Lever, executive director of the state’s Interagency Committee on Public School Construction, noted that $6 billion would be needed just to bring Maryland public schools up to minimum building standards.
In Maryland’s 2012 Capital Improvements Program approved by the state’s Board of Public Works in May, $257.2 million in school construction aid was approved for 148 construction projects statewide, and 23 projects received planning approval. The state received $612.29 million in requests for construction (244 projects) and planning approval (61 projects).
The concept Barclay is interested in works by private organizations or consortia contracting with a school board (typically for 25 to 30 years) to build new schools, sometimes bundling them together, and then operating and maintaining them in exchange for scheduled payments. The public still would own the buildings, and the school systems would still be responsible for instruction.
-- andrew ujifusa Officials examine options to stretch dollars for school construction-- Hearld Mail Maryland: September 18, 2011 [ abstract] Sustained economic woes and the need to upgrade and build public schools is driving education officials to consider new ways of financing projects.
Maryland’s Public School Construction Program is hosting a seminar Monday in Annapolis for local school systems to learn about alternative funding and financing methods.
The Task Force to Study Public School Facilities’ 2004 report, known as the Kopp Commission Report, estimated $3.85 billion would be needed to bring schools statewide up to minimum standards.
As a result, a goal was set for the state to provide its share of the funding to meet that target of $2 billion or $250 million annually for eight years, said David Lever, executive director for the Public School Construction Program.
The last fiscal year for that $250 million pool from which local school systems can apply for school construction money is 2012-13, Lever said.
“It’s been a tremendous amount of money and it’s been a tremendous help. There’s no question about that. We hope that that will continue, but we need to do more,” Lever said Wednesday.
If you take the 2004 facilities survey’s results and adjust it only for increases in construction costs, the price tag would now be almost $6 billion, Lever said.
Even the annual $250 million pool doesn’t meet the demand for school project money, Lever said. For the current fiscal year, the state had requests for about $612 million in projects and was able to fund about $260 million, Lever said.
With state and local governments continuing to look at tough economic times, Lever’s office is encouraging discussion about financing alternatives, such as a “design build finance maintain operate” model.
Under such a model, the local school system would provide specifications for a new school and would own the school, but a private entity could handle design, construction, finance and operations such as preventative and corrective maintenance, cleaning and security, Lever said.
Alberta, Canada, has a contract with a private group that handles maintenance, but the school system continues to handle custodial services, Lever said.
-- JULIE E. GREENE Quantico base schools to place all students on one site-- Inside Nova DoDEA: September 17, 2011 [ abstract] After 30 years at Ashurst Elementary, kindergarten teacher Lori Lee said she would be a little sad to leave the school for a new one in a couple of years, “but the opportunity to teach in a new building will make that a thing of the past pretty quickly.” Congress has already allotted the money for Quantico’s three elementary schools to be replaced by a single building in 2013, and Department of Defense Education Activity headquarters has approved plans to rebuild Quantico Middle/High School by 2015. The rebuilding of the middle/high school will rely on congressional approval of funds for fiscal year 2013. It is also possible that new standards for DoDEA schools will delay the construction timeline by up to a year. Both schools are to be located on the campus where Russell Elementary and the middle/high school now sit. Zach McKissick, logistics supervisor for the New York/Virginia school district, said it was possible that cuts to the federal budget could affect the plan, “but everybody feels pretty confident that both these projects will go forward.” The new schools are to represent the cutting edge in education research and technology. “We’re not just building a school like we’ve always built schools; we’re trying to build schools for the future,” Superintendent Michael Gould said. “What we’re building right now needs to have the capacity and flexibility to still be used in 2060.” He said that would mean environmentally friendly buildings, flexible arrangements of classroom space and infrastructure to accommodate the latest technology.
-- Mike DiCicco SAN BERNARDINO: Construction projects improving education-- Press-Enterprise California: September 08, 2011 [ abstract]
When district, school and other officials toured five San Bernardino City Unified campuses on Wednesday, they saw the physical results of a lot of hammering and cement pouring.
Kevin Goodly, who led the tour at Lincoln Elementary where he is principal, saw more than just the 22 remodeled classrooms, larger library and new computer labs. With the additional space, Goodly said, he has seen more tutoring, more staff training and as a result, higher API test scores and student achievement.
The school's latest score on the standardized test increased by 10 points, and the results increased across all subgroups, including 43 points for English learners and 17 points for Hispanics.
"It allows us to do more," Goodly said. "More instructional activities, more materials and resources we can use because we have an expanded library."
The renovations at Lincoln, which wrapped up in January, are part of $987 million in district construction projects. The money comes from voter-approved bond issues and state money earmarked specifically for construction. It cannot be used for other purposes, such as salaries.
The tour group rode in a school bus past the future sites of Middle College High School, due to open in September 2012; Henry Elementary, to open in spring 2013; and Norton Elementary, to open in July 2012.
-- BRIAN ROKOS Third World America: One Year Later -- Huffington Post National: August 28, 2011 [ abstract] A year ago, I wrote a post announcing the publication of my book Third World America. As I explained at the time, and in the book, America was clearly not a third world country, but there were many troubling trends taking us in that direction. I wanted the book to serve as "a warning, a way of saying that if we don't change course -- and quickly -- that could very well be our future."
Well, twelve months on, the paperback version of the book is coming out and, sad to say, almost none of those troubling trends have been reversed -- or even addressed.
As it happens, not long before I wrote that post last year, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner published an op-ed piece in the New York Times entitled "Welcome to the Recovery," in which he announced that "a review of recent data on the American economy shows that we are on a path back to growth." While allowing that "the devastation wrought by the great recession is still all too real for millions of Americans," Geithner concluded that, though "we suffered a terrible blow," America was "coming back." Call it a case of premature exaltation.
Of course, Geithner was far from alone in wanting to look at the country through green-shoots-colored glasses. Later that week, former Treasury Secretaries Paul O'Neill and Robert Rubin appeared on Fareed Zakaria's CNN show expressing their bipartisan agreement that no more stimulus was needed. "We're moving forward at a pretty gradual pace," said O'Neill, "but I don't think things are terrible."
Putting aside how pathetic it is to have "not terrible" as an economic standard to be satisfied with, it turns out things were, in fact, pretty terrible, and have remained terrible -- or even gotten terribler.
As for our schools, they are also crumbling. Earlier this month, a group led by Mary Filardo of the 21st Century School Fund, Jared Bernstein of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, and Ross Eisenbrey of the Economic Policy Institute, proposed an idea called FAST!, which stands for Fix America's Schools Today. They propose to fund the much-needed repairs to our schools through the elimination of $46 billion in fossil fuel preferences. According to the LA Times, the jobs package that President Obama will unveil after Labor Day might include a provision for fixing our schools.
I hope that's true, because it certainly doesn't look like it will be happening on the state level. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, for the 2012 fiscal year, state budget cuts -- to education, health care and other social services -- will be deeper than for any year since the economic crisis began. Of 47 states that have already passed budgets, at least 38 are making deep reductions.
-- Arianna Huffington Fixing Schools: A Smart Plan for Jobs-- CommonDreams.org National: August 20, 2011 [ abstract] Politicians love to talk about how to ¡°fix¡± the education system, from imposing standardized tests to shuttering ¡°failing¡± schools. But they've been ignoring a big, basic fix for the nation's schools¡ªone that might help fix the unemployment rate as well. A comprehensive school renovation program could be a boost for jobs and for public education.
Revamping schools is one pillar of Illinois Rep. Jan Schakowsky's new job-creation bill, which would provide '400,000 construction and 250,000 maintenance jobs to fix American schools,¡± among various other public-service related work projects.
The program is known as Fix America's Schools Today (FAST!). Developed by the Economic Policy Institute and the 21st Century School Fund, the proposal points out there's a big job to do in the country's foundering school buildings and facilities:
[S]chool districts have been under-spending on maintenance and repair for many years. Chronic deferred maintenance and repair can lead to energy inefficiencies, unsafe drinking water, water damage and moldy environments, poor air quality, inadequate fire alarms and fire safety, compromised building security, and structural dangers.
By conservative estimates the accumulated backlog of deferred maintenance and repair amounts to at least $270 billion. Including the cost to "green-up" existing schools¡ªand using less conservative assumptions¡ªthe cost of needed improvements to buildings and systems could exceed $500 billion....
Most school districts do not have resources to address the maintenance and repair backlog, let alone to make energy conservation and efficiency improvements.
-- Michelle Chen South Dakota Senators Say Flood-Damaged Minot Schools Should be Replaced; FEMA Funding-- Minot Daily News South Dakota: August 10, 2011 [ abstract] Minot needs to replace Erik Ramstad Middle School, said Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D. and Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., after touring the wreckage. "To me, this is a no-brainer," Conrad said. Ramstad, built in 1958, wasn't built to meet today's energy efficiency or technology standards, said Conrad, so it would make more sense to build a new school from scratch, one that meets the needs of 21st century education.
At Ramstad, Conrad and Hoeven spoke with school superintendent Mark Vollmer and school board members about the extent of the damage. Vollmer estimated that replacing the damaged schools could cost between $40 million and $50 million, with $28 million to $30 million of that the cost of replacing Ramstad. Ramstad is also located in the flood plain, making it possible that the site could flood again. A surviving sign in the school marks the level of water in the school during the 1969 flood, at just a few feet from the floor. The water line for the 2011 flood is an inch or so from the ceiling.
Ramstad, which had floodwater up to the ceilings for about a month, resembles a bombed-out wreck with windows knocked out, countless walls caved in, and mud and silt caking the floors.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is evaluating the building for damage and hasn't yet come up a report on whether it thinks the schools can be salvaged or not, said Vollmer.
-- Andrea Johnson New Seismic Safety Code Rattles California's Peninsula School Budgets -- San Francisco Examiner California: August 03, 2011 [ abstract] Two years after the Redwood City Elementary School District finished modernizing the last of its 16 school buildings, the state released a list of seismically unsafe schools in California, and nine were in the Peninsula city. That put the district between a rock and a hard place because it had already done work, but that work did not meet the new standards. The problem facing Redwood City and many districts statewide is deep budget cuts and new safety requirements without any funding.
The state did try to help by passing a $10.4 billion bond in 2006 to retrofit state buildings. Nearly $200 million was set aside for schools, but few districts have qualified for the money. In order to dole out the money, schools were ranked 1 to 5 based on vulnerability, with Category 1 being the worst. Initially, schools in Category 1 qualified for money, and eventually the state allowed those in Category 2 to also apply.
In San Mateo County, though, of the roughly 100 schools appearing on the list compiled by the State Allocation Board in 2002, none are in Category 2, leaving districts to find money on their own. "We’re in tier 3," said Don Dias, director of facilities for the Redwood City district. "So we missed out on the funding." The state of the nation’s economy and tight budgets might make it difficult for Redwood City to seek a new bond, Dias said. However, all of Redwood City’s elementary school buildings are inhabitable, Dias said, and the state’s requirements are merely a code update. "California buildings are the safest buildings in the world, period," he said. "[But] even without this, but we are always trying to get better."
-- Andrea Koskey Kaine, Allen team up for rare joint statement on military schools-- Washington Post National: July 20, 2011 [ abstract] It’s a rare occurrence when two candidates locked in a heated Senate race like Timothy M. Kaine (D) and George Allen (R) agree on something, and it’s even more unusual when two rival campaigns actually decide to collaborate publicly.
But that’s just what happened Wednesday, when the two former Virginia governors issued a joint statement on a recent report by the nonpartisan Center for Public Integrity that found substandard conditions at schools on military bases across the country, including in Virginia.
Multiple senators, including Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), have written to the Pentagon urging Defense Secretary Leon Panetta to pay urgent attention to the issue. Kaine and Allen praised the senators for their action.
“Children deserve the opportunity to learn in schools that help them achieve their full potential and not be held back by failing facilities,” the rival candidates said.
-- Ben Pershing Too hot to learn: The crumbling school infrastructure in Baltimore City and County-- Baltimore Sun Maryland: July 19, 2011 [ abstract] The recent reports on suspected cheating on standardized tests at some Baltimore City schools included the statement that school officials worry they might "have hit a wall in educating children." Some of those walls have been in place for a long time in Maryland public schools — and they are dilapidated and moldy.
Baltimore City and Baltimore County have the oldest school buildings in the state, and fewer than half of their schools have decent climate control, either in the hot months or the cold months. When schools were closed early for three days in June, the heat index in several Ridgely Middle School classrooms in Baltimore County ranged from 108 to 116 degrees at the early closing times.
Temperatures of 80 degrees and above are common for weeks on end in Baltimore County in the fall and spring, and temperatures in the city are usually higher. Teachers cannot teach effectively, and students cannot learn effectively, for long periods when temperatures exceed 80 degrees. Teachers and students have fainted in hot classrooms in Baltimore County, but to our knowledge no school officials are tracking heat or environmentally related health problems for students and teachers in city or county schools. It is high time that television crews were allowed into public schools in Maryland, with thermometers, so that we can all see the terrible conditions in some of them.
Only a few of the 180 school buildings in Baltimore City have working water fountains because of the fear of lead contamination, so water bottles are trucked in. Prince George's County schools also have serious infrastructure problems.
-- Laurie Taylor-Mitchell and Lois Hybl Two Henrico County, Virginia Schools Earn LEED Certification-- Henrico Citizen Virginia: July 13, 2011 [ abstract] Henrico County's two newest schools – Glen Allen High School and Holman Middle School – recently earned Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification, as verified by the Green Building Certification Institute.
Glen Allen High School achieved LEED certification at the gold level. The school features an abundance of natural light, and through efficiency considerations in the building's roof and wall construction, lighting systems and mechanical system, it is modeled to require 28 percent less energy than a minimally code-compliant design. A 50,000-gallon cistern collects storm water from the roof, which is reused for flushing. This cistern, combined with low-plumbing fixtures, results in an 80 percent water use reduction versus a school using standard plumbing systems.what is planted. And because it takes a village to raise a child according to an old African proverb, many people are often involved in sowing those seeds.
On Saturday, June 18, the seeds of a six-month project at the downtown Hammond Academy of Science and Technology (HAST) charter school came to fruition. About 75 volunteers - including parents, community members, conservationists and BP Whiting Refinery employees - joined a group of ninth graders to plant a sustainable landscape of plants native to Northwest Indiana outside the new school's main entrance.
-- Staff Writer Report: Most Department of Defense School Buildings Below Military Standards-- Stars and Stripes National: June 27, 2011 [ abstract] More than three quarters of the Defense Department school system's buildings are below military standards, according to an investigation from the Center for Public Integrity's iWatch News.
-- Staff Writer First Affordable Grid Neutral Portable Classroom: Green Apple Classrooms-- San Francisco Chronicle National: June 20, 2011 [ abstract] Green Apple Classrooms are the first affordable grid neutral portable classrooms. As an alternative to the standard “Brick and Mortar” classroom, portables or relocatables are a popular, inexpensive solution. The Green Apple adds a new standard by becoming one of the first relocatable classrooms to generate all it’s required electricity through the PV film attached to it’s roof. Through net-metering the Green Apple, under most conditions, will generate more electricity than it will require on an annual basis.
An advanced HVAC unit, state-of-the-art lighting system, and increased insulation all reduce the unit’s energy demands. To meet these lowered demands, we employ an array of amorphous silicon thin-film photovoltaic panels on the roof of the units. The result is a classroom which generates as much energy as it consumes. For California taxpayers, it means an annual energy savings of $22.3 million if the state eventually replaces a quarter of the current portable fleet with energy-efficient, solar-powered classrooms. And finally, for the planet it means an emissions savings of over 100,000 tons of carbon dioxide per year.
-- Paul Byrne Cleveland Design Competition Challenge: Create New School-- Plain Dealer Ohio: May 04, 2011 [ abstract] The dream of creating a permanent, architecturally dramatic new home for the fledgling Campus International School at Cleveland State University is still just that -- a dream. But it will take more definite shape by August, thanks to a locally sponsored global design competition launched to envision how such a building could elevate standards for public-school architecture in Cleveland and achieve landmark quality.
The contest to generate ideas for the new school is sponsored by the Cleveland Design Competition, organized by architectural designers Michael Christoff and Bradley Fink, now in its fourth year. Fink and Christoff announced this year's competition theme on their website on Monday. The designers are both 29 and have yet to complete their architectural license exams. But their competition, which capitalizes on the Internet, is shaking up the local design community by focusing fresh thinking from around the world on the city.
-- Steven Litt Poll: Will state hire more school inspectors?-- Sacramento Bee California: April 14, 2011 [ abstract] Professional Engineers in California Government is calling for the state to hire more inspectors after a recent California Watch report published in The Bee highlighted unsafe structural conditions in public schools across the state.
"The safety of school children is a statewide concern," PECG President Matt Hanson said in a Wednesday press release. "This means state inspectors, not private contractors selected by local politicians, must be onsite during school construction."
The union, whose members include senior structural engineers and architects at the Division of the State Architect, are involved with certifying that construction safety standards are met at public schools. The union has long opposed privatized engineering and inspection on state projects because, it says, the profit motive drives contracted employees to cut corners and that compromises public safety. It also claims that it's cheaper for state employees to do the work.
-- Jon Ortiz Schools Needing Retrofits Say 'Show Us the Money'
-- California Report California: April 11, 2011 [ abstract] The state of California lists more than 7,000 public school buildings that could be at risk in a powerful earthquake. But only one in 10 has undergone a seismic review, according to state records. What's more, district officials complain the state has imposed so many barriers that almost no schools have actually received voter-approved bond funds for seismic repairs. The list includes Philadelphia Elementary in the Pomona Unified School District in Los Angeles.
On a recent morning Pomona facilities director Scott Stark made his way across Philadelphia Elementary School's tree-shaded courtyards packed with kids on recess. Along the way he pointed to several classrooms and the administration building.
"As you can see, the entire campus is built all the same, pods of classrooms, brick in construction," Stark said.
Ten years ago the Division of the State Architect (DSA) put four of these buildings on its list of potentially hazardous school structures. But when it came time to dole out money for repair work, Stark says Philadelphia Elementary didn't make the cut.
"We didn't qualify for funding, or what was considered by those standards the DSA put out as a seismically vulnerable, critical site," Stark said.
Now, without state money, the district is drawing on funds from a local bond measure to conduct a seismic review.
"It's unfortunate," Stark said, "that the money isn't available at the state to immediately mitigate any seismic concerns that a school district or school facilities might have, but it is what it is."
-- Michael Montgomery Charter school operators seeking DPS building must pass requirements-- The Detroit News Michigan: April 07, 2011 [ abstract] Charter school operators interested in taking over a Detroit Public School building must pass a test of their own.
Officials today are to release a proposal to local, state and national charter operators that outlines what the district expects of those who want to start a DPS charter program. Among other requirements, they must have:
A 90 percent graduation rate for their program.
An existing charter school with at least 500 students.
A track record of including the community.
In an interview with The Detroit News on Wednesday, DPS spokesman Steve Wasko provided details of the 125-page proposal, which seeks to radically restructure academically failing schools and reduce operating costs by seeking charter proposals for 45 of the district's 141 schools.
Because a typical charter school operation takes an average of 18 months from start to finish, Wasko said DPS officials are narrowing the field of candidates for phase one to quicken the process for conversion by the fall. Other applicants will be asked to apply to start a school in the fall of 2012.
Applicants must operate two schools in Michigan — with one being at least 31/2 years old — and show 75 percent of students meet state standards for reading and math. Exceptions can be made for previous turnarounds where significant progress was made, Wasko said.
-- Jennifer Chambers Lax oversight of school construction raises doubts about earthquake safety
-- California Watch California: April 07, 2011 [ abstract] State regulators have routinely failed to enforce California’s landmark earthquake safety law for public schools, allowing children and teachers to occupy buildings with structural flaws and potential safety hazards reported during construction.
Top management with the Division of the State Architect " the chief regulator of school construction " for years did nothing about nearly 1,100 building projects that its own supervisors had red-flagged. Safety defects were logged and then filed away without follow-up from the state.
California law requires the state architect’s office to enforce the Field Act " seismic regulations enacted nearly 80 years ago. The law is considered a gold standard of school construction. It requires state oversight to assure professional engineering and quality control from the early design phase to the first day of classes.
These regulators are granted “the police power of the state” over the construction of public schools.
But over the last two decades, enforcement of the Field Act has been plagued with bureaucratic chaos, a California Watch investigation has found. Tens of thousands of children attend schools without the required Field Act certification.
Documents show uncertified schools with missing wall anchors, dangerous lights poised above children, poor welding, slipshod emergency exits for disabled students and malfunctioning fire alarms. These problems were reported by district school inspectors and state field supervisors and then lost in a swamp of paperwork.
In many cases, the state does not know if school officials have fixed these problems. Instead, the state architect’s office issued warning letters to school board members and administrators, and walked away.
-- Corey G. Johnson East Valley district moving to K-8 schools
-- Spokesman-Review Washington: March 31, 2011 [ abstract] The East Valley School District is asking voters to approve a $33.75 million school construction bond on April 26. The bond will be used to expand and renovate its primary schools.
But the issue many are debating is the district’s decision to eliminate its middle schools and turn its elementary schools into kindergarten through eighth grade schools, regardless of bond approval.
It’s a model that’s being considered across the country. Districts in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Maryland and New York " including the large urban areas of Cincinnati, Cleveland, Philadelphia and Baltimore " are moving toward K-8 schools.
In an article that appeared in the Fall 2010 edition of Education Next, researchers Jonah E. Rockoff and Benjamin B. Lockwood followed students in New York City from third grade through eighth grade from different school configurations.
“What we found bolsters the case for middle-school reform: In the specific year when students move to a middle school (or to a junior high), their academic achievement, as measured by standardized tests, falls substantially in both math and English relative to their counterparts who continue to attend a K-8 elementary school,” they wrote. They cited the cause of this as different school characteristics, “especially the fact that middle schools in New York City educate far more students in each grade.”
Residents in East Valley don’t have to look far for an example of a K-8 public school. Although Continuous Curriculum School is a choice school " it counts in its population students from East Valley and other districts " it is still a public K-8 school.
Principal Chiere Martyn said when she arrived at CCS she wasn’t a fan of the configuration.
-- Lisa Leinberger Standardized Design for School Construction: Cookie Cutter or Building Blocks?-- NJ Spotlight New Jersey: March 31, 2011 [ abstract] The standardization of school construction -- the notion of choosing from a few standard design and construction models for classrooms or even whole buildings -- is not new to the industry or even New Jersey.
Through the decade of the state’s massive court-ordered school construction program, the idea has been included in any number of strategic plans as a way of saving money and getting the work done expeditiously.
Yet at the same time, the bulk of the projects built under the program have been largely customized to the communities and their needs, for good or ill.
Now the idea of standardizing building design and construction is commanding new attention -- or drawing new fire -- since the Schools Development Authority (SDA) said it was a key component in deciding which projects will move ahead and which will get a second look.
But with that announcement also comes the debate as to whether standardization will only lead to so-called cookie-cutter schools or whether it will even work at all in a state with as divergent needs as New jersey.
SDA Spells Out Design Criteria
The latest forum was yesterday’s hearing of the legislature’s Joint Committee for the Public Schools, with SDA executive director Marc Larkins testifying to the criteria he used in choosing the projects that would proceed.
The SDA last month announced after a year of review that it was restarting work with 10 specific projects. The hearing was held at Trenton Central High School, a possible project that was passed over in the next round.
-- John Mooney In City Schools, Tech Spending to Rise Despite Cuts-- New York Times New York: March 29, 2011 [ abstract] Despite sharp drops in state aid, New York City’s Department of Education plans to increase its technology spending, including $542 million next year alone that will primarily pay for wiring and other behind-the-wall upgrades to city schools. The surge is part of an effort to move toward more online learning and computer-based standardized tests.
Some local officials are questioning the timing, since the city is also planning to cut $1.3 billion from its budget for new school construction over the next three years, and to eliminate 6,100 teaching positions, including 4,600 by layoffs. While state law prevents capital funding, the source of much of the technology spending, from being used for salaries, both moves are likely to make class sizes rise.
Despite the hundreds of millions of dollars already spent on wiring, city officials now say those connections are insufficient, given the need to stream high-definition video and interactive programs that they were not designed to handle. It is proposing to spend $465 million to upgrade those connections at 363 schools next year, and $315 million for additional schools by 2014, with schools chosen based on the state of their current technology infrastructure and the poverty level of their students.
-- Sharon Otterman N.J. Assembly Democrats question Christie administration’s school construction choices
-- New Jersey Newsroom New Jersey: March 15, 2011 [ abstract] An explanation Tuesday by the CEO of the state Schools Development Authority to the Assembly Education Committee on how the agency selected 10 school construction projects out of 100 applications submitted from among New Jersey 31 poorest school districts did not satisfy the panel’s Democratic members.
Marc Larkins, the CEO, told the committee the authority a work group of SDA and state Education Department staffers gave the proposed projects a thorough review and developed the ranking system.
Gov. Chris Christie selected Larkins to remake the authority and after a year in which 52 SDA-funded school construction projects were left in limbo, the governor announced last month that $584 million in state support had been awarded to the 10 projects. The governor said the authority, which had been plagued by waste and mismanagement, would slowly begin to help finance projects.
Larkins said Tuesday that the criteria developed for ranking school construction or renovation projects included whether they are construction-ready, the number of students that would benefit, how much the project would cost and whether the design could be standardized. The CEO also said the authority previously awarded a project to each of the 31 districts regardless of need and that 27 projects that had been approved before the governor shut them down had not been ranked or prioritized.
-- TOM HESTER SR. CPS school utilization standard ‘flawed’-- News Tips Illinois: March 10, 2011 [ abstract] When CPS interim CEO Terry Mazany says there are 30 schools that could be closed due to “underutilization” " or when charter school advocates say there are 100 “underutilized” public schools that should be turned over to new charters " the utilization standard they’re relying on is virtually meaningless.
That’s one conclusion of a legislative task force on CPS school facilities planning that will release its final recommendations tomorrow (Friday, March 11, 9:30 a.m., Bilandic Building, 160 N. Michigan, Room 505.)
CPS measures building capacity by counting potential classroom spaces and multiplying by standard class sizes. As has been noted before, this ignores a range of educational needs, from smaller classes for special education to art and music rooms and science and computer labs.
A more comprehensive standard accounts for a variety of educational programming as well as a couple multi-use rooms (cafeterias, auditoriums and/or gyms), and can be roughly expressed in terms of square feet per student, said Mary Filardo of the 21st Century School Fund in Washington, who’s advising the task force.
Based on national standards, CPS should aim at an average of 150 square feet per student " more for high schools, less for elementary schools, she said. The nation’s best schools have as much as 200 square feet per student. Systemwide, CPS has 96.
Absurd results
Applied to individual schools " particularly 224 schools CPS lists as utilizing less than 50 percent of capacity " the CPS standard can yield absurd results. At full capacity as defined by CPS, Clark Elementary would have 51 square feet per student; Brown Academy would have 43 square feet per student, according to the task force.
-- Curtis Black First California School Recognized as "CHPS Verified"-- Green Building Pro California: March 10, 2011 [ abstract] For the first time, a school in California has been recognized as meeting the rigorous high performance design and construction “CHPS Verified” standard of the Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS). High Tech High Chula Vista (HTHCV), a charter high school in Chula Vista, CA, was awarded a CHPS Verified plaque today for completing the rigorous green rating program that verifies a school’s compliance with the CHPS green school building standard.
“High Tech High Chula Vista is a wonderful flagship for the CHPS program in California. As a charter school with a limited construction budget, but with a commitment to integrate sustainable principles into the lives of its diverse student population, HTHCV proves that all schools can be high performance schools,” said Bill Orr, Executive Director of CHPS. “The CHPS Verified plaque is not only a recognition of the school community for committing to high performance design, but also a charge to continue to bring these sustainable principles into play everyday.”
-- Staff Writer Braun: N.J. will lose education funding cuts case because 'the law is the law'
-- NJ.com Blog New Jersey: March 03, 2011 [ abstract] The chances are good the state will lose the school finance case " the case that ended Wednesday in Hackensack " but it won’t lose because of anything nefarious. Not because the judge is biased or the fix is in some other way. Far from it.
The state’s going to lose because it’s making political and ideological arguments in front of a judge, Peter Doyne, who is about as straight and as sharp as New Jersey judges get, and many of them are pretty sharp.
Over and again Wednesday, just as he has for the last month, Doyne asked questions like "How does that help me make my decision?" or "How does that help advance the state’s case?"
Nancy Kaplen, a deputy attorney general and veteran litigator for the state, had a hard time finding a way to help Doyne or help her own case. She tried " Kaplen argued the state’s case before the Supreme Court a few months ago " but the core of her problem is this:
Two years ago, the state took almost exactly the opposite position it’s taking now, and Kaplen was part of that team. Then, the state was run by Gov. Jon Corzine who thought he could make all the school aid troubles disappear by developing a formula that exactly matched money to the "content standards" children need to learn.
-- Bob Braun SDA Goes Public With Its New Rules: What Gets Built and Why - and When-- NJ Spotlight New Jersey: March 03, 2011 [ abstract] The new rules are finally public for school construction in New Jersey’s neediest districts. standardized designs are in and lofty atriums are definitely out. Districts with serious overcrowding will get priority, and those wanting preschools will not.
And for the 100-plus projects that are being proposed, the rough math is that there is probably only enough money approved right now for half of them.
Such were some of the details that emerged from the Schools Development Authority yesterday, as chief executive Marc Larkins provided the first glimpses into the criteria the SDA will use going forward on the state’s 10-year $12 billion construction program.
Larkins presented the plan to the SDA’s board in a packed conference room, with district and civic leaders " not to mention a few contractors " eagerly awaiting to learn how the SDA will be doing business.
The ultimate results were not a surprise. Larkins and Gov. Chris Christie last week announced the 10 projects that will be the first phase and moving forward in the next year. The projects were chosen from 52 that had been underway and prioritized in 2008, but halted under Christie while Larkins reevaluated the criteria.
But how those 10 were chosen and how the rest will be evaluated had been largely kept secret until the board meeting, with Christie and Larkins only saying there would still be a premium on educational need but also on economic efficiency.
-- John Mooney Historic Kansas School Being Adapted for Reuse… As a School
-- National Trust for Historic Preservation Missouri: February 28, 2011 [ abstract] The fate of historic schools is a major preservation concern these days. Shrinking populations and district budgets all too often result in the closure of older school buildings. Standing empty is never good for an older building or for the surrounding community.
Because older schools are so well laid out and solidly built, many find new uses after the end of their educational tenure. It is rare to find a small to mid-size town anymore that does not have a repurposed school building. Less common is to see a school district invest in the renovation of a historic school so that it can continue to function as a school. But, that is happening in Independence, Kansas.
The 1923 Independence Middle School was designed by Chicago architect N.S. Spencer and Sons to meet the highest standards in education at that time. When the building opened, the local newspaper boasted (with just a touch of hyperbole) that the new school was “the best of its kind west of the Mississippi.” Fast forward 88 years, and the building remains full of students. A larger gymnasium was added in 1939, and new windows were installed around 1980. Otherwise, not much has changed, although educators no longer view it as a cutting-edge facility. Some classrooms are too small, others are too big, connections between the original building and the 1939 gym are extremely awkward, access to technology in the classrooms is less than desired, and there is a lot of underutilized space.
-- Elizabeth Rosin ABCs and Net-Zeros: City's First No-Energy School-- The New York Observer New York: February 24, 2011 [ abstract] Over the past decade, no one has built more "green" buildings than the city's School Construction Authority. Even before Local Law 86 required all civic buildings to be built to sustainability standards, the department had been using such measures—light sensors, efficient heating and cooling systems, recycled materials, etc.—to build healthier instiutions that also save money on energy costs.
-- Matt Chaban New York City's First Net-Zero Energy School-- New York Observer New York: February 24, 2011 [ abstract] Over the past decade, no one has built more "green" buildings than the city's School Construction Authority. Even before Local Law 86 required all civic buildings to be built to sustainability standards, the department had been using such measures—light sensors, efficient heating and cooling systems, recycled materials, etc.—to build healthier instiutions that also save money on energy costs.
Now, the School Construction Authority is advancing green building into a new realm with a pioneering new school in Staten Island that will be "net zero," meaning it will generate enough energy to offset its already minimal usage. It is the first such building of its kind in New York.
The future school will sit on a 3.5-acre site and will hold 444 seats inside a 70,000-square-foot building. Like many similar sustainable schools, the building itself will serve as a lab to teach students about energy efficiency and sustainability.
-- Matt Chaban Future goal remains to modernize C.B. schools
-- South West Iowa News Iowa: February 20, 2011 [ abstract] When the Council Bluffs Community School District set a goal to renovate all its school buildings, district Superintendent Martha Bruckner had asked for community feedback during a half-dozen “listening sessions” in 2008.
Most of the district’s 20 buildings are 50 years old or older, and the need to improve the buildings seemed evident. Bruckner said at the time, “We want to come up with a plan this year that we can use to improve the school facilities by 2015.”
What resulted was a new master facilities plan designed to make sure every school is suitable for “a 21st-century education,” Bruckner said, all ready for wireless technology and in compliance with federal American Disabilities Act standards.
That’s still the plan, but tight fiscal times mean district officials are carefully reviewing their goals.
“We’re being conservative on how we move forward on future projects” because of a number of factors, district spokeswoman Diane Ostrowski said.
Those factors include a stagnant economy and fewer students, both of which affect the amount of money the district will have available for projects.
Revenues are generated on a per-pupil basis. The district lost 85 students between the 2009-10 and the 2010-11 school year from an enrollment of about 9,000, and the 2010-11 enrollment numbers dictate funding for the 2011-12 school year.
The district has been able to continue work on the facilities because projects are paid for through revenue generated by the one-cent sales tax. The voter-approved tax is projected to generate about $7.8 million for 2011 and another $7.8 million for 2012.
-- Dennis Friend Gov. Christie announces recommendations for N.J. school construction projects
-- NJ.com New Jersey: February 15, 2011 [ abstract] Gov. Chris Christie today announced recommendations for school construction and renovation projects through the Schools Development Authority.
The plan includes 10 recommended projects for 2011, according to a statement released by the governor's office.
Under Christie's proposal, the Authority will approve school projects using a standardized selection process. The new review process will factor total project cost, cost per student and efficiency of construction, the statement said.
â€"The prior program was associated with the absolute worst kind of government waste, mismanagement and lack of supervision, where much was promised, too much was spent, but too little was returned,†Christie said in the statement. â€"I could not responsibly or in good conscience let that history repeat itself at this agency."
-- The Star-Ledger Continuous News Desk Blacksburg High School's gym collapse: One year later-- Roanoke Times Virginia: February 13, 2011 [ abstract] The Blacksburg High School gym roof collapse locked out its occupants one year ago today, but it's the next-door neighbors, colleagues, and little sisters and brothers of Blacksburg Middle School who've suffered the damage.
The high school crammed into a spacious building on Prices Fork Road: Blacksburg Middle School, opened in 2002. Where else could the district fit 1,080 teenagers and manage dozens of after-school activities?
By fall, the roof collapse had forced 860 Blacksburg Middle students into a new home, a Christiansburg campus 11 times their former school's age.
"I hate to call us the sacrificial lambs, but that's what it feels like," eighth-grade science teacher Susan Mauney said. "Somebody had to give up something."
While school leaders work to build a new Blacksburg High, most Blacksburgers have made the best of uncomfortable -- if not detrimental -- learning spaces.
Blacksburg Middle Principal John Wheeler said he feels pride about the resilience of his faculty, staff and students since they made the move. "We came from the penthouse," he said of his custom-built former school.
Blacksburg High School students benefit from digital Smartboards in every room, classes grouped into pods and sensor-operated bathroom sink faucets.
They'll wait there, and Blacksburg Middle students will wait in Christiansburg, until at least summer 2014.
Glen Earthman, a Virginia Tech professor emeritus of educational leadership, wagers that the better the school facilities -- from air conditioning and natural light to furniture and acoustics -- the better students behave and achieve. Earthman, curious about Blacksburg Middle's displacement, is surveying students on how their attitudes about the surroundings change this year.
The middle school's standards of Learning test scores remained the same in English and history from last school year to this one. Math test pass rates jumped up five points, to 81.
Science scores decreased by two points.
-- Katelyn Polantz Oregon Lawmakers to Consider School Energy Proposal-- Gazette Times Oregon: February 06, 2011 [ abstract] : One of Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber's top environmental and economic priorities will get its first hearing in the Legislature. The House Education Committee will take a first look at Kitzhaber's plan to put people to work by retrofitting schools and other public buildings with modern energy-efficient technology. Supporters of his plan hope to protect the environment while helping schools save money on their energy costs.
House Bill 2888 would authorize the state to sell bonds that would pay for loans and matching grants for school districts that want money to improve their facilities. The bill leaves many details to be decided, including the cost. The sponsor, Rep. Jefferson Smith, D-Portland, cautioned that the measure is merely a "placeholder bill" intended to begin work on the concept. The long-term goal, Smith said, is to retrofit every public school in Oregon along with other government buildings, but this year's bill would not reach that far. "We spend a lot of dough on energy costs in Oregon," Smith said. "If we can save a little of that dough ... that seems really smart."
Smith said the weatherization concept is about more than just creating jobs or saving on energy costs. He said the bill would bring cleaner air and more light into schools, creating a healthier learning environment for students and workplace for teachers.
The committee will also consider a bill that would require all new school construction and remodel projects to meet environmental standards equivalent to the LEED Silver designation from standards developed by Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.
-- Associated Press Michigan Montessori Plans to Renovate Middle School Wing Using Green Approach-- Leelaunau Enterprise Michigan: February 02, 2011 [ abstract] A mostly-vacant area of the Suttons Bay School complex will have new life based on plans by the county’s only Montessori school. Leelanau Montessori Public School Academy proposes to renovate the middle school wing of the school using a green approach. It’s hoping to attain grants for the work.
“The building will have a completely new look and feel, with solar and geothermal systems for heating and cooling, a green roof, the means to biologically recycle water, and natural day lighting to significantly reduce energy consumption,” said architect David Hanawalt of Epochy LLC of Suttons Bay.
The school has contracted with a firm named Epochy to convert the building to an environmentally sensitive and energy-efficient facility. That could be a big project. The middle school wing is the oldest portion of the building, with construction dating back to the early 1960s"well before energy efficiency was an issue. Proposed changes in the middle school are to integrate a greenhouse and outdoor garden into the academy’s curriculum.
The Montessori method of education stresses discovery and creativity in a natural, mixed-age group setting. It fosters personal bond with nature and reinforces these with real life problem-solving exercises. “Our students will have a unique learning tool to help them better understand the world around them and the challenges we face on a daily basis,” Irvine said. It’s the perfect laboratory to nurture their curiosity and imagination.”
If it comes to fruition, the school renovation will be the first LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified school building in northwest Michigan. Developed by the U.S. Green Building Council, LEED recognized building designs that meet very specific and state-of-the-art environmental standards. “This is a win/win situation for us,” Murray said. “We’re taking available space and bringing it up to LEED standards for adaptive re-use. Simultaneously, we’re providing an exciting new learning environment for our Montessori students.”
-- Amy Hubbel San Bernadino School District Earns High Marks for Green Schools-- Press-Enterprise California: January 18, 2011 [ abstract] The San Bernardino City Unified School District has been selected as a model for building environmentally friendly, high-performance, energy-efficient schools. Last month, the district received the Green Building Leadership Award, presented during the annual Green California Schools Summit in Pasadena. The district was honored for its dedication to the implementation of green building standards during the modernization of existing campuses and the construction of new ones.
In recent years, the district has broadened its environmentally sensitive building practices, said Wael Elatar, facilities management/maintenance and operations administrator.
"Building green and high-performance schools not only helps the environment," Elatar said. "It also helps save the district money, which is vital in these tough budget times."
The district has undertaken 53 projects and 14 school projects. These projects are focused on creating energy-efficient schools, Elatar said. These projects feature key high-performance and green components, such as efficient LED lighting and low-flush toilets.
-- Staff Writer 3 New Dayton, Ohio Schools Opening. What Will Their Impact Be On Learning?-- Dayton Daily News Ohio: January 03, 2011 [ abstract] More than 1,200 Dayton Public students will move into the district’s three newest schools when they return from winter break. Teachers spent part of the break getting their classrooms ready as computers and other equipment are moved into Eastmont and Meadowdale PreK-8 schools and the Charity Adams Earley Girls Academy. Those schools " along with the Dayton Boys Preparatory Academy at Roosevelt Commons that opened after Thanksgiving " bring to 22 the number of new buildings resulting from the district’s $627 million construction project, the largest in the region. The last four schools will open next school year.
With more than two-thirds of the students now learning in new buildings, many hope the fresh, clean environments offering the latest in technology will boost student performance in the district that received an “academic watch” rating on its latest state report card. But a review of the first five schools that opened in 2006 and 2007 shows three are in academic emergency and two in academic watch for meeting so few report card standards.
Superintendent Lori Ward said new schools are great, but she believes the real key to improving academically lies with having high-quality teachers in every classroom, led by a strong principal.
Judy Marks, director of National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities in Washington, D.C., said while there may not be noticeable immediate improvement in test scores, new schools can have a positive impact on such things as student attendance, teacher retention, even morale.
-- Margo Rutledge Kissell Clients See Construction Quality Slipping
-- Hartford Business Connecticut: December 27, 2010 [ abstract] As finances tightened in the construction industry over the past two years, property owners say they experienced a remarkable decrease in the quality of service provided by architects, engineers and construction managers.
“There used to be a certain level of confidence that your design professional was watching your job,” said James Keaney, director of capital projects for the City of Hartford. “Now more responsibility for oversight is shifting to the owner.”
Keaney delivered this message at the Construction Institute’s Owners’ Forum on Dec. 10 at Northeast Utilities in Berlin where four property owner representatives laid out their concerns in front of an audience of design and construction professionals.
The consensus from the panel " along with design and construction professionals on a rebuttal panel " was the quality of service provided to the owners is declining, more so in the public sector where building longstanding relationships with design and management companies is much more difficult. Although many factors contribute to the decline, the main culprit is a changing fee structure awarding less money to oversight firms.
“The realization that reduced fees are affecting quality is real,” said James McManus, chairman of the S/L/A/M Collaborative, a construction design and planning firm in Glastonbury.
In the City of Hartford, which has done $500 million in school construction in the past eight years, the fees for architects and engineers dropped to 5.7 percent of a project’s cost, the lowest level since 2005 and significantly below the fees leading up to the recession. For construction managers, the fees dipped to 1.5 percent, nearly half the 2007 levels and the lowest since before 2003.
As a result, items such as preconstruction planning and management have been substandard over the past two years, Keaney said. There has been a drop off in construction administration as well, and field reports from construction sites are not as good.
Poor communication between owners and their design and management teams leads to problems such as several different types of energy efficient LED light bulbs installed in each new facility. While LED lighting is great for the environment, the building and grounds departments must stock the many different types of bulbs to use as replacements, which is difficult and costly.
“These are all small things, but as we know, in this industry small things can become big things,” Keaney said.
-- Brad Kane Rebuilding Humboldt County's aging schools-- Times-Standard California: December 26, 2010 [ abstract] Fortuna Middle School staff came in to work one summer to find the cafeteria ceiling had collapsed, seemingly without cause.
No adverse weather was bombarding the building at the time. No earthquake rattled its foundation. The aging facility was just well past its prime, said Patti Hafner, superintendent of Fortuna Union Elementary School District. The middle school, known by some as Town School, was built in 1937.
But thanks in part to a school bond approved by voters in 2006, the district will be finishing its renovations soon and demolishing older portions of the facility.
”It is definitely time to replace the school,” Hafner said.
Keeping up with new technology and ever-rising facility standards can be quite the task for rural schools, but voters have been generous in approving a number of school bonds for Humboldt County districts to help fund modernization efforts.
-- Allison White Whither Go the BABs?-- The New Republic National: December 22, 2010 [ abstract] Without an extension by the end of December, the 2 year old Build America Bond (BAB) program will expire. As of this writing, both the Senate and House tax bills failed to include BABs as part of their packages.
The program, which was birthed as part of the stimulus package, authorizes state and local governments to issue these bonds to finance pretty much any kind of infrastructure project. They are different from standard municipal bonds in that the interest earned is taxable as opposed to tax-exempt.
The BABs are a direct response to the needs of state, local, and other public entities to expand their ability to fund projects. To enable these governments to take on more debt, the federal government subsidizes 35 percent of the interest payment on the BABs. As a result of this federal subsidy payment, state and local governments have lower net borrowing costs and are able to reach more sources of borrowing than with more traditional tax-exempt or tax credit bonds.
Questions about the impacts of BABs are ongoing. Did they saddle already-strapped public agencies with too much debt? Did they succeed to unfreeze of the capital markets and reduce the borrowing costs of local and state governments? Were they plagued by fees from Wall Street firms? Or were they or were they not one of the stimulus success stories of the past couple years?
But other important questions have gotten less attention. Critically, what do we know about where and for what purpose have these bonds been issued?
Examining data from the Treasury Department for BABs issued since the beginning of the program in April 2009 until the end of April 2010, we can shed some light.
Our analysis found that nearly half of all the funding (47.6%) for the BAB issuances was for projects in the 100 largest metropolitan areas. Eight percent were in metros outside of the top 100, and 5 percent were outside metropolitan America completely. Another 40 percent were issued on a statewide level.
Not surprisingly, the largest states have the largest dollar amount of issuances. Half of the BABs dollars went for projects in California, Illinois, New York, and Texas. But as a percentage of gross state product, the four largest issuers were South Dakota, Kentucky, Wisconsin, and Kansas.
In terms of purpose, by far, the greatest share of BAB funding (30 percent) went for educational facilities. Water/sewer projects (13.8 percent) and road/bridge projects (13.7 percent) followed behind. See table.
So whether BABs are dead for good or whether they will be resurrected in 2011 is anyone’s guess. But the spatial distribution as well as the purpose of the spending, should be part of any debate going forward.
Build America Bonds, issued between April 2009 and April 2010 (Source: U.S. Treasury Department)
-- Robert Puentes, Emilia Istrate Low construction costs speed up future school renovations
-- Fair Fax times Virginia: December 21, 2010 [ abstract] Built in the 1960s, Langley High School in McLean is operating by 50-year-old standards.
The school has faced power outages brought on in part because its technology demands don't meet the infrastructure. While parts of the building feel overheated, in other classrooms students freeze, Principal Matt Ragone said.
But the school, and 24 others in the Fairfax County Public Schools system, received some good news last week.
A decline in construction costs has generated a savings of $31 million for the school system during the past three years, and will allow an accelerated renovation schedule for schools listed as capital improvement projects during fiscal 2012-16.
The school system plans to spend $155 million annually on capital improvements, with a five-year cost of $804.9 million.
Staff and students at Langley High School "are pretty excited," Ragone said. "Everybody recognizes that the facility is substandard ... I think a lot of people are shocked when they come to our facility" because the students' achievements do not match the school's dilapidated appearance.
Like many of Fairfax County's older schools, Langley faces growing pains. Monday's holiday concert had to be staged in shifts because the school's auditorium only seats 800, while student enrollment has grown to more than 2,000.
The proposed accelerated renovation schedule bumps up the school's construction start date from 2017 to 2015, according to the school system staff.
-- Holly Hobbs Design Proposals Unveiled for $40 Million School in East Baltimore-- Baltimore Sun Maryland: November 22, 2010 [ abstract] Classrooms that "grow" in size as students get older. Vegetable gardens and wind turbines that help teach city children about farming and alternative energy sources. Diverse learning spaces under a single, sweeping roof, intended to foster a sense of community.
These are just a few of the ideas presented by three teams competing to design the East Baltimore Community School, a $40 million, kindergarten-to-eighth-grade facility planned as an anchor for the East Baltimore Development Inc. renewal area.
Expected to open by fall 2014, the 103,000-square-foot building will be a "public contract school" — it will be open to neighborhood students, but its design and construction will not be funded through the city school system's standard procurement process. Money to build the school will come from a variety of sources, including nonprofits such as the Annie E. Casey Foundation, as well as from a previously approved tax-increment financing plan. More than $8.5 million has been raised so far.
East Baltimore Development Inc., a public-private partnership that is redeveloping 88 acres north of the Johns Hopkins Medical Campus as a $1.8 billion mixed-use community, is overseeing the school project. To select an architect, it launched a national competition and chose three teams to work for nine weeks on a design. Each team will receive $25,000, and the winner will be given the first chance to negotiate a contract to design the campus.
-- Edward Gunts, Local Officials Surprised at Estimate for New Illinois School.-- Benton Evening News Illinois: October 25, 2010 [ abstract] Staggering construction cost estimatesfor the consolidation of Christopher, Zeigler and Royalton High Schools left audience members speechless. Architect Marion Poggas said that 35 acres was required to accommodate 500 students in a new or remodeled school building with sports facilities, staff and student parking, and a road for bus traffic. He also talked about the number of classrooms needed, along with space for labs, food preparation, art, instrumental and vocal music space, physical education, media library, along with space for special needs students. Committee Chair Allan Patton said the state standard specifies that between 200 and 225 square feet must be allotted per student. "Marion said it would take between 100,000 and 120,000 square feet to house the high school students," he said. "That does not include direct student services on the vocational side such as family and consumer science, technical labs for wood, metal, auto and computer-aided drafting. We must have emphasis on computer labs to prepare students for the demands of the future." Patton said. "Marion said a new school would cost $23 million for 100,000 square feet and $28 million for 120,000 square feet," he said. "That's without the cost of the land. "An addition to Zeigler-Royalton High School to add classrooms and to update the building would cost $16 million to add 65,000 square feet or $18.5 million to add 75,000 square feet. The high school would have to be upgraded because the building is 50 years old."
-- Mona Sandefur Energy Conservation Yields $47,000 Check for Kalamazoo Public Schools
-- Kalamazoo Gazette Michigan: October 19, 2010 [ abstract] The district has received a $47,283 check from Tower Pinkster Titus Associates, the architecture and engineering firm that designed Linden Grove Middle School, in connection with a federal tax credit that the firm received for its middle-school design. The money will be used for the district’s literacy efforts.
The tax credit is part of the Commercial Building Tax Deduction and the Energy Policy Act of 2005, which was created to encourage energy efficiency in commercial buildings. Linden Grove, which opened in fall 2009, qualified by reducing the building’s lighting, heating and cooling energy by more than 30 percent compared to American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers standards.
Because KPS is a nonprofit and does not pay taxes, it did not qualify for the tax incentive. But Tower Pinkster was able to file for the credit on project of the project, and they turned the money over to the school district.
Among the building’s energy-saving features are: abundant daylighting, allowing for fewer artificial lights and smaller HVAC systems; special outdoor light fixtures designed to decrease light pollution; dual flush toilets and low-flow fixtures; a reflective, white roof, in combination with roof vegetation.
-- Julie Mack Chicago Schools Pay Price for Illinois Fiscal Problems: Issues $257 Million QSCBs and $125 Million BABs-- Bloomberg Illinois: October 15, 2010 [ abstract] Chicago’s Board of Education, stung by delayed aid from Governor Pat Quinn and a credit-rating downgrade, is paying almost twice as much as comparably rated schools for taxable Qualified School Construction Bonds.
Fitch Ratings lowered its credit score on the board one level last week to A+, fifth-highest, citing delays in state aid payments and future rises in pension and debt-service costs. standard & Poor’s assigned AA-, fourth-highest, and revised its outlook to negative. Moody’s Investors Service rates the debt Aa2, third-highest.
Yesterday’s $257 million issue of so-called QSCBs, the third-largest sale of the federally subsidized debt, offered 19- year bonds priced to yield 6.32 percent, or 2.5 percentage points above 30-year U.S. Treasuries. That’s about 82 percent more than the 1.37 percentage-point spread the Los Angeles Unified School District paid on its $190 million of the debt in May. Chicago Public Schools, the nation’s third-largest district, is paying the price for the fiscal problems the state and city are having, said Anthony Greco, a trader at Boston- based Breckinridge Capital Advisors, which manages $13.5 billion.
“Illinois as a state is in the news, and it’s not positive news,” Greco said. “Chicago has its own set of problems that mimic the state and it’s making people nervous.” The Board of Education also sold $125 million in Build America Bonds, which carry a 35 percent subsidy. QSCBs are eligible for a 100 percent subsidy on interest costs.
-- Brendan A. McGrail and Alexandra Harris New York’s $133 Million in Qualified School Construction Bonds May Face Rising Yields-- Bloomberg Business Week New York: September 15, 2010 [ abstract] State of New York Dormitory Authority, last year’s second-largest issuer of municipal debt, is selling $133.5 million in qualified school construction bonds as a six-month high in overall supply may raise yields. Today’s deal uses up the remainder of the state’s 2009 allocation of so-called QSCBs. The Dormitory Authority issued about $59 million of the debt in October 2009. As of March, the school-bond subsidy is paid directly to the issuer, as is the case with Build America Bonds. The federal government subsidizes as much as 100 percent of the interest costs on the school debt and a fixed 35 percent on Build Americas.
The changed format will help attract investors, according to Paul Williams, president of the Dormitory Authority. “We believe there will be strong demand for QSCBs,” he said. With the change from a tax-credit format, “the buyer base increases significantly.” Proceeds of the sale will fund grants to New York school districts under the state’s Expanding our Children’s Education and Learning program, according to preliminary offering documents. The securities are backed by state personal income tax, so-called PIT bonds, the documents show. School construction bonds received a boost in previous months given diminished supply of municipal debt, Rourke said.
The New York City Transitional Finance Authority sold $147 million in QSCBs on Aug. 4, with the 17-year debt priced to yield 5 percent, about 106 basis points below the Wells Fargo Build America index. Those same bonds, top-rated by standard & Poor’s and Fitch Ratings, traded Sept. 13 at an average yield of 4.57 percent, about 115 basis points below the index. A basis point is 0.01 percentage point.
The Massachusetts School Building Authority on June 15 sold $150 million in 17-year bonds, which were rated third-highest investment grade by all three agencies. They priced to yield 5.47 percent, 48 basis points below the index. By July 20 the securities were trading at 5.21 percent, about 80 basis points below.
-- Brendan A. McGrail As summer ends, changes come to Staten Island schools-- Silive.com New York: September 06, 2010 [ abstract] New schools, new superintendents, new classroom facilities and new standards will greet students as they take their seats on the first day back at school Wednesday.
Despite one of the most severe budget cutbacks in recent history, local schools have been making the most of scant resources to offer an awe-inspiring return to class.
-- Amy Padnani West Virginia District Considers Removing Swings From All School Playgrounds-- Herald-Dispatch West Virginia: September 01, 2010 [ abstract] A state lawmaker is asking Cabell County Schools Superintendent William Smith to suspend the removal of swing sets from all elementary school playgrounds until he can bring involved parties to the table. Swings are scheduled to be removed from the 17 schools that have them by late December because of recent lawsuits and costs associated with meeting national standards for playground safety.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission sets playground safety guidelines. The current guidelines for swings require a protective layer of sand, pea gravel, wood mulch, wood chips or recycled rubber that equals twice the height of the swing in each direction. That means if a swing is 7 feet long, a layer of ground material is required 14 feet in front and 14 feet in the back. The safety standards also call for a depth of at least 9 inches.
Cabell County uses wood mulch on its playgrounds, but it is biodegradable and washes away when it rains, said Tim Stewart, safety manager for Cabell County Schools. That makes it difficult to comply with national safety standards, he said. The only other viable alternative is recycled rubber, but it has raised toxicity questions among parents across the country and is more expensive than wood mulch, Stewart said. He estimates it would cost about $8,000 to cover the ground around each of the 36 swing sets. That's a total of $288,000, a cost that would have to be repeated at least every seven years, he said.
-- Bryan Chambers Public School Board: Board looking for contractors after $73M bond is reached-- The Holland Sentinel Michigan: August 18, 2010 [ abstract] Holland Public Schools is finished selling and underwriting $73 million of bonds and is now interviewing contractors for rehab, expansion and building projects.
DISCUSSION:
Holland voters approved a tax increase in May to support several school projects; it took 60 days to sell and underwrite the bonds. The total interest rate for the bonds is less than 4 percent, said Tom Page, Holland Public School’s spokesman.
The school system will save $2.5 million from its good standard & Poors rating, $2.9 million from Build America Bonds and $3.3 million from qualified school construction bonds.
“We’re very pleased that the bond costs are going to be kept to a minimum,” Page said.
The board reviewed a prospective construction schedule, which shows much of the design work happening in 2010-11, with the bulk of construction in 2012-13. Page said some construction will begin in the spring.
“We don’t want to tear up buildings as we start school,” he said.
The board expects to award construction contracts Sept. 20. The major contracts include about $40 million in renovations to Holland High School, as well as multi-million dollar projects for four middle schools, the Van Raalte Tech Center and New Tech Academy high school.
“In a month or so we’ll begin to create schedules and put up plans on the website,” Page said.
OTHER ACTION:
The school district open house day is Wednesday, Sept. 1. The high school and eighth grade open houses are from 7 to 9 p.m., and the Holland Heights, East, West and Jefferson middle school open houses are 5 to 7 p.m.
The first day of school is Sept. 7.
-- PETER DAINING DoDEA Begins School Year with Facilities Renovation and Construction Initiative-- Department of Defence Education Activity DoDEA: August 10, 2010 [ abstract] The Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) begins School Year 2010-2011 with a major facilities renovation and construction initiative that will eventually result in the modernization of 134 schools worldwide. The initiative starts this October with the beginning of Fiscal Year 2011 and is scheduled to span the next several fiscal years through Fiscal Year 2016. Close collaboration and cooperation between DoDEA, The Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, the Military Services, the Department of Defense Comptroller, and the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Installations and Environment resulted in a plan to address $3.7 billion in Military Construction (MILCON) needs for DoDEA facilities. The multi-year MILCON funding program will bring all 970 DoDEA school facilities to the Department of Defense's (DoD's) acceptable quality standard of Q2 or better. The DoD Quality Rating ("Q-Rating") system is a 4-level system which describes the condition of a DoD facility, to include DoDEA schools. The DoD has set a target of acceptable performance at Q2 and a useful life duration for school facilities of 45 years. Q-Ratings are defined as followed: •Q-1 New or well maintained (Good) •Q-2 Satisfactorily maintained (Fair) •Q-3 Under-maintained (Poor) •Q-4 Considered for replacement (Failing - facility is still safe, but more cost effective to replace than maintain) Currently 30% of the DoDEA schools are at a Q2 rating or better, with the remaining 70% at a Q3 or Q4 rating. Forty nine percent of the DoDEA schools have facilities that are 45 years of age or older. DoDEA will use the additional resources to bring all of its facilities to a Q2 or better level. At the conclusion of the program less than 7% of the DoDEA facilities will be more than 45 years old.
-- Staff Writer Incentives Bring Solar to Colorado Public Schools -- GetSolar.com Colorado: August 06, 2010 [ abstract] Renewable Social Benefit Funds, an alternative energy company dedicated to bringing solar power to hospitals, schools and low-income housing, will work with Jefferson County Public Schools to provide 30 local schools with clean, renewable solar power.
A combination of incentives from federal and state programs, as well as from Xcel Energy, will help the county meet Colorado solar and renewable energy standards, which require that 30 percent of the state's electricity come from renewable sources within 10 years.
The program will hopefully save the county's public schools around $1 million in energy costs and will provide a compelling educational opportunity to teach students about the benefits of renewable energy. RBS Funds will work with Colorado solar installer Golden Power Partners, Los Angeles, California solar installer Martifer Solar and Tecta America Colorado to build the systems.
-- Staff Writer San Antonio's First Green School Completed -- Express News Texas: July 19, 2010 [ abstract] Cibolo Green Elementary, in the North East Independent School District, is one of the first green schools in San Antonio. Built by Satterfield and Pontikes to meet LEED Silver standards, Cibolo Green features recycled building materials and energy-saving lighting throughout the school.
Built on a steeply graded site, the new school also features learning centers throughout the facility and viewing windows into the mechanical rooms and infrastructure, allowing students to see such building components as steel columns, insulation, piping and wiring. It also has an emphasis on multiple colors and natural light in the atrium, common areas and classrooms.
-- Elizabeth Allen, 46 Mayors Team Up for Green Schools -- Union-Tribune California: July 09, 2010 [ abstract] Mayors in three South Bay cities are joining a green schools coalition. Cheryl Cox of Chula Vista, Ron Morrison of National City and Jim Janney of Imperial Beach announced their participation in the Mayors’ Alliance for Green Schools at Chula Vista High School. The alliance is a coalition of 46 mayors nationwide who will work with the U.S. Green Building Council to promote the building of environmentally sustainable buildings at public schools and to encourage green renovations in South Bay campuses.
Wednesday’s event was held in front of the construction site for Chula Vista High School’s new creative arts multipurpose building " a $9 million LEED Gold structure approved by South County voters as part of Proposition O in November 2006. Speakers praised the 25,729-square-foot building as setting the standard for future projects.
-- Wendy Fry, Joint board cuts fee for manager of troubled Syracuse school construction project-- The Post-Standard New York: June 24, 2010 [ abstract] It wasn’t pretty, but the board in charge of a Syracuse school reconstruction effort voted this morning to tighten the financial screws on the firm managing the project.
The joint city-school district construction board voted 6-2 to cut Gilbane Building Co.’s pay by $600,000 and take away another $400,000 if Gilbane fails to complete major renovations of four schools. Gilbane has a $16.6 million contract.
Mayor Stephanie Miner negotiated the contract amendment with Gilbane and brought it to the joint board, which she chairs. She is a nonvoting member.
The no votes came from Syracuse Superintendent Daniel Lowengard and school board Vice President Ned Deuel. Lowengard and Deuel said they thought Gilbane’s fee reduction should be higher. A performance review of Gilbane was “scathing,” Lowengard said.
-- Staff Writer Cleveland schools students say farewell as 16 buildings reach end of line-- The Plain Dealer Ohio: June 09, 2010 [ abstract] For some of the 16 Cleveland public schools that close today, their demise comes almost mercifully. Others were jolted by the decision, even if risk factors like academic failure and declining enrollment were plain.
A.B. Hart Elementary, in the Slavic Village neighborhood, was on everyone's list of predictions as district officials sought to cut costs and pursue "transformation."
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Test scores long failed to meet standards. For years, staff heard downtown was set to pull the plug.
"It kind of got to be a joke," special education teacher Erin McHugh said. " 'It's going to close. Yeah, right.' "
-- Thomas Ott Fifty New Jersey School Construction Projects are Stuck in Limbo -- Star-Ledger New Jersey: May 18, 2010 [ abstract] In 2006, students at the A. Chester Redshaw Elementary School in New Brunswick moved into a temporary warehouse facility with no playground or auditorium, but with the promise a new state-of-the-art school would soon be built for them. Four years later, they’re still in the warehouse " and still waiting.
Redshaw Elementary is one of more than 50 New Jersey schools in limbo as state funding for construction has been caught up in years of mismanagement scandals, financial crises and red tape. The delays have left many frustrated districts " from Newark to Perth Amboy to Camden " unsure if their students will ever get out of temporary classrooms.
After months of uncertainty, state officials said shovels may be in the ground soon on many stalled school construction projects. Last month, the state said it will borrow $500 million for the state Schools Development Authority to start building again. "We are excited about the governor’s continued support of this program," said Marc Larkins, the new head of the authority. "The authority is committed to providing safe, modern schools for our students while devoting ourselves to the highest standards of accountability and efficiency." However, authority officials said they still have no timetable for when districts will hear whether they will get funding to build their new schools. The authority will work with the state Department of Education to determine which projects will get funding once the money starts arriving.
They have plenty from which to choose. There are 50 school construction projects in various stages of development and another 12 under construction, Schools Development Authority officials said. The authority also has a list of 134 emergency repair projects addressing health and safety problems in schools across the state and an additional 1,004 ongoing grant projects in suburban districts.
-- Staff Writers High Lead Levels Hurt Learning for Detroit Public Schools Kids -- Detroit Free Press Michigan: May 15, 2010 [ abstract] More than half of the students tested in Detroit Public Schools have a history of lead poisoning, which affects brain function for life, according to data compiled by city health and education officials. The data also show, for the first time in Detroit, a link between higher lead levels and poor academic performance. About 60% of DPS students who performed below their grade level on 2008 standardized tests had elevated lead levels. The higher the lead levels, the lower the MEAP scores, though other factors also may play a role.
The research -- the result of an unusual collaboration between the city's Department of Health & Wellness Promotion and DPS -- also reveals that children receiving special education were more likely to have lead poisoning. The data, involving tens of thousands of city children, underscore the persistent and troubling legacy of lead, even as the overall number of lead cases continues to fall in Detroit and across the nation.
-- Tina Lam and Kristi Tanner-White Shenandoah Valley school bids $4M lower than anticipated-- Standard Speaker Pennsylvania: April 26, 2010 [ abstract] The bids received for the planned elementary school addition and major upgrades and maintenance projects in the Shenandoah Valley School District were more than $4 million under the original estimates.
As a result, the cost of materials and labor has decreased from an estimated $12.5 million to about $8 million, allowing the school district to go forward with all project alternates.
The overall cost for the projects originally was estimated at $15.8 million, which also includes soft costs such as architectural and engineering services, legal services and fees, etc.
Bids were opened April 14 in the high school library by architect Carmen Wyckoff of Hayes Large Architects LLC, and recorded by Hayes Large project manager Steve Weaver.
Also, bids were opened for the new school bus garage/maintenance facility that will replace the current facility to be demolished for the school addition. The laundromat building recently purchased by the school district will also be demolished to make room for construction.
-- JOHN E. USALIS National school building group criticizes NYC charter space plan-- Gotham Schools New York: April 21, 2010 [ abstract] The head of a national advocacy group for improving school facilities is warning that a Brooklyn school building cannot support a charter school expansion plan that the citywide school board approved last night.
Mary Filardo, executive director of the 21st Century Schools Fund, a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit that helps both district and charter schools plan their building space, composed a report on how space is used at Brooklynfs P.S. 15. The elementary school shares space with PAVE Academy Charter School, which will expand in the building while it awaits construction of its own private building. Filardofs report, prepared at the request of New Yorkfs Campaign for Fiscal Equity, was submitted as testimony against the cityfs plan at last nightfs Panel for Educational Policy meeting.
gMy overall impression is that even following the most optimal collaborative planning process and support from [the Department of Education], it will not be possible for PS 15 to support the continued expansion of PAVE per the DOE proposal,h Filardo writes.
At the most, Filardo estimates that P.S. 15 could give up one full classroom and one half-sized classroom without harm. But the cityfs plan requires much more: it will allocate an additional five full-size classrooms and three resource rooms to PAVE over the next three years.
In its plan, the DOE notes that P.S. 15 currently uses more space than is generally allocated to a school of its size by citywide standards. The plan states that the school will have to re-located its enrichment programs and supplemental services as PAVE expands, though the city says the impact on those programs will be gnot significant.h Filardofs report agrees that the space used for student support services gmay be a little on the high side.h But she also notes that in other areas, such as resource rooms, P.S. 15 uses less than the DOEfs minimum recommended allotments for space.
The space-sharing agreement between P.S. 15 and PAVE has become the center of a heated battle over whether expansion of charter schools in city buildings harms the district schools that share those buildings. The PEP originally approved the DOEfs plan for PAVE in January, but the city put the proposal to a re-vote last night after P.S. 15 parents appealed to the state education commissioner to halt the plan. The parents argue that the city has not provided adequate information about how the expansion plan would affect the quality of education at the schools. The commissioner has not yet ruled on the appeal.
-- Maura Walz Indiana School Sets New Green Standard for State-- Avon Star Indiana: April 15, 2010 [ abstract] Avon Middle School North has officially set the standard for environmentally friendly school buildings statewide. A celebration was held at the school, after it was the first K-12 building in the state to receive the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification. LEED is a globally recognized green building certification system used by the U.S. Green Building Council.
Jim Thompson, president of Gibraltar Design, the lead architectural firm to work on the school, said features that helped with LEED certification include an energy-efficient heating and cooling system, lower wattage lighting and the use of recycled construction materials in the gypsum wallboard and carpeting. The $33.5 million, 220,000-square-foot middle school opened last fall to students.
-- Josh Duke Wake County, North Carolina To Review Costs of Green School Building Efforts -- News & Observer North Carolina: April 14, 2010 [ abstract] Wake County's environmentally green schools may be costing too much financial green for members of the school board's new ruling majority to keep in building plans. Chris Malone, chairman of the board's facilities committee, called for a financial review of Wake's green building efforts, which have led to features such as waterless urinals, natural lighting and recycled building material. Malone said these features can increase costs by as much as 5 percent and may no longer be justifiable when cash-strapped school leaders will need to ask voters in the next few years to approve a school bond referendum for hundreds of millions of dollars. "If we want a bond issue approved, we have to show voters we're saving dollars," said Malone, one of four newcomers swept into office in the fall.
But supporters of green schools said abandoning these efforts would be shortsighted. Green-school features are supposed to save money in the long haul, with lower electric and water bills because of greater efficiency. "I understand that these are hard economic times, but the costs will ultimately come back to the taxpayers," said Bae-Won Koh, chairman of the Triangle chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council. "They'll have to pay more later."
Wake County voters last approved a school bond issue in 2006 for a record $970 million. Plans for a follow-up bond issue have been delayed because of the national recession. With the possibility of a bond issue going to voters in 2011 or 2012, Malone said Tuesday that it's time to spend the next few months considering the planning assumptions that will be used for the next school building program. Among the areas targeted for review by Malone are Wake's long-standing efforts to design schools to be in compliance with the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program. The U.S. Green Building Council says LEED building standards can substantially reduce the emission of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas. More than 1,100 schools have registered across the country for the LEED program.
Malone's call for a review occurs a week before Earth Day and at a time when global warming is a hot topic. Malone said he believes that man is causing the climate to change but thinks it uncertain whether humans are the major reason. Wake school administrators have noted that waterless urinals reduce water use by 20 percent and that designing buildings to use more natural lighting instead of electric lights can cut energy use by 20 percent to 30 percent. Doug Brinkley, past chairman of the Triangle chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council, also touted how green schools can help improve student learning by ensuring good air quality. Schools can use paints that don't release as many chemicals into the air that can irritate people. "It's more than just about saving money; it's about the health of those inside," Brinkley said.
-- T. Keung Hui Extensive school construction proposed to city council
-- East Bat RI.com Rhode Island: April 08, 2010 [ abstract] It’s the biggest high school in the state and according to a presentation given earlier this week, school department officials are looking to make it even bigger.
On Tuesday night, school superintendent Mario Cirillo and chief operating officer Lonnie Barham provided the city council with an update on the school department’s ongoing application process for Qualified School Construction Bond (QSCB) funds. The QSCB program is part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, more commonly known as the stimulus plan. Last year, the program included $11 billion nationally and $44 million in Rhode Island. This year, Mr. Cirillo said the state’s amount is believed to be the same.
Through a lengthy application process, which includes a facilities analysis, an asset protection plan, engineering surveys of all city schools, space usage studies and other information, various school departments from around the state compete for these funds.
Currently, Mr. Cirillo said the school department is looking at a rough estimate of $25 million to repair various issues at all 13 city schools ranging from interior and exterior doors that do not lock, heating issues, leaking roofs, loose brick facings, asbestos-laden tile floors and out-of-code fire detection systems, among others.
According to the school department, various city schools received more than 130 fire code violations in 2008, followed by 71 in 2009 and roughly 120 so far this year. Under the QSCB, all funds come with zero percent interest. Additionally, the city’s poverty rate would allow almost 50 percent of the bond’s principal to be reimbursed.
Connecting two schools
But the current plan doesn’t end with fixing up old schools. With an estimated cost of $14 million, Tuesday’s presentation included initial design drawings of a 46,000"square"foot connector to link East Providence High School and the career and technical center (CTC), which are currently separated by a parking lot. Building this connector, Mr. Cirillo said, would allowed the CTC room for additional programs like robotics and cosmetology and enhancement of programs like culinary arts and computer technology.
Mr. Cirillo also said the connector would create space for an “innovative” Early Intervention Services Center. This center would be part of a pending partnership with Meeting Street School and would allow for the early screening, assessment and intervention or remediation of children from birth to five-years of age.
Mr. Cirillo said the connector would give the school a central front door. David Frieder, an architect with Symmes, Maini and McKee Associates (who have been hired to conduct a district-wide feasibility study) said the new strip would give the appearance of a “unified high school.”
What will it cost?
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The estimated financial resources needed for both the repairs and the connector is about $39 million. Anywhere between $4 million and $8 million of this amount could be saved if the school is able to meet energy performance requirements (the firm Johnson Controls, Inc. is currently performing a district-wide energy audit) leading to roughly $35 million that would need to be bond financed.
To cover this, the current plan is to look for $12 million in funds from the QSCB program at zero percent interest with another $23 million in bonds with interest rates between 3 and 3.5 percent. With a poverty rate reimbursement of 49.8 percent, the city would stand to have $17.5 million reimbursed coupled with a $1.5 million reimbursement from meeting energy efficiency standards, or $19 million total.
The remaining $16 million would fall to taxpayers. On a $16 million bond repayment, the city would have an annual bill of about $1.075 million. The cost per homeowner, based on an average value of $240,000, would come to $40 per year.
In the presentation, the financing of the plan was described as the “taxpayer deal of a lifetime.”
But all of the improvements and renovations are far from a foregone conclusion. For starters, the school department needs to have Stage II of its application approved by the Rhode Island Department of Education. The school committee and city council also have to approve the process and the General Assembly needs to approve a bond referendum. Should the process make it this far, the matter would need voter approval in November.
If everything goes according to plan, construction on the high school-CTC connector could start as early as summer 2011.
After hearing the presentation, Mayor Joseph Larisa Jr. said the plan is “reasonable” but he was concerned that while it’s what the schools need, it might not be what the city can afford.
“Sixteen million is a lot, a lot, a lot, a lot of money in this economy,” Mayor Larisa said.
He added that the city may be looking to fund improvements of its own and while it won’t be included in property tax bills, residents are going to be hit with rising wastewater bills to pay for plant renovations in coming years.
“The question is how much we can reasonably afford,” Mayor Larisa said. “Quite frankly, I don’t know the answer to that right now.”
-- George Morse School district's project list quadruples $500,000 budget-- The Standard Speaker Pennsylvania: April 04, 2010 [ abstract] Hazleton Area's maintenance department recently unveiled a capital improvement wish list for the 2010-2011 school year that includes more than $2 million worth of building repairs, paving projects and equipment purchases.
The challenge will be selecting which projects will be included in a budget that is a fraction of the estimated costs.
With the school district reserving $500,000 for capital improvement projects, one member of a budget subcommittee contends Hazleton Area is shortchanging vital preventative maintenance projects.
"What we've been doing for the last four years is ignoring preventative maintenance," said Larry Sampson, a member of the subcommittee appointed by the school board. "We really need to have a more meaningful program of preventative maintenance. There are a lot of situations where our district is falling apart."
-- SAM GALSK Minnesota Representative Seeks Huge Funding Increase for Indian Schools Construction and Repair-- Minnesota Post Bureau of Indian Education: April 02, 2010 [ abstract] Rep. Betty McCollum has asked House appropriators to approve five times more money to fix federally managed Indian schools than President Obama requested in a bid to dramatically slice the time it would take for the more than 60 schools in poor or worse condition to come up to acceptable standards. One third of the schools managed by the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) — including Bug-O-Nay-Ge Shig in Bena, Minn. — are rated in poor physical condition. Circle of Life in White Earth was rated in even worse condition — listed back in 2004 as among the 14 schools most in need of having facilities replaced. It takes between $15 million and $50 million to replace a school entirely, according to BIE spokeswoman Nedra Darling, and Obama’s Indian schools construction budget calls for $52.8 million to be spent in fiscal 2011. At that funding level, it would take about 30 years to fix them all, according to Sen. Byron Dorgan, chairman of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee. McCollum’s request, detailed in a letter to the head of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, is for $263 million. “We need to be on a trajectory to actually making sure that schools get fixed,” said Bill Harper, McCollum’s chief of staff, adding that schools have been “just treading water” because of inadequate funding for years. Having 63 Indian schools out of the 183 under BIE control in “poor” physical condition is hardly cause for celebration, though officials note it is a sign of progress. Ten years ago, there were more than 120 on that list. Over the past 10 years, more than $1.3 billion has been allocated for Indian school construction, including about $250 million under the stimulus law. So while Obama’s request this year is half of what was budgeted last year, officials point to the stimulus funds as evidence that more money is actually being spent to build schools. “The president’s FY 2011 budget requests reflects the work accomplished in the past 10 years as well as the on-going work funded by the Recovery Act and other competing funding needs across Indian Country,” said Nedra Darling, spokeswoman for the Bureau of Indian Affairs. “Indian Affairs supports the president’s FY 2011 budget request. Should the Congress through the annual appropriation for FY 2011 provide additional funds, Indian Affairs would follow the direction of the Congress in executing the program.” McCollum’s funding request came in consultation with the National Indian Education Association, which has long lobbied for more money for Indian schools. The inadequate physical structures are part of the reason, they say, that three quarters of Indian schools fail to meet federal testing standards. Three of the four Indian schools in Minnesota failed to meet those standards last year. "It is unjust to expect our students to succeed academically when we fail to provide them with a proper environment to achieve success," Patricia Whitefoot, president of the National Indian Education Association, said in an interview earlier this year. McCollum’s $263 million request, if approved, would eclipse the record Darling said was set by the stimulus, making it the largest single funding of Indian schools construction. “We need to get at the backlog of this,” Harper explained.
-- Derek Wallbank Licking Heights seeks plan to address overcrowding-- Standard Reporter Ohio: March 31, 2010 [ abstract] When school buildings become overcrowded, students sometimes get frozen out of classes, struggle to get to their lockers in cramped hallways and lose important face-to-face time with teachers.
Licking Heights Local Schools wants to design a districtwide plan to prevent such a scenario from unfolding.
The school board intends to schedule a community engagement meeting this month to outline the district's current and future building conditions. It also wants to seek public input -- from parents, residents and students -- before designing a new plan to address enrollment increases.
"A lot of people with busy lives, they get up and send their children to school," school board member Chuck Seeright said. "(Overcrowding) is not something they think about."
-- CHAD KLIMACK L.A.'s Green Schools: Propane Buses, Solar Panels and Environmental Education -- Los Angeles Times Greenspace Blog California: March 08, 2010 [ abstract] What with budget cuts, teacher layoffs and increasing class sizes, the situation at L.A. Unified School District is grim. But there’s yet another issue. With 14,000 buildings housing 700,000 students spread over 710 square miles serviced by 1,300 school buses, the district is one of the largest users of water and energy in the state of California.
Now an ambitious sustainability program has been implemented to reduce the district’s environmental impact and, in the process, save money, improve student performance and serve as a hands-on teaching tool. In March, hundreds of decades-old buses will be upgraded to less-polluting, more-energy-efficient propane models. Eight schools, out of a planned 250, will have solar power installed. Still others will be outfitted with "smart" irrigation systems to reduce the millions of gallons of imported water the district guzzles each day, more than half of which is used for outdoor watering.
Building on a 2005 recycling initiative, LAUSD is striving to slash greenhouse-gas emissions, energy use and water use by 10% from 2007 levels by 2013. It also will install 50 megawatts of solar photovoltaics " a move that could save the district more than $20 million annually on an electricity bill that normally runs $85 million.
So far, most of the changes have been funded with voter-approved state bond measures, utility incentives from Southern California Edison and the L.A. Department of Water and Power and grants from such agencies as the Air Quality Management District. An additional $120 million in federal Clean Renewable Energy Bonds also may be available to the LAUSD to help it go solar.
The 44 campuses the district plans to build by 2013 will be designed to comply with water and energy efficiency standards of the Collaborative for High Performance Schools, which also encourages better classroom acoustics, air quality, mold prevention and natural lighting. "People think of the whole green issue as focusing on energy, but it’s actually only one-fifth energy. It’s also focused on air quality, land use and human comfort," said Vivian Loftness, professor of architecture at Carnegie Mellon University and co-chair of a 2008 National Research Council report on green schools. "There’s a much broader set of issues."
For the green schools study, a 5-person panel of medical doctors, school officials and building experts looked at research linking green schools to health and student performance. It found that many green building practices aided learning. Insulated walls and double-paned windows don’t just save energy, they also reduce noise pollution. Increasing natural light in classrooms doesn’t just save electricity, it triggers melatonin production, which leads to healthy sleep cycles, and it makes textbooks and other materials more colorful and compelling to students, Loftness said. Using non-VOC paints reduces respiratory problems such as asthma " the No. 1 cause of absenteeism in schools.
-- Susan Carpenter School board OKs up to $21.6M for Phase II of project-- Standard-Times Go San Angelo Texas: March 08, 2010 [ abstract] The San Angelo school board approved a guaranteed maximum price of $21.6 million for the second phase of the Central High School portion of the bond project, which will include construction of a new administration building, an agriculture shop and a building maintenance shop.
Steve Van Hoozer, the San Angelo Independent School District’s director of bond planning and construction, presented the price from the contractor at risk, Lee Lewis Construction, at the Monday night school board meeting. The project was put out to bid in February.
-- Laurel L. Scott
Stimulus Grant to Pay for Schools’ Green Special Needs Playgrounds -- Brewton Standard Alabama: March 01, 2010 [ abstract] Special needs children across the county will soon have the freedom to go down a slide and cross the monkey bars, activities that many take for granted, when the construction of four playgrounds is complete later this school year. The Escambia County Board of Education approved a $249,772 bid to Kidz Zone for construction of four special needs playgrounds at schools countywide including Rachel Patterson, A.C. Moore, Flomaton and W.S. Neal elementary schools.
“The majority of our playgrounds are not (Americans Disabilities Act) compliant,” Suzanne Barnett, special education coordinator for Escambia County School System, said. “Students that have physical limitations, in wheelchairs or use walkers cannot readily access or play on the playgrounds independently.”
The money for the project was made available through American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds, which are based on the population of special needs children in each county. There are currently 538 special needs children in Escambia County that meet IDA (Individuals with Disabilities Act) criteria, Barnett said. As part of standards set forth by the AARA, the project chosen by school systems had into include “innovative” and “instructional” materials for special needs children. “These are fully accessible playgrounds,” Barnett said. “Part of instruction is socializing with other children and learning how to play and interact with other children.”
-- Adam Prestridge, Senators Express Concern About Dismal Conditions in Struggling Indian Schools-- Minnesota Post Bureau of Indian Education: March 01, 2010 [ abstract] All four federally supervised Indian schools in northern Minnesota failed to meet federal testing standards last year, yet they aren't likely to see much of the cash being doled out to public schools across the country under the Obama administration's signature education reform plan. Two of them are also sorely in need of physical repairs or replacement, and have been for years. Yet, at current funding levels, the money to fix them may not arrive for years, possibly decades. "No student in Minnesota should have to contend with mold problems or huge leaks, but that's what kids in some reservation schools deal with every day," said Minnesota Sen. Al Franken, a member of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. "Students can't be expected to achieve at high levels when their school building is falling apart." The four schools, all in northern Minnesota, are among 183 schools funded by the Bureau of Indian Education, which is managed under the Department of the Interior. The Bureau acts like a giant, nationwide school district, one of just two federal agencies that directly manage schools (the Department of Defense is the other). Indian schools face similar problems to those of rural schools — a difficulty in attracting top teachers not least among them — but also have unique challenges. The quality of life on many reservations is poor, with increased rates of unemployment, alcoholism and domestic violence, as well as lingering tensions between some tribes and the federal government that trace their way back through sometimes centuries of broken treaties and promises. But one particularly striking problem facing the schools is the quality of the school buildings themselves.
-- Derek Wallbank Despite cost, Whitehall school board opts to keep old buildings-- Columbus Local News Ohio: February 25, 2010 [ abstract] Despite a hefty price tag, Whitehall school board members have unanimously decided to save Whitehall-Yearling High School's current auditorium, auxiliary gym and game gym, all of which will stand directly behind the new high school building.
The initial expenditure will be around $2 million, with further improvements to cost more than $6 million.
District officials received the bad news late last month that the Ohio School Facilities Commission would not allow the three older facilities to touch the new construction -- which does not include a dedicated auditorium per state standards.
-- DEBORAH M. DUNLAP Poorly Lighted Classrooms Effect Students Sleep
-- Washington Post National: February 23, 2010 [ abstract] Riding in school buses in the early morning, then sitting in poorly lighted classrooms are significant reasons students have trouble getting to sleep at night, according to new research. Teenagers, like everyone else, need bright lights in the morning, particularly in the blue wavelengths, to synchronize their inner, circadian rhythms with nature's cycles of day and night. If they are deprived of blue light during the morning, they go to sleep an average of six minutes later each night, until their bodies are completely out of synch with the school day, researchers from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute reported last week in the journal Neuroendocrinology Letters. The finding was made by fitting a group of students with goggles that blocked blue light and discovering that their circadian rhythms were significantly affected.
"These morning-light-deprived teenagers are going to bed later, getting less sleep and possibly underperforming on standardized tests," said lead author Mariana G. Figueiro, a sleep researcher at RPI's Lighting Research Center. "We are starting to call this the 'teenage night owl syndrome.' "
"This is a nice little preliminary study" that definitely needs to be replicated, said sleep researcher Mary Carskadon of Brown University, who was not involved in the research. "I think the big take-home message probably is that better lighting in the schools is a good idea." Parents and teachers have been complaining in recent years that teens stay up too late at night, then fall asleep in class the next morning and do poorly. The new findings provide a possible explanation for the problem.
"This is our first field study," Figueiro said. "We would like to replicate it in larger studies, also for longer periods of time. We would also like to determine if you can see an impact on performance." If the findings are replicated, a variety of solutions are available. Ideally, new schools would be built to allow more natural sunlight into the classrooms. Students could also be exposed to more sunlight outside.
Incandescent lights should never be used in classrooms because "they are heavy on yellow and red, and the circadian system is not tuned to those colors," Figueiro said. "You want incandescent light sources in the evening." Some fluorescent lights are also not very good. Most that are currently used produce orange or reddish light, but it is now possible to purchase bulbs that emit more blue.
-- Thomas H. Maugh II Los Angeles Charter Schools Fail to Make the Grade in Accessibility for Disabled Students-- Contra Costa Times California: February 22, 2010 [ abstract] None of the 29 Los Angeles Unified charter schools examined in a study met state and federal standards aimed at making campuses accessible to disabled students, and some even lacked wheelchair-friendly bathrooms and walkways. The study by a federally appointed independent monitor also revealed that the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety, which determines whether schools are compliant with these laws, is not making proper inspections.
An independent monitor was appointed in 2003 to oversee a federal consent decree imposed on the school district to improve special education services. An earlier report by the monitor also blasted LAUSD charter schools for enrolling fewer disabled students overall and fewer with severe disabilities than traditional schools. "This is part of a larger issue ... and that is whether charter schools, which are a growing proportion of schools in LAUSD, welcome and are accessible to students with disabilities," said Independent Monitor Fred Weintraub."Our studies have shown that is not currently the case and we're looking to the district to improve the situation."
Charter schools, which are publicly funded but operate independently from the district, are an increasingly popular option for parents of L.A. Unified students. Currently, LAUSD has 151 charter schools within its attendance boundaries - more than any other school district in the country - and it could see more than a dozen new campuses open next year.
-- Connie LLanos Fayette, Kentucky Schools Going Green With New Projects-- Herald Leader Kentucky: February 21, 2010 [ abstract] Fayette County Public Schools wants to paint some green on the Bluegrass with two upcoming construction projects. The school district says it will emphasize earth-friendly technology to reduce energy use and promote environmental sustainability at its new Locust Trace Agri-Science Center on Leestown Road and the new elementary school planned for Keithshire Way. Green concepts also will be integrated into the education experience at the facilities, district officials say.
Mary Wright, the district's chief operating officer, said the two projects should be the most environmentally friendly facilities the district has built. And green technology figures to be part of district plans from now on, she said. "We want to be more environmentally conscious, and a number of interested community groups have come to us and offered support in that regard," Wright said. "So, we're looking at utility usage, building design, curriculum planning and the impact of things like the new stormwater fees. It's all part of trying to take a more global approach."
Here are some of the green provisions being considered: buildings at both sites will be oriented to welcome morning sunshine and shade out harsh late afternoon sun, reducing power needs for lighting and cooling. Special ICF walls will provide high-insulation values; Keithshire Way will "harvest" and "manage" daylight to supplement its standard electrical lighting. Automatic sensors in classrooms and other areas will turn lights off or on as needed, saving energy; rainwater from roofs at Locust Trace will be collected and stored for irrigating soil and watering livestock. A deep well will supplement drinking-water needs. Livestock waste will be controlled. The overall goal is for the farm to "sit lightly on the land."
-- Jim Warren Deer Park High School expansion expected be completed in fall-- The Spokesman-Review Washington: February 18, 2010 [ abstract] After three years of planning and two years of construction, teachers and students alike can finally see light at the end of the hallways. This is just one of the telltale signs that construction is near completion at Deer Park High School.
This tenacious expansion and modernization project is scheduled to be nearly finished this summer, putting an end to cramped classrooms, narrow hallways and outdated technology.
“It feels like I don’t have limits,” said computer teacher Kelli Demarest, while teaching a group of kids in the new Microsoft computer lab. Part of the project included building not one, but two computer labs. The new Mac lab will allow the school to be consistent with industry standards by teaching graphic design and a new mechanical design class next year on Macintosh computers.
-- Pamela J.S. Smith Study on the Impact of Light on Teenagers' Sleeping Habits Has Implications for School Design-- Science Daily National: February 16, 2010 [ abstract] The first field study on the impact of light on teenagers' sleeping habits finds that insufficient daily morning light exposure contributes to teenagers not getting enough sleep."As teenagers spend more time indoors, they miss out on essential morning light needed to stimulate the body's 24-hour biological system, which regulates the sleep/wake cycle," reports Mariana Figueiro, Ph.D., Assistant Professor and Program Director at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's Lighting Research Center (LRC) and lead researcher on the new study.
"These morning-light-deprived teenagers are going to bed later, getting less sleep and possibly under-performing on standardized tests. We are starting to call this the teenage night owl syndrome."
In the study just published in Neuroendocrinology Letters, Dr. Figueiro and LRC Director Dr. Mark Rea found that eleven 8th grade students who wore special glasses to prevent short-wavelength (blue) morning light from reaching their eyes experienced a 30-minute delay in sleep onset by the end of the 5-day study. In addition, the schools are not likely providing adequate electric light or daylight to stimulate this biological or circadian system, which regulates body temperature, alertness, appetite, hormones and sleep patterns. Our biological system responds to light much differently than our visual system. It is much more sensitive to blue light. Therefore, having enough light in the classroom to read and study does not guarantee that there is sufficient light to stimulate our biological system.
"According to our study, however, the situation in schools can be changed rapidly by the conscious delivery of daylight, which is saturated with short-wavelength, or blue, light," reports Dr. Figueiro.
-- Staff Writer Mississippi Schools Eye More Federal Stimulus Bond Money-- Hattiesburg American Mississippi: February 05, 2010 [ abstract] Hattiesburg Public School District wants to take advantage of a second round of the Qualified School Construction Bonds program funded through federal stimulus dollars. School board members voted to apply through the Mississippi Department of Education for a second school construction bond. The district received a $3 million school construction bond in the first round.
The stimulus-driven initiative allows districts to borrow interest-free money to use for construction, rehabilitation or repair of public school facilities. Frank Aderholdt, the district's director of financial services, said money received in the first round is being used for roof work, repairing the running track and parking lot improvements. The funds have to be used on school construction projects in compliance with specific federal standards. Aderholdt said district authorities would be notified sometime later this year if its request was approved.
-- Elizabeth Franklin Officials say St. Helena, Louisiana Schools in Shambles; Don't Meet Safety Codes-- WAFB.com Louisiana: January 12, 2010 [ abstract] Four times voters have shot down propositions to fix the three school facilities in St. Helena. Now the superintendent says the schools barely meet safety codes.
St. Helena Central Elementary looks just like any other school. But in one of the school's many T-buildings, if you walk in, water leaks through the door. Inside, the buzz inside isn't the students. It's from a heater that's been in the classroom since the 50's. Because the heaters don't keep the rooms very warm, some rooms use space heaters. Maintenance workers come in at 4:00 a.m. to make sure the chill is under control. But that problem is just the tip of the iceberg. Cracks in the walls, holes and exposed wires are all around the school. Problems school officials say keep getting patched up. The maintenance department there operates on a $150,000 budget. Out of that money, the salaries for two workers must also be paid.
"These schools are old, they don't pass safety code standards and there needs to be something done," says Superintendent Dr. Daisy Slan. Slan says she closed campuses once, because schools did not have working fire alarms.
-- Tyana Williams NIST Awards $123 Million in Recovery Act Grants To Construct New Research Facilities-- National Institute of Standards and Technology National: January 08, 2010 [ abstract] The U.S. Commerce Department’s National Institute of standards and Technology (NIST) awarded more than $123 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grants to support the construction of new scientific research facilities at 11 universities and one non-profit research organization. With ultimate research targets ranging from off-shore wind power and coral reef ecology to quantum physics and nanotechnology, the 12 projects will launch more than $250 million in new laboratory construction projects beginning early this year.
“These awards will create jobs by helping to fund 12 major, shovel-ready construction projects,” U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke said. “These new, state-of-the-art facilities will help keep the United States at the forefront of scientific and technological innovation and will support economic growth.”
[The 12 construction project awards, the result of a competition announced by NIST last May, are listed, with details on each project.
Keyword Search: ARRA, stimulus, bond
-- Press Release Board OKs construction bonds for school work-- Watertown Daily Times Wisconsin: December 22, 2009 [ abstract] After months of discussion, board members approved a resolution authorizing the issuing of school construction bonds of about $1.3 million during a regular board meeting Monday at the Educational Service Center. The district's financial advisers explained how those bonds came close to not working out as planned.
The Qualified School Construction Bonds are beneficial to school districts because they come with zero interest. There are some downfalls to the bonds, which almost caused a problem for the Watertown district's bonds.
â€"We are very fortunate to receive these dollars because they often come with mixed results,†Mike Clark, of R.W. Baird, said. â€"We just worked with a district in northern Wisconsin rated at AA and they received no buyers. Another district ended up paying supplemental interest instead of the zero interest.â€
Clark said although the bonds are a great deal for school districts they come with several strings attached, which has deterred buyers. Clark said he had a buyer set up for Watertown's bonds that would purchase them as long as it didn't fall under 6 percent. On Monday the interest was under 6 percent.
â€"I'm not sure if this buyer was in the Christmas spirit, but he decided to buy the bonds anyway,†Clark said. â€"This particular buyer would not have purchased if not for the district's AA rating that you received from standard & Poors earlier this year.â€
Keyword Search: ARRA, stimulus, bond
-- Teresa Stowell Dreams dashed on contaminated land-- SouthCoastToday.com Massachusetts: December 20, 2009 [ abstract] A standard-Times photograph snapped at a groundbreaking ceremony for New Bedford High School on Jan. 17, 1970, captures the excitement surrounding the building of one of the state's largest and most modern high schools at that time.
Pictured in the photo are then Superintendent James R. Hayden, architect Owen F. Hackett, Jr. and then Mayor George Rogers. The men, dressed in overcoats, suits and hard hats, grin as they shovel dirt at the site, the former home of the city-owned Parker Street dump. The crowd of onlookers includes members of the School Committee at the time, among them: Vincent J. Worden, John M. Xifaras, Rose Ferreira and Albert A. Boucher.
The festive group did not know the property contained industrial ash loaded with excessive levels of PCBs and other toxic chemicals, which local manufacturing companies dumped at the site between the 1930s and the 1970s.
"Nobody had heard of PCBs in 1970," said Rogers, who noted that he took office in 1970, two years after city and school officials chose the former dump as the site for the new high school.
"We knew it was a dump, but then most schools all over the country were built on either dumps or cemeteries," Rogers said. "That's the only place where cities have free land."
Eleven months after the groundbreaking photo was taken, the Environmental Protection Agency opened for business in the nation's capital. Nine years after that, the EPA banned the manufacture of potentially cancer-causing PCBs.
key discovery in 2000
In 1994, the Andrea McCoy Memorial Athletic Field was constructed on city-owned land opposite New Bedford High School. The land, which has been part of the Parker Street dump, was allegedly filled with dump ash during construction of the high school in 1970. To make the soccer field, the city graded and covered the site with clean soil, according to a 2006 draft report by TRC, the city's environmental contractor.
PCB contamination from the former dump was first detected at McCoy Field in 2000. Soil sampling identified PCBs in fill material found in a wooded area near a field where students played soccer and lacrosse. The area was fenced off and the field was deemed safe.
Further testing of the 6-acre athletic complex, prompted by school officials who were considering building the new Keith Middle School there, revealed significant concentrations of PCBs, lead and other hazardous chemicals. Consulting engineer Alan D. Hanscom advised the School Committee that it was possible to build a safe, affordable middle school on the property by excavating the contaminated dump material and capping the site.
The School Committee took his advice and decided on Feb. 11, 2001, to build the new middle school at McCoy Field.
But in 2004, after construction had begun, more extensive soil sampling showed much higher concentrations of PCBs, which triggered involvement by the EPA. The same year, soil testing at New Bedford High School identified PCBs at levels exceeding state standards.
-- BECKY W. EVANS Parish, Justice nearing deal-- For the Daily World Louisiana: December 17, 2009 [ abstract] An agreement has been reached between the U.S. Justice Department and the Evangeline Parish School Board that will keep Ville Platte High School open and might eventually end the 44-year-old desegregation lawsuit. A hearing on the agreement is set for Tuesday in Lafayette.
The agreement calls for more renovations at Ville Platte High, including renovating the auditorium, school office, gym and some classrooms and bathrooms.
The renovations would cost $3 million.
Since March 2004, the Evangeline Parish School Board has already spent more than $3 million on construction and renovations at the school.
Ville Platte High School is the only public high school in Ville Platte, the parish seat of Evangeline Parish. The school's facilities are not comparable to other high schools in the parish by court standards.
The School Board was ordered to build a new Ville Platte High in 2007, or face closure. A bond measure needed to build the school, however, failed three times in 2008.
Plans to bus the students to other high schools in rural Evangeline Parish were drafted by both the School Board and the justice department.
The agreement also calls for the immediate end of federal oversight, or partial unitary status, in transportation, extracurricular activities and staff assignment.
In April the School Board requested partial unitary status in those areas, but the justice department objected. The justice department now agrees with the motion.
To be completely free of federal oversight, six areas of operation must be deemed free from racial discrimination — transportation, extracurricular activities, staff assignment, teacher assignment, physical facilities and student assignment.
The School Board asks for partial unitary status in facilities once renovations to Ville Platte High have been completed.
It has outlined plans to desegregate teacher and student assignment and hopes to have met court requirements for student assignment by 2012 by strictly enforcing attendance zones approved by the court in 2004.
The School Board will also implement rigorous residency verification and a stricter transfer policy.
Only students who are not black will be allowed to transfer into Ville Platte High and only black students will be allowed to transfer to Pine Prairie High School.
-- Tina Marie Macias Renewable Energy Education Federal Funded-- Get Sun Panel National: December 09, 2009 [ abstract] 1950 and Communicipal officient of U.S. electrongly commend the funding state has benefiting.
I wastewater State has because of renewable energy facilities and months using initiatives have been utilizing technology plan in the funding the global capital. New Yorks K-12 school facility. 70 percent of the foundation of equipment. Federal spending on nuclear energy RD funding on nuclear energy facilities.
The State has benefits from the economic recovernors within three years.
Funds will be disadvances in health benefits from the economic crisis than spending on nuclean energy facilities and put New York States and the national delegation, and leader to meet and development of the bond proceeds the largest amount of infrastructure improvide governments, land, outdated, infrastructure investment in affordable energy reservation and clean energy sources, or cooperatives in the economic crisis, building and standards of the economic records by the funding the national 1.4 billion in the funding the funding the funds.
-- Admin Ohio Schools Say They'll Stay True to School Safety Law Repealed by Budget Bill -- Marion Star Ohio: December 05, 2009 [ abstract] Local school administrators are vowing to remain true to the principles of Jarod's Law, a state school safety law repealed as part of the state budget bill.That doesn't mean they'll miss it. The law was passed in 2005, two years after a tragic accident in Lebanon, where a 6-year-old first grader died when a cafeteria table fell on him. Legislators spurred by the tragedy proposed a law that required local boards of health to inspect schools annually for health and safety dangers. An advisory committee spent 18 months writing up comprehensive sanitary and safety guidelines ranging from inspecting equipment such as tables, bleachers and playgrounds to scheduling radon testing.
"The intent behind Jarod's Law was absolutely good," River Valley Local Schools Superintendent Tom Shade said. "It was a tragic incident. "There probably was some overarching." Similar sentiment was expressed to legislators as some schools complained about the costs associated with replacing equipment that didn't meet the law's standards and the employee hours spent ensuring compliance. The law was repealed as part of the 3,120-page state budget bill passed in August.
Tom Raga, a former state representative who had sponsored the original legislation, said Jarod's Law could have been revised instead of eliminated. "That put us back to square one, where the school districts have no state oversight to make sure they're not deferring maintenance and creating situations that are unsafe for our schoolchildren." If nothing else, Raga said, Jarod's Law changed the mindset of schools when it comes to safety.
-- Kurt Moore, Perspective: Why we must repair the Newman Elementary School now-- Wicked Local: Needham Massachusetts: December 03, 2009 [ abstract] Make no mistake about it, other than Needham High School, no project that our town has tackled in the last 20 years has had the urgency, complexity or price tag of the Newman School repair project. Our purpose in this column is to explain why this project is so important, and why the two of us joined in a unanimous vote by the Board of Selectmen to support the Newman School override. It is also important to note that this project is very strongly supported by the School Committee, the Finance Committee, the Permanent Public Building Committee and Town Meeting, as well as the League of Women Voters.
While the High School project set a high standard for new construction with a solid, cost-effective plan that solved urgent issues and maximized the state’s contribution, the Newman project will set an even higher standard for cost effective action to rehabilitate, repair and meet state code requirements on an existing building.
-- Staff Writer Ohio School District Sues Over Air Pollution -- Washington Post Ohio: November 29, 2009 [ abstract] A school district near Cincinnati is suing a plastics plant, accusing it of continuing to release chemicals in the air that exceed government safety standards. Three Rivers School District closed an elementary school across the street from the plant in 2005. The district says it has been unable to sell the building and is burdened by crowded classrooms. Students were shifted to two other elementary schools, and some courses are taught in cafeterias or storage areas.
The lawsuit seeks compensatory and punitive damages. The plant had been cited with several environmental violations. Terri Fitzpatrick, a spokeswoman for plastics maker Lanxess Corp., which previously owned the plant, says the company took steps to enhance environmental controls. The plant continues to operate under a joint agreement between Lanxess and Ineos Group.
-- Associated Press Reception Cool in Arizona for Tax Credits Offered to Stimulate School Building-- Arizona Republic Arizona: November 24, 2009 [ abstract] A federal stimulus program that uses federal tax credits to spur nationwide school construction might not be as attractive as was intended for Arizona school districts needing new schools. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act allotted $372 million in tax credits over two years to the Arizona Department of Education, $16.1 million in credits to Mesa Public Schools and $21.4 million in credits to Tucson Unified under the Qualified School Construction Bonds program. The program provides federal tax credits in lieu of interest payments to school-bond holders and lease-to-own certificate holders who buy into the program at the state or school-district level. The intent of the program is to let districts shift part of the cost of bonding or state lease-to-own projects to the federal government through the tax credits, thereby stimulating more construction and business activity. A number of issues surround the program, however, raising questions about whether districts, particularly poorer districts that need the most help, will take advantage.
Among the concerns: Districts that agree to be part of the program must comply with federal contracting requirements, which include labor standards that require higher wages to be paid on projects financed through the program. Some observers worry that the school bonds will be less marketable to buyers if tax credits instead of actual interest payments are offered as part of the payback. In the lease-to-own programs, the feds require that new school facilities built under the program be put up as collateral to private investors until the lease-to-own terms are up and the state pays in full for the new facilities.
An Arizona law passed in September gives the Arizona School Facilities Board permission to make up to $100 million in lease-to-own deals through the Education Department's tax-credit allotment. The state board can sell certificates of participation to financiers to fund new school construction. Those certificates would be paid down by the state over a set period, with investors getting back their initial investment plus the tax credits offered by the federal government. "You borrow money, and whatever project you use the money for becomes collateral to ensure that you pay it back," said Judy Richardson, vice president of public finance for Stone & Youngberg LLC.
The School Facilities Board has approached school districts around the state - including Cave Creek Unified School District, which wants to expand Cactus Shadows High School - about using the method to finance new school construction projects. But investors, Richardson said, are not enthusiastic about the lease-to-own certificates First, it is unclear how much resale value the certificates or the bonds might have given that there are no interest payments attached. Additionally, those bonds floated by poorer school districts would have lower credit ratings, which further affect their marketability. "The tax credits just aren't that attractive," Richardson said. "There aren't that many buyers that would rather have a tax credit instead of interest."
Keyword Search: ARRA, stimulus, bond
-- Alex Bloom Clark County, Nevada’s School District Maintenance Backlog Triples
-- Las Vegas Sun Nevada: November 11, 2009 [ abstract] According to a report presented at a recent Clark County School Board meeting "backlog of maintenance work orders had nearly tripled to 12,937 from 4,327 at the end of July 2008." It continues â€"the district's maintenance department categorizes its service at the third level — â€"managed care,†which means school interiors appear only â€"average,†with minor blemishes on the exteriors. Buildings are generally well lighted and clean, although heating and cooling systems periodically fail.†Paul Gerner, Clark County schools' associate superintendent of facilities, said, "Current levels of maintenance services are unsustainable and not in the long-term interests of the district."
The Las Vegas Sun points out that "most campuses are not in obvious neglect. But some of the chores that were once part of the daily routine are being put off, increasing the risk for larger and more expensive problems." It goes on to state that â€"the district has cut its operating budget by more than $133 million to about $2.1 billion. The facilities division — which includes maintenance, landscaping and grounds — was understaffed even before the most recent budget cuts, district officials said. Divisions across the board were cut about 12 percent, but the cuts were especially felt in the maintenance department because it was lean from a prior $15 million reduction in funding.
The facilities division staff dropped to 453 full-time employees this year compared to the 489 in 2008. According to the industry standards set by the Association of Physical Plant Administrators the maintenance department should require nearly 1,200 workers to handle the jobs. The School Board presentation indicates â€"The district's carpentry and painting divisions are the most severely understaffed, operating at less than 15 percent of the recommended levels. The budget cuts cost the landscaping and grounds division about 26 full-time employee positions, out of 188. The loss is particularly felt at some of the high schools that no longer have a daytime employee to help with trash collection and custodial duties.
-- Emily Richmond School building needs discussed-- AikenStandard.com South Carolina: October 28, 2009 [ abstract] The original facilities report prepared for the Aiken County Board of Education and received in March 2008 had recommendations about renovations of schools in all five attendance areas, as well as some new schools in a three-phase approach.
Those suggestions by the M.B. Kahn Construction Company will serve as a starting point for discussion as school board members begin a process of dealing with extensive facility needs for the long-term.
Mr. Central Aiken
In the past decade, the Aiken County School District has done several major projects, including the construction of new elementary schools -- North Aiken, Busbee, Mossy Creek and and most recently, Byrd in Graniteville. Middle schools at Schofield, LBC, Paul Knox and Corbett also got major renovation work.
-- ROB NOVIT School district hopes to leverage the green-- Union Leader.com New Hampshire: October 26, 2009 [ abstract] The Governor Wentworth Regional School District is looking to add more than $1 million to the $40 million in state building aid it is already slated to receive as part of a $67.2 million school building and renovation project.
Superintendent of Schools Jack Robertson said the district could receive an additional 3 percent in state building aid, as much as $1.2 million, if the building program meets energy efficiency and environmental standards set by the Collaborative for High Performance Schools.
"It would make a huge difference to us if we qualify," said Robertson, noting that the $6.8 million geothermal heating and cooling system that would be part of the project gives the project a leg up in accumulating the points needed to win the green school designation.
-- Roger Amsden losing schools by the numbers " but which numbers?-- Winona Post Minnesota: October 18, 2009 [ abstract] Numbers. There are thousands of them floating around the District 861 School Board table right now, many of them being used to decide the fate of district elementary buildings.
Class sizes, enrollment trends, unused space, state standards, the list goes on and on as the school board collects data for what it promised would be a well educated decision about the best course for the district’s buildings.
-- Cynthya Porter School construction underway-- The News Arkansas: October 07, 2009 [ abstract] Construction of the new Viola High School is underway. Steel beams on the main building are being erected this week. The Phase I of the building is scheduled to be completed in late-Spring 2010 at the earliest. While Phase II construction of additional general purpose classrooms and a physical education facility is scheduled to begin in the summer 2010.
The entire $3.9 million building project will bring Viola Schools to state standards. The state will pay for 42 percent of that price tag, while the remainder will be funded through a 30-year millage established in March 2008.
After the state rated all school facilities in 2004, Viola Schools had to upgrade to stay within state standards for public schools, said John May, superintendent of Viola Schools.
"I'm proud that we are going to be able to get our facilities in a position where we will be able to have a school here for a really long time," May said. The upkeep of the new buildings will be less expensive than maintenance of the older buildings. "It just would have been more money to keep putting money into the older buildings," May said.
-- Clover Birdsell New Jersey Schools Test Design Standards for School Interiors -- NJBiz New Jersey: October 05, 2009 [ abstract] The New Jersey Schools Development Authority will experiment with a standard design and architecture plan for school interiors, with the hope that replicating those plans will save time and money. Kris Kolluri, agency chief executive, told NJBIZ the SDA will invite design proposals before December for a proposed early childhood center in Passaic City. Design and architecture firms that routinely contract work from SDA were divided about the merits of the standardization experiment; many who were contacted declined to comment for fear of jeopardizing their relationships with the agency. But others said it could be a good idea if it retained the creative aspects of their work, and that it might actually redirect saved money to more construction projects. “The basic goal is to try and test a pilot school where we incorporate standard elements,” Kolluri said of the program, called Kits Apart. The plan is to settle on four sets of designs for interior fit-outs, including classrooms, auditoriums, labs, cafeterias and gyms, he said. While “not every school can be standardized,” Kolluri said the best candidates are early childhood centers and elementary and middle schools. “We don’t believe doing that for high schools is an appropriate idea at the moment,” he said. Kolluri said SDA will roll out its experiment with a process akin to a “design competition, where every community will have the ability to help us develop the schools’ outside design so it fits its individual context.”
-- Shankar P Opinion: L.A. Unified School District Takes Hammer to its Building Unit -- Los Angeles Times California: September 29, 2009 [ abstract] The construction unit of the Los Angeles Unified School District has successfully and cost-effectively built 80 new schools and won scores of awards. So how has Supt. Ray Cortines rewarded this efficient unit? By driving out its superb leadership. Guy Mehula, the talented head of the construction division, resigned after LAUSD leaders made clear their intention of dragging Mehula's quasi-independent team back under the tight control of the district.
Taking away the unit's autonomy would be a huge mistake. The district has tried micromanaging the construction of schools, and it failed miserably. If you need convincing, just think about the disastrous cost overruns and construction errors of the Belmont Learning Complex. For those who don't remember the horrific details, the district began construction at Belmont (or the Edward R. Roybal Learning Center, as it was finally called) without required environmental reviews or professional managers, ultimately building a $160-million high school that the state declared unusable for children. A scathing audit of the debacle concluded that the project had violated environmental and public safety laws, and that the uninformed district had "tolerated a culture remarkably indifferent" to standards or accountability. The audit referred several of its findings to the district attorney for criminal investigation.
-- Constance L. Rice Insurance dispute takes center stage in auditorium drama-- Los Angeles Times California: September 28, 2009 [ abstract] Garfield High School has not hosted a play, a musical performance or an assembly in its historic auditorium since an arson fire gutted it nearly 2 1/2 years ago.
A burned-out shell -- its walls shored up with a latticework of scaffolding and steel beams -- is all that remains from the three-alarm blaze that caused an estimated $30 million in damage to the East Los Angeles landmark.
After pledges to rebuild the facility, a benefit concert by Los Lobos and donations from boxer Oscar De La Hoya, among others, the Los Angeles Unified School District is mired in an insurance dispute that could create additional delays and leave the school system footing more of the bill.
Community members and alumni, who long relied on the auditorium for neighborhood meetings and events, are frustrated -- as are school administrators and students.
"Assemblies, theatricals, rehearsals, dance, community shows -- we're mostly not doing it or doing it in a substandard way," Principal Michael B. Summe said. "We have fewer dance classes, and this may threaten our drama program. The plans for the new auditorium are incredible. But I can't get a drama teacher to come here and create a program. How many years do I tell her to wait?"
L.A. Unified contends that the 1925 auditorium needs to be rebuilt from the ground to meet state building codes. But nine insurers insist that the walls are salvageable and could support a new building, district officials said. The difference in cost is considerable.
A mediation session is scheduled for November in a final attempt to resolve the impasse. If differences can't be worked out, rebuilding may be put off longer.
The insurance companies declined to comment on the insurance claim, the nature of the dispute with the district or the amount of money involved, according to an attorney, Jess B. Millikan, who is representing them.
Demolition was to have been completed this fall, with construction beginning next year. Despite the uncertainty of recovering costs -- estimated by the district at $46 million -- designs for a new auditorium are almost complete and will be submitted soon for state approval, said facilities chief Guy Mehula. But in a further hitch, Garfield's main administration building, which is attached to the auditorium, must be retrofitted to meet earthquake standards, and officials have not determined the level of demolition needed.
Insurers have made some payouts, which have covered the costs of designs, Mehula said.
-- Carla Rivera Drinking Water Unsafe at Thousands of Schools-- MSNBC.com National: September 24, 2009 [ abstract] Over the last decade, the drinking water at thousands of schools across the country has been found to contain unsafe levels of lead, pesticides and dozens of other toxins. An Associated Press investigation found that contaminants have surfaced at public and private schools in all 50 states — in small towns and inner cities alike. But the problem has gone largely unmonitored by the federal government, even as the number of water safety violations has multiplied.
The contamination is most apparent at schools with wells, which represent 8 to 11 percent of the nation's schools. Roughly one of every five schools with its own water supply violated the Safe Drinking Water Act in the past decade, according to data from the Environmental Protection Agency analyzed by the AP. In California's farm belt, wells at some schools are so tainted with pesticides that students have taken to stuffing their backpacks with bottled water for fear of getting sick from the drinking fountain.
Experts and children's advocates complain that responsibility for drinking water is spread among too many local, state and federal agencies, and that risks are going unreported. Finding a solution, they say, would require a costly new national strategy for monitoring water in schools. Schools with unsafe water represent only a small percentage of the nation's 132,500 schools. And the EPA says the number of violations spiked over the last decade largely because the government has gradually adopted stricter standards for contaminants such as arsenic and some disinfectants.
-- Associated Press Beaumont Heritage Society v. BISD goes to the judge-- KFDM-TV News Texas: September 22, 2009 [ abstract] Testimony has ended in a trial that will determine the fate of South Park Middle School. Judge Bob Wortham has taken the case under advisement.
The two sides involved in the trial to determine the fate of South Park Middle School disagreed Tuesday about the comparative costs of renovating the school and rebuilding.
The Beaumont Heritage Society is seeking a Permanent Injunction to prevent the Beaumont Independent School District from demolishing the building. The group says the building has historic significance and it wants to preserve the structure, although it's not mandating the building be used as a school.
Sina Nejad, a Beaumont engineer, testified for the plaintiffs Tuesday morning. He described his inspection of South Park Middle School and said it would cost $18 million, at most, to renovate and add on, based on Texas Education Agency standards. In that estimation, Nejad said he based his figures on the square footage he measured, which was about a thousand square feet more than the district said. But an attorney for BISD said the engineer didn't take all TEA guidelines into account in reaching his estimation, not BISD's higher standards.
An expert testifying for BISD said it would cost $35 million to renovate and add on with BISD's requirements, but without landscaping. However, that expert could only testify as a construction manager because, as the attorney for the Beaumont Heritage Society pointed out, he is not a registered engineer in Texas.
The district's bond website says the budget to demolish the old school and build a new one is $33 million.
-- Ashley Rodrigue City approves land for new school-- Sparks Today Nevada: September 18, 2009 [ abstract] Anticipating that growth will resume once the economy gains stronger footing, Sparks is setting the stage for a new school in Spanish Springs.
The city council this week approved a tentative amendment to the Foothills at Wingfield Springs planned development handbook to allow for the inclusion of a school.
The site involves about eight acres and is near the southeast corner of Vista Boulevard and Passage Drive.
"It is a great place for a school," Council member Mike Carrigan said. "We also saved them (school district) a lot of money. That eight acres was probably appraised at like $1.8 million, and they got it for $300,000."
The Washoe County School District made the request to the city anticipating a possible new elementary campus possibly in the 2014-15 school year, city records show.
"The proposed elementary school is compatible with the adjacent residential land uses and will provide a benefit to the residents of the Foothills by allowing for many of the students to have the opportunity to walk or bicycle to school," according to a report from the Sparks Community Development Department. "Also, the school site is centrally located within the planned development and will provide for convenient and easy vehicular access."
Services such as sewer, water, electricity and streets already are in place in the immediate area, "allowing for economically feasible development," the report found.
"The school use in this residential neighborhood is a compatible use that will be integrated into this existing residential neighborhood through the requirements" through existing design standards. These standards address issues such as building placement, landscape buffering between the school site and existing homes, along with standards for parking.
-- DAVID JACOBS Rough draft of facilities plan calls for more than $35M-- Southeast Missourian Missouri: September 11, 2009 [ abstract] Bringing elementary schools up to the same standard and increasing safety measures was a central idea in the Cape Girardeau School District's evolving facilities plan.
The district rolled out a rough draft of more than $35 million in construction and renovation projects districtwide.
Neil Glass presented the plan to the facilities planning committee to gain feedback on the measure. He has been working with the committee since February to assess the needs of the district. Engineer Mark Strickland and architect Phillip Smith have been working with Glass on developing cost estimates.
The plan eases overcrowding throughout the elementary schools and standardizes space allocation. Under the first draft of the plan, each school would have 20 classrooms. Blanchard Elementary, which opened in 2000, was used as the model for the other schools, he said.
Plans at all the elementary schools except Blanchard include a centralized entrance to increase safety. At Clippard Elementary, for example, the entrance is not near the office where visitors would report.
Glass said the plan made allowances for moving the fifth grade back into the elementary schools and expanding pre-kindergarten to all elementaries in in the future. Because some elementaries already have more students than others, school boundaries would have to be redrawn, he said.
At the high school, the plan allows for an events complex, a 900- to 1,000-seat auditorium and a 22,230-square-foot classroom addition. When the school opened in 2002, budget cuts left out several construction projects, including a performing arts venue and events complex.
"The thing that echoes in my ears is 'finish what you started,'" he said.
-- Alaina Busch Fire code dispute halts construction on two Goddard schools
-- Kansas.com Kansas: September 09, 2009 [ abstract] Construction on two new Goddard schools inside Wichita city limits stopped last month because of a dispute with Wichita building code officials over whether the schools need firewalls in the ceilings.
It will be up to a Sedgwick County district judge on Thursday to decide whether Goddard has to follow Wichita codes that call for the $500,000 firewalls or Kansas Department of Education codes that say the planned sprinkler systems are enough to keep everyone safe.
In its lawsuit, USD 265 also asked the city to refund nearly $85,000 in "plan review fees" because it believes Wichita's review repeated the state's and couldn't trump it.
At the core of the dispute is an argument over whether city building inspectors can require different standards from what is required by the State Board of Education, which authorizes construction plans for any new school in Kansas.
An April letter from the state education department's plans review architect says schools must meet state fire codes but don't have to comply with additional city building codes.
"There's one interpretation that will cost the taxpayers in the Goddard district a little better than a half million dollars to implement that the state board says is unnecessary," said Wyatt Hoch, a lawyer representing the Goddard School District.
City Attorney Gary Rebenstorf said through the city's spokesman, Van Williams, that he couldn't discuss the case because it's a pending legal matter.
Kurt Schroeder, the city's superintendent of central inspection, asked in a letter to the state for more guidance, and said Wichita's reading of international building codes shows sprinkler systems can't be used as a substitute for fire-resistant walls.
If the city has to allow something contrary to its own codes, will the state provide an indemnity to the city? he asked.
-- BRENT D. WISTROM State aid propels school construction to unprecedented levels-- Press & Sun-Bulletin New York: September 06, 2009 [ abstract] Maine-Endwell will open the year this week while work continues on classroom additions at both its middle and high schools.
Sixth-graders at the Jennie F. Snapp Middle School will go to classes elsewhere as the Union-Endicott continues a major upgrade of their building.
The Helen Foley Theater and art gallery at Binghamton High School will be closed until October or November, as workers continue renovating these facilities.
Across the Southern Tier, school districts spent the summer working on large scale, multimillion-dollar construction projects. While none involved building new structures, some are transforming facilities built in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s.
In some districts, the work will extend through the school year, with officials saying they will keep disruption to a minimum.
School construction isn't new in the region. Work over the past decade has included construction of a new elementary-middle school in Johnson City, an upgrade of the Susquehanna Valley high and middle school complex and renovation of the Chenango Valley high and middle school building.
What is new in this round of construction is the size and scope of some of the projects, which officials said is unprecedented.
"I've been in the business since 1972, and I've never seen as many $40 to $50 million projects. The last couple of years have been extraordinary for the K-12 world," said John S. Knudson, senior principal with Bearsch Compeau Knudson, of Binghamton, which designs school projects across the state.
Combined, school construction projects now under way total more than $300 million in Broome County alone.
State aid helps
One reason for the abundance of work is the success of school districts in selling large-scale building projects to voters. Residents in Vestal, Binghamton, Whitney Point, Maine-Endwell and Union-Endicott, for example, all approved major projects in recent years.
Districts need to upgrade schools to modern standards and meet new educational demands, notably in the areas of science, technology and special education, officials said. They also stress that schools need to stay competitive with others in the region, and the quality of facilities is a major selling point.
"You can't stop doing this kind of work. The environment of schools is critical to everything you do," said Steven Deinhardt, assistant superintendent for instruction in the Binghamton district.
At the same time, school officials readily acknowledge they couldn't get projects of this magnitude approved without the availability of state money.
One pot of cash is state building aid that schools historically receive for construction work. While the aid varies from district to district, based on a state formula, it can cover 70 percent or more of costs.
-- George Basler Miami-Dade Boasts Florida's First Eco-friendly School -- Miami Herald Florida: September 01, 2009 [ abstract] The first certified, all-green high school in the state is Miami-Dade's Terra Environmental Research Institute in Kendall. The $35.2 million school, which took 18 months to build, is a high school magnet program for biomedical research, environmental studies and engineering and robotics, the first such program in the Miami Dade Schools.
The building -- the first LEED-certified school in Miami-Dade, which means it was built to environmental standards -- has recycling centers on every floor, plumbing fixtures that use at least 20 percent less water and floor-to-ceiling windows that reduce the need for unnatural light. Photo sensors dim lights as sunlight filters in, while motion sensors turn the lights off when the room is empty. Louvered windows, energy efficient fixtures and the sensors are expected to cut electric bills significantly. The ecological-minded mission does not stop at the facility. A specialized curriculum has been developed, incorporating the biomedical, environmental and robotics/engineering.
-- Elaine De Valle Historic Baltimore High School Reopens After $28 Million Renovation -- Baltimore Sun Maryland: August 31, 2009 [ abstract] After a $28 million, two-year renovation, Paul Laurence Dunbar High School reopened its doors and its seniors said they barely recognized the school they had moved out of after their freshman year. The school seems much larger and brighter with wide hallways, larger windows and a state-of-the-art science laboratory. "It looks like a mini-version of a college," said India Young, who plans to go to college and become a nurse. "I think it is pretty." The school now has facilities that will be better suited to teaching students aimed at going into the health professions, the focus of the high school that lies in the shadow of the Johns Hopkins medical complex in East Baltimore.
A long list of politicians and education officials spoke at the opening-day ceremonies and ribbon-cutting on Monday morning, including Gov. Martin O'Malley, Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon, city schools CEO Andres Alonso, the American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten and Neil E. Duke, chairman of the school board.
Dunbar had a long history in the city as one of its premier high schools until its standards began to slip about a decade ago. In more recent times, the school has been turned around under new school leadership and a focus on the health professions. It has recently been ranked as a top school by various news magazines and its students now have a high pass rate on the High School Assessments.
Weingarten said the new building will allow students to do even better with an improved teaching and learning environment. Too often, students are given negative messages by attending classes in run-down buildings. But, she said, "this newly renovated school ... has said loudly and clearly, education is important." Dixon said that the school was one of only a few high schools in the city that African-Americans were allowed to attend during segregation and that it produced an amazing number of talented students who went on to become leaders in the community. She told students they should remember those who came before them at the school as they walk through its halls.
But alumni who walked through the building in small, student-led tours said they could not even envision where they were in the building. The building, which was constructed about 40 years ago, was essentially gutted during the renovation. The only remaining pieces of the old school are the gym and swimming pool, now under renovation.
-- Liz Bowie Securing West Virginia Schools -- MetroNews West Virginia: August 24, 2009 [ abstract] A task force assembled by Governor Manchin to address school safety is nearing completion of a comprehensive study of the safety and security of West Virginia's schools. State Homeland Security Director Jimmy Gianato is tasked with heading up the massive undertaking. He says first and foremost, the public needs to realize that schools in West Virginia are already secure. "Most counties already have plans,†said Gianato. "I don't want to mislead anybody to think there aren't plans out there." The task force is working to build upon existing security measures and to create a system that is standardized statewide. "In the event of a major event, everybody is using the same codes, the same radio terminology, those type things,†said Gianato.
The results of their nearly year long work is a template that is nearly complete. The template, once finalized, would serve as a blueprint for all 55-county school systems to use as the pattern for customizing school security. Gianato says the biggest obstacle they've been trying to overcome is writing a template that fits every situation. "Obviously every building is unique,†said Gianato. "So that becomes a challenge in itself to develop a standardized one-size fits all approach. But we've covered the basics of everything you need to have." The plans are also crafted to work not only in the worst-case scenarios like Columbine or 9/11 style terrorism. They also encompass security procedures for dealing with floods or other natural disasters.
Gianato's task force will work with the Regional Education Service Agencies to help deliver training, assessment, and consulting experts to county boards of education if they wish to adopt the templates for their own system. "For the last several years, the Governor has put forward quite a bit of money into the security of school buildings,†said Gianato. "This plan builds upon what is already being done in the counties."
-- Staff Writer Huntley Project school less than expected-- Billings Gazette Montana: August 10, 2009 [ abstract] The Huntley Project schools bond request got about $5 million cheaper last week.
The district qualified for the entire $9.75 million request to be paid for with interest-free Qualified School Construction Bonds. The bonds are available as part of this year's federal stimulus spending.
The district will still ask for $9.75 million when bond ballots are mailed today, however voters will have less money to pay back if they approve the spending. The money will be used to build a combined junior high-high school to replace the high school which was destroyed by arson fire in September 2008.
If the district had to buy standard bonds, the 4.5 percent interest would cost near $5.1 million during the 20-year life of the funding. Without the interest, the average homeowner in the district will save around 13 percent each year of the 16-year life of the bonds, said Huntley Project Superintendent Wes Coy.
With the interest-free bonds, the estimated tax impact on a residential property valued at $100,000 - which means a taxable value of around $2,000 - would be about $125 a year. That's compared to about $146 if the bonds were interest bearing.
The value of a mill in the district will be updated in the next few weeks. A small change is expected, according to Bridge Ekstrom, from D.A. Davidson Co. Without the cost of interest on the bond request, the number of mills used drops from 73 to 64.
School leaders are thrilled with chance to use interest-free bonds, Coy said.
"It takes away a significant chunk of the tax burden," he said. "This is a pretty rare opportunity."
The state received about $31 million in QSCB funding. If this month's bond request fails, there is no guarantee - actually, it's probably unlikely - that the district would be offered the interest-free funding again, Coy said.
The QSCB program is administered by the state Office of Public Instruction, which notified Huntley Project school leaders of the allotment last week. The timing is good, Coy said, as today the county elections office will send ballots to around 2,400 registered voters.
Voters must return their ballots by Sept. 1. On Sept. 1, ballots may be delivered to the Yellowstone County Elections Office or to a drop site at the school. Elections officials will bring the ballots into Billings for the count, which is expected to be completed shortly after the vote closes at 8 p.m.
Huntley Project trustees hope to build a two-story, around 90,000-square-foot school. Their goal is to start construction this fall and move into a new school for the 2010-11 school year. The building is designed with wings for junior high and high school. It will have a cafeteria that is used by the entire campus.
-- BECKY SHAY New Palm Bay school long way from help-- Florida Today Florida: August 06, 2009 [ abstract] Emergency crews take from two to eight minutes to respond to alarms at Brevard County's 15 public high schools.
The district's 16th high school, Heritage High, will fall at the outer edge of that range, beyond the six-minute response standard that a national fire association recommends.
That concerns Heritage High's top administrator and Palm Bay officials. The school opens Monday with about 950 students.
"We'll be like a little city here, with about 1,000 residents," Principal John Tuttle said. "When something happens, you need support, and you need it quickly. . . . Something needs to be done."
The average response time to a Brevard high school is about four minutes and 15 seconds, according to a FLORIDA TODAY analysis.
But individual responses vary from eight minutes for Space Coast Jr./Sr. High to two minutes for Cocoa Beach Jr./Sr. High and Cocoa High.
No federal, state or local laws place requirements on response times, and Brevard officials said they've never had a problem.
At some schools, such as Bayside High in Palm Bay, it takes the fire department six minutes to arrive, but there is an emergency medical services station next door.
"We have always had superior first-responder support from police, fire and EMS at all of the schools," said Andrea Alford, director of security for Brevard Public Schools. "We also have excellent staff on site who are trained to provide immediate assistance and respond to medical and other types of emergencies."
All of the district's high schools are equipped with two first-aid kits, two defibrillators and 800-megahertz radios.
Several employees at each school are trained in basic emergency response.
First responders should try to arrive in about four minutes, and all units assigned should arrive within eight minutes, according to the National Fire Protection Association.
"The standard says the fire department needs to meet the time objectives 90 percent of the time," according to a memo by NFPA Assistant Director Carl Peterson. The association's recommended time is six minutes.
However, the group acknowledges that a community's size, weather, traffic and competing alarms can reduce response times.
In some rural areas with few stations, response times can be as high as 30 minutes.
Officials have said it could take Palm Bay emergency personnel about seven minutes to reach Heritage High, 4.6 miles from the nearest fire station.
That's about one minute longer than first responders need to get to almost any other location in Palm Bay, a sprawling city of about 100,000 people.
-- MEGAN DOWNS C.B. school district to build first new school in years-- SW Iowa News Iowa: August 05, 2009 [ abstract] The sign says it all: Future site of Council Bluffs Community School District elementary school.
The new school will rise on a piece of property at Valley View Drive and College Road. The sign went up Tuesday afternoon on the site across from Iowa Western Community College.
“It’s pretty moving to think this is the first new school in 50 years,” school board president Marvin Arnpriester said, describing the moment as “opening the door to the future” and as “an affirmation of kids and what’s happening in the community.”
Board members Glen Mitchell, J.J. Harvey and David Coziahr also showed up to see the sign erected, as did school Superintendent Martha Bruckner.
“We’re planning a two-story building to use the land to its best advantage. We can add on later if needed,” Bruckner said.
The school board voted on May 12 to buy the land near Iowa Western Community College for $500,000 from the New Horizon Presbyterian Church. The site near Mosquito Creek offers about 6 or 7 acres upon which the district hopes to build a school for educating up to 500 students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade.
“We’ve had engineers look at the site, we’ve had architects look at it, and we’re assured we’re out of the 100-year flood plain,” Bruckner said.
The possibility of building a new school in the underserved eastern part of the district had been discussed for years, but board members and school officials began serious consideration of the proposal after setting out to upgrade all school facilities by 2015. One goal was to buy property in the eastern part of the district for a new school. Another was to build a new Carter Lake Elementary School to replace the current, substandard facility.
-- Dennis Friend New $34.4M Moultrie Middle wired for the future-- Charleston Post Courier South Carolina: August 01, 2009 [ abstract] Teachers at the former Moultrie Middle School building couldn't use Smartboards because the campus didn't have the technology infrastructure to support it.
When the new $34.4 million Moultrie Middle building on Coleman Boulevard opens in a couple of weeks, Smartboards will be standard equipment in every teacher's classroom.
"We had nothing," said school Principal Jean Siewicki. "We were really behind in terms of technology. This is so awesome. We're totally wired for anything we want to have in the future."
The technological capabilities of the new building should enable the school to have whatever it needs today and for years into the future. It's a significant change for the middle school that had outgrown its outdated building during the last three decades.
The front exterior of the new 125,000-square-foot building was designed with the site's history in
mind. The campus of Moultrie Middle once housed Moultrie High. The school district closed the high school in 1973, demolished the building and built Moultrie Middle on the same site. Town officials suggested that the new middle school's entrance mimic the original facade of the Moultrie High building, and everyone loved the idea, Siewicki said.
The new building finally gives the middle school the space it needs to serve its 850 students; more than half of the school's students had been in mobile classrooms. The campus had so many mobile classrooms that it didn't have space for more to be added.
The space constraints had a ripple effect on the school. Moultrie Middle has a strong fine arts department with a large chorus and band, but the chorus would have to gather in the cafeteria if they wanted to practice with everyone together. The band squeezed into a practice space about the size of two classrooms.
"It was pitiful," Siewicki said. "It certainly wasn't what we have now. It's just phenomenal, the space there."
-- Diette Courrégé Oregon Schools: It's Not Easy, or Cheap, Being Green -- The Oregonian Oregon: July 27, 2009 [ abstract] Green schools can save energy, they're healthier for students and they offer real-life lessons on sustainability, but Oregon school districts remain cautious about building them. Of the 27 new schools approved by Oregon voters in 2006, about one in four have been or will be built to national green standards. School boards cite cost as the main reason they haven't pushed for such schools. But there appears to be a move by some districts to build green without the expense and perceived hassle of meeting national standards. Green is a nebulous term, they say, and they don't need a certificate to prove their new schools were built to be sustainable.
But how do taxpayers know the schools are truly green? Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is widely known as the industry standard for green structures. Like a Nike swoosh, a LEED medallion on a school brings a level of recognition. At least five schools across Oregon have received LEED certifications and have the medallions to prove it. Another 16 new public schools are expected to be approved for certification within the next year. Created by the U.S. Green Building Council, LEED offers four levels of achievement from "certified" to "platinum" based on sustainability points. The catch is it costs a bit more and requires a lot of collaboration and paperwork to prove the schools meet green performance standards.
Districts that build to what some school officials call "LEED equivalent" don't have the medallion or the cost because they can choose which standards to meet and there is no mandatory third-party assessment of the environmental work. "LEED equivalent is an honor system," said Portland architect John Weekes, known nationally for his work on sustainable schools.
More new schools are on the way across Oregon after voters in 2008 approved at least 15 new buildings from Salem to Redmond. Of five districts contacted, all plan to build green schools, but officials are still weighing whether to go with LEED or the equivalent.
Sherwood School District wants to prove its schools are green. The 4,500-student district is finishing construction of two schools it hopes will bring LEED gold ratings. "We believe the ... LEED certification is the highest and most rigorous measure," said Sherwood Superintendent Dan Jamison. The program can add between 1 and 3 percent to the cost of construction, according to Oregon architects and a study commissioned by the U.S. Green Building Council. For a $15 million elementary school, that can be as high as $450,000. It can tack as much as $1 million onto construction of a high school. But several Portland architects said that's changing as the economy cools demand for products and the availability of green building materials improves, which reduces prices. In addition, the Oregon Department of Energy offers grants and tax credits through its High Performance School Program. In Sherwood, Jamison said a drop in construction prices is expected to save the district $3 million on its green schools. "Perhaps that made the decision (for LEED) easier for us," he said.
-- Wendy Owen Norton board keeps school building financing options open-- Akron Leader Publications Ohio: July 23, 2009 [ abstract] The Norton City Schools Board of Education adopted two resolutions at the regular July 20 meeting that position the school district to make the most of money available to update or replace school buildings.
The board passed one resolution that would allow it to ask the Ohio Department of Education and the Ohio Department of Taxation to permit the school district to indebt itself for more than 4 percent of the assessed valuation of property in the district.
The second resolution will allow the district to ask permission to indebt itself for 9 percent of its valuation. Board members stressed the action was just to keep the district’s financing options open.
Treasurer Stephanie Hagenbush said an Ohio School Facilities Commission (OSFC) evaluation of Norton school buildings showed renovation of the buildings to OSFC standards would be more than two-thirds of the cost for building new schools. When the cost of renovation reaches two-thirds of building new, Hagenbush said the OSFC recommendation is to abandon existing structures and build new.
The state of Ohio would contribute 38 percent of the funds for construction, Hagenbush said, leaving the local community to come up with 62 percent of the total. The availability of zero-interest qualified school construction bonds and recent legislation that increased the payback from 28 to 38 years could help with construction costs, Hagenbush said.
The district has a master plan that calls for construction of a middle/high school that would house grades seven through 12, an intermediate school for grades four through six and an elementary building for prekindergarten through third grade.
The board may decide to build all or some of the schools, depending on the money available, Hagenbush said. The board will meet Aug. 6 to review its options and to make requests for estimates of various millage rates from Summit County.
-- Pam Lifke Parish seeks $30 million federal loan for schools-- Daily Comet Louisiana: July 22, 2009 [ abstract] The School Board decided Tuesday to apply for $30 million in interest-free federal loans to build new public schools and upgrade older ones in Terrebonne Parish.
Construction also hinges on whether Terrebonne voters agree to a proposal Oct. 17 to allow money from an existing sales tax to be used for the work.
If voters agree to rededicate that tax money, it will be used to repay the $30 million in federal bonds that would be sold to pay for construction.
Because that federal money is interest-free, Superintendent Philip Martin said it could save the school system millions of dollars. If the school system does not receive the federal aid, Martin said, the board will instead issue traditional school-construction bonds.
Passed in 1996, the board’s 1-cent sales tax provides the school system with about 14 percent of its annual income " nearly $25 million this past year.
That money is split: 83 percent goes toward teacher salaries and benefits, and the remaining 17 percent is divided equally between technology and school maintenance.
The Oct. 17 proposition would allow some or all of that 17 percent to also be used to build new schools.
Martin said the money is critical to “revitalize our schools,” whose average age is 50.
The board agreed Tuesday to launch a $12,000 campaign explaining the tax-rededication proposal and outlining the first phase of construction. The campaign will include signs, fliers and brochures. The brochures may be mailed or sent home with students, with some board members favoring the latter to cut costs.
The brochures outline the five major goals for new construction:
n Decrease reliance on portable classroom buildings.
n standardize high schools as ninth through 12th grade.
n Replace or relocate flood-prone schools.
n Decrease overcrowding.
n Buy land needed for future construction.
These goals were developed by a committee including school-system staff, parents, teachers and community leaders.
-- Daniel McBride School construction gets underway-- SnoValley Star Washington: July 17, 2009 [ abstract] School construction crews are hard at work, using the $27.5 million provided by the March 2009 bond.
At the July 9 Snoqualmie Valley School Board Meeting, Clint Marsh, construction program manager for the school district, gave the board an update of the construction process.
About $3.8 million of the bond is being used to finance safety and security upgrades, including security video systems, playground safety, fire protection and a new track at Chief Kanim Middle School.
As the Valley’s population grows, so does vandalism. So, to better monitor school property, the district has installed closed-circuit TV surveillance cameras at all five elementary schools. The cameras are Internet accessible, allowing district security to check on any camera at any time.
The elementary schools are also receiving new playground surfaces. Before, the district filled each playground with woodchips, which continually needed to be replaced. Now, each playground will have a rubber surface and will be accessible by standards set by the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Construction crews first filled the playgrounds with gravel and then asphalt. The asphalt has to cure for 30 days before crews can install the rubber tiles on top.
Another part of the bond " about $14.2 million " is financing the district with infrastructure upgrades.
Opstad Elementary, as well as Chief Kanim and Snoqualmie middle schools, are receiving roof repairs. At Opstad, crews are removing old shingles, laying down an ice and water shield, and installing new shingles that are resistant to 110-mile-per-hour winds and have a 30-year warranty.
At Snoqualmie Middle School, construction crews are changing the slope of flat-roof areas so that water will properly drain, instead of sitting on top of the school.
At Mount Si High School, the bond is funding about $3.6 million for the installation of 12 portables and $1.8 million to build new tennis courts.
-- Laura Geggel North Carolina's First Green School Nearly Ready for Teachers -- Hickory Record North Carolina: July 06, 2009 [ abstract] As construction on Snow Creek Elementary School nears completion, the environmentally green initiatives being incorporated into the school become more evident. "Right now, I've been told that we're still scheduled to be the first green school in North Carolina (under the new criteria)," said Rick Sain, construction coordinator for Catawba County Schools.
The new criteria for schools has an increased emphasis on indoor environmental quality, better daylight, better acoustics and low-emitting materials, because young children are more susceptible to toxins, according to the U.S. Green Building Council. It also requires schools to have 10 hours of student curriculum per student per year, using the green aspects of the school as a teaching tool. The initial rating system was designed primarily for offices. In April 2007, the U.S. Green Building Council created a new rating system specifically for schools. "We're a little bit behind schedule, but the school should be ready for the staff to start moving things in by the end of July," Sain said.
Green items featured throughout the school include a sediment pond to treat storm water runoff, shade trees to keep the school cooler and large skylights in the lobby area to let in natural light. The classrooms feature more windows than are in many schools' classrooms, although not enough to qualify for green standards, Sain said. Every room in the building has automatic sensors to turn on the lights. In addition, each classroom is outfitted with light switches to control if the teacher wants all the lights off, on or turned to low. Motion detectors can activate the outside lighting of the school, as well. After hours, the inside of the building can be set to be completely dark, with lights only coming on when a door is opened, Sain said.
Another green initiative at Snow Creek Elementary includes controlling the building by an automation system, which will allow administrators to turn of the heating and air conditioning at the school at a set time. The water fountain's cold water also will be turned off at a set time, likely at 3 p.m., Sain said.
-- Sarah Newell Williamson Preservationists fight plan for replacing Adamson High School building in north Oak Cliff-- Dallas Morning News Texas: July 01, 2009 [ abstract] The Dallas school district's latest bond program includes more than $48 million to "replace" Adamson High School.
Built in 1915-16 and enlarged over the years, the north Oak Cliff school has foundation and other structural problems requiring ongoing repairs, district officials say.
"We need to modernize it and bring it up to standards where it will last for another 100 years," says Jon Dahlander, a district spokesman.
But alumni leaders and others want Adamson's oldest structures preserved.
A dispute entangling the past and future is present again.
An architecture firm has recommended taking down and reconstructing the school's original three-story building, red-brick facades and auditorium/lunchroom addition "as close to the original design as feasible."
Except for renovations from 2005, the rest of the school would be demolished and rebuilt.
That kind of talk has alumni and others concerned and returning to the city Landmark Commission for help. They want the original building and facades, auditorium dating to 1921 and a 1938 addition left in place and restored.
"We hate to lose an architectural gem like this to demolition," said Glenn Straus, alumni association treasurer. "We want everything built before World War II preserved."
He and other supporters appeared before the landmark commission's designation committee last week to revive their request for city protection. Landmark status, which requires City Council approval, limits changes to a building's exterior and requires commission approval for demolition, but it doesn't affect interior construction.
-- ROY APPLETON New School Construction Boom Focused On Environment-- NY1 New York: June 26, 2009 [ abstract] The city is in the middle of a school construction boom in response to years of overcrowding, but now the architects have to adhere to the city's new environmentally-friendly standards. NY1's Elizabeth Kaledin filed the following report.
Building new schools could be one of the city's toughest challenges. There's great need, not enough space, and of course these days not enough money. Yet 22 brand new schools will open up in September.
Sharon Greenberger, the president of the School Construction Authority, says designing schools, building them and deciding where to put them is a challenge.
"We try to identify sites that are large enough to accommodate a school, that pass environmental due diligence, that are accessible and are clearly in an area where there's need," says Greenberger.
Once a site is chosen, design teams come in. The architecture firm SBLM in Manhattan has 25 people working on school design alone. The firm has designed dozens of new city schools, and considers them to be big business and a unique art form.
"The environment of a classroom is very important. High windows and letting in lots of daylight has been proven to help in the education process," says Ed Bredow of SBLM.
-- Elizabeth Kaledin School district has funds to reopen Lowell school-- Bellingham Herald Washington: June 22, 2009 [ abstract] The Bellingham School District - its board and administrators - are making decisions now, with their 2009-10 budget and building plans, that will close neighborhood schools and irrevocably change the face and growth patterns of our city.
Like every school district, Bellingham has been looking for ways to cut spending to make up for revenue shortfalls. But unlike other school districts in Whatcom County, Bellingham is the only one closing a school to save money, and also is continuing to build new schools it doesn't have funds to operate, while enrollment remains flat.
Citizens, the Bellingham City Council, and the Mayor's Neighborhood Advisory Commission have urged the school board to re-open Lowell School this fall and to continue to operate Larrabee and Columbia elementary schools. The city's comprehensive plan views neighborhood schools as integral to the city's health and core values.
But the school board and district office are acting as if in a vacuum - they are not required to listen to city or county leaders.
Before coming up with a budget, and before federal and state spending were announced, the school district went ahead with $2.5 million in spending cuts, based on a list approved by the school board and compiled by an advisory committee.
Now the draft budget is out, revenue is down $580,000, or 0.6 percent, not the projected $3 million to $5 million. The budget was released June 15, and is scheduled for a school board vote June 25, with the only public hearing immediately preceding the vote.
Take a close look at this $100 million budget, because it has good news:
- Spending is set at $1 million below revenue, which means the district's "rainy day" fund, called the unreserved fund, has grown to 4.4 percent of the overall budget. District policy calls for a reserve fund worth between 3 percent and 5 percent of the budget.
- More than $1.3 million of federal money will be used to hire back teachers: The district will employ 500 full-time equivalent basic education teachers, down only 4.5 from this year. Class sizes will not suffer, and our teachers will have jobs.
The district's explanation for having made the $2.5 million in cuts, and keeping a school closed, is that stimulus funding is restricted in its use, and can't be redirected to make up for budget shortfalls in other areas.
But if any day is a rainy day, this is it. Administrators keep telling us their hands are tied, but the district could choose to keep the fund at 4 percent - a very fiscally responsible number - and open Lowell School on schedule, without endangering any programs or future funding.
Instead, the district is choosing to keep Lowell closed, and house the entire student body - which unlike this year will also include full-time kindergarten and fifth-grade classes - at Happy Valley Elementary.
Where will all these students be housed? In seven portables, which the school district called substandard when it promoted the $67 million bond in 2006 to build Wade King Elementary, ease overcrowding, and retrofit four schools, including Lowell. Meanwhile, a beautifully restored school sits empty.
It's time the district makes operating its schools a priority. The district says it is short on operating funds, but flush with capital funds, and is continuing to build new schools without money to operate them. The superintendent, in proposing a capacity study, said he offers no promise that Lowell will reopen, or that any other school won't close. He wants a new advisory committee to look at how efficient our schools are, not how well they teach and graduate students, but how much the buildings cost.
This is a prelude to closing more schools so operating funds and students can be redirected into the new schools on the outskirts of town.
Closing schools destroys family-oriented neighborhoods. Neighborhood schools encourage parent involvement, which creates a sense of community and produces majority decisions we need to pass bonds.
-- MELISSA SCHAPIRO New school could help set green standard-- Delaware Online Delaware: June 21, 2009 [ abstract] Brandywine School District spends $90,000 a year in wax and other materials to shine the floors in its schools. It is one expense the district is scrutinizing as it begins to plan for the construction of Brandywood Elementary School, which could become a model for how other schools are built statewide in years to come.
Earlier this year, the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control awarded the district a $950,000 grant to help make Brandywood a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, demonstration project. More recently, district officials have begun to plan what that money can buy to help make the school more energy efficient and environmentally friendly when it is built next spring -- including flooring that requires less upkeep.
-- Edward Kenney D300 sets cost to rent cafeterias, ball fields-- The Courier News Illinois: June 12, 2009 [ abstract] CARPENTERSVILLE — How much does it cost to rent a school?
Those fees now are standardized across Community Unit School District 300 after the board of education voted this week to approve changes to its facility rental agreement and fees schedule.
"It was to bring order to chaos," Board President Joe Stevens said.
The school board voted 6-1 to revise the rental agreement and fees schedule, maintaining rules and fees for indoor facilities currently in place, standardizing them across the district's 23 schools and adding fees for outside facilities.
-- Emily MaFarlan Money Crisis Puts Some California School Construction Projects on Hold -- Record Searchlight California: June 08, 2009 [ abstract] With the state's budget crisis, construction at many area school districts this summer will be slow to nonexistent. "We're just putting everything on hold," said Diane Kempley, superintendent of the Redding School District. Summertime is traditionally when districts update old buildings or construct new ones, patch leaky roofs, replace carpet or fix the parking lot. But this summer, Shasta County schools are facing $12 million in cuts from the state for this school year and the next.
The Redding School District will continue its usual maintenance - such as repairing fixtures and cleaning carpets - but will put on hold a big painting project that it had scheduled for this summer. It was something that could wait until the district's finances improved, Kempley said.
Across the Sacramento River, the Enterprise Elementary School District is constructing four new buildings for its Boulder Creek Elementary School expansion. The money for the multimillion-dollar project comes from a $34 million bond approved by voters in the district in February 2008. Phil Brown, chief business officer for the district, said the majority of the work being done at the district's schools this summer is funded with either bond money or grants it has received over the past year.
Crews are building walking tracks - paid for with federal grant money - at Lassen View and Mistletoe elementary schools. The district also is overhauling its computer network with the aid of a federal technology grant.
The four school districts that won bonds from voters in November - Cascade Union, Happy Valley, Pacheco and Gateway Unified - have yet to begin work at their sites and have no plans to begin this summer. The districts have recently received their credit ratings from standard & Poor's - the international provider of independent credit ratings - which means they will begin to sell their bond certificates this summer and plan their building projects this fall. In the meantime, "we'll be doing some roofing repairs," said John Strohmayer, superintendent of the Gateway Unified School District. "That's pretty much it."
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, speaking to state lawmakers in a joint legislative session last week, called again for action on the state's budget and proposed changing rules that would affect how schools are maintained. The governor's office proposed allowing districts to hire independent contractors for school maintenance rather than being required by the state to employ custodians, according to a statement on the governor's Web site.
-- Rob Rogers School facilities need help-- Aiken Standard South Carolina: June 04, 2009 [ abstract] Who would live in a house with inoperative toilets, leaking ceilings, sagging floors and walls embedded with toxic materials? Well, many kids in Aiken County attend public schools amid such decay. Almost 50 percent of their buildings are 50 years old and a reputable study recently concluded it would cost $358 million to bring them up to standard. That's $7,100 per household; a staggering sum years in the making, years of doing more with less, and years of allegiance to the mistaken impression that cutting "waste" was the answer to school funding.
While this bill is beyond our means, we must do something! The last county bond referendum passed in 1978. We need to demand another one now to build a school system fit to serve a new age.
We need some new facilities and must retire others. The little school around the corner may not be part of the solution. Some schools may have to be consolidated. As regrettable as these changes might be, the greater good must rule the day. Parents who object need to pony up the money to keep their pet school operating.
We must fund repairs that protect health and welfare in facilities we plan to retain, and need to look at empty "big boxes" to see if they can be economic and effective replacements for obsolete schools.
We need to innovate and school-centered community development may be a possibility. Denver taxpayers saved $2.5 million by colocating a high school and a K-8 comprehensive school around a student union housing a gym, cafeteria, computer center, labs and administrative offices. Campus green space hosted outdoor sports. The "union" and the surrounding "park" also served as a city recreation center. Differing usage patterns limited conflict. The city staffed the center and taught PE, freeing four teaching positions that were dedicated to academics. A private Boys and Girls Club provided after-school activities and day care.
Focused schools could be a partial answer. Each high school could major in one academic area, develop optimum teaching capabilities and use the Internet to pipe live interactive instruction into classrooms throughout the county. Why have six foreign language departments when one might do a better job?
-- JON SAMUELS STIMULUS PROVISIONS: S&P: Some BAB Direct Payments Pose Credit Worries-- The Bond Buyer National: June 01, 2009 [ abstract] standard & Poor's said in a report Friday that if issuers of direct-pay Build America Bonds pledge or plan to use the federal payments for debt service, then it will evaluate their ability to cover the debt service in case they are left waiting by the mailbox for checks the federal government promised to send.
For direct-pay BAB issuers who have no plan to use the federal payments for debt service, the rating agency said it would assign ratings based on the security for the bonds, such as the full faith and credit of the issuer or pledged revenues.
The rating agency made the statements in a report on the municipal bond provisions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, warning that the federal government's payment mechanisms for direct-pay BABs "raise questions as to the likelihood of timely payment - at least in the near term."
The BAB program lets muni issuers sell taxable bonds and either receive a direct payment from the federal government or have the government give investors a tax credit. The payments and tax credits would equal 35% of the interest paid on the bonds. Direct-pay BABs have become popular with issuers.
The Internal Revenue Service plans to mail federal subsidies to BAB issuers. But any delay could leave the issuers forced to make the full interest payment or face default, standard & Poor's pointed out.
standard & Poor's said in the report that, though it is worried about the direct payments' timeliness, it will consider in determining ratings whether issuers have reserve accounts or other sources of funding that could be relied on in case of late Treasury payments - or if the Treasury moves to an electronic payment system to ensure timely payments to issuers.
Keyword Search Tags: Stimulus, arra, bond
-- Patrick Temple-West Recent School Roof Collapses Concern Parents, Schools -- Arizona Republic Arizona: May 29, 2009 [ abstract] For 13 years, the roof of a Tempe elementary school supported more weight than it was designed to bear before caving in without warning two months ago. Inspections had failed to uncover significant problems. No one noticed the shoddy construction at a Fountain Hills elementary school that caused the roof to sag dangerously in October. And at Santa Maria Middle School in Tolleson, authorities say they had no warning of Saturday's roof collapse. Now, parents and educational authorities are concerned that recent roofing problems at those three Valley schools could indicate a larger, statewide pattern of schools in disrepair.
State School Facilities Board Director John Arnold said that he is worried the recent collapses could indicate a widespread problem. The board was created in 1999 to outline minimum guidelines for state school construction and distribute money to help keep buildings up to those standards. Arnold said he is committed to helping schools look for the warning signs that Kyrene and Fowler School Districts may have missed - even though the state lacks funding to correct any problems that are discovered.
Forensic engineer John Denny told Kyrene board members and parents Tuesday night that the faulty roof at Waggoner Elementary went 13 years bearing more weight than its design allowed before the collapse. Denny was hired by the insurance company handling the district's claim to investigate the cause of the damage. The problem, he said, is that the inspections - conducted quarterly by internal personnel and once every five years by the state School Facilities Board - are usually done by people who do not have the training or the skills to detect structural problems.
-- Megan Boehnke BOBBY BRIGHT: Amendment helps schools affected by disaster-- Prattville Progress Alabama: May 28, 2009 [ abstract]
Last week, I sponsored and passed an amend ment to H.R. 2187, the 21st Century Green High-Performing Public School Facilities Act. The bill proÂvides local school districts resources to make their faÂcilities more environÂmentally and energy effiÂcient.
While H.R. 2187 conÂtained specific funding for schools damaged by HurriÂcanes Katrina and Rita, it did not authorize money for other disaster-related damages. My amendment sets aside money for other school districts affected by recent natural disasters. The amendment passed by a unanimous 433-0 vote, and the overall bill passed by a 275-155 margin.
I sponsored the amendÂment due to the lack of addiÂtional funding for EnterÂprise High School following the devastating March 2007 tornado that leveled the school and left eight chilÂdren dead. The new high school remains under conÂstruction and the city and school board have exhaustÂed their options for addiÂtional revenue sources, leaving them $9 million short. I am hopeful that EnÂterprise and other school districts affected by natural disasters will be able to acÂcess money in this bill once it is signed into law.
Over the past two months, our district alone has seen flooding and storms that have led to at least one federal disaster declaration. Small towns across America are simply not equipped to rebuild a mainstay in their commuÂnities like schools when they are destroyed by natuÂral disasters. Moreover, I am a believer in the old adage 'if you're going to do something, do it right.' UpÂgrading schools- regardless of whether or not they were affected by natural disasÂters- to 21st Century and enÂvironmentally efficient standards will help create a positive and healthy learnÂing experience for our stuÂdents.
Under the bill, local school districts will be able to access grants for enviÂronmentally and energy efÂficient upgrades. It is estiÂmated that Alabama alone will receive over $105 milÂlion in funding from H.R. 2187. The bill now goes to the Senate for further conÂsideration.Saving Tax payers' Money
Congress passed a very important bill last week that will reform the miliÂtary procurement process and save taxpayers billions of dollars. The Weapons AcÂquisition System Reform Through Enhancing TechÂnical Knowledge and OverÂsight Act of 2009 (WASTE-TKO) passed by a unaniÂmous 428-0 margin. I also supported the legislation when it was in the Armed Services Committee.
-- BOBBY BRIGHT Shining a (Natural) Light on Green Schools -- New York Times National: May 28, 2009 [ abstract] Faced with a large stock of deteriorating public school buildings, school districts across the country are experimenting with new construction and renovations that save energy as well as improve educational facilities. Even though Congress cut the $16 billion originally proposed for school construction from the stimulus bill, the U.S. Department of Education will award states $48.6 billion under the bill’s fiscal stabilization fund to fill budget gaps in public schools and universities. School construction, renovation and repair projects can qualify for the money if it’s applied to “green” buildings.
A school addition that doesn’t use electric lights, heat or air-conditioning may sound like something straight out of “Little House on the Prairie,” but several architects and researchers from the Pacific Northwest hope to see such features become standard in new classroom construction nationwide. A prototype green classroom addition under construction at the Da Vinci Arts Middle School in Portland, Ore. includes natural daylighting, passive heating and cooling systems, solar roof tiles and other green features that yield a 70 percent efficiency improvement over Oregon building code requirements. The architecture firm SRG Partnership worked with the University of Oregon’s Energy Studies in Buildings Lab to design the 1,500-square foot music classroom and studio in order to achieve a LEED-platinum rating and net-zero energy use. One of the more unique features of the Da Vinci addition is the university’s experimental natural lighting system, called “the halo,” which provides enough light, even with overcast skies, so that there’s no need to flip on a switch at all during the school day. The system channels the sun’s rays through a skylight and into a diffuser on the classroom ceiling set at precisely the right angles to spread natural light evenly throughout the room. After dark, the lights are on but they’re mounted inside the diffuser so that the light is amplified and dispersed, using only 0.4 watts per square foot " or half of the energy used to illuminate a regular classroom, said G.Z. “Charlie” Brown, an architect and director of the university’s buildings lab.
Portland Public Schools plans to rebuild or remodel every building in its portfolio over the next 20 years and hopes to integrate as many green features as possible, said Nancy Bond, a resource conservation specialist for the district. The Da Vinci addition is a pilot project for the district to decide which new technologies will be included in future sustainable classrooms, she said.
-- Libby Tucker North Dakota Governor Hoeven Signs $1.3 Billion K-12 Education Funding Bill-- all american patriots North Dakota: May 19, 2009 [ abstract] North Dakota Governor John Hoeven today was joined by Lt. Gov. Jack Dalrymple, legislators, members of the Governor's Commission on Education Improvement, educators and students to sign House Bill 1400, a historic K-12 education funding bill that invests $1.3 billion in North Dakota's schools.
The legislation represents a nearly $290 million increase in state and federal education funding for the state, and includes $825 million for per-pupil payments, an increase of $100 million. In addition, the legislation specifies that no less than 70 percent of all new funds distributed to a school district must be applied to teacher compensation. The bill also includes increased funding for teacher mentorships, school counselors, tutors and capital projects, and creates an enhanced curriculum to better prepare students for the jobs of the future.
"In the last session, we passed the most significant reform in K-12 education funding in more than a generation," said Hoeven. "With the signing of this bill and our property tax relief
bill, we are investing $1.3 billion in our schools, reducing the burden of taxes on our local communities and bringing the state's share of the cost of education to the long sought goal of 70 percent. This legislation represents an important step forward for our children, our workforce, our communities and our future."
Key provisions of the legislation include:
* A record $1.3 billion K-12 education funding bill, with a nearly $290 million increase in state and federal funding. (The ongoing state funding increase is $120 million; ongoing federal funding increase is $20 million; and one-time fiscal stimulus funding is $150 million.)
* $825 million in per-pupil payments, including an increase of $100 million. At least 70 percent of all new operating dollars are dedicated to teacher compensation.
* $85 million in new funding for capital projects and deferred maintenance.
* The creation of an Early Childhood Learning Council.
* An appropriation of $2.3 million to the Education standards and Practices Board for a mentorship grant program to select and train experienced teachers to serve as mentors for first-year teachers.
* Additional funding for three professional development days for teachers.
* Increased requirements for counselor staffing from one counselor for every 400 students in grades 7-12 to one counselor for every 300 students.
* The presence of a tutor for every 400 students in grades K-3.
* A revised curriculum, with enhanced requirements, to better prepare students for the jobs of the future.
* A new Indian Education Advisory Council to help Native students succeed.
* A Longitudinal Data System to follow student progress from kindergarten to career in order to improve educational adequacy and meet the needs of the future workforce.
* Increased reimbursement rates for school bus transportation.
-- Staff Writer Abercrombie: Hawai‘i schools could get $18 million in ‘green’ grants-- Lihue Garden Island Hawaii: May 17, 2009 [ abstract] U.S. Representative Neil Abercrombie said Hawai‘i schools would be eligible for $18.18 million next year for building modernization, renovation and repair under the 21st Century Green High-Performing Public Schools Facilities Act approved by the House this week, a news release states.
The Green Schools Act authorizes $6.4 billion for the first year of a five-year program to help school districts across the country make their buildings more energy efficient and reliant on renewable sources of energy.
“Most importantly, our keiki will benefit from the Green Schools Act because research shows a direct correlation between the quality of school facilities and student achievement,” Abercrombie said in the release. “So, these funds to help Hawai‘i school districts renovate and modernize school buildings will actually improve the teaching and learning climate, health and safety.
“The second group of winners from this legislation will be the taxpayers of Hawai‘i,” Abercrombie continued. “By requiring school construction and modernization to meet green school standards, savings from lower energy bills can amount to thousands of dollars per school per year, money that can be used to hire teachers, buy computers or purchase textbooks instead. The bill also generates long-term savings for schools by reducing energy expenses.
“The third beneficiary will be Hawai‘i’s economy, because the program will create good-paying jobs in the construction industry. In fact, the bill’s language stipulates that construction jobs will have to be paid fair wages and benefits under the protections in the Davis-Bacon Act,” he said.
“And finally, the aina itself benefits because green schools reduce pollution by using about 30 percent less water and energy than conventional schools, and they emit almost 40 percent less harmful carbon dioxide.”
-- The Garden Island Synthetic Turf Fields Kicking Up Safety Concerns -- New York Times National: May 17, 2009 [ abstract] Some health experts, activists and parents from Seattle to Chicago to Stamford, Mass. are worried that children may be exposed to chemicals from artifical turf if they inhale or swallow the rubber granules, known as crumb rubber. Some are calling for a moratorium until the issue is more fully studied.
Artificial turf is often made of fake blades of grass with sand or ground tires used as fill to provide a springy cushion. About 25 million used auto tires are recycled into turf each year, according to Synthetic Turf Council, the Atlanta-based trade group. About 4,500 synthetic turf fields are in use throughout the country. Supporters say the artificial turf encourages increased outdoor play, reduces water and herbicide use and provides an even, predictable surface that's more cushioned than old-style AstroTurf. Playing fields with artificial turf "drain well. They don't get as muddy. The ball bounces a little higher, goes a little faster," Miller said. But potential health concerns have led Connecticut and California to conduct their own studies on the health effects of turf. New York City health officials recently commissioned a study to evaluate air quality above synthetic turf and found it didn't show appreciable effects from contaminants in the rubber.
Last year, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission investigated lead in artificial turf after New Jersey health officials found high lead content in some fields. The CPSC said none of the fields tested at levels that would be harmful to children, but it called for voluntary standards to eliminate lead in future products. Seattle is adding six new synthetic turf fields in the next year after reviewing current research on health or environmental risks. In San Francisco last summer, health officials reviewed the available literature and found there wasn't enough evidence of risks from lead, bacteria or crumb rubber to warrant tearing up and replacing existing fields. But they said that where possible the city should consider alternatives such as turf that uses cork or coconut husks as fill.
-- Associated Press House Approves $6.4 Billion for Green Schools-- Associated Press National: May 14, 2009 [ abstract] The House on Thursday passed a multiyear school construction bill with the ambitious goals of producing hundreds of thousands of jobs, reducing energy consumption and creating healthier, cleaner environments for the nation's schoolchildren. Opponents, almost all Republicans, objected to the cost associated with the 21st Century Green High-Performing Public School Facilities Act. The cost would be $6.4 billion in the first year with similar outlays approved over the next five years. It passed 275-155, and now goes to the Senate, which did not act after the House passed similar legislation last year. The situation has changed this year. While then-President George W. Bush threatened to veto the measure, objecting to a costly new school construction program, President Barack Obama made school improvement projects an element of his economic stimulus initiative.
The bill would provide states with money to make grants and low interest loans so school districts could build, modernize and repair facilities to make them healthier, safer and more energy-efficient. The funds would be allotted under a formula based on a district's share of students from low-income families, but the bill guarantees that every district that receives federal money for low-income students will get at least $5,000. A majority of the funds — rising to 100 percent by 2015 — would have to be used for projects that meet green standards for construction materials and energy sources. Those include the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System and Energy Star. The measure also approves a separate $600 million over six years for public schools in Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama damaged by hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005. Among the amendments approved were items that would make reducing asthma a guideline for green schools and allow funds to be used for playground equipment, phys ed facilities, greenhouses and gardens.
-- Jim Abrams It's Easy Being Green: Schools Remodel for Sustainability -- Center For American Progress National: May 13, 2009 [ abstract] Last week a House panel approved the 21st Century Green High-Performing Public School Facilities Act, a bill that would authorize $6.4 billion in 2010 for school construction projects that meet certain environmental standards. Projects that could qualify include maximizing green space, finding more efficient ways to control room temperature with windows and building materials, maximizing daylight, using organic compound cleaning products and tapping into renewable energy sources like solar power. The bill would provide additional funding for such projects until 2015, by which time all publicly-funded school construction projects would have to meet environmental standards.
Ten states across the country already require new school construction to use renewable energy sources, but this bill would ensure that all students have access to healthy, eco-friendly environments. Schools around the country have already taken diverse and creative steps to integrate environmental measures into their construction and curriculum. The cafeteria at Scarsdale High School in New York serves vegetables grown in an organic garden on campus. Students and teachers planted the garden together, which in only a few months generated over 600 pounds of produce. Other schools have utilized roof space to create gardens or install solar panels.
Energy-efficient building requirements are fiscally conservative in the long run as finite resources and expanding demand will make energy prices continue to rise. One study shows that schools undertaking these measures save an average of $70 per square foot, 20 times the initial cost of building retrofits and installation. These savings will free up much needed money to address educational programs and other pressing needs in our public schools.
Finances aside, these schools conserve many other resources. Not only do they use about 30-50 percent less energy than their conventional counterparts, conserving electricity and natural gas, they also use about 30 percent less water through strategies such as rainwater catchment and reducing irrigation needs for playing fields. Eco-friendly schools will also significantly reduce harmful emissions. A single green school could lead to an average emission reduction of 1,200 pounds of nitrogen oxide, 1,300 pounds of sulfur dioxide, and 585,000 pounds of carbon dioxide.
Many of our nation’s schools are in poor decay and ready for overdue renovations. Outdated building materials contribute not only to wasted energy and inefficiency, but they also contribute to increasing health problems for students. Hazardous materials like asbestos are still only optional for districts to remove. Children across the nation suffer increasing rates of asthma and other allergic conditions, partly from exposure to harsh building materials. New laws would revitalize school building codes, making them healthier learning places for students and teachers alike.
-- Staff Writer Public requests access to school facilities after hours-- Crossville Chronicle Tennessee: May 11, 2009 [ abstract] Respect ... Aretha Franklin wanted a little of it and so do Cumberland County taxpayers.
Though they discussed the matter several months ago, the Cumberland County Board of Education was recently asked to revise its policy on community use of school facilities so the public can have adequate access to what they help support.
â€"I have heard from several of my constituents regarding this…and all they are asking for is that the track and tennis courts remain open,†said 5th District representative Bob Scarbrough.
Last June, the BOE and its policy committee spent several hours deciding what to do with policy 3.206 — community use of school facilities — after receiving concerns about keeping the high schools' sport facilities open. They ultimately decided not to change the policy.
"When not in use for school purposes, school buildings and grounds thereof may be used for public, governmental, charitable, civic, recreational, cultural and other purposes as approved by the board,†concerned resident Jerry Harris read from the policy.
Harris described to the board how he was denied access to the tennis courts at Cumberland County High School after speaking with the school's athletic director.
â€"He did say that they were being locked because of vandalism, which I understand, and he said the decision had been made by him and the principal," Harris stated. "The disturbing part of the conversation though was that they felt like taxpayers should not have adequate use of those facilities.
â€"I think we have a double standard here for the administration to say that they should not be available to taxpayers, the athletic facilities especially," he added. "We have some athletic programs…call almost weekly about finding some support so I don't know how you can have it both ways."
-- Missy Wattenbarger No stimulus dollars for school construction-- The Newark Advocate Ohio: May 08, 2009 [ abstract] If school districts are forced by the state to expand from half-day to full-day kindergarten, the additional spaces needed in Granville won’t be funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
But school officials are still keeping fingers crossed for the federal stimulus funding for two energy reduction projects it sought, and is tendering an application seeking dollars for new lunch room equipment.
Granville Schools Director of Business Operations Chuck Dilbone said the district won’t receive the funding for additional building space because stimulus money for construction was not appropriated for schools.
“This was the case for all schools that applied,” Dilbone said in an e-mail.
The district sought $1 million for eight 1,200 sq. ft. kindergarten classrooms, a 2,500 sq. ft. multi-purpose room, two sets of restrooms and 1,000 sq. ft. of additional space.
If the district is required to expand to full day kindergarten, which has been proposed by Gov. Strickland in his new education funding program, Granville school administrators say four additional teachers will be needed at that grade level based on current enrollment figures.
Without that assistance, the district would likely be forced to closely examine some short term options, said Superintendent Scot Prebles, including reconfiguration of classroom space and grade assignments, lease of portable classrooms or adding on to an existing building.
“This would only happen after a discussion with parents and community members, as we have no predetermined add-on location and, once again, site specific grade band reconfiguration may be needed,” Prebles said in an e-mail.
Included in the district’s capital improvements application was funding for playground and parking lot expansions.
Dilbone said the district is still being considered for $550,000 for for rooftop air-handling units for the elementary and middle schools and $425,000 for solar laminate roof panels at the middle and high schools. The air-handling units would replace two low-efficency, substandard units. The solar panels would generate 19.8 killowatts per building to complement the district’s energy saving program, the application said.
Dilbone said the kind of school lunch equipment needed will be determined when the district chooses a new food service company next week.
Keyword Search Tags: Stimulus, arra, bond
-- CHARLES A. PETERSON House Panel Approves Bill to Fund ‘Green’ School Renovations-- CQ Politics National: May 06, 2009 [ abstract] A House panel approved a bill to authorize billions of dollars for “green” school renovation and modernization projects, despite Republican objections. The bill, approved 31-14, would authorize $6.4 billion in fiscal 2010 for school construction projects and any necessary funds through fiscal 2015. Vernon J. Ehlers of Michigan and Todd R. Platts of Pennsylvania were the sole Republicans to vote with the majority. The bill would require that all funding by fiscal 2015 be used for projects meeting environmentally friendly standards, such as those set by the government’s Energy Star rating system.
“School modernization is an economic stimulus,” George Miller , D-Calif., chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, said. “It creates jobs quickly while meeting critical public infrastructure needs.” The measure would authorize $600 million from fiscal 2010 to fiscal 2015 specifically for schools in the Gulf Coast region, where many school buildings were destroyed or severely damaged by hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005. Republicans argued that the bill would usurp what has traditionally been a local function.
-- Staff Writer County receives $21.7 million for school construction
-- Putnam Standard West Virginia: April 28, 2009 [ abstract] Whether Putnam County schools receive a $21,745,736 million Needs Grant from the state School Building Authority, over the next two years, depends entirely on voters passing a $55 million bond.
The $21.7 million grant was approved earlier this month, but is contingent on Putnam voters passing a bond.
"We have reason to believe generally that the county and parents are supportive of public education," Putnam County Schools Superintendent Harold "Chuck" Hatfield said. "But we need to educate them on the schools' needs."
Hatfield said Putnam County Schools have been able to do construction with the SBA's help but are to the point where three or four large projects remain.
Hatfield said he would have a hard time prioritizing the list of projects.
Some include a new Winfield Middle School, funded by the SBA needs grant if the bond passes; renovations and changes to Poca Middle; Confidence Elementary; and a new Buffalo High School.
In Confidence Elementary over half of the instructional area is in portables and Winfield Middle has about 14 portables.
"Winfield Middle is in a situation where two-thirds of the students are in portable classrooms," Hatfield said. "From the road, the school looks good, but from behind it looks like a trailer park. Poca Middle's main building was built in 1923 where we're trying to reach 21st Century learning skills and technology. That's impossible; the infrastructure is not there."
-- Carolyn Harmon Minnesota School Hopes for Fed School Construction Bond Money-- DL-Online Minnesota: April 22, 2009 [ abstract] A proposed $20 million construction and renovation project for Lake Park-Audubon Schools could get a considerable boost with the recent announcement that greater Minnesota schools are eligible for roughly $75.85 million in federal stimulus funding for school building projects. According to Board Member Dale Binde, Lake Park-Audubon could qualify for slightly over $19 million in Qualified School Construction Bonds (QSCB’s), at zero percent interest. Certain parts of the project, such as athletic fields and parking lot improvements, could not be funded through the QSCB’s, but might still be funded through standard bonding, at 4.9 percent interest. Even if the school does qualify for the bonds, Binde noted, the entire project would still be subject to voter approval " which, as anyone who lives in the district knows, has not been forthcoming in recent years. However, the federal stimulus money could definitely mean a shot in the arm, of sorts, for the district’s hopes of getting a bond referendum passed.
Keyword Search Tags: Stimulus, arra, bond
-- Vicki Gerdes Fremont seeking new high school, again-- Muskegon Chronicle Michigan: April 20, 2009 [ abstract] Hallways are crowded. Technology is outdated. Some classrooms are too small.
Any way you cut it, Fremont needs a new high school, according to John Kingsnorth, superintendent of Fremont Public Schools.
"It's not up to anyone's standards," Kingsnorth said of Fremont High School, which was built in 1926. "We've been making it work, but we feel we could do a lot better."
The school district for the fourth time is asking voters to approve a bond proposal to build a new high school. It is one of two proposals totaling nearly $44 million that will be before voters May 5. A second proposal would finance technology upgrades for the other school buildings.
Together, the two proposals would increase the district's 3.4-mill property tax levy to 7 mills, with bonds being paid off over 29 years. If only the high school proposal passes, the millage rate would increase to 7 mills and bonds would be paid over 28 years. If only the technology proposal is approved, the district's millage would increase by a half mill, with bonds being paid off over 12 years.
The proposal calls for a new $39.9 million 169,000-square-foot high school to be built just off South Warner Avenue near Apache Drive. Educators have proposed several uses for the current high school, including condominiums and a community center.
Kingsnorth said the high school's classrooms can't accommodate new technology and aren't big enough for interactive lessons. The building's heating and cooling systems are also outdated, and many rooms lack natural light, he said.
"When you look at 21st century learning, the biggest factor is technology," Kingsnorth said. "If these kids today don't have a deep understanding of how to use technology in their jobs they're at a deficit with other people they're competing with."
-- Brian McVicar Schools playing with fire, inspector warns-- New York Daily News New York: April 20, 2009 [ abstract] Fire prevention sprinkler systems in several New York City public schools are a disaster waiting to happen, a plumbing inspector for the School Construction Authority charges.
Roy Van Allen told the Daily News he has warned supervisors about sprinkler systems and fire standpipes that are inadequate or may not work at all.
Van Allen contends he found serious problems at a half-dozen schools - including improperly installed pipes, a disconnected standpipe and a substandard fire suppression system.
"I wouldn't feel safe with my kids in those schools," he said. "These systems are operating not as designed. It doesn't mean it won't put out a fire, but ... you shouldn't have to wonder if it will work."
Case in point: Last December, Van Allen discovered a standpipe that would be used by the Fire Department to pump water to the upper floors of Public School 125 on W. 123rd St. in Harlem was disconnected.
"It existed for an unknown time until discovered by me by accident," Van Allen wrote in a Jan. 7 e-mail to his superiors.
In January, Van Allen found problems with a pipe used to distribute water for the sprinkler system that was installed on the wrong floor and could confuse firefighters.
In a memo to his superiors, Van Allen wrote: "This place is a wreck."
Nearly 600 children attend PS 125 in grades K to 7. The Columbia Secondary School is also housed in the building.
Harriet Barnes, president of the Community Education Council of District 5, whose office is on the second floor of PS 125, said she knew nothing about the fire safety issues. "Never mind me, there are kids in there every single day," Barnes said. "That's not right."
Principals of the two schools did not return calls. An FDNY spokesman was unaware of any problem at the school.
A spokeswoman for the city Department of Education said the standpipe at PS 125 passed a Feb. 12 inspection.
"We were not aware that [the standpipe] was disconnected. We were aware that it was not working," said DOE spokeswoman Margie Feinberg.
-- Greg B. Smith, Meredith Kolodner and John Marzulli Students Help Build New, Green School -- Salt Lake Tribune Utah: April 20, 2009 [ abstract] From their art class window, Hillside Middle School students can see their biggest project yet: a new environmentally friendly school building. The Salt Lake City School District is rebuilding Hillside as a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) school building, and students are helping. Buildings must meet certain environmental standards in order to become LEED certified. Utah now has two LEED-certified schools and another four, including Hillside, working toward certification.
The new Hillside building, which is being built next to the current one, will feature "light shelves" outside windows to reflect light into classrooms and hallways, while shading them from direct light to save on cooling and artificial lighting costs. The new building will also feature evaporative cooling rather than air conditioning. It will have acoustic ceiling tiles in classrooms, carpets made of recycled materials and furniture from the old school. Many of the school's building materials, including concrete blocks and sheetrock, will come from within a 500-mile radius to cut down on the pollution from transporting them. Most of all, it's an interactive lesson for many of the students who will eventually walk its hallways. With the help of artist John Schaefer, the school's seventh- and eighth-grade art students are creating art installations and at least 24 signs explaining the school's green features for future generations of students and visitors.
-- Lisa Schencker More debate on CPS oversight bill as it moves to Illinois Senate-- Medill Reports Illinois: April 08, 2009 [ abstract] Today policy makers, community groups and educators say the passing of House Bill 363 in the Illinois Senate would create another layer of bureaucracy for Chicago Public Schools. Whether this is good or bad, however, is contested.
The bill would establish state laws and an oversight committee regarding school facilities planning. CPS would be bound by this legislation when dealing with a number of school facilities issues, including school closings. Bill proponents say this measure would stem what they call uninformed school closings.
“If we were to close every low-performing school in this city, we would have way too few places to send our kids,” said David Mayrowetz, associate professor at University of Illinois-Chicago’s educational policy studies department.
House Bill 363, championed by Rep. Cynthia Soto, passed unanimously in the House last week with 118 votes. Soto had support across party lines, a fact Collin Hitt, education policy specialist at the Illinois Policy Institute, says makes the bill seem innocent despite setting what he calls an unnecessary precedent.
“We do not support it,” Hitt said, “and we oppose efforts to further regulate districts that in fact need greater flexibility in personnel and infrastructure decisions.”
But community activists said the bill is necessary to ensure equitable treatment in the district.
“For 30 years [CPS-backed reform initiatives] have not delivered on providing a first-class education for all children in Chicago no matter where they’re coming from,” said Jackson Potter, steering committee of the Caucus of Rank and File Educators. “We’re saying the time is now.”
CPS currently does not have a set practice or standard for school facilities issues, but looks at underutilization, low academic performance and the condition of the physical facility according to a CPS spokesman. Sixty schools have closed since 2002, not including the 16 school slated for closure after a CPS board vote in February..
Some supporters were disappointed by the removal of a one-year moratorium on school closings in the original bill language. The moratorium would have applied to the recently closed schools and would have involved an evaluation and hearing from affected members of the school community.
-- Anthonia Akitunde Major Facilities Legislation for Chicago Public Schools Passes State House 118-0-- Press Release Chicago Representative Soto Illinois: April 03, 2009 [ abstract] CHICAGO, APRIL 3, 2009 " State Representative Cynthia Soto responded to the concerns of parents, Local School Councils, and teachers in her district and the rest of Chicago, by leading a successful campaign to set standards for a fair school facilities policy for the city.
After an 118 to 0 victory in the State House today, Soto’s Chicago School Facilities bill (House Bill 363) moves on to the State Senate. Chicago is one of the few large cities that has refused to adopt a meaningful process and set of standards for determining a range of school facilities issues that are addressed by Rep. Soto’s bill, which include "school openings, closings, consolidations, turnarounds, phase-outs, construction, repairs, modernizations, boundary changes, and other related school facilities issues in Chicago."
-- Representative Cynthia Soto Plans for elementary school changed after parents protest-- Business Gazette Maryland: April 01, 2009 [ abstract] A redesign proposal that upset Garrett Park Elementary School parents for what they perceived as poor pedestrian safety standards has been largely adjusted back to a previous design following outcry at a meeting last week.
The new design will be presented at an update meeting at 7 p.m. tonight at Garrett Park Elementary School, 4810 Oxford Street, Kensington.
Montgomery County Public Schools originally held five meetings with parents, staff and community members to hear input for the plans for the tear down and redesign of the school. But upon showing the consensus scheme to the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission and the Maryland Department of Transportation, MCPS concluded the design agreed upon could not be built in three dimensions because of the elevation differences on the site. It was also determined that the site plans would not comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act requirements for accessible ramps.
The significant changes prompted another meeting last week to present the amended plans to parents, who turned out in larger numbers than previous meetings. They balked at the proposed traffic flow, which showed the bus loop surrounding a day care on the elementary school site. The bus loop, because of grade differences, was separated from the day care with a retaining wall like a moat, and parents worried that children would not use the long sidewalk around it to access the day care, where many kids play after school.
"There is no place for the kids to go once they get out of school, unless they immediately get in a car and drive off the property," said parent Natalie Grande.
-- Jen Beasley Tom Nida on the looming charter school facility financing fiasco-- Examiner District of Columbia: April 01, 2009 [ abstract] Tom Nida and I got back together to discuss Mayor Adrien Fenty’s proposal to decrease the amount of money charter schools receive each year for facility expenses. [As part of his 2010 budget the Mayor wants to reimburse schools on a sliding scale based upon meeting certain criteria. Under the plan a school could receive the entire $3,109 per student that it receives today but the amount could go down to as low as $1,000 a child. The Mayor’s office predicts that D.C. can save $24 million through this change.] “I’m spending an extraordinary amount of time on this issue,” commented the Chairman of the D.C. Public Charter School Board (PCSB). I told him that my problem with the new structure is that currently when a school’s rent was below the facility allotment then the extra cash could be used to supplement the instructional program. But Mr. Nida had another interesting take on it.
The Chairman said that almost all charters start out by renting a temporary facility that has much less square feet for each student compared to a traditional public school. “A regular public school may have 150 square feet per child while a charter is usually in the 75 to 100 square feet per student range.” The reason for this is commercial real estate is difficult to obtain and expensive. That is why so many start-ups initially are housed in warehouses, churches, and storefronts. When schools rent these relatively small footprints they are often able to do so at a cost below the $3,108 for each pupil. “The difference between their actual cost and the facility allotment is then saved so that a permanent facility can be obtained at a size per student comparable to that of a traditional school, the Chairman pointed out.
Mr. Nida’s understanding of this issue was the basis of preliminary discussions he had with the city over restructuring the charter facility payment to more closely approximate the needs of the schools. But here’s the rub. As part of his proposal, Mr. Nida also said that schools that are utilizing under the 150 square feet per child should have their facility payment augmented by the difference between the amount of space they are currently renting and the common standard for public school space. For example, if a school has rented property with 100 square feet per student then their facility payment should be increased by 50% in order to afford an upgraded site at a later time. The goal is to bring charter school facility financing on a more equitable level to money allocated to DCPS buildings.
Tragically, this part of Mr. Nida’s formula did not make it into the 2010 budget proposal. The omission could make things much for difficult, beyond what they already are, for charter schools to obtain permanent facilities.
-- Mark Lerner Massachusetts School Building Authority Foresees Funding Shortfall -- Boston Globe Massachusetts: March 26, 2009 [ abstract] With sales tax revenue on a steady decline, the Massachusetts School Building Authority is projecting its portion of state funds will fall short by at least $100 million this fiscal year. The authority gets about 1 cent for every 5 cents collected in state sales tax to help cities and towns pay for school construction, renovations, and major building repairs. Under the law establishing the authority, it expected at least $702 million to spend for the year that ends June 30, regardless of the amount of sales tax collected because of a minimum budget the state guarantees.
Katherine Craven, the authority's executive director, said that if the state isn't able to make up the shortfall, some 200 or more projects now in the earliest planning stages could be in jeopardy and the authority might have to cut back on future projects. Those schools that have already been approved for feasibility studies or for design and budgeting would not be affected by a deficit, she said. The authority has a five-year, $2.5 billion capital pipeline to fund school projects.
To make sure districts are spending their funds wisely, the authority has conducted 800 project audits and is encouraging some communities to consider adopting a "model school" program, which lowers costs by standardizing facilities' designs.
-- Christina Pazzanese Schools Dig into Stimulus Arithmetic-- Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Pennsylvania: March 22, 2009 [ abstract] Across Pennsylvania, at least $2.6 billion in federal stimulus money will be doled out -- for early childhood, elementary and secondary, and higher education -- with the goal of using it by Sept. 30, 2011. Local school district leaders are developing ideas that could meet the federal and state guidelines without kicking up districts' ongoing costs when the money runs out. "It's a godsend to us," said Pittsburgh Public Schools Superintendent Mark Roosevelt. If the district does use any of the money for school renovation, he said, the top priority likely would be career and technical education.
For those who are hoping the closed Schenley High School building will be renovated, Mr. Roosevelt said, "There's not monies sufficient to bring a project of that magnitude to the table, nor is it consistent with the very clear Obama administration edict that the money be used primarily on student gains."
"I don't think you're going to see a lot of districts going out and starting a lot of expensive new programs or hiring a lot of new teachers," said Tim Allwein, assistant executive director for governmental and member relations of the Pennsylvania School Boards Association. He said schools are more likely to buy new textbooks, update science lab equipment, improve libraries, "things that sometimes get left behind in years districts have limited funds."
Both the federal and state governments have put restrictions on how the money can be spent. Permitted expenditures also vary by category. For example, only subgrants from the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund can be used to modernize and improve school facilities, and technology improvement money can't be used for early childhood education.Some school officials plan to see whether they can cover some school renovations with part of the money.
David Goodin, superintendent of Connellsville Area School District, which is expected to receive about $5.9 million this year, said the district already was in the midst of a feasibility study of its high school, including a look at the roof, boiler and other problems. Connellsville also is considering trying to use some money to bring the shops in the career and technology education program up to industry standards.
Keyword Search Tags: Stimulus, arra
-- Eleanor Chute Plans for small schools elicit concern in county-- Charlottesville Daily Progress Virginia: March 18, 2009 [ abstract] Several dozen residents on Tuesday looked into the possible futures of three small Albemarle County schools: They could be renovated; one or two could be closed; or all three could be shut down in favor of a single, larger school.
School officials presented statistics that show the $4.9 million annual cost of running three small schools is about $900,000 more than it would take to operate one large school.
Though statistics have shown that small schools are often less efficient to operate than larger schools, some residents have argued that the small schools provide better learning environments and help bind together the local community.
“I came in here in a defensive mode,” resident Bobby Pugh said. “I feel like kids learn better when they’re comfortable.”
Pugh’s second-grade daughter goes to Red Hill Elementary, the same school both Pugh and his father attended. Pugh’s daughter reads at a sixth-grade level, which he attributes partially to the community environment at the school.
Tuesday’s public meeting at Red Hill is one of three that project leaders are hosting this week to detail options for the county’s smallest elementaries, Red Hill, Yancey and Scottsville.
Project leaders presented statistics that show 87 percent of students at the three small schools passed standardized tests last school year, compared with a 91 percent pass rate division-wide.
However, the three schools, which feed into Monticello High School, have a much higher percentage of economically disadvantaged students " 47 percent " than the division’s overall figure of 21 percent. A lower percentage of economically disadvantaged students pass standardized tests in Albemarle than do students who come from wealthier families, according to Virginia Department of Education statistics.
-- Brandon Shulleeta 4 ways to fix facilities unveiled-- Cincinnati.com Ohio: March 15, 2009 [ abstract] Mariemont School District residents will get their first look this week at four options for improving the district's facilities.
The options, along with their costs, will be posted Wednesday on the district's Web site, www.mariemontschools.org. Residents will be asked to review the options and attend a community meeting at 7 p.m. March 25 in the high school gymnasium to provide feedback.
In January, the school board heard that it would cost $64.7 million to renovate all five school buildings to Ohio School Facilities Commission standards. Since then, the board has taken the high school, built around 1970, out of the equation for 10 years. That shaves the renovation costs to $47 million.
"I think everybody realized that it is just too big of an issue to face all at once, so let's take the high school off of our plate for now and put that aside and just concentrate on our biggest needs," Superintendent Paul Imhoff said.
For now, the focus is on the elementary and middle schools. Fifty volunteers became part of the solutions/options team, which brainstormed ways to solve building issues and narrowed down options.
On Wednesday, residents will see the four options, along with pricing information for construction, staffing, utility and transportation costs for each.
-- Cindy Kranz New Schools Fall Short of Ohio Governor Strickland's Class-size Standards -- Columbus Dispatch Ohio: March 15, 2009 [ abstract] Ohio taxpayers have shelled out more than $6.5 billion over the past dozen years to build schools that in many cases won't meet the requirements of Gov. Ted Strickland's education plan. Under the governor's proposal, the student-to-teacher ratio in kindergarten through third grade must be 15-to-1. But since its creation in 1997, the Ohio School Facilities Commission has built or renovated hundreds of schools based on 25 students per classroom. That means districts with even the newest buildings -- including Columbus -- might need more classrooms to meet the smaller class-size requirements. For example, if a district has three first-grade classrooms with 25 students each, it would need five classrooms to accommodate a 15-1 student-teacher ratio.
"It's going to be tough to tell districts we just built you a new building, it's 2 years old, and by the way, it's outdated," said Michael Shoemaker, executive director of the facilities commission. He said it's unclear whether additions or building renovations, which would cost untold millions, will be required to accommodate smaller class sizes, or whether a second teacher could be added to an existing classroom. He's seeking answers from the state Department of Education. "Districts may get hammered by a change in statewide policy that no one knew was coming," Shoemaker said. Anxious school district officials say Strickland's education plan doesn't include money for construction and they can't afford it themselves.
Under the state's building program, 647 new or renovated schools have been constructed in 240 of Ohio's 614 school districts. Costs are split between the state and districts, with local taxpayers required to provide matching funds based on the wealth of the district. David Branch, superintendent of Franklin Local School District in Muskingum County, said if the governor's proposal is approved by lawmakers, the facilities commission should review the needs of districts with completed construction projects and change its standards for future projects to accommodate smaller class sizes. "I believe that small pupil-teacher ratios provide great learning environments," he said. "I also understand that many Ohio school districts do not have enough current classrooms to house this pupil-teacher ratio."
-- Catherine Candisky and Jim Siegel The Importance of Acoustics-- Reed Construction Data Georgia: March 10, 2009 [ abstract] Few spaces demonstrate the importance of acoustics better than an educational facility. Such an environment must facilitate a wide variety of activities, the most crucial of which is learning. Unfortunately, the acoustics in many educational facilities are less than acceptable. In some cases, the acoustic conditions detract from the educational experience and hinder the learning process.
A New standard
Recognizing the trend of sub-par acoustics, the American National standards Institute (ANSI) recently introduced a standard for the acoustical design of schools, S12.60-2002, “Acoustical Performance Criteria, Design Requirements and Guidelines for Schools.”
The new standard is in effect and includes several requirements focusing on noise isolation in educational facilities. The standard is broken down into sections outlining guidelines for background noise levels, Reverberation Time, Sound Transmission Class, and Impact Isolation Class. The standard is followed by annexes that give more information on how to achieve the specified standards.
Why Bother?
Many recent studies demonstrate that acoustics is a significant inhibitor to productivity and that the presence of noise is directly related to lower test scores. With the approval of this new standard, designers gain an increased awareness of the importance of acoustics in educational facilities and are given specific guidelines to help ensure the success of the facility. It is the responsibility of the design professional to take acoustic factors into consideration in order to ensure this success.
-- acoustics.com staff Some question financing involved in Roosevelt plan-- Iowa City Press-Citizen Iowa: March 07, 2009 [ abstract] A plan to close Roosevelt Elementary and move most of the children to a new $11.5 million school off Camp Cardinal Boulevard in western Iowa City and Coralville continued to draw questions Saturday on whether it was right financially and for safety purposes.
About 100 people attended the second of two public forums at Northwest Junior High that Iowa City School District officials hosted on the plan. The new school, which if approved would be ready in time for the 2011-12 school year, would draw students from Roosevelt, Weber and Kirkwood elementaries.
Superintendent Lane Plugge said he and other district officials made the recommendation after a review of the 78-year-old Roosevelt building showed $5.1 million in needed repairs and additions. He said the classrooms, computer lab and gymnasium all were smaller than district standards. He also cited a recent determination by the Iowa Department of Education that Roosevelt was “socioeconomically and racially isolated” because it had higher percentages of minority and low-income students than the district average.
He said the district would have the money necessary to build the new school and an addition to nearby Horn Elementary to accommodate 120 students from Roosevelt from the School Infrastructure Local Option, or SILO, sales tax approved by voters in February 2007. However, he said the district should find ways to avoid spending the estimated $374,000 annual cost in operating an elementary school at a time when it has to cut $6 million over the next two years.
“The impact would be in operating costs,” Plugge said. “It would be mainly an economic cost to the district.”
Some in attendance questioned the financial estimate, including Sen. Robert Dvorsky, D-Coralville. He said the legislature planned to fund the 4 percent of allowable growth, or cost of operating, school districts were seeking in its upcoming budget. However, he said he wondered where about $4 million was spent that the district had until this year.
“When they passed the ($39 million bond issue in February 2003), they said they would maintain the current schools,” Dvorsky said. “Everything’s based on they don’t have the money to maintain these schools.”
-- Rob Daniel Keith Dixon: School district’s Red Plan is ‘green’ as well-- Duluth News Tribune Minnesota: February 26, 2009 [ abstract] Three years ago, at the very beginning of the development of our long -range facilities project, before anyone heard of a Red, White or Blue plan, we heard lots of talk about green. Not in reference to money, but in terms of design. In other words, if you’re going to invest in your buildings, are you going to take the important step of making them environmentally friendly?
We heard that question from the community repeatedly.
The answer is “Yes.” In fact, our school board adopted green standards for the LRFP this week. Other Duluth organizations have already taken that step, like SMDC, UMD and Lake Superior College.
Green buildings deliver lower energy and water bills, create less waste, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and provide less exposure for students to mold, mildew and other indoor toxins. Green buildings are healthier and reduce absences related to respiratory illnesses and other environmental illnesses. They’ve also been shown to have a positive impact on test scores.
Our school district will use the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program as the sustainable design standard for the new schools we build. The LEED program for schools was specifically crafted for use in school construction and provides measurable results that include third-party review. For renovation of existing school buildings, we’ll follow the same standard without the certification.
LEED encourages adoption of sustainable green building and development practices through the creation and implementation of universally understood and accepted tools and performance criteria. A LEED-designed building can provide a healthy place to teach and learn, ongoing operational budget savings and hands-on learning opportunities for students.
As in other commercial buildings, the net cost of building a LEED school is comparable to building a conventional school. The majority of standards required to achieve LEED silver-level certification are available at little or no additional cost, based on currently available technology and good design practices. Examples include:
-- Keith Dixon State panel OKs San Bernardino high school financing plan-- Press-Enterprise California: February 26, 2009 [ abstract] A state panel has approved the San Bernardino City Unified School District's approach to paying for a permanent Middle College High School building in Colton.
About 200 students attend the high school, which offers a mix of high school and college-level classes and has posted some of the highest standardized test scores in the county while operating out of temporary classrooms.
The construction would double the school's capacity.
The project has been in limbo since last summer when the state Office of Public School Construction objected to the district's strategy to finance the $15.3 million project with a mix of money from different school-building sources.
Late Wednesday, the State Allocation Board granted the district's appeal and approved the project.
About $12 million was at stake.
"The system worked very well," said John Peukert, the San Bernardino district's assistant superintendent for facilities.
School districts normally must pay 50 percent of the cost of a new school, and the state provides the rest.
The state will cover up to 100 percent of the local match for districts that qualify for financial hardship status.
-- JIM MILLER S.C. Student Inspires Obama-- WSAV-TV National: February 25, 2009 [ abstract] President Barack Obama told the nation Tuesday night that he was inspired by the resolve of a South Carolina student who wrote a plea to the White House and Congress to fix her crumbling school.
As eighth-grader Ty’Sheoma Bethea of Dillon looked on from a seat next to First Lady Michelle Obama, the president read from her letter and described the substandard conditions at her impoverished school, J.V. Martin Junior High.
“She has been told that her school is hopeless, but the other day after class she went to the public library and typed up a letter to the people sitting in this chamber,” Obama said. “The letter asks us for help, and says: ‘We are just students trying to become lawyers, doctors, congressmen like yourself and one day president, so we can make a change to not just the state of South Carolina but also the world. We are not quitters’.”
Near the beginning of his bid for the presidency in August 2007, Obama visited J.V. Martin, which sits in the state’s “corridor of shame” of poor, underperforming schools.
Since then he has repeatedly referred to the school’s leaky roof, peeling paint and the noisy train that disrupts classes to argue for increased funding for school modernization.
At his first presidential news conference on Feb. 9, Obama referred to J.V. Martin in arguing for school construction funding in the $787 billion economic recovery package after the Senate voted to cut those funds.
After hearing her school described by the president in prime time, Ty’Sheoma, 14, decided to write Obama and members of Congress a letter urging them to provide funds to fix crumbling schools, the White House said.
A few days after the press conference, Ty’Sheoma and her letter were featured in an article in the Chicago Tribune " Obama’s hometown newspaper " about how the recovery package could help decrepit schools like J.V. Martin.
Tribune reporter Howard Witt wrote that he entered Ty’Sheoma’s social studies class " housed in a rusting trailer " and asked the students if they knew about the fight over school construction funding in the recovery package.
Ty’Sheoma was one of the few students to raise her hands, Witt wrote, and said “all I know is that the Congress might not agree that we need help and they might deny the president the money he needs to help us.”
-- Sean Mussenden School board to revive realignment -- Uniontown Herald Standard Pennsylvania: February 23, 2009 [ abstract] It appears the Connellsville Area School District board plans to proceed with a second attempt to realign the district.
Board members have agreed to conduct a March 4 public hearing to discuss the various proposals suggested over the course of the year and to take testimony from the public as to what plans it would offer to curb escalating expenditures and improve the education system.
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"I hope everyone comes prepared," said board President Francis Mongell. "We have all had a year to think about the needed changes and to review past feasibility studies and the (MGT of America) facilities master plan.
"We owe our administration, teachers, students and the taxpayers to do something."
Mongell, who crafted a realignment plan last year that called for the closure of three elementary buildings, reconfiguration of grade levels and moving ninth grade students to the high school, said that he considering several ideas, but will wait until the public hearing to discuss his views.
"I am open to any ideas to get us to where we need to go," he said.
In the prior plan Connellsville Township, South Side and Dunbar Borough elementary schools would be closed with students transferred to Zachariah Connell, Bullskin Township or Dunbar Township elementary schools. Also, a new elementary program of kindergarten through grade four; intermediate program of grade five through eight and a senior high school program of grade nine through 12 would be established.
The intermediate students would be housed at the two junior high schools in the previous plan.
However, just days after the board voted to implement the realignment at the start of the 2008-2009 school year, a coalition of parents and taxpayers filed a civil lawsuit to halt the action.
-- Patty Yauger Revisions likely for Blairsville-Saltsburg School project-- BLAIRSVILLE DISPATCH Pennsylvania: February 20, 2009 [ abstract] It appears likely that the Blairsville-Saltsburg School Board will need to make revisions to planning documents for its proposed K-12 Saltsburg building project. But school board President Beverly Caranese said updated information required by state education officials won't alter the board's plan to construct an elementary addition to the Saltsburg Middle/High School and shouldn't delay a projected start of construction this summer.
"This is just a little delay," she said. "Our project is still going to be on time.
"It's just about getting more information to the PDE (Pennsylvania Department of Education). It's not going to change the result of us moving forward with the project."
Over the past few months, the school board has submitted several parts in a series of PlanCon planning documents for the proposed $26.2 million building project that are required for the work to be eligible for partial state reimbursement.
The PDE initially approved PlanCon parts A and B for the project, but put the project on hold and has been re-examining the plans since receiving a written complaint filed by the citizens' group Reclaim Our Communities (ROC). The group has argued the project is too costly and will create more space than is needed for the district's declining student population. In the complaint, ROC alleged that a district-wide feasibility study required as a supporting document for PlanCon Part A was incomplete.
In a Feb. 10 e-mail to district officials, PDE architectural consultant James E. Vogel, in fact, cited seven areas of the study where the state requires additional information or explanation.
Among information found lacking or incomplete was: an overview of factors that impact the district's facilities, such as geographically separate population centers on the Saltsburg and Blairsville ends of the district; special facility needs relating to educational programs for all district buildings, not just Saltsburg area schools; a review of methodologies used to create enrollment projections cited in the study; an analysis of each district school building's student capacity as it relates to educational programs; an analysis of each building's physical condition; estimates of costs to upgrade each building to current standards; and an analysis of building construction options.
-- Jeff Himler School District Will Get Help In Federal Stimulus Package-- Adair Progress Kentucky: February 20, 2009 [ abstract] The Adair County School District will be getting some financial assistance from the new federal stimulus package signed by President Barrack Obama Tuesday.
According to the U.S. Department of Education web site the state will receive $651,341,789 for the state fiscal stabilization fund.
Although the exact amount the county will receive has not been released, Adair County Schools Superintendent Darrell Treece stated that the original figures that were presented by the state included $510,900.00 for Title I programs for one year, $366,500.00 for the first year, $420,000.00 for the second year in special-education and $1,275,900.00 in construction funds.
However, Treece stated, "During the negotiations phase of the stimulus package the construction funds were cut and reorganized into to modernization funds and the amount the county will receive is unclear at this point."
The 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act allocated $40 billion in state stabilization funds to help avert education cuts.
The funds will be given to the states in exchange for a commitment to begin advancing education reforms and the school systems will have discretion to use some of this money for school modernization. The federal funding includes the following:
• $13 billion for Title I, including $3 billion for Title I school improvement programs.
• $12 billion for Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) programs.
• $5 billion in incentive grants to be distributed on a competitive basis to states that most aggressively pursue higher standards, quality assessments, robust data systems and teacher quality initiatives. This includes $650 million to fund school systems and non-profits with strong track records of improving student achievement.
• $5 billion for Early Childhood, including Head Start, early Head Start, childcare block grants, and programs for infants with disabilities. (Includes Department of Health and Human Services programs.)
•$2 billion for other education investments, including pay for performance, data systems, teacher quality investments, technology grants, vocational rehab, work study and Impact Aid.
The plan also includes additional school modernization funds up to $33.6 Billion, $8.8 billion in state stabilization funds for other state services including education in which school modernization is an eligible use of the funding. The plan also gives the states and school systems the authority to issue $24.8 billion dollars in bonds over the next 10 years for renovation, repairs and school construction that will be retired through a combination of local, state and federal dollars.
Keyword Search Tags: Stimulus, arra
-- Lawrence Harris Schools mull overhaul of construction policy-- Explore Howard County Maryland: February 19, 2009 [ abstract] As Glenelg High School was renovated and a new wing added to the building in recent years, students commonly complained of headaches, nausea and asthma problems they believed to be caused by noise, dust and fumes from the construction, according to parent Johnnie Nussbaum.
As the school's PTSA president, Nussbaum wants those kinds of distractions minimized or eliminated, she told the Howard County Board of Education at a public hearing last week.
"In order to fix the problems that occurred during our construction and renovation project we need a policy ... that clearly outlines all the preventative safety measures needed to ensure the least amount of negative impact on the people in the building," she told the board.
Nussbaum was one of eight people who testified before the school board Feb. 12 regarding proposed revisions to the school system's construction policy. The policy sets forth guidelines for school planning and construction projects. Others who spoke about the policy urged the board to consider making all of its construction projects meet environmentally conscious design standards. Such projects can be certified by the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System.
Although the board was slated to vote on the construction policy March 12, last week's public hearing convinced officials to consider additional revisions, board chairman Frank Aquino said, adding that he expects the policy to be presented to the board again later this spring.
Work raises health concerns
With more and more school renovation projects on the horizon, the work cannot always be limited to the summer months. When renovation occurs during the school year, safety standards must be heightened, according to Elizabeth Edsall Kromm, a representative of the county Health Department who testified on behalf of county Health Officer Dr. Peter Beilenson.
"The Health Department firmly believes that school construction and renovation policies, and procedures must be designed and implemented in a manner that protects the health and safety of our students and staff," she said. "The school environment should not interfere with our students' focus on learning."
-- Jennifer Choi Rep. Soto Introduces New School Closings Moratorium -- Extra Newspaper Illinois: February 11, 2009 [ abstract]
State Rep. Cynthia Soto has introduced a major state legislation " House Bill 363.
The bill would fundamentally restructure the way decisions are made about school facilities in Chicago and would create a comprehensive Chicago School Facilities Plan that currently doesn’t exist.
The proposed law requires a one-year moratorium on all school closings, consolidations, phase-outs, and turnarounds, while the state legislature develops a new framework for making decisions about these facilities issues, as well as decisions about which schools will be repaired and which communities most need new school buildings.
Parents initially approached Soto from Peabody and Carpenter Elementary Schools in her district this winter, after they were slated respectively for being “closed” or “phased out.”
“I found that more than 60 percent of students at Peabody and Carpenter were meeting state achievement standards, while these schools served more than 90 percent low-income students,” Soto said. “Their accomplishments compared with only 40 percent of students at the Sherman and Harvard Elementary Schools who were meeting state standards,” Soto said.
Carpenter and Peabody are in danger of being closed for “under-utilization,” with enrollments of 324 and 258 students. Yet the Board of Education’s Web site states that an elementary school should have “no more than 350 students.”
The Chicago Board rates Peabody Elementary School as only being 35 percent utilized, leaving the impression that more than half of the school is empty. However, this calculation ignores the school’s two computer labs, science room, arts room, teacher work area and one regular classroom that is used as a gym (since the school has no real gym), according to Federico Flores, the school’s principal.
Based on the school system’s own research, students who change schools frequently lose ground academically.
-- staff writer Stimulus plan could put school projects on hold-- Aiken Standard South Carolina: February 08, 2009 [ abstract] What Congress proposed to give the Aiken County School District and others for facility assistance throughout the country possibly has been taken away for good.
In anticipation of the federal economic stimulus package, the State Department of Education recently asked its 85 school districts to provide information on their "shovel-ready" projects scheduled to begin in June.
As recently as Friday, the stimulus legislation in Congress called for $16 billion to be earmarked nationally for projects related to school construction. One report indicated that the Aiken County School District would receive more than $8 million for that purpose.
At an Aiken County School Board meeting last Tuesday, Deputy Superintendent David Caver told board members that staff members held a pre-bid conference for contractors. They discussed the district's plans to proceed this summer with renovations and additions at North Augusta Middle School and a number of HVAC projects.
"We usually get three or four people at these meetings," said Caver later in the week. "This time we had 36 general contractors. It shows you right there that stimulus money would be helpful."
The U.S. House had passed a stimulus plan that included as much as $21 billion for school facilities. But after a bitter partisan debate in the Senate left the stimulus package at risk, three moderate Republicans agreed to a compromise and are expected to provide the votes needed by Democrats to pass the Senate version with the mandatory minimum of 60 votes.
The Senate plan retains education funds for states to assist their districts, as well as money for special education and federal Title I assistance. But for now at least, the facility funds are gone.
-- ROB NOVIT District Proposes Closing 3 Schools-- Washington Post District of Columbia: February 07, 2009 [ abstract] D.C. officials proposed yesterday closing three elementary schools, two in Ward 8 and one in Ward 5, moves that they said would improve academic programs and reduce duplication of resources.
The plan, which has drawn opposition, would close Birney, Draper and Webb elementary schools at the end of this academic year.
Birney, on Martin Luther King Avenue in Southeast Washington, and Webb, on Mt. Olivet Road in Northeast Washington, are "receiving" schools, accommodating students displaced by renovations at Savoy and Wheatley elementaries. The proposal calls for Birney students to move to the newly refurbished Savoy, on Shannon Place in Southeast, this fall. Webb students would attend the redesigned Wheatley, on North Capitol Street in Northeast.
Officials said Savoy and Wheatley are being renovated to U.S. Green Building Council standards, creating healthier environments for children. They also said the consolidation of Savoy and Birney, which share a building but have separate principals and faculty, will reduce duplication and not significantly affect students.
Draper, on Wahler Place SE, has only 84 students in pre-K through sixth grade, and its enrollment is projected to be lower next year. Its second and third floors are occupied by a public charter school, Achievement Preparatory Academy, that offers grades 4 through 8.
-- Bill Turque San Diego to Seek Field Act Waiver To Save New Library-School Concept -- Union-Tribune California: February 04, 2009 [ abstract] For the first time, San Diego's school district is considering seeking a waiver from state safety policy for school construction in order to save the downtown library-school concept. San Diego made its pitch to keep a $20 million state grant awarded in 2003 for a downtown central library. In a letter dispatched to the state librarian, Mayor Jerry Sanders said he remains hopeful that a city-school deal can save the long-standing plan for an iconic $185 million library downtown.
The city's latest concept is to place a 300-student high school in the proposed nine-story library, in order to use $15 million to $20 million from recently approved school bonds. The addition was expected to push up costs because school construction involves more oversight from the state. But that might not be the case if the California Department of Education waives the Field Act rules, as the San Diego Unified School District is now suggesting. Alternately, a state legislator could carry a bill to exempt the project from the act, which dictates school building standards. A waiver would be a first for San Diego schools.
A 1992 study says the Field Act usually increases school construction costs by less than 4 percent. Most of that is because of requirements for continuous site inspection and more frequent testing. A sliver of the extra cost is usually to do with the stricter building code.
-- Jeanette Steele Stimulus would include 'green schools'-- Louisville Courier-Journal Louisiana: February 02, 2009 [ abstract] In 2007, my office received several letters from a group of eighth graders in my district describing the crumbling conditions of their nearly 60-year-old school building. Wires were dangling from classroom ceilings, chipped paint lined the hallways, toilets were broken, windows were cracked, supplies were old and outdated, and the latest technologies were only a dream.
It saddened me that some of our Kentucky students had to learn in such an environment. While many of our schools are in good condition, there are a number of other schools in our state and throughout the country that are in need of repair and improvement.
The American Society of Civil Engineers recently gave American schools a "D" on their Infrastructure Report Card and estimated that the average public school is over 40 years old. The U.S. Department of Education went further, stating that over 75 percent of the nation's schools are in various stages of disrepair.
Not only are some of our schools physically crumbling, but the achievement gap between American students and their international counterparts is widening. An Education Week study stated that students in the U.S. ranked below several non-industrialized countries in math and science scores -- with only Turkey, Greece, Italy and Mexico scoring lower in math. Additionally, Kentucky students fell behind in their access to technology, scoring a "C," according to Education Week.
Recently, Kentucky's budget crisis has forced additional cuts that imperil our schools and the learning environment of our children. In the wake of this fiscal crisis, I recently filed and secured House passage of the 21st Century Green High-Performing Public School Facilities Act. This legislation provides federal funding for schools to update or fix facilities and upgrade or install educational technology -- providing up to nearly $33 million to Jefferson County schools alone. While this new law will not address all of the challenges faced by our school systems, it is a good start toward providing a better learning environment for our children. Also, we can all be excited about the fact that this new law contains energy efficiency standards that will immediately begin to save our schools money in energy costs.
-- BEN CHANDLER Yonkers' wish list for stimulus aid: $645M-- Lower Hudson Journal news New York: January 20, 2009 [ abstract] City and school officials have put together a $645 million wish list of construction projects, including a $45 million downtown baseball stadium, that they hope can be funded through a federal economic stimulus package promised by the new presidential administration.
The total construction-funding wish list comprises $321 million in city projects and $324 million in school projects.
City officials want the federal government to pick up the entire cost of infrastructure improvements required by the massive downtown revitalization project by Struever Fidelco Cappelli, at $159 million. The biggest element in that request is $112 million for public parking required by the SFC's signature project, River Park Center, which includes a $45 million stadium and two apartment towers atop an 11-story shopping and entertainment complex.
Much of the school list was outlined in a report several years ago by Cannon Design, which found that district school buildings needed nearly $300 million to fix leaky roofs, crumbling walls, failing ventilation systems and other problems and $1.3 billion to bring the entire school system to current standards.
There's been no shortage of proposals in the past month for how the federal stimulus funds expected to be released under the Obama administration should be spent. An $850 billion version of the package released last week by House Democrats calls for $550 million in new spending, including construction, and $275 billion in tax refunds.
-- Len Maniace District nearing ‘use it or lose it’ on facilities fund-- DeWitt Era-Enterprise Arkansas: January 14, 2009 [ abstract] When the DeWitt School District submitted its Master Facilities Plan to the state two years ago, it included a new middle school and new classrooms for the elementary school. The time may be coming when the district will either have to implement those plans or lose the state funding set aside for them.
Under the state laws that were passed to help bring all school facilities up to adequate standards, Arkansas established a partnership program, in which the state would pay a portion of approved projects based on a “wealth index” of how much the district could afford to pay. The state’s share of the DeWitt projects would be $3.2 million; and currently there is no deadline on when the district would have to spend that money.
However, maintenance and transportation director Jeff Rader told the DeWitt School Board Monday that this could be changing. After attending a recent meeting of the state’s Facilities Commission, Rader said that districts that had their projects approved the year before DeWitt did are now being asked to either approve a millage increase or, if they failed to do that, submit an “improvement plan,” about how they will pay for a project without a millage increase.
“Do we need to panic?” Rader asked. “No, but do we need to be cautious? Yes we do.”
Eventually, Rader said, “We think they will put a date on it,” and DeWitt will have to either implement the projects or relinquish the money. “This is something we need to think about.”
The other issue that brought about the most discussion was superintendent Gary Wayman’s request for himself and the district’s administrators to attend an effective leadership conference in Phoenix, AZ, in March. The cost of the conference fees and travel expenses will be $12,000.
Wayman explained that he had attended this program several years ago and it would help in, “taking our school to the next level.” The DeWitt schools have spent a lot of time talking with other schools nearby, but this would give the administration the chance to, “share new ideas from all over the country.”
-- Christina Verderosa Rockefeller Pushes to Include School Construction in Stimulus Plan -- State Journal National: January 14, 2009 [ abstract] Jay Rockefeller is urging the Senate Finance Committee to include his bill, the America’s Better Classrooms (ABC) Act, into the economic stimulus plan Congress is working on with President-elect Barack Obama. This important legislation, which Senator Rockefeller has been working on for seven years, would assist states with school construction and repair. In a letter to his colleagues on the committee, Rockefeller said that investing in safe and modern learning environments is a critical part of addressing the nation’s most pressing economic needs.
“Rebuilding our economy requires a multifaceted approach that must include creating new jobs, restoring our infrastructure, and investing in our young people. This legislation does all of those things. Safe, modern, energy-efficient schools will not only better prepare our students for the future, but they will also generate thousands of vitally-needed construction jobs along the way,” Rockefeller said.
A December 2008 report from the American Federation of Teachers estimates that the total school infrastructure needs across the country is $254.6 billion. Rockefeller’s ABC Act would help states meet these needs by supporting the issuance of more than $25 billion in interest-free school loans for school modernization and new construction projects. “The need for fiscal relief to help states transform our dilapidated and outdated school buildings is urgent,” Rockefeller continued. “The average age of a public school in America is more than 50 years, and administrators, teachers and parents know all too well what this means for our students. Too many children attend schools in overcrowded buildings with leaky roofs, faulty electrical systems, and outdated technology " all of which compromises their ability to learn.” “Just as we ask for higher standards and improved student achievement from our public schools, we must support these renewed academic efforts with the resources to modernize student classrooms and teacher workplaces,” Rockefeller said. “Education is a vital part of economic development, which is why creating safe and modern classrooms must be a priority.”
-- Staff Writer New York Schools Plan to Expand Capacity -- Epoch Times New York: December 03, 2008 [ abstract] The New York City Department of Education (DOE) is continuing to expand capacity in its schools, with 34,000 more seats from the current capital plan and 25,000 seats in the fiscal year 2010-2014 capital plan. The plan, whose first draft was released last month, is meant mainly to upgrade facilities and to ease classroom overcrowding in existing buildings. The DOE opened 18 school buildings this fall and is anticipating the opening of campuses on Metropolitan Ave. in Queens, Mott Haven in the Bronx, Beekman Place, and Battery Park City. All schools that were designed beginning from January 2007 are environmentally, â€"green-designed schools,†said DOE Deputy Chancellor Kathleen Grimm during a city council hearing on the new capital plan. In total, the budget is $11.3 billion, with $5.2 billion dedicated to expanding capacity and $6.1 billion dedicated to facility enhancement and remediation. To cope with tough financial times, Mayor Michael Bloomberg mandated that all City agencies must reduce spending by 20 per cent. The figures in the new capital plan represent an 18.1 per cent reduction in spending from the current plan.The capital improvements portion of the plan will focus on maintaining the exteriors of buildings. The $6.1 billion allocated to this portion of the plan is divided almost evenly to address serious conditions in improving technology and facilities, and making sure that facilities meet building code standards. A new focus of the DOE is to address overcrowding by neighborhood rather than by district. It estimates that the neighborhoods of North and South Corona, Lefrak City, and Elmhurst will need 2,214 new seats, more than any other neighborhoods in the city. To assess the enrollment needs by neighborhood, the DOE and School Construction Authority examine trends from each neighborhood's housing sector, rezoning projects, and consider reports from school principals.
Approximately 80 school buildings will see their leases expire in 2010-2014. The FY2010-2014 plan builds off the current five-year plan (FY2005-2009), rolling over 8,000 seats from the current plan that have yet to be sited. The DOE expects most of the new seats to be created during school years beginning in Fall 2009 and Fall 2010.
-- Christine Lin The Little Green Schoolhouse
-- Washington Independent District of Columbia: December 03, 2008 [ abstract] The sixth-graders in Marti Goldstone’s science class at Horace Mann Elementary are working on a project that could save their D.C. public school a lot of money. They are conducting an energy audit of their entire school. They calculate how much energy each classroom, gym, cafeteria, office, etc. uses, how much electricity each item in a room consumes, which appliances eat up too much electricity and what adjustments can be made to save energy.Goldstone is one of about 100 teachers nationwide who have teamed up with the conservation group the Alliance to Save Energy in an effort to make schools greener by identifying wasteful practices and adopting more energy-efficient measures to replace them. The group’s energy-audit exercise is part of its Green Schools program. For public school teachers like Goldstone, the energy-audit lesson is a great opportunity for students to use math, science and social studies in pursuit of an important environmental goal. For superintendents of school districts, the project is worthwhile for another reason " it can save them money.
Many schools spend thousands of dollars a month on energy bills, said Emily Curley, who runs the Green Schools program at the Alliance to Save Energy. Even such simple no-cost acts as turning off classroom lights and computers and adjusting thermostat settings can save schools between 5 percent to 15 percent of their energy bills, she said. “That’s pretty significant, especially for public schools that might not have the upfront funding for big [green] renovations.” Still, some public school districts have spent money to conform new construction, or retrofit existing buildings, to green standards. A few districts are required by law to make their campuses more energy efficient. Montgomery County in Maryland, for one, passed a measure requiring all its public schools achieve LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification. LEED, which is administered by the U.S. Green Building Council, is the most widely used green-building rating system in the nation.
-- Suemedha Sood Building Affordable Schools -- Boston Globe Massachusetts: November 15, 2008 [ abstract] With the costs of building schools in Massachusetts skyrocketing, the state cannot afford the "edu-palaces" some communities want, replete with extra municipal amenities such as swimming pools and hockey rinks. The state created the Massachusetts School Building Authority to rein in cost overruns, and state Treasurer Timothy Cahill is appropriately focused on creative approaches to bring school building costs under control.
Those of us who design schools across America have learned valuable lessons - some good, some bad, and some we can do nothing about. For example, with the rising cost of energy, the cost of construction materials has also risen sharply. But there are elements that can be contained.
First, as Cahill suggests, the cost of a community's educational needs must be separate from its broader municipal needs. If a community wants a pool, it needs to disconnect it from school building budgets. Second, the bidding procedures and construction management systems need to be moved into the 21st century, by allowing for "construction managers at risk" and a review of construction bidding procedures that currently disconnect the general contractor from subcontractors, dramatically diminishing control over the schedule, quality, and cost overruns. Third, the state should develop a "best practices" program and a centralized "clearinghouse" that offers cost-effective school designs. This allows communities to review cost-appropriate design components without being compelled to build a school designed to meet another community's needs. Fourth, the state should consider the proposal by architect Charles Thomsen for the "rotation" of good design concepts developed in one project that can be carried over into multiple projects. Key is the maintenance of "continuous working standards," updated by a central program manager who incorporates new best practices in design, as they emerge in individual projects. Thomsen argues, ". . .standards shouldn't be static; they should be a platform for continuous improvement."
-- Diane Georgopulous Texas School District Remedies Soaring Energy Costs and Aging Infrastructure -- PR Newswire Texas: November 11, 2008 [ abstract] Ferris Independent School District recently completed renovations aimed at increasing energy efficiency and indoor air quality while creating a high-performance learning environment at Ferris Junior High School, Ferris Intermediate School, the Ingram and McDonald Elementary Schools and the district maintenance facility. Additionally, the district built a new high performance high school to accommodate the district's growing student population. The renovations and new facility make the district one of the most energy efficient and healthy in Texas.
Until renovations commenced in February 2007, the Texas school district faced rising energy and maintenance costs, inconsistent lighting conditions and dated mechanical equipment. Ferris Junior High School, built in 1985, and Ingram Elementary, built in 1972, represent the district's oldest facilities. Some classrooms were below IES (Illuminating Engineering Society) standards for light levels in classroom spaces. Ferris Junior High School was the district's high school until the renovations and new building were complete. Outdated and inefficient heating, ventilation and air conditioning equipment (HVAC) resulted in high energy usage, excessive maintenance costs and unreliable operation. Further, the HVAC systems in these schools lacked programmability, allowing limited or uncontrolled building operations for temperatures and ventilation. Without programmable capability of these systems, the buildings were heated and cooled whether they were occupied or not. This was a huge waste of energy, not to mention taxpayer dollars. "These renovations and our new high school have reduced our costs and helped us be better stewards of the environment," said Bodine. "Just as important, we've provided our students and staff with an optimal learning environment. This award is confirmation that we're on the right path for everyone in the school district."
-- Staff Writer Redondo, California School District Has Plans to Go Green -- Beach Reporter California: October 29, 2008 [ abstract] The Redondo Beach Board of Education is considering whether to pay approximately $470,000 to have the Measure “C” construction projects at the high school officially considered “green.” At the Oct. 28 School Board meeting, district trustees discussed paying the princely sum to have the new construction certified as Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design buildings, or LEED. The LEED certification program is part of the Green Building Rating System, which was created by the U.S. Green Building Council a decade ago. The certification system gives a set of standards for environmentally sustainable construction. Since 1998, LEED has certified more than 14,000 projects in the U.S. alone.
“I’ve been discussing the modernization of all of our facilities, but in particular, going green and pursuing LEED certification at the high school,” said Superintendent Steven Keller, who, along with local architect Peter Phinney and School Board President Todd Lowenstein agreed that it was a good idea to discuss the issue. According to Phinney, the district already has much of the requirements met, at least to meet the minimum amount of points for the basic level certification. Phinney explained how the procedure of becoming LEED-certified works, and reviewed a general estimate of the costs for filing the paperwork to become officially certified.
-- Alex Distefano IN OUR OPINION: Facilities matter in educating children
-- San Angelo Standard Times California: October 26, 2008 [ abstract] In San Angelo, Nov. 4 presents voters with an opportunity to provide for the future of public education in our community.
On the ballot is a two-part bond proposal that seeks $149 million for San Angelo Independent School District facilities that are in desperate need of repair.
The standard-Times editorial board recommends voter approval of this plan.
We acknowledge that no bond plan is perfect, but the need to upgrade school facilities in our community is great and will only get worse if we fail to act now.
Proposition 1 would fund $117 million in renovations at eight elementary schools, Central and Lake View high schools, and Lee Middle School. The elementary schools are Holiman, Bradford, Reagan, Glenmore, San Jacinto, Santa Rita, Crockett and Goliad.
Proposition 2 would provide $32 million for a new gym and cafeteria at Central High School and repairs on the natatorium. The second proposition passes only if voters approve the first one.
-- staff writer Talking about an elementary schoool -- Daily Commercial Florida: October 22, 2008 [ abstract] Lake County government and school board members reviewed plans Tuesday for the new elementary school and park in the Sorrento area.
The county is donating 15 acres for the school site and, in return, the school district will contribute $1 million to build the park's amenities and open certain school buildings for community activities.
"From the beginning, this has been a model project of the two governing boards," school board member Jimmy Conner said. "We are very grateful to the county for donating much-needed land for a school out there."
The two-story school will have a media center, music and art room, multi-purpose space dining area, and 51 classrooms for 942 students. School officials plan to build an energy efficient school that will meet green-building standards.
Plans for the park show basketball courts, a pavilion, concession stand, restrooms, a soccer/football field with a running track and three baseball fields.
-- DAVID DONALD Eco-friendly Schools Offer Students Fresh Lessons -- USA Today National: October 20, 2008 [ abstract] On the outside, Great Seneca Creek Elementary School looks much like any other. But inside, it is unmistakably green. This was the first public school in Maryland to receive certification as "eco-friendly" — a concept catching on in schools around the nation. Eco-friendly schools offer ways to save energy, improve air quality and educate students about the environment. Great Seneca fifth-grader Eddie Graves explains it best. "It doesn't use as much water," he says, citing the waterless urinals and motion-activated faucets. He's standing in the library, where a slanted ceiling helps light bounce off the floor-to-ceiling windows.
This year, Florida, Maryland and Anchorage approved policies requiring that new schools be green. Six other states — Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, New Jersey, Ohio and Washington — also require new schools to meet green-building standards. More than a dozen cities — including New York, New Orleans and Washington —do the same. Other states — including Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and California — offer financial incentives. "Momentum is really starting to pick up," says Dennis Van Roekel, president of the National Education Association. He says green schools give kids a living laboratory to learn about the environment.
-- Wendy Koch Do New School Facilities Influence Test Scores in Alabama?
-- Daily Home Alabama: October 05, 2008 [ abstract] Over the past several years, the Talladega City, Talladega County, Sylacauga City and Pell City school systems have been building new " and improving older " facilities across the two counties. Do the new facilities improve student scores on standardized tests like the Alabama Reading and Math Test or the Alabama High School Graduation Exam? Not necessarily, but school administrators say student achievement isn’t measured in just testing scores and that new facilities are needed for a myriad of reasons, such as safety issues, technology and the accommodations of a growing school system.
Talladega County Schools Superintendent Suzanne Lacey said new facilities are wonderful for the communities, but she doesn’t specifically tie the new facilities with test scores. “As far as hard evidence in comparing test scores and direct correlation to buildings, we don’t look at it in that way,” Lacey said. “We look at it from the achievement level and the progress in what’s going on in the classroom.” In the past five years, the Talladega County School System has built five new facilities, including Munford Middle School, Munford High School, Drew Middle School, Lincoln High School and Fayetteville High School. Each of the new schools opened in 2005, with the exception of Fayetteville, which opened in 2006. The cost of construction of the five schools totaled $29,229,058.
-- Kendra Carter New Jersey School Construction - $6 Billion for Only a Few Facilities (PART V)
-- NJ Voices New Jersey: September 14, 2008 [ abstract] One of the most important factors that resulted in the construction of so few facilities for the $6 billion designated for the poor urban Abbott districts was the unwillingness of state leaders to act expeditiously. NJ Supreme Court decisions requiring state funding to replace deteriorating and educationally inadequate schools and build new ones to reduce overcrowding were ignored for three decades. The result has been an enormous increase in the magnitude of the state's responsibility as well as the cost of the required construction and repair.
The passage of time alone greatly increased the costs of land and building and the numbers of students increased dramatically. After the state finally responded to the 1998 decision, legislation approving funds for construction did not pass until mid-2000. More time passed before the School Construction Corporation (SCC) was put in place. In April 2005, more than $4 billion had been borrowed with eight loans completed between April 2001 and February 2005. SCC had spent $3.2 billion and was scheduled to expend another $2 billion during the remainder of the year.
The Codey administration suspended the awarding of new contracts and the new state Inspector General was charged with reviewing pending deals. Star-Ledger investigations reported that it found six schools erected by SCC since 2002 cost, on average, 46 percent more than the 19 schools built by local districts at the same time. The report showed that SCC accepted $526 million in change orders, was paying its architects and construction managers more than double the standard rate, and had awarded $1 billion in work to firms that are members of the Building Contractors Association of NJ, where the SCC chairman served at executive director, lobbying and political fund-raiser. After 2000, construction costs rose dramatically as world wide demand for materials grew rapidly. Construction costs have risen 7 to 14 percent annually, eating up a huge proportion of the original $6 billion and dramatically reducing the number of school repaired or built.
-- Judith Cambria Model school planned
-- Boston Globe Massachusetts: August 31, 2008 [ abstract] Officials in Tewksbury have taken the first crucial step in applying for state funding for a new model high school, voting to submit a plan to the Massachusetts School Building Authority showing how they would hire a manager for the job.
The move last week is key to getting the needed state aid for the district, which is on a short list to become part of a new pilot program to construct model high schools using a standardized design that would tamp down the cost.
"I think it's a fabulous idea," said Christine L. McGrath, Tewksbury school superintendent, of the district's bid to stay on the pilot building program. "If it potentially saves the community money, I think that would certainly have great appeal to the community."
Tewksbury, which has struggled with its finances in the last few years, is one of eight communities around the state being considered for the new program for school construction, one of the most expensive projects a community can undertake.
The School Building Authority, which awards grants to pay for a portion of local school construction or renovation costs, recently approved financial aid to several communities in this area. Last month, it gave Chelmsford a grant of $8.7 million as reimbursement for renovations at its high school. In April, the authority's board voted to consider fund ing projects at Andover's Bancroft Elementary School, Methuen High School, Shawsheen Valley Vocational Technical High School, and Tyngsborough's Early Childhood Center.
-- Connie Paige San Francisco to Check 12 Schools' Seismic Safety
-- San Francisco Chronicle California: August 24, 2008 [ abstract] San Francisco school district officials have pledged to evaluate a dozen schools for seismic safety and to make improvements if they are found to be necessary. The action was triggered by The Chronicle's recent discovery of a 5-year-old list that state officials produced after surveying the stability of all California public schools. The state Department of General Services named 12 San Francisco schools that needed inspection based on their architectural plans and construction dates. While state records show that the San Francisco Unified School District obtained the list in 2005, the schools were never evaluated for their earthquake safety. School officials said last week they had not been aware of the list's existence. And although San Francisco school officials say they do not believe the schools pose any danger to students, the district has never completed a comprehensive seismic study of its more than 120 schools - many of which were built decades ago before building codes were changed to reflect modern seismic standards. Several other local school districts, meanwhile, have conducted thorough assessments and some have passed bonds that set aside money specifically for the improvements.
-- Robert Selna Pennsylvania Elementary School is New, Green and State-of-the-Art Facility -- Herald Standard Pennsylvania: August 21, 2008 [ abstract] The Albert Gallatin Area School District closed a chapter in a more-than-a-decade old book of building renovation and construction projects, officially marking the completion of its last project with a ribbon-cutting ceremony held recently. The new A.L. Wilson Elementary School is an energy-efficient building with state-of-the-art computer equipment and a security camera system displaying views of the inside and outside of the building, said school and design officials in touting a few features of the $9 million project.
The 43,648-square-foot school contains 15 regular classrooms and two learning support classrooms. All classrooms are standard size, while the kindergarten classrooms are a little bigger, said architect Jeanine Vanucci. Refurbished, flat-screen computers deemed Energy Star efficient are housed in each classroom. The computer literacy room houses 30 and the library houses 12 computers. The school's technology can accommodate distance learning and PowerPoint presentations. In the classrooms, the teacher's computer is wired to the classroom television, allowing it to display on-screen computer programs. Vanucci described the building as a "very clean" school, an outcome of meeting requirements to become Leadership in Energy Environmental Design (LEED) certified by the U.S. Green Building Council. The LEED program is designed to make schools more environmentally friendly, Vanucci said. "Not only is it a very clean school that will save taxpayers a great deal in energy costs, but the materials used were non-toxic and the building has been flushed out with fresh air so the students will be entering a very clean environment," Vanucci said.
-- Angie Oravec Green School to Set Standard for all New Palm Beach County Schools -- South Florida Sun-Sentinel Florida: August 15, 2008 [ abstract] The new Pine Jog Elementary is the model for all green public schools set to join the area's landscape, including an elementary west of Boca Raton that could open in 2010, said Joseph Sanches, facilities management chief for the school district. "It's going to be a great learning opportunity for us," he said, also citing plans to apply green standards at older schools set to be modernizedFive years in the making, Pine Jog Elementary showcases an abundance of environmentally friendly building features. The school sits on land west of West Palm Beach had been part of a 150-acre preserve filled with saw grass marsh, pines and other natural habitats.
The school's neighbor is Florida Atlantic University's Pine Jog Environmental Education Center, which has taught area children to respect and protect nature since 1960.
Despite initial objections from environmental activists wishing to preserve the site, the district budgeted $37.6 million to build the school and a new, green home for FAU, which opened last month. As part of the package, the district is leasing 15 acres from the university for $1 a year until 2104.
-- Marc Freeman Washington State School's Environmental and Safety Rules to Be Revised
-- Seattle Post-Intelligencer Washington: August 08, 2008 [ abstract] The state Board of Health is on the cusp of revising its rule governing environmental health and safety in schools " the first major changes in nearly four decades. The proposal under consideration would modernize the rule, adding standards for indoor air and water quality and playground safety. Among other regulations, school districts also would be required to regularly test drinking water for contaminants, quickly address water leaks and clean up mold, and promptly investigate complaints. Local health departments would be required to annually inspect school buildings, or develop self-inspection checklists for school officials to use two out of every three years in lieu of health department inspections.
-- Jessica Blanchard City Adopts School Concurrency Plan Requirement Prior to Building New Housing -- Lake Wale News Florida: July 16, 2008 [ abstract] Commissioners voted to pass an ordinance that would bring the city of Lake Wales in agreement with county standards regarding school concurrency. School concurrency is a guarantee that any housing developments will not be approved for construction until school facilities are in place to serve the development. According to Margaret Swanson, the city’s director of planning and development, all jurisdictions in Polk County were required to have school concurrency regulations in place by March 1. Since the county had already adopted its comprehensive plan amendments to reflect the changes mandated by state law, surrounding municipalities have had to adjust their plans accordingly.
On Feb. 19, the city adopted amendments to the Zoning, Land Use and Development Regulations, which included maintaining the level of service standards for public school facilities. Swanson’s information to commissioners notes that the new legislation requires that each municipality adopt a Public School Facilities Element (PSFE) “as part of its Comprehensive Plan and adopt related policies in its Capital Improvements and Intergovernmental Coordination Elements.” The PSFE has to include school quality, how many schools are needed, how large they should be, and their location in regards to the residential development.
-- Staff Writer School-Capacity Tool To Be Applied Prior to Approving New Housing Developments -- Times-Dispatch Virginia: July 16, 2008 [ abstract] Another residential growth-management tool for Chesterfield County has received the blessing of its Planning Commission, this one based on school capacity. The panel recommended that countywide levels-of-service standards be approved when the issue comes before the Board of Supervisors. If approved by the supervisors, the policy's guidelines would suggest denial of rezoning applications that would put affected schools at more than 120 percent of their functional capacity. Four of the county's 50 schools are already at or above that level, with many others not far behind.
Levels of service for schools is a policy that the supervisors adopted for the first time last month as part of the Upper Swift Creek Plan Amendment area. In that plan, the threshold was set at 120 percent of building capacity for schools. In other parts of the county, rezoning decisions have not historically been decided based on percentage changes in school capacity. Generally, any new development's impact on schools is considered on a case-by-case basis.
-- Wesley P. Hester Camden's 1875 School Shows Construction Need
-- Philadelphia Inquirer New Jersey: July 10, 2008 [ abstract] At Camden's Richard Fetters school building, built while Ulysses S. Grant was president and before Thomas A. Edison invented the incandescent lightbulb, children of the Lanning Square community have made do in classrooms tiny by today's standards. The layout is warren-like. Students and teachers walk through one classroom to get to another. In hot weather, the rooms are stifling. In 2007, the cold made pipes burst. The year before, severe weather and leaky pipes caused major damage to the gym floor. Basement flooding has ruined supplies. As bad as that is, there is the reason the building is now the Lanning Square School at Fetters. Six years ago, the original Lanning Square School was discovered to be in danger of collapse and condemned. Its seventh and eighth graders were sent to Pyne Poynt Middle School, and students in pre-kindergarten through sixth grade were divided between the Fetters building and the Broadway School, another 19th-century building.
But yesterday, there was hope inside Fetters. The 1875 building was one of four visited by Gov. Corzine on the day he signed legislation authorizing $3.9 billion for school construction. One of them: a new $42.4 million Lanning Square School, to be started in August 2010. "For six years we've been in this holding pattern and thinking, 'We're going to be the next school,' " only to be disappointed, said Katrina McCombs, acting principal at Lanning at Fetters and Lanning at Broadway. "This news is inspiring for us because it seems like we're finally going to get our school."
-- Rita Giordano Eco School Construction Friendly to the Budget -- Amarillo.com Texas: July 09, 2008 [ abstract] Building a "green" school, in many cases, means buying local, installing carpet and ceiling tiles made from recycled materials, and perhaps using odorless paint.But for the 2,800-student Borger Independent School District, building green also means an extra investment of up to $300,000 that officials say will lower operating costs and contribute to healthier students at the district's newest elementary school, scheduled to open in August.
Borger intends to join a growing number of districts opening environmentally friendly schools that meet standards established by the U.S. Green Building Council. Borger has one of 31 Texas school construction projects registered with the council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, program. So far, only two Texas schools have the distinction of being LEED-certified. Both campuses are in the Houston area. LEED certification is a prominent, nationally recognized designation.
-- Brenda Bernet $3.9 BILLION FOR SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION APPROVED-- Education Law Center New Jersey: June 25, 2008 [ abstract] ELC applauded the NJ Legislature’s approval on Monday of $3.9 billion in bond financing for a "second wave" of school construction to replace dilapidated and outmoded school facilities in the state’s poorest communities.
The positive vote caps a nearly three-year advocacy effort by ELC to restart the State’s school construction program after the first round of funding ran out in 2005, leaving dozens of urgently needed school facilities projects on the drawing board.
New Jersey’s school construction program was launched in 2000 to comply with NJ Supreme Court order in the landmark Abbott v. Burke education equity case. The Abbott order directed the State to address deplorable, unsafe and overcrowded conditions in school buildings in poor urban communities, many of which are over 100 years old and educationally inadequate.
After the first round of $8.6 billion in funding was depleted in July 2005, ELC filed three separate actions to enforce the Supreme Court order. In the last action in January 2008, Governor Jon Corzine made a firm commitment to the Court to secure the additional funding no later than June 30th.
"On behalf of our neediest students, we commend the Legislature for taking this courageous action, especially in a tough fiscal climate," said David Sciarra, ELC Executive Director. "We’ve already built close to 100 new schools in our poorest communities, and now we’re on track to build another 50. These new schools will give thousands of poor and minority children the opportunity they deserve to achieve the State’s tough academic standards."
In addition to targeting funds to urban districts, the legislation approved on Monday allocates $900 million to older suburban, rural and other communities, and directs the NJ Department of Education and School Development Authority to prioritize school building projects based on educational need. ELC pressed vigorously to direct state construction funds to the most urgently needed projects statewide.
The action in Trenton was recognized in Washington DC by Mary Filardo, Director of the 21st Century School Fund and a prominent advocate for improving public school buildings in disadvantaged communities across the United States. "I wish to congratulate the New Jersey Legislature on moving forward $3.9 billion in funding for public school facilities. Unlike other states, New Jersey understands that when students attend school in substandard facilities, those very buildings contribute to the achievement gap. We are grateful for your leadership in rebuilding facilities serving our poorest students and communities."
-- David Sciarra Officials: Concerns About Artificial Turf At D.C. Schools Unfounded
-- NBC4 District of Columbia: June 25, 2008 [ abstract] The D.C. government is spending $50 million to install new artificial-turf football fields at high schools across the city, but some are raising questions about whether the chemicals used to make the turf pose a health risk.
After decades of neglect, Mayor Adrian Fenty ordered high school athletic facilities to be completely redone to conform to higher standards.
Artificial turf was installed at six fields last year, and four more are scheduled to be completed this year, including a field at Anacostia High School, where preliminary work has already begun.
But D.C. Council member Marion Barry, who represents Ward 8, an assistant football coach and a few parents are now questioning the safety of silicone particles that are used to make the surface soft and pliable. They worry that the material will prove to be toxic.
"I want nothing to happen on this field until we get the information," Barry said.
-- Staff Writer West Virginia Approves New Building Standards for School Construction -- Charleston Gazette West Virginia: June 25, 2008 [ abstract] Members of the state School Building Authority approved new building standards for school construction. The new "quality and performance standards" will set requirements for construction schedules, materials, roofing, flooring, indoor and outdoor walls, the quality of doors and windows and more. Some West Virginia school architects had worried that "cookie-cutter" schools might start to eliminate the architect's role. "I think we've allayed their fears," Manchin said. "It's not our intent to require the exterior of [buildings] all look alike."
Chuck Wilson, lead school architect for Kanawha County Schools, had similar fears soon after he joined last fall with other architects, contractors and SBA members to consider new standards. Now, he agrees with Manchin. "I'm real pleased with the end results," he said. "I think that will help with us estimating future projects with quality levels." Wilson's also pleased that the committee adopted some of the practices he uses in Kanawha County, and believes statewide school-building standards should be updated and redistributed to builders and architects every so often.
-- Davin White Replacement windows cost school $6,300 each
-- Examiner District of Columbia: June 24, 2008 [ abstract] Nearly 150 windows installed last year in Northwest’s Shepherd Elementary School will be replaced this summer at a cost of roughly $6,300 each, and parents are hopeful the District’s new contractor will be an improvement over the last “catastrophe.”
Roughly 140 rotting wooden windows at Shepherd, located on 14th Street just north of Walter Reed Army Medical Center, were replaced in 2007 at a cost of $4,042 per window under a contract awarded by the D.C. Public Schools to the Timonium-based Orlando J. Sales Painting Co.
In December, Allen Lew, director of the Office of Public Education Facilities Modernization, terminated the deal for “substandard” work. It was the third time since Lew took over school renovations that he’d fired a contractor.
“The first contractor botched the job,” said Lannette Woodruff, mother of a Shepherd third-grader. “They were not installed right. It was a catastrophe.”
Many of the windows installed by OJS were “too small for their respective masonry openings” as a result of the company mis-measuring, according to a May 5 letter from Lew to Orlando J. Sales, president of the company. Gaps between the windows and the walls were filled with wood frames.
Lew deducted $431,769 from the balance of the OJS contract, a matter that is now in litigation.
-- Michael Neibauer Nine New Schools Open in Idaho -- Idaho Statesman Idaho: June 16, 2008 [ abstract] Nine new schools will open in the Treasure Valley when kids go back to school this fall. Cost to taxpayers: $184.8 million. The schools come from a combination of districts experiencing growth or reinvesting in their community. Even though there are signs that growth is slowing in the Treasure Valley, some school districts are still playing catch-up to find room for the students they already have. Boise School District leads the pack with plans to open five new schools as part of a building improvement and community reinvestment program district voters approved in 2006 with a $94 million bond. Meridian and Nampa school districts each are opening two new schools in response to growth.
"Our major emphasis was to deal with reinvestment," said Stan Olson, Boise District superintendent. Boise will put two new schools near the Bench. It closed four other schools nearby, many of which were aging structures. The new schools will have updated educational technology, including smart boards, which use computer technology to engage students in learning. The two schools also will have city community centers. The goal, Olson said, was to build schools to 21st-century standards and combine them with other resources in the community.
-- Bill Roberts North Carolina School Board Considers Funding Partnership With County Board -- NBC17.com North Carolina: June 16, 2008 [ abstract] Wake County and the county's public school system are closer to forging a new partnership, in which the county would take responsibility for the building and maintenance of school facilities -- if the schools receive more funding to focus on student achievement. Under the school board's proposal, the county would commit to a multi-year funding plan of about $2,600 per student per year. The county would be given the duties of locating and acquiring land for new schools, and designing, building, and maintaining the facilities. The school system requests that the boards draft and agree upon maintenance and design standards. The school board wants to have final approval on the locations of school sites. The boards have not yet taken any joint action on the funding partnership.
-- Kerry Hall IS SAFETY FIRST? -- Jersey Journal New Jersey: June 09, 2008 [ abstract] Crash barriers, shatter-proof glass, and other anti-terrorist measures are driving up the cost of building new schools in Hudson County and elsewhere in New Jersey by millions of dollars, according to an advocacy group.
And worse, no analysis has shown that these safety precautions - that add 10 percent to construction costs and are often haphazardly implemented - are even necessary, according to Joan Ponessa, senior researcher for the Newark-based Education Law Center.
"With New Jersey's limited funds, wouldn't repairing emergent situations from the very real threat of falling masonry, lead in water, asbestos, broken fire alarms...be far more cost effective in saving lives than investing in theoretical protection against unrealistic threats," Ponessa said.
And with more money being spent on fewer schools, Ponessa fears more poor children will be stuck in substandard buildings.
"If you can build only 10 schools instead of 12 schools, that's a problem," she said. "That means there are two crappy schools that can't be rebuilt."
Due to concerns raised by the ELC, architects, builders, and other concerned parties, state officials confirmed that these standards - made law by a directive signed by then-acting Gov. Richard Codey in January 2006 - are being re-examined.
-- KEN THORBOURNE Hawaii Schools Could Receive $20.5 Million In New ‘Green’ Construction Grants
-- Hawaii Reporter Hawaii: June 05, 2008 [ abstract] U.S. Representative Neil Abercrombie said Hawaii schools would be eligible for $20,546,800 in funds over the next five years for building modernization, renovation and repair under the 21st Century Green High-Performing Public Schools Facilities Act approved by the House this week. The Green Schools Act authorizes the five-year program to help school districts across the country make their buildings more energy efficient and reliant on renewable sources of energy.
“Most importantly, our keiki will benefit from the Green Schools Act because research shows a direct correlation between the quality of school facilities and student achievement,” said Abercrombie. “So, these funds to help Hawaii school districts renovate and modernize school buildings will actually improve the teaching and learning climate, health and safety.”
Since 2001, the federal government has provided very little to help states and school districts pay for school construction and repair. The measure requires school districts to publicly report the educational, energy and environmental benefits of the projects, how they comply with green building standards and the percentage of funds used for projects at low-income and rural schools.
-- Dave Helfert House approves funds for 'green' schools-- The Associated Press National: June 05, 2008 [ abstract] The House on Wednesday committed more than $20 billion over the next five years to help states build and renovate schools to make them more energy-efficient and good for the environment.
Democrats said the 21st Century Green High-Performing Public School Facilities Act would save school districts billions in energy costs while reducing asthma and other environmentally linked health problems. The White House threatened a veto, saying it was wrong for the federal government to launch a costly new school building program.
The legislation passed 250-164 and now must be considered by the Senate.
The measure approves $6.4 billion for the 2009 budget year and similar sums in consequent years to help school districts modernize facilities to improve the learning climate, promote student and teacher health and make schools more energy efficient.
Projects would have to meet one of three widely recognized standards for building construction materials and energy sources: Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System, Energy Star, or Collaborative For High Performance Schools. Requirements for meeting the green standards would be phased in, but by 2013, 90 percent of the funds would have to be used for green projects.
-- Staff Writer Visclosky amendment would require US steel in school construction projects
-- Chesterton Tribune National: June 05, 2008 [ abstract] U.S. Rep. Pete Visclosky, D-1st, has successfully introduced an amendment to H.R. 3021"the 21st Century Green High-Performing Public School Facilities Act"which would require all school construction funded by the bill to use only American-made steel.
That bill is intended to make schools safe and more conducive to learning by modernizing facilities and “Visclosky’s amendment will keep unsafe imported steel out of school buildings,” according to a statement released on Wednesday.
“Unsafe imported steel from China and elsewhere is a serious threat to public safety in America,” Visclosky said. “By making our schools use only American-made steel, we know that the steel adheres to safety standards and will not collapse on our children. My amendment helps alleviate a serious public safety concern and will also lead to good-paying steelworker jobs.”
-- Staff Writer District has been proactive in process-- Times-Standard District of Columbia: June 02, 2008 [ abstract] It is extremely perplexing that after questions are answered regarding the need for the McKinleyville Union School District to repair and upgrade its school facilities, certain people don't value the foresight of past administrations, the Board of Trustees, maintenance directors, business managers, community members, parents, staff and field experts who spent over two years investigating the current and future facility needs for the district.
You may disagree with the district's decision to repair, replace or enhance the educational environment for our children, but if you have a question about MUSD's past practice regarding modernization or facility repairs, you should ask and not assume we have not applied for all applicable state grants or completed repairs to our facilities.
We have been very proactive by applying for and receiving modernization funding for each site. Repairs and improvements mentioned in the facility study go beyond modernization; they help us prepare our facilities for many years to come.
This bond measure will help us put science labs into the 6-8th grade classrooms, it will help us secure our campuses, and will add a gym to the middle school because MMS doesn't have adequate facilities for the mandated physical education programs required for our students.
McKinleyville Middle School currently has a cafeteria that operates part-time as a space to hold physical education classes for up to 30 students when it
-- Dena McCullough Commentary: Fixing Colorado's Raggedy Schools -- Denver Post Colorado: May 22, 2008 [ abstract] Colorado has a big problem: Our schools are literally crumbling. Nearly 90 percent of our state's school districts report that at least one of their buildings does not meet health or safety standards. Some of these buildings are more than 100 years old. Across the state, students and teachers are forced to contend with failing roofs, broken boilers, asbestos contamination, inadequate fire safety, insufficient water treatment, faulty electric systems, and pest infestation. Some districts put nearly half of their students in trailers.
The good news: Help is at hand. The Building Excellent Schools Today (BEST) Act will provide tens of thousands of children in Colorado with schools that are safe, healthy and educationally enriching. BEST marks the most significant investment in Colorado school construction since statehood. The BEST Act, or House Bill 1335, was sponsored by Speaker Andrew Romanoff, Senate President Peter Groff and Sen. Gail Schwartz. State Treasurer Cary Kennedy and a host of public-school advocates — including Great Education Colorado, the Colorado School Finance Project, and Children's Voices Executive Director Kathy Gebhardt — helped craft the measure. HB 1335 passed the legislature with broad bipartisan support: 63-1 in the House and 29-5 in the Senate. Gov. Bill Ritter signed BEST into law on Thursday.
-- Andrew Romanoff Legislators to host Corona air forum Wednesday-- Arizona Republic Arizona: May 20, 2008 [ abstract] Two state legislators are the latest politicians to shed attention on the poor environmental conditions at Corona del Sol High School.
Sen. John Huppenthal, R-Chandler, and Rep. John McComish, R-Ahwatukee, will address Corona parents, students and staff at a public forum at 7 Wednesday at the school. The politicians will discuss options to provide funding to improve Corona's air quality.
Huppenthal said he has stayed in touch with concerned parents and teachers since the Tempe Union High School District released a 2006 study in February showing Corona had toxigenic mold, carbon dioxide levels exceeding state standards and poor air quality. The study also said upgrading the ventilation system would improve the air and decrease the likelihood of future mold growth.
The district has invested millions of dollars to improve the school's environment but lacks the estimated $12 million it will cost to complete the ventilation repairs.
Last year, the Arizona School Facilities Board refused the district's request for emergency funds, acknowledging the carbon dioxide exceeds state standards but saying it did not merit emergency funds under the Legislature's statutes.
-- Dianna M. Náñez Blueprints for a Green School -- San Diego Union-Tribune California: May 17, 2008 [ abstract] Talk with Dax London about his plans for the future High Tech High Quarry Falls School and you'll hear about sustainable development, green building standards and the basketball court he wants to add to the roof. London, 15, is one of 45 students at Point Loma-based Gary and Jerri-Ann Jacobs High Tech High School learning about city planning, environmental awareness, property rights and more through designing a green school slated for Mission Valley.
During the â€"Gravel to Green†project, students from Isaac Jones and Peter Jana's 10th-grade classes are acting as architects for the 700-student kindergarten-through-eighth-grade charter school planned for a 3Â1/2-acre parcel in the proposed Quarry Falls development. No architect has been chosen to design the school, but officials say it is possible some of the elements from the Gravel to Green project would be incorporated into the campus.
-- Jennifer K Mahal Guilford County Schools Recognized for Energy Efficiency
-- Carolina Newswire North Carolina: May 13, 2008 [ abstract] In recognition and affirmation of efforts to improve energy efficiency in school facilities, Guilford County Schools (GCS) will participate in a meeting with North Carolina’s Governor Mike Easley.
The meeting takes place today at 1 p.m. and will be held at the Governor’s Office in the Governor’s conference room. During the meeting, individuals will discuss increasing energy efficiency in public schools. Representatives from the State Energy Office, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, local universities and other school districts will join GCS staff for the meeting.
“We are excited about the opportunity to share with others our standards for building energy efficient schools in order to reduce our dependency on non-renewable energy sources,” said Joe Hill, GCS facilities consultant. “Several notable goals in our design of new school facilities include reducing operating costs, protecting our environment, designing buildings that teach, improving academic performance and designing for health, safety and comfort.”
-- Press Release School board approves lease bid
-- Daily Independent California: May 05, 2008 [ abstract] The Sierra Sands Unified School District Board of Education, at its meeting Thursday, approved the award of a piggyback bid for the lease of 15 Division of the State Architect-approved relocatable classrooms to accommodate the district's facilities-modernization plans.
The cost for the two-year lease of the 15 portable classrooms, one portable computer lab, two portable kindergarten classrooms, and three portable toilet buildings will not exceed $600,000. The district will use Measure A funds to pay for the facilities.
Assistant Superintendent of Business Office Services Elaine Janson said the board approved the District Facilities Master Plan for use during school modernization May 2006, and voters approved a general-obligation bond for school modernization in June 2006.
â€"It was determined through the District Facilities Master Plan that the lease of additional portable classrooms would be necessary to accommodate the current modernization plans of the district,†she said.
The district will lease 14 24-foot by 40-foot standard portable classrooms, two 36-foot by 40-foot kindergarten portable classrooms, one 36-foot by 40-foot portable classroom, one 48-foot by 40-foot computer classroom and three 12-foot by 40-foot bathroom portables from Mobile Modular Management Corp.
â€"As allowed by California Public Contract Code Section 20118, this process allows agencies to direct their procurement efforts towards getting the best value for their agency dollars without experiencing the costly and lengthy bidding process of the past,†said Janson.
-- JOHN V. CIANI House Committee Approves Measure That Would Aid Districts on Facilities -- Education Week National: May 02, 2008 [ abstract] The House education committee approved a bill that would authorize new money to help districts improve school facilities, including making them more environmentally friendly. Approved by a vote of 28-19, the bill would authorize $6.4 billion in grants to school districts in fiscal 2009. It would be the first federal investment in upgrading school buildings since 2001, when Congress approved $1.2 billion for educational facilities.
The measure would authorize the distribution of school construction grants through the same formula used to allocate aid under Title I. If the authorized amount were appropriated, each eligible district would receive a minimum grant of $5,000. The money could be used for a variety of modernization, renovation, and repair projects. Also, districts could use the money to help make sure schools were accessible to students with disabilities, in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Districts that received grants under the legislation would have to supplement the federal money with local funds. Projects financed under the bill would also have to meet certain “green building” standards. The bill would authorize separate funding, $500 million over five years, for public schools that were damaged by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005.
-- Alyson Klein Schools Tapping into LEED Building Trend -- Environmental Protection Magazine National: May 01, 2008 [ abstract] The U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification program for green schools has a registration rate of one school a day. Green schools are more energy and water efficient, which save taxpayers money. They also have significantly improved indoor air quality, and that results in healthier kids. Michelle Moore, senior vice president at the council, says â€"energy savings alone could pay for 5,000 new textbooks per school per year." According to Moore "Pennsylvania, Michigan, New Jersey, Oregon, and Virginia have the most LEED-certified schools to date, and many local school districts and state departments of education are beginning to develop and implement policies that require schools to be built green." The state of Ohio is leading the way. Hundreds of new and renovated schools are set to meet higher energy efficiency and environmental standards through the Ohio School Facilities Commission's adoption of the LEED for Schools Rating System as part of its school design standards. When the commission did the math, it determined it could save more than $1.4 billion in taxpayer money over the next 40 years through energy consumption reductions.
-- Staff Writer Environmental Studies At A Specially Designed Green New Haven School
-- Hartford Courant Connecticut: April 21, 2008 [ abstract] The Barnard Environmental Studies Magnet School reopened in 2006 after a $43 million renovation. This month, Barnard became just the second building in the state (Yale's Daniel L. Malone Engineering Center was the first) to earn Gold LEED certification — meaning it is truly "green."
Barnard, designed by Roberta Washington Architects, is one of 274 buildings worldwide to reach the gold standard, the second highest. It serves more than 400 students in kindergarten through seventh grade. The school is expansive and filled with natural light. The electric lights turn off automatically, and heating and cooling systems scale down when classrooms sit vacant or when a window is opened to let in fresh air.
-- David Funkhouser Palm Beach, Florida Schools Commit to Green Building -- Palm Beach Post Florida: April 13, 2008 [ abstract] Low gas-emitting paint and carpeting, lights tripped by motion sensors, solar roof fabric and waterless urinals are just some of the environmentally friendly staples that will be found in new Palm Beach County schools. The school board is the first in South Florida and perhaps in the state to pledge an all-green building program. It joins school districts in Colorado, Ohio and Maryland that have promised to build to national standards that consider conservation in construction practices and the use of natural environment in design. "It's everyone's responsibility to do as much as they can in conserving all aspects of the environment," board member Carrie Hill said. "We're basically protecting the future."
In August, the district will open Pine Jog, its first school certified by the U.S. Green Building Council. Two new elementary schools will follow a year later. A fourth green school, a middle school breaking off of Pahokee Middle/Senior, is in the design phase. Eco-friendly schools cost roughly 2 percent more to build, an extra $600,000 for a typical $30 million elementary school, said Joseph Sanches, the district's chief of facilities management. It takes about seven years to pay off the extra cost in utilities and other savings in the 50- to 60-year life of a school. But school districts that consistently build green have gotten the added cost down to 1 percent or nothing, said Rachel Gutter, the Green Building Council's schools sector manager.
-- Laura Green Building Green Schools in Ohio Now May Save Later
-- Columbus Dispatch Ohio: April 01, 2008 [ abstract] New environmental standards will increase the cost of Columbus' 15-year school-construction plan, but also could improve long-term energy costs and student learning, a school district official said. The state requirement will add about $500,000 to the cost of building each new elementary school, which will have to meet standards in energy efficiency and environmental sensitivity, Columbus schools facilities executive Carole Olshavsky said. The Ohio School Facilities Commission, which helps fund and manage Columbus' half-billion-dollar school-construction program, recently adopted construction standards set by the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Schools Rating System.
-- Simone Sebastian School Open Plan Design Adds to Problems -- Natchez Democrat Mississippi: March 28, 2008 [ abstract] A recent trip to Natchez High School reminded me of the residual consequences of bright ideas that fail to live up to their expectations. Much has been written in recent weeks about the problems of the Natchez-Adams School District. Most people agree that the area schools are not improving as demonstrated by annual test scores. A small, vocal group of citizens has targeted the district superintendent and his administration as the problem. Others, including me, see the lack of parental involvement in the schools as one area in sore need of attention. Improving something as complicated as a school system requires a multi-faceted approach. There is not just one thing that will magically fix our schools. But some of the school district’s problems, particularly at the high school, may predate even this superintendent’s graduation from high school.
The 1960s witnessed one of the most dramatic educational reform movements in U.S. history involving the introduction of middle schools, community education and open plan schools. With funding from the Ford Foundation, a group of educational innovators called the Educational Facilities Laboratory collectively changed the face of schools across the country, including Natchez. School construction was dominated by ideas of flexibility and freedom. Classrooms were open, desks were not lined up in neat rows, teachers taught more than one class. It was a hopeful architecture " one that trusted in the ideals of society. It relied on good students, creative teachers and the highest standards of education. It did not take into account a future filled with school shootings, discipline problems and a teen culture dominated by television, cell phones and the Internet.
-- Ben Hillyer Schools on Hold in Syracuse, New York -- Post-Standard New York: March 28, 2008 [ abstract] The biggest school construction project in Syracuse history still is stuck in the planning stage nearly five years after the proposal was first presented to city residents. A month ago, district and city officials were grappling with an incredible 50 percent discrepancy between what the district and the project managers believed a proposed technology high school would cost. The high school is the cornerstone of the $180 million first phase of the project, which also includes the renovation of six other schools. The full project aims to rehabilitate every school in the district. District, city officials and the projects' manager, Gilbane Inc., seemed confident that the discrepancy in the cost of the high school the difference between $35.9 million and $55 million could be worked out without shortchanging the high school or the other schools in the first phase.
-- Editorial School Board Wants Fewer Custodians -- Lewisboro Ledger New York: March 25, 2008 [ abstract] How many custodians does it take to clean six schools and a total of 658,960 square feet of floor space? Katonah-Lewisboro Superintendent of Schools Dr. Robert Roelle’s proposed budget calls for 44 custodians, one fewer than last year, for a total equivalent of 41.5 full-time positions. Six of these are supervisory positions " one head custodian at each school " responsible for managing the custodians under them.
But the school board has asked the superintendent to attempt to reduce that number even further. Board member Michael Gordon pointed out industry standards, codified by the Association of School Business Officials, recommended that the average load on a custodian should be about 2,500 square feet per staff hour, or about 20,000 square feet per position, assuming that a full-time custodian works eight-hour days. A 2002 state comptroller’s report found that the average workload at 15 school districts in New York was around 19,000 square feet per full-time position, while a survey published in American School and University magazine found that custodians at schools in New York and New Jersey are responsible for about 20,800 square feet each.
-- Matt Dallen Maryland Senate Votes to Require Green School Construction -- WTOP News Maryland: March 20, 2008 [ abstract] New government buildings, including schools, would have to be energy-efficient "green" buildings under a bill approved by the Maryland Senate. The bill, which now heads to the House, sets a requirement that large buildings funded by state tax dollars meet standards to be considered "green" as an attempt to reduce energy costs. The requirement will take effect for school construction after 2009. The bill passed the Senate 40-5. Opponents say the requirement would drive up the cost of public construction and could slow the building of new schools. The bill allows schools to ask for waivers to the requirement. It also exempts buildings that aren't fully heated or cooled, such as garages and warehouses.
-- Staff Writer Schools Grateful for New Simple-Majority Requirement for Passing Levies -- News Tribune Washington: March 19, 2008 [ abstract] The recently approved simple-majority requirement for voter approval has rescued several South Sound school levies from defeat. Until this year, the state constitution required school district levies to capture a 60 percent supermajority of yes votes in order to pass. Last November, voters amended the constitution to allow levies to pass with a simple majority " 50 percent of ballots cast plus one more yes vote. The new rule means maintenance and operation levies in Auburn, Eatonville, Orting and Clover Park have passed, according to unofficial results from the March 11 election. With approval rates of between 51 percent and 58 percent, they wouldn’t have met the old standard. The measures, which replace expiring levies, continue local taxpayer support for expenses beyond what the state provides.
-- Debby Abe Columbus Schools May Tighten Wage Policy for Building Projects -- Columbus Dispatch Ohio: March 17, 2008 [ abstract] The Columbus Board of Education is poised to begin requiring companies bidding on construction projects to meet the same wage rules that have resulted in two lawsuits against Franklin County in the past 2 1/2 months. The requirement disqualifies companies that have had more than three "prevailing-wage violations" in the past decade, even if they are the lowest bidder for the job. Prevailing wages are pay scales set by the state of Ohio for various construction professions, based on what union construction workers make. Columbus schools' proposed policy is based on language drafted by the Ohio School Facilities Commission that was intended to offer protection to workers, countered Pasquale Manzi, executive secretary-treasurer of the Columbus and Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council, which represents construction unions in central Ohio. "It shouldn't be the point of government to say we're going to lower the standard of living," Manzi said, noting that the same policy also requires construction companies to provide health care and pensions. Last year, Gov. Ted Strickland initiated the policy change, which also allows school districts to pay the prevailing wage on projects co-funded by the state.
-- Bill Rush District Officials Consider Future Actions After Defeat of a Bond Issue -- Beavercreek News-Current Ohio: March 12, 2008 [ abstract] With the defeat of a bond issue last week, Beavercreek School District officials must decide what actions they are going to take. "Students and staff thrive academically in better buildings with proper air quality, lighting, temperature control and proper classroom design,"?superintendent Dennis Morrison said. "This is what all the research tells us. We are not interested in renovating our schools just for the sake of renovation. We want to renovate our schools to make sure our children receive the best education possible in order to learn, graduate and attend college. It's all about preparing our students for the future. One national study states that students who attend school in better buildings have test scores ranging from five to 17 percentile points higher than students in substandard facilities." Morrison said he is preparing to make recommendations to the board of education when it meets March 27. "We'll go back to the board and see what they want to do,"?he said.
-- Doug Skinner Palm Beach County: Green Schools Cost More, But Will Pay for Themselves -- Sun-Sentinel Florida: March 06, 2008 [ abstract] It costs more to go green, but big benefits are coming for local schools built with environmentally helpful features. That's the message from Palm Beach County School District officials, who provided a clearer outline of the potential expenses and savings for building green campuses. Earlier, the School Board expressed reservations while approving $585,620 for extra green design costs on three previously approved school construction projects scheduled for the next two years.
The county will get its first look at a green school in August, when the district opens a $37.6 million elementary campus next to the Pine Jog Environmental Education Center west of West Palm Beach. Green buildings feature environmentally sensitive and recycled building materials, an emphasis on natural light and low-flow plumbing fixtures. It costs an extra $150,000 to $225,000 to design a typical 120,000-square-foot elementary school to meet the standards of the U.S. Green Building Council and receive a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design rating, said Joseph Sanches, district facilities management chief.
-- Marc Freeman Kansas Water, Energy Efficiency Plan for New Schools Under Fire
-- The Capital-Journal Kansas: February 14, 2008 [ abstract] Kansas Sierra Club lobbyist Tom Thompson lauded today a Senate bill that would set energy and water efficiency standards for all new public school and state-owned buildings. Critics of the legislation formed a human wall, denouncing the measure as an expensive intervention by state government certain to drive up local taxes. “Often building construction is looked upon as a short-term expense,” Thompson told the Senate Natural Resources Commission. “If conservation and efficiency methods are included in construction, there an be long-term savings.”
His view isn’t shared by public school officials, and representatives of the Wichita and Olathe districts pressed the point with committee members. Under the bill, all new state buildings or public school buildings must be designed and constructed in ways that conserve 25 percent more energy than standards established by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers or the International Energy Conservation Code.
-- Tim Carpenter Bill Would Require New Idaho Schools to be Energy Efficient -- Education Week/Associated Press Idaho: February 11, 2008 [ abstract] Idaho lawmakers want to require new public schools to be more energy efficient, an initiative that could save the state money and protect the environment at the same time. The Senate State Affairs Committee voted to debate a bill that would impose new school construction rules, starting in 2009. Sen. Elliot Werk, D-Boise, told members of the committee that the state has a compelling interest in improving school building design because the state general fund pays for all school operations and maintenance costs.
The bill is part of a push by lawmakers to incorporate environmentally conscious designs into taxpayer-supported construction. Late last month, lawmakers in the House introduced a bill to require that any major state-funded building conform to new energy efficiency standards. A number of states across the country, including Kansas and New Mexico, are debating legislation that would boost energy efficiency in schools. The Idaho bill would pay for school districts to use third-party companies to examine building design for energy efficiency, adding 0.85 percent to the cost of every school building project. That's estimated to cost the state $90,000 per year, paid out of a state fund to assist school districts with bond payments.
-- Staff Writer West Virginia Wants Prototypes for Schools
-- Charleston Gazette West Virginia: February 10, 2008 [ abstract] Every year, it costs more to build a school in West Virginia. Officials with the state School Building Authority want to encourage efficiency in design, so the state can build more schools and stretch your tax dollars even further. If they standardize the cost and type of materials used to build schools, they say, follow-up requests from county school officials who need extra money to finish a project could be avoided. "Right now there's not uniformity, necessarily," said Mark Manchin, executive director of the School Building Authority. But some architects don't want to stamp out identical schools, also known as prototypes. They say it would reduce their professional role, lead to design problems and even legal issues.
Manchin expects his agency to approve statewide guidelines in June. Each county would have to adhere to the guidelines, he said. Floors, walls and roofs would have to meet certain standards, as would a school's location. Environmentally friendly concepts might be included. Kanawha County already has some specific design standards, said Chuck Wilson, lead architect and facilities planner for the county's schools. He supports new standards for roofs, heating systems, floors and walls, and acknowledges that prototype classrooms, gymnasiums and multipurpose gym/lunchrooms are a good fit in some schools. Still, he and other architects take issue with a one-size-fits-all prototype for an entire school. Needs usually differ from county to county, said Rod Watkins, vice president of ZMM Architects and Engineers in Charleston."If we don't respond to that with our client, then our client's not satisfied," he said.
-- Davin White Schools Targeted for Closure
-- Washington Post District of Columbia: February 01, 2008 [ abstract] Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D) said he is moving ahead with plans to close the following schools, and will hold hearings later this month on plans to close an additional two city schools this summer, and two others in 20011 or later:
Gage-Eckington Elementary
Built in 1977, the school has a close relationship with Howard University, whose students provide tutoring. This was one of the "buff-and-scrub" schools spruced up last summer. It needs repairs to two classrooms damaged by water. Its students are 99 percent black and 85 percent low-income. Enrollment dropped 35 percent between 2002 and 2006, the last year for which there are final numbers. On last year's standardized tests, 35 percent of students were proficient in reading, and 21 percent were proficient in math.
Students would go to one of two other elementary schools: Cleveland, 1825 Eighth St. NW; or Emery, 1720 First St. NE.
Meyer Elementary
Adjacent to the Garfield Terrace public housing complex, the school has a capacity for 428 students, but 169 are enrolled. Meyer experienced a 49 percent enrollment decline between 2002 and 2006. Garfield Terrace parents told the chancellor they didn't want their children walking a greater distance to school. Several teachers
-- Staff Writer Teams grade schools for Rhee in overhaul process plan-- Examiner District of Columbia: February 01, 2008 [ abstract] Teams are grading 27 D.C. schools for Chancellor Michelle Rhee as a critical step in the process to determine what steps to take as part of a drastic overhaul of substandard education facilities, officials said.
By next month, Rhee is expected to decide which of several major methods of restructuring to use at each of the schools, basing that decision in large part on the scores delivered by the teams.
Under the No Child Left Behind Act, schools that fail to make Adequately Yearly Progress for five consecutive years are converted to a charter school, designated for outside help from a private consultant, taken over by the state, or stripped of its current teaching staff.
Tracy Martin, the chancellor’s chief of schools, said it’s pretty likely that combinations of these choices will be applied to the schools.
The teams " made up of central office members, consultants, parents and members of the teachers union " awarded points for how well the school staff fared on teaching and learning, creating a safe and effective environment and getting parents and community members involved.
Team members noted how challenging the classes appeared, a teacher’s tone and competency and the use of classroom materials.
The assessments will be implemented in all schools next year.
-- Dena Levitz School in Green-Elite -- Coloradan Colorado: January 28, 2008 [ abstract] Bethke Elementary in Tinmath might be one of the first green schools certified under the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED for Schools Program. Poudre School District officials have partially submitted paperwork to certify the new Timnath area elementary school with a LEED gold certification, the second highest certification for green schools. It costs approximately $5,500 to become certified, said Rachel Gutter, schools sector manager for the U.S. Green Building Council. The new LEED for schools came in April when USGBC officials realized schools needed different standards than the LEED for new construction certification, Gutter said. "There was a tremendous demand in the marketplace for more green school construction," Gutter said. "We wanted to specifically address the needs of schools." Under the new rating system, schools have different requirements for daylight and acoustics in the classroom, as well as more stringent air quality standards. The USGBC also awards points for schools that engage their inhabitants, acting as an interactive learning tool. "One of the things we're trying to do is to heighten that awareness and create those opportunities to ask questions about how the building operates," Franzen said.
-- Hallie Woods Idea for Prototype Schools in Indiana Doesn't Thrill Architects -- Journal & Courier Indiana: January 19, 2008 [ abstract] If an area state senator is successful, schools from Fort Wayne to Evansville could have more in common than curriculum standards. They could be built using the same designs. Senate Bill 13, introduced by Brandt Hershman, a Wheatfield Republican who represents much of Lafayette, calls for the state to create a repository of school construction plans. Districts seeking to build schools would choose among those -- or face several rounds of bureaucracy to prove the designs won't fit their need. "Between 1984 and 2006, property tax for school debt service and capital projects has increased by over 8 percent annually, which is far in excess of the rate of personal household income," Hershman said. "So it's a problem, and it's growing." On the heels of the governor's call to reduce property taxes, of which about half go toward local schools, Hershman said the impetus for the bill is to save money by eliminating the need to pay architects to "reinvent the wheel" and to scale back superfluous designs by offering fiscally prudent options. In 2007, the Department of Local Government Finance approved $597.6 million in new school construction. Of that, $30.3 million was spent on architect fees, according to the proposed bill's fiscal impact statement. Hershman acknowledges some money will have to be put up to create the original plans, which would be developed before July of this year. But he says once the repository is built it would save the roughly 5.5 percent of project costs that currently go toward architect fees.
-- Meranda Watling EPA Charged With Establishing School Building, Health Guidelines -- Education Week National: January 16, 2008 [ abstract] Tucked quietly into the federal Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 is a section that calls for establishing voluntary environmental-health and -safety guidelines for states to consult when locating and constructing schools, and authorizes grants for states to develop programs around those standards. The measure, which President Bush signed into law last month, marks the first time that a federal agency will provide such guidance. School board representatives offered differing views of the legislation, which directs the Environmental Protection Agency to write the guidelines.
-- Katie Ash School closings plan draws opposition-- Examiner District of Columbia: January 15, 2008 [ abstract] District parents and community members on Monday made their cases for why some of the 23 schools suggested for closure next year should remain open, arguing that some schools on the chopping block have better academic records or stronger enrollment than the schools that will absorb them.
The comments " at times angry or tinged with fear " came during a D.C. Council hearing that stretched well into the evening.
“What [Burroughs Elementary School] has accomplished is incredible given the few resources it has,” said Gary Spinner, whose granddaughter is in second grade. “We were in the process to petition the mayor and chancellor for more support; in turn, we found out we would be closed.”
Spinner and other Burroughs representatives touted the fact that the school is ranked 15th out of 81 citywide in reading and that its standardized test scores last year rose by double digits. Enrollment also has been going up, they said, making it the wrong time for closure.
Chancellor Michelle Rhee has explained that the 23 schools suggested for closure were chosen mainly for building occupancy, rather than test scores or overall program quality. That numbers-driven approach was challenged Monday.
-- Dena Levitz Schools Targeted For Closure-- Washington Post District of Columbia: January 13, 2008 [ abstract] Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D) and Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee have proposed to close 23 underenrolled public schools, all but three this summer. The proposal has generated numerous complaints from parents who will voice their objections at a series of hearings this week and from council members who say they were excluded from Fenty's decision-making process. No schools in Ward 3 are affected, and Ward 5 has the most proposed closings.
Bruce-Monroe Elementary
(closing 2010)
Built in 1973, when the open-space classroom design was all the craze, Bruce-Monroe sits on Georgia Avenue NW. More than two-thirds of the 307 students are from low-income households, and 62 percent are Hispanic. The school has a dual-language program for pre-kindergarten to first grade. Sixty percent of the students come from outside the neighborhood. Principal Marta Palacios has been praised for knitting a diverse community into a strong school where 41 percent of students passed a standardized test in reading and 40 percent passed a test in math, exceeding benchmarks.
Bruce-Monroe's enrollment declined by less than the median enrollment loss between 2002 and 2006, but Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee recommended closure in part because of "the size and condition of the building."
-- Theola Labbé and V. Dion Haynes West Virginia Agency Wants Consistent Construction Standards for Schools -- Charleston Daily Mail West Virginia: January 09, 2008 [ abstract] The School Building Authority hopes that by the time funding is allocated to new school construction in July, a new building quality and performance criteria document will be in effect. The document will ensure more uniform facility components at all schools across the state, said Mark Manchin, executive director of SBA. "What we're trying to do is be more uniform," he said. "A school that is built in Wyoming County will be the same as one built in Berkeley County." That's not to say that every school across the state will be identical in all regards, but there will be certain qualities that will be required in all schools that receive SBA funds. "The architects will still have some ability to design what a building looks like," Manchin said.
-- Kelly L. Holleran Teams Will Visit Failing Schools To Help Tailor Restructuring Plan
-- Washington Post District of Columbia: January 06, 2008 [ abstract] D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee is sending evaluation teams into 27 of the city's lowest-performing schools, a fact-gathering effort aimed at helping her decide how to improve schools that for years have failed to meet reading and math testing benchmarks.
The teams, made up of nine to 11 teachers, parents, students, residents, education experts from outside the District and representatives from the Washington Teachers' Union, will begin one-day school visits this week. They will observe classes, hold focus groups with teachers and students, and review lesson plans and student test data, among other activities, to gauge how well the schools educate children.
The 27 schools -- six elementary, 11 middle and 10 high -- have failed to make adequate yearly progress on standardized tests for at least five consecutive years. Because of that, the schools have been deemed in need of "restructuring," according to standards set by the federal No Child Left Behind law, which also outlines five remedies.
The options: Bring in private firms to manage the schools; convert them into charters; keep them under the school system's control but replace the principals and teachers; allow the state -- or in Washington, the D.C. Office of the State Superintendent of Education -- to seize the schools; or devise another plan.
Rhee spokeswoman Mafara Hobson said that the "quality school reviews" are one part of Rhee's restructuring approach, designed in part to increase parent and community involvement and have each school reflect on its strengths and weaknesses.
"Each school is at a different level, and so through these reviews, we can tailor a plan specific to each school's individual needs," Hobson said.
-- Theola Labbé Bill to Create Standardized Plans for School Facilities Proposed in Indiana -- Rensselaer Republican Indiana: December 07, 2007 [ abstract] A bill to help taxpayers control school construction costs and reduce debt service payments on new facilities by creating standardized plans for school facilities was filed by state Sen. Brandt Hershman (R-Wheatfield). Senate Bill 13 will create standardized plans for school facilities to control construction costs and debt service payments for those facilities. Approximately 50 percent of property taxes collected in Indiana are used to fund local schools. Of those tax dollars, a significant amount is used to pay for debt service. “Hoosiers want significant, permanent property tax reform,” Hershman said. “In order to achieve that, we must contain costs. Since school spending accounts for approximately 50 percent of our property taxes, this seemed a logical place to start.”
Senate Bill 13 is part of a package introduced by the Senate Republican Caucus to provide significant and permanent property tax relief. The bill: Requires that a contract for professional services for design of school facilities must provide that any completed plans and specifications developed under the contract become the joint property of the person providing the services, the school corporation and the State. Requires the DOE with the assistance of the State Building Law Compliance Officer to develop and update standard plans and specifications for the construction of school buildings and athletic facilities. Requires State DLGF approval (in addition to County Review Board approval) for schools that elect to use a non-standard design for a school facility.
-- Staff Writer A Thriftier School Building Program -- Milford Daily News Massachusetts: December 04, 2007 [ abstract] Massachusetts is getting back into the school building business, after taking three years off for a major reorganization of the program governing it. The school building boom of the 1990s left the School Building Assistance program's finances unsustainable. Its oversight was criticized for failing to set standards, police practices and find efficiencies to help control costs. The old SBA program was mostly a list, and once a project rose to the top of the list, the state picked up a big share - generally 60 to 90 percent, depending on a variety of factors - of whatever it was local officials spent. In 2004, the Legislature responded to problems with the program by setting up a new revenue stream for the SBA and moving it from the Department of Education to the office of state Treasurer Tim Cahill. Since then, while Cahill has been rewriting the rules, dozens of school districts have been waiting to find out how much - and if - the state would help them with critical school needs. Last week Cahill released a new list, but even communities on it don't know yet exactly what they will be able to build.
-- Editorial Advocates: Officials quitting on struggling schools-- Examiner District of Columbia: December 04, 2007 [ abstract] The large number of D.C.’s low-performing schools that could be seeing their final months has some education advocates worried that leadership is giving up on struggling schools too easily.
Of the 23 D.C. public schools that could be shut down by the fall, nearly half have failed to meet federal testing standards at least four years in a row and all have missed the mark at least two consecutive years.
City officials have said they chose the schools on the proposed closings list based primarily on enrollment, not academic aptitude. The closings are needed, they say, to address a steady, systemwide drop in students.
Gina Arlotto, who founded the group Save Our Schools, testified before the D.C. Council about her concern for the academically troubled schools, pointing out that among the 23 slated to be closed, and an additional 24 that will be dramatically restructured next year through No Child Left Behind requirements, many will no longer be under Chancellor Michelle Rhee’s control.
“Is [her job] to only run the handful of schools that are performing? That really isn’t much of a challenge,” Arlotto said. “I thought Ms. Rhee was hired to be the turnaround specialist.”
The schools that must be restructured because of lingering academic problems are not up for debate since that is mandated by the No Child Left Behind Act. Two options Rhee has for those schools is to put them under private management or convert them into charters.
-- Dena Levitz Schools Look to Voters for Exit from 'Corridor of Shame' -- The Columbia State South Carolina: December 04, 2007 [ abstract] Dillon County voters go to the polls to decide whether to infuse as much as $60 million into construction of public schools that serve Lake View, Latta and Dillon. At issue is whether county residents support using money generated by a local one-penny-on-the-dollar sales tax to leverage loans for building new schools or additions in all three communities. The centerpiece is a proposed middle school for Dillon 2, which uses a mixture of buildings that date to the late 19th and early 20th centuries. J.V. Martin Junior High is featured prominently in a 2005 documentary about substandard conditions of rural schools along Interstate 95 in eastern South Carolina.
"We want to shed that stigma of being in the 'Corridor of Shame,'" said Carl Altman, who heads a committee that supports school construction. "I don't think I live in a corridor of shame. I'm happy and proud to live here." The average age of schools across Dillon County is about 40 years. The last new school built was Dillon High, which opened in 1970. Since 2003, Dillon County has collected an extra penny on the dollar in sales taxes to generate $11.7 million for various capital projects the county government asked voters to support in a referendum.
-- Bill Robinson Schools Watching Indiana Statehouse. Tax Reforms May Hit Building Plans.-- Courier Press Indiana: December 02, 2007 [ abstract] The 2008 Legislature will consider sweeping property tax reform legislation. Among proposals offered by Gov. Mitch Daniels is a plan to have voters approve or reject large capital projects, such as school construction, through referendums, instead of the current petition-drive remonstrance process. Meanwhile, Senate Republican leaders have introduced their own property tax reform legislation " three proposed constitutional amendments and 11 bills. One of them, Senate Bill 13, is aimed at the debt on school bond issues. It is intended to curb what critics call exorbitant architectural design costs for school-construction projects that are passed on to homeowners through property taxes. The bill would create a central repository of standardized school blueprints at the state Department of Education. When school corporations need to expand, building plans would be available off the shelf to construct, thus saving the cost of designing a new building from the ground up.
-- Bryan Corbin $1 Billion to Fix Colorado's Crumbling Schools with No New Taxes -- YourHub.com Colorado: November 28, 2007 [ abstract] Colorado has a big problem: our schools are literally crumbling. Eighty-eight percent of the state's school districts report at least one school not meeting health or safety standards. Colorado's schools - some more than 100 years old - have failing roof systems, broken boilers, asbestos contamination, structural problems, inadequate fire safety systems, inadequate water treatment systems, faulty electric and pest infestation. Some districts have nearly half of their students in trailers. However, with a plan recently announced, Colorado's schools are about to get the resources they need to build safe buildings without distractions from learning.
-- Dianne Primavera and Debbie Benefield It Pays to Build Schools Better -- Charlotte Observer North Carolina: November 19, 2007 [ abstract] A recent report on the condition of our nation's school facilities notes, "The needs of school building construction and repair present us with a tremendous challenge and at the same time, an extraordinary opportunity. With the investment of such large expenditures of taxpayer money comes the responsibility to be thoughtful as we approach the issue of school design." Voters' approval of a Mecklenburg County bond package that includes $516 million for school construction provides our community the opportunity to make decisions that will benefit not only today's students, teachers and our community, but future generations as well.
Research shows evidence of a direct link between the quality of a school's physical environment and student achievement. A number of studies link student performance on standardized tests and teachers' ability to deliver education with building quality, newer buildings, thermal comfort, indoor air quality, daylighting and use of nontoxic materials, as well as specific building features such as science laboratories and libraries. A 2007 Wake County study shows that among fast-growing urban districts, Charlotte Mecklenburg schools are built at some of the lowest per square foot costs in the state and the country. But this "initial cost" is only part of the equation. We can be even more cost-conscious by taking into account the total life cycle costs to operate and maintain school buildings and not just the construction costs.
-- Kathryn Lauria Horne HVAC Systems Improve Efficiency, Health at Schools -- Green Building News National: October 30, 2007 [ abstract] Through the combination of more efficient technology and adoption of green building guidelines, officials can be responsible to both the classroom and the environment, receive a payback on their investments, and achieve their operating goals while improving teacher and student comfort, productivity and performance. School districts can save 30 percent to 40 percent on utility costs each year for new schools, and 20 percent to 30 percent on renovated schools by applying sustainable, high performance, energy-efficient design and construction concepts to improve classroom comfort, according to the Sustainable Buildings Industry Council. Creating a high performance, comfortable classroom environment requires an integrated approach between sustainable design and construction standards, and the corresponding selection, implementation and ongoing maintenance and operation of building control systems and technologies.
-- Maureen Lally Getting a Greener Education in Houston -- Houston Chronicle Texas: October 24, 2007 [ abstract] At Walnut Bend Elementary School, the building boasts plenty of windows to bring in sunlight, energy-efficient light bulbs and " a favorite among students " toilets that flush automatically. As an added bonus, the toilets help conserve water, too. The new Walnut Bend campus, which opened in August, is one of two facilities that the Houston Independent School District has built according to nationally recognized green standards. Last month, HISD Superintendent Abelardo Saavedra vowed that the 24 new schools slated for construction in the most recent bond proposal would be environmentally friendly. If that promise is realized, Houston would be one of the largest school districts in the nation to go green, said Rachel Gutter, who manages the school program for the U.S. Green Building Council. The nonprofit building council certifies green buildings through a program known as LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. To meet LEED standards, buildings must show energy efficiency, water savings, use of green materials, good air quality, sustainable site development, and more. "This is not something the majority of America has committed to by any stretch of the imagination," Gutter said. "It sounds as though Houston is looking to strike out as a leader in the state, and it could be a national leader."
-- Erika Mellon Guest View: Our Future is Always Under Construction in Winona, Minnesota Schools -- Winona Daily News Minnesota: October 23, 2007 [ abstract] It is a widely held belief that public education is essential to the local economy. Schools are a significant part of the infrastructure of a community and can have a direct impact on real estate values, employment, wages and countless other economic factors in the life of our citizens. Healthy public schools are often as much an indicator of economic progress as the numbers of people employed locally or the profit and loss indicators of area businesses. Often people judge the quality of a community and the educational institutions that serve them by what they see on the outside of the buildings. Is there a link between the overall maintenance of our buildings, the condition of school facilities, and student academic achievement? According to many research studies on this issue, the answer is yes.
Studies conducted over the past 20 years have shown a direct correlation between the overall qualities of learning environments and enhanced academic outcomes. According to a report sponsored by the National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities, “The overall impact a school building has on students can be either positive or negative, depending upon the condition of the building. In cases where students attend school in substandard buildings they are definitely handicapped in their academic achievement. Correlation studies show a strong positive relationship between overall building conditions and student achievement.” The Winona Area Public Schools also face these same challenges with our facilities. We have worked hard to make real improvements to our school buildings and grounds over the past few years, yet we hope to make even greater progress on them in the years to come.
-- Paul Durand Houston's Bond Campaign Should Stress Green Construction and Energy
-- Houston Chronicle Texas: October 08, 2007 [ abstract] Startled by complaints about the Houston Independent School District's $805 million bond proposal, Superintendent Abelardo Saavedra pledged to spend the next month and a half explaining its importance: where the bond dollars will go and how they will be spent. As he does so, HISD should offer a comprehensive accounting of its overall energy policies — and how the proposed renovations and building projects would squeeze the most from community dollars. Publicizing these details would let voters better evaluate the bonds' effect on efficiency, and encourage residents to offer suggestions.
HISD generally has a positive approach toward energy conservation. Already, it has built two "green" schools in compliance with national environmental standards; officials say the district is creating an Energy Management Department to find new conservation projects and to craft a districtwide policy. Getting green might seem a luxury in a mammoth school district in which some science labs lack beakers and bathrooms want for toilet paper. But green policies save money.
-- Editorial In the Crucible of Growth, Fast School Construction Is a Science -- Washington Post Virginia: September 23, 2007 [ abstract] To make a Loudoun County elementary school, start with 1,700 cubic yards of concrete for the foundation. Combine 137,000 cinder blocks and 129,000 bricks to make the outside walls, and set aside about 3,500 square yards of asphalt for the parking lot. Such formulas, honed down to the brick after a decade of phenomenal growth, have put Loudoun in the vanguard of assembly-line school construction. Sticking to a standardized design has helped encourage competitive bidding for contracts and speedy construction, a virtue proved this year when Sycolin Creek Elementary in Leesburg was raised in seven months.
Most school systems, including Loudoun's, like to allow a year to 18 months to build from the foundation to the finishing touches. Fairfax County once accelerated that time frame to 10 months to replace an elementary school that had burned down. Prince William County's record is eight months, including site preparation. Even Clark County, Nev., which as the home of Las Vegas churns out 11 new schools a year to accommodate explosive growth, reports its tightest timeline for a new elementary was 8 1/2 months.
-- Michael Alison Chandler Little Green Schoolhouse
-- Time Magazine National: September 20, 2007 [ abstract] Flat strips of lush, submerged grass rise in terraces from the courtyard of Sidwell Friends' new middle school in Washington like rice paddies in a mountainous Chinese village. Part of a man-made wetland connected to the school's water system, the plants filter liquid waste, just as real wetlands do with rainwater. Even if Sidwell middle school isn't quite a wetland, it can still lay claim to being the greenest school in the U.S., becoming the first institution to earn a platinum rating from the U.S. Green Building Council, an architectural watchdog organization.
More and more public and private schools have begun replacing their wheezy old buildings with energy-efficient new ones--or at least upgrading the structures they have. New Jersey is requiring all new school buildings to meet stricter environmental standards, and California and Massachusetts have made millions available to green their classrooms. It all comes at an opportune time: with baby-boomer-era buildings reaching the end of their life span, the U.S. must embark on a new wave of school construction anyway.
If the initial cost of going green is high--and it can be--the savings can be even greater. Currently, the energy bill for primary and secondary schools in the U.S. is $6 billion--and that's per year, more than is spent annually on computers and books combined. Green schools can also inculcate green values in students at an impressionable age.
-- Bryan Walsh Court Ruling Could Derail New Florida Schools -- Orlando Sentinel Florida: September 12, 2007 [ abstract] A national credit-rating agency warned investors that a Florida school-district financing program faced "negative implications" because of last week's Florida Supreme Court ruling. The announcement from standard & Poor's could lead to higher interest rates for school districts when they sell bonds, and that could increase school-construction costs.
For schools, the ruling has cast doubt on the legality of a widely used method of financing. "It's a killer," said Wayne Blanton, executive director of the Florida School Boards Association. "It's going to put a huge hole in our building program if every time we want to do a bond issue we also have to go through the whole procedure of an election." School districts do not seek voter approval before they issue "certificates of participation," a type of bond. The certificates, paid back with future tax money, have been used to build and renovate numerous schools in Central Florida, and school finance officers have planned to use them plenty in the future, too. The Orange County school district, for example, plans to finance the construction of a new Evans High in Orlando, a new middle school in the Ocoee area and renovations to Gotha Middle with these certificates in the coming year. The district was not planning to issue the certificates until early spring, so officials are hoping the court ruling will be clarified -- and in their favor -- before then, said Rick Collins, the district's chief financial officer.
-- Leslie Postal District Officials Consider Security at Bethlehem Area School -- The Morning Call Pennsylvania: September 06, 2007 [ abstract] Liberty High School opened in 1923, a time when drug sales and violence were not major security issues for educators. That's why Liberty's college-like campus in Bethlehem has 107 doors, many leading outside. All those doors would never be built under the school construction and security standards that have grown in response to recent school massacres. Now administrators in the Bethlehem Area School District think they have come up with a solution, albeit a potentially costly one, to reducing safety concerns at Liberty without altering the historic look of the old building: cameras and wrought iron electronic gates and fences.
Superintendent Joseph Lewis proposed to the board's Facilities Committee that the district spend $418,000 to erect three fences with gates around Liberty's most vulnerable and most frequently used outside entrances. Cameras also would be installed at the gates. The fences and gates would enclose the outside walkways between buildings to stop students from wandering off campus and strangers from wandering into buildings.
-- Steve Esack High school has big hopes for its small communities
-- Seattle Times Washington: August 22, 2007 [ abstract] Last fall, as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation was backing away from its highly publicized grants to convert large high schools into smaller schools, Marysville-Pilchuck High School unveiled plans to break up into small schools.
The high school will open Sept. 4 with five "small learning communities," each with between 130 and 400 students, and one larger school of 1,200 students able to choose "career pathways" — all within the main high school.
So convinced are district administrators of the benefits of small schools that the planned new high school in the district will be built to house four small schools. District officials say they hope to learn from the mistakes of the first-generation of small-school conversions by focusing on improved instruction and not trying to offer all the choices of a big high school.
But some parents and former teachers say the restructuring process has been divisive and that the results are still unproven.
"Bill Gates isn't offering these grants anymore because the way they were being done was not successful," said Nancy Purcell, a math teacher who left Marysville-Pilchuck after 12 years and this fall will teach at Kamiak High School in Mukilteo.
District administrators and families say there are compelling reasons to try the small-school experiment, even as others are modifying or calling it off.
About 30 percent of students at Marysville-Pilchuck drop out of school. Just 42 percent of 10th-graders met standards in math on the 2006 Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL). And until Marysville-Getchell is completed in 2010, Marysville-Pilchuck will remain one of the state's largest schools with 2,800 students expected on the first day.
If there's a poster-school for the ills of large high schools, one where students get lost in the crowds, where academic performance suffers and where graduates often aren't prepared for college or work, district observers say, Marysville-Pilchuck might be that school.
"Something obviously had to be done," said Stephanie Clark, the mother of two students.
-- Lynn Thompson Rundown Buildings Could Erode Bond's Political Support in San Diego -- Voice of San Diego California: August 07, 2007 [ abstract] It was summer of 1998, and the San Diego Unified School District was just months away from asking San Diego voters to approve the largest public works project in the county's history. To overcome the Herculean task of receiving the required two-thirds approval from the voters, the district reached out to political leaders all over the community, asking them to sign on to a plan to rebuild crumbling schools and prepare the district for the rising tide of enrollment.
But two key holdouts remained: The San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce and the county's Taxpayers Association continued to withhold their support for Proposition MM, the $1.51 billion bond measure. The groups pointed to the district's estimated $258 million maintenance backlog -- work that should have been done to keep the school system's facilities in shape but never was -- and asked how they could be sure that San Diego Unified would take care of its facilities in the future, once the new schools promised by Proposition MM were built.
And so, in those waning days of June, the two sides struck a deal. Under the agreement made after a series of closed-door meetings, the taxpayer and business groups said they would back a plan that allowed the district to use bond dollars to eliminate the deferred maintenance backlog; in exchange, San Diego Unified vowed to spend enough of its own money in future years to, as the district's press release put it at the time, "ensure that schools and classrooms are never allowed to deteriorate to a substandard level again."
-- Vladimir Kogan Improved School Ratings Selling Point for Issuing Construction Bonds in Houston -- Houston Chronicle Texas: August 02, 2007 [ abstract] Houston Independent School District Superintendent Abelardo Saavedra wants trustees to put an $805 million construction bond proposal to a public vote. He couldn't have asked for better backup than a positive report card just issued by the Texas Education Agency. Based largely on student scores on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills, the annual rating of district campuses showed the number of poorly performing HISD schools had been reduced by half, from 33 to 17. This is in marked contrast to small increases in the number of unacceptable schools statewide. Because testing standards were toughened this year, HISD's improvement in student test scores was even more impressive. The 204,000-student Houston system also did better than Dallas ISD, the second largest school district in the state.
-- Editorial Upkeep of Schools Is New Focus For Budget-- Washington Post Maryland: July 26, 2007 [ abstract] Howard County's four older high schools need $35 million in repairs, according to a recently released study, and education leaders are warning that a dedicated source of capital is needed.
"There are not sufficient funds unless we have a sustainable source of funding for school improvement," Superintendent Sydney L. Cousin said last week. "We will talk about this as a community. Stay tuned."
A recently released study -- spurred by debates over serious maintenance needs at Ellicott City's Mount Hebron High School -- took a look at deteriorating conditions at that facility along with three other older high schools: Atholton and Hammond in Columbia and Centennial in Ellicott City.
An estimated $35 million is needed for maintenance and replacement of essentials such as mechanical systems and roofs in the next two decades. "This is just the beginning," Cousin said. An additional $120 million would be required to bring the older schools up to the standards of the county's newer schools, according to Ken Roey, the district's executive director of facility planning.
A second phase of the study, examining the future maintenance needs of the eight other high schools and 19 middle schools in the district, is underway, Roey said. The third phase, looking at 39 elementary schools, is expected to finish next year.
School board Chairman Diane Mikulis said the report "quantifies the need."
But she, like Cousin, expressed concern about the future costs of school upkeep: "We need a sustainable revenue source."
-- Mary Otto Child's Death Leads to Safer School Policy in Ohio
-- Cleveland Plain Dealer Ohio: July 10, 2007 [ abstract] Former Governor Bob Taft signed Jarod's Law in 2005 after a 290-pound school cafeteria table fell on 6-year-old Jarod Bennett and killed him. Jarod's Law governs health and safety standards in Ohio schools. Local health departments are supposed to begin enforcing the law September 20th. A panel of legislators will review proposed rules for the new law. Among highlights of the draft rules: portable cafeteria tables and other portable furniture must be out of reach of students when not in use, or secured to a wall or floor; school buses may not idle while students board or unload in front of schools - the provision reflects growing health concerns about diesel exhaust, particularly from older buses; science classrooms must be locked when not in use; emergency showers and eye-wash stations should be tested monthly; schools must repair water damage, peeling paint, cracked or bowing walls; building roofs must be inspected twice a year and after severe weather; restrooms must be equipped with soap at every sink and towels or heated-air hand dryers. Health departments now conduct sanitary inspections of schools twice a year. The new law requires one inspection a year, but they will be far more comprehensive. There are no penalties for schools that fail to meet standards, health officials said. Inspection reports, though, will be sent to the state auditor and available to the public.
-- Harlan Spector N.Y.C. Green School Rules Released -- New York Construction New York: June 29, 2007 [ abstract] The New York City Department of Education and its School Construction Authority division have released new standards for green design to serve as a roadmap for contractors and architects as they take on the city’s $3 billion school capital program. The N.Y.C. Green Schools Guide and Rating System released this spring was the result of a more than 18 month-long collaboration between the schools agencies and several consulting firms, led by Dattner Architects of New York, DVL Consulting Engineers of Hackensack, and Viridian Energy & Environmental of Norwalk, Conn. The system will bring the schools into compliance with Local Law 86, a citywide measure enacted in January that requires all municipal construction projects to meet minimum sustainable design standards.
-- Staff Writer School chancellor pick appears to defy sense
-- Washington Times District of Columbia: June 15, 2007 [ abstract] I've got to hand it to D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty; he may be wacky or may be a wizard, but he definitely is bullheaded judging by his daredevil personnel picks.
"If the best candidate for the new chancellor is someone who has limited teaching experience and no experience managing a large urban school system, they could have nominated me for the job," said community activist and youth mentor Robert Brannum.
Even I have more classroom teaching experience than chancellor nominee Michelle A. Rhee, founder and executive director of the New Teacher Project.
Oh, by the way, I have never been run out of a classroom by students, whether they are 8-year-olds or 18-year-olds, or needed someone else to team teach with me, as the neophyte schools chief concedes.
Hey, what do you expect? This is the nation's capital, where the standard saying goes that "it's not what you know but who you know."
-- Adrienne Washington Clinton, Harkin, Tauscher Reintroduce Bill to Help Finance School Construction-- Press Release National: June 05, 2007 [ abstract] Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) and Tom Harkin (D-IA) reintroduced legislation to help school districts finance needed school construction and modernization projects. The Investing for Tomorrow’s Schools Act will create State Infrastructure Banks to improve financing for school construction. Schools will be able to secure loans through these banks for projects that include construction to address enrollment growth, increase physical safety, and create an infrastructure to support educational technology. The bill also will implement healthy, high-performance school guidelines for the construction and renovation of school buildings, educational facilities, and libraries to help ensure that schools meet high environmental health standards. Representative Ellen Tauscher (D-CA) introduced companion legislation in the House of Representatives.
-- Staff Writer Green School Takes Lots of Green -- Palm Beach Post Florida: May 29, 2007 [ abstract] The windmills will have to go. So will the distinctive, angled metal roofs, designed to reflect sunlight. But hopes of building the state's first certified green elementary school at Pine Jog Environmental Education Center in Palm Beach County remain very much alive. First, the school district had to get around the environmental problems caused by dropping the new school into Pine Jog's 150-acre suburban wilderness. Sure, some had complained that putting a school in a preserve was akin to destroying the forest to save it. But district officials would be careful, preserving trees and applying "green" building standards set by the U.S. Green Building Council.
The first bill came in at $1.5 million to replace all those slash pines and cabbage palms that had to be killed or moved to build the green school. The school district gulped. They had budgeted $250,000.
The first construction bids on building the school and a $3 million center for Pine Jog come in at an astronomical $38 million. Only $28 million has been budgeted, and that's up from $20 million originally. School district officials, to say the least, are scrambling. They blame the high costs of steel, cement and fuel. They're cutting costs but not, they say, at the expense of the school's green virtues. Not all of them, at least. They found $4 million in duplication, knocking the bid immediately to $34 million. Then the hard work of cutting costs without losing green certification began. Switching to a traditional flat roof saves $1 million, but they lose some green points. Eliminating the windmills, meant to drive irrigation pumps, saves a mere $50,000.
-- Joel Engelhardt Senate Approves D.C. School Takeover Plan
-- Washington Post District of Columbia: May 23, 2007 [ abstract] The U.S. Senate unanimously approved D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty's school takeover legislation yesterday after a hectic day of negotiations with city officials, leaving the mayor one signature away from taking control of the troubled public education system.
The bill awaits final authorization from President Bush, who could sign it by the end of the week, District leaders said. Under that scenario, Fenty (D) would assume authority over the 55,000-student school system by the end of the standard congressional review period, probably around June 14.
But even as the mayor drew nearer to completing his takeover, a new challenge emerged when the D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics ruled in favor of a city resident who is seeking to force a referendum on the legislation.
Mary Spencer, who has grandchildren in the public school system, will have a chance to collect the roughly 20,000 signatures of registered voters she would need for a referendum. Spencer will have about one week to complete the task, beginning June 4, said William O'Field Jr., spokesman for the elections board.
If Spencer is successful, the takeover could be placed on the ballot for an August special election that has been scheduled to fill an open school board seat.
Fenty said in a statement that the city intends to challenge the elections board's ruling in court.
"We think the . . . decision is wrong and will be overturned," he said. "We remain focused on the substance of our education plans and look forward to having our education reform bill in place as soon as possible."
-- David Nakamura La. Senator Blocked Vote On D.C. Schools Measure
-- Washington Post District of Columbia: May 22, 2007 [ abstract] U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu's office acknowledged yesterday that she has blocked a vote on D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty's schools takeover legislation, citing concerns about the bill brought to her attention by Board of Education President Robert C. Bobb.
Scott Schneider, a spokesman for Landrieu (D-La.), said the senator wants to ensure that the District's state education functions operate with enough autonomy from the rest of the school system.
Landrieu and other senators have expressed concern for years that the city lacks a strong state oversight board in charge of standardized testing, teacher certification and other federally mandated programs.
She took the action last week at Bobb's request, Schneider said. The move shocked and angered the Fenty administration.
Fenty was attending a convention of shopping center developers in Las Vegas yesterday. In a statement, he said, "Any further delay to the implementation of our school reform act not only subverts the will of the elected government of the District of Columbia, it further delays the government's ability to prepare for the first day of school and other critical management decisions."
-- David Nakamura District Copied Schools Strategy-- Washington Post District of Columbia: May 09, 2007 [ abstract] Mayor Adrian M. Fenty's administration copied significant portions of its education strategy verbatim from a plan developed by a North Carolina school system, even as the mayor seeks to show he has the vision and expertise to restructure governance of the District's troubled public schools.
Fenty's 31-page document is a blueprint of his plans to improve students' academic performance. It contains passages that are virtually identical to some in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools' strategic plan -- including the opening statement describing the administration's vision. Fenty's document was submitted to the D.C. Council in late February in support of his proposal to take control of the public schools.
"In 2006, the United States produced six Nobel Prize winners," Fenty's vision statement begins. "All of them were educated in public schools. This is the standard of education that DCPS must strive to deliver." That passage, using "CMS" instead of "DCPS," appears on Page 7 of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg plan.
Victor A. Reinoso, Fenty's deputy mayor for education and a former school board member, issued a statement yesterday taking responsibility for the copying. He said: "In my eagerness to compile a compendium of successful reform initiatives, plans and best practices, I didn't properly attribute educational sources. . . . I am hopeful this oversight doesn't diminish the public's perception of the Administration's intent and ability to successfully manage and reform the District's Public School System."
Fenty knew that his aides were reviewing programs from other jurisdictions, spokeswoman Carrie Brooks said. It was unclear, however, whether the mayor knew that lines were copied verbatim.
Last month, the council passed legislation awaiting congressional approval that would reduce the power of the D.C. Board of Education and put Fenty in control of the 55,000-student system.
-- David Nakamura What's Good Enough for New School Buildings in Arizona?
-- Arizona Republic Arizona: May 02, 2007 [ abstract] At least three questions remain unanswered eight years after Arizona changed the way it funds school construction. What's good enough? How much inequity is acceptable? How do you pay the increasing costs? It's time to talk about the answers.
But first, a nod to history. In the early 1990s, poor school districts couldn't raise enough money from local property taxes to afford safe and decent schools. Meanwhile, wealthy districts bought gold-plated bells and whistles. This was not the "general and uniform" school system the state Constitution mandates. In 1994, the state Supreme Court said, "Fix it." The question became: What's good enough? The court ruled on a case that was about gross inequities in school buildings, but ultimately, the courts required Arizona to fund adequacy not equity. standards were set. The state agreed to fund repairs at rundown schools, provide "building renewal" money to keep them up and pay for new schools to meet a standard of adequacy.
-- Editorial Longtime D.C. School Woes Eclipsed Board's Triumphs
-- Washington Post District of Columbia: April 30, 2007 [ abstract] In a city still fighting for voting rights in Congress, the D.C. Board of Education is a potent symbol of democracy as the District's first elected government body.
But Mayor Adrian M. Fenty's schools takeover plan, approved by the D.C. Council, will dramatically reduce the board's authority. Even its name will change.
Over the past four decades, the board failed to transform its schools into the models of achievement sought by parents and city officials. Despite a succession of superintendents and numerous changes, test scores and graduation rates have remained low, buildings have crumbled and parental confidence has fallen.
If Congress approves the mayoral takeover, as expected, the school board will no longer approve the schools budget and no longer be responsible for hiring and firing the superintendent for the 55,000-student system. That person will be called chancellor and report to the mayor.
Under the plan by Fenty (D), the board will be renamed the D.C. State Board of Education. Although it will have mostly the same members, its mission will shift from setting academic standards to overseeing big-picture issues, including teacher certification and standardized testing. The job of responding to parents' concerns, which often has consumed the board's time and energy, will fall to a new ombudsman.
-- Theola Labbé Schools Set Standards With LEED Certification-- Green Options National: April 12, 2007 [ abstract] With all the buzz around green building, it's no surprise that K-12 schools around the country are starting to see the benefit of sustainable design. In fact, there are 32 K-12 buildings in the US and Canada that have already been LEED-certified. Incorporating environmentally elements such as energy-efficient lighting, heating, and cooling, locally-sourced materials, renewable energy sources, non-toxic sealants, adhesives, and paints, green roofs, and greywater systems, schools are creating buildings that are working models of sustainability, providing excellent tools for lessons along with the obvious benefits to the environment. Not only is the environment benefitting, but green school design serves other purposes, as well.
-- Kelli Best-Oliver D.C. Schools Takeover Gets Initial Approval-- Washington Post District of Columbia: April 04, 2007 [ abstract] The D.C. Council granted preliminary approval yesterday for a dramatic shift in power for the city's public schools, giving the mayor control over the budget, key administrative functions and the blueprint for modernizing every dilapidated building in the 55,000-student system.
Following the example of other big-city mayors, notably Michael R. Bloomberg (R) of New York, Adrian M. Fenty (D) would assume the reins of the school district, and the school superintendent would report directly to him.
After final approval from the council, which could come as early as April 17, and Congress later this spring, parents could see the first changes in the fall. As part of the new structure, the council would have line-item budget control, and the school board would set academic standards.
In one of the biggest departures from the plan that Fenty announced in January, the council would have the authority to rescind the mayor's control over the schools if he did not show "sufficient progress in education" within five years.
Council members, who approved the takeover in a 9 to 2 vote on the first reading, spoke passionately about the need for a sweeping change in governance to stop the mass exodus of students from public schools. They said they are putting their trust in 36-year-old Fenty, who lobbied ardently for the takeover.
-- Nikita Stewart and Theola Labb? GREENGUARD and California's Collaborative for High Performance Schools-- News Blaze California: April 04, 2007 [ abstract] GREENGUARD Environmental Institute (GEI) announced an agreement with Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS) to recognize its GREENGUARD Children & Schools SM Product Certification Program as a strategy for supporting the CHPS Best Practices Manual for K-12 schools. Under this agreement, the GREENGUARD Children & Schools Product Certification Program complies with the State of California's Department of Health Services standard Practice (CA Section 01350) for testing chemical emissions from building products used in schools. CHPS credits are offered for GREENGUARD Children and Schools certified products that meet the testing method requirements and emission limits defined in the agreement between CHPS and GEI.
-- Staff Writer Price Tag for New Jersey School: $187M -- Star-Ledger New Jersey: March 29, 2007 [ abstract] The price tag for a proposed state-of-the-art high school in New Brunswick has soared to $187 million -- double the original projections and far more expensive than any other project undertaken so far in New Jersey's school construction program. Officials of the state Schools Construction Corp. said yesterday the price has been pushed up by land costs of $1 million per acre, labor and material expenses rising at the rate of $800,000 per month, and increased costs for relocating a business from the site. The total bill for the 2,000-student high school is on track to exceed $450 per square foot. It would exceed the $175 million New Jersey set aside in 2002 for the revitalization of the entire city of Camden. In addition to 33 standard classrooms, the new school is scheduled to include music rooms, art rooms, 10 science labs and an auditorium, gymnasium, day care and health center. The 26-acre site will have soccer, baseball and softball fields. Scott Weiner, the SCC's chief executive officer said "It has been designed without frills and without design excesses." Until recently the projected cost had grown to $217 million, but officials sliced $30 million by eliminating one classroom wing and dropping plans for a second gymna sium. The current estimates put the actual construction cost at $129 million, plus $22 million for furni ture, equipment and developer's fees, $7 million in design costs and $26 million in land acquisition.
-- Dunstan McNichol Great Seneca Creek Elementary is Maryland's First School to Go 'Green' -- Baltimore Sun Maryland: March 26, 2007 [ abstract] Great Seneca Creek Elementary School is Maryland's first officially "green" school, built to meet the standards of the U.S. Green Building Council. The number of green buildings registered by the nonprofit group has soared nationally, with 770 across the country today compared with fewer than 50 in 2002. This trend toward energy-efficient construction is driven by concerns about global warming and rising oil prices. Great Seneca Creek Elementary will be certified in the next few months and will join 14 other certified green buildings in Maryland.
According to state and Montgomery County figures, eco-friendly buildings cost up to 5 percent more to build. Great Seneca Creek, which opened in August, cost $18.2 million compared with about $17 million for a standard elementary school built last year. Green building features at Great Seneca Creek Elementary School include: a geothermal heating and cooling system; lots of windows made of thick fiberglass, to let in light and retain heat; bookshelves made from wheat, to save trees; waterless urinals and water-saving toilets; and a white roof, to reflect heat. Principal Greg Edmundson, says that the school will save about a third on heating bills. "And we're also modeling good citizenship for our students, teaching them to be environmentally conscious in their lives."
-- Tom Pelton More mayors move to take over schools-- USA Today New Mexico: March 21, 2007 [ abstract] Even with students on split schedules to limit crowding, the central court of Cibola High School between classes is a chaotic, noisy swirl of adolescence. The school on Albuquerque's fast-growing West Side was built in 1974 for 1,600 students; now it has 3,200.
Just one of the city's 12 high schools made "adequate yearly progress" last year under the federal No Child Left Behind Act, and it wasn't Cibola. Of Albuquerque's 128 public schools, only 47 met the standard, according to the state Public Education Department.
The overflowing classrooms and sagging test scores have convinced Mayor Martin Chavez that the city's schools are failing. So he wants to follow the example of mayors in Boston, Chicago, New York and several other cities: Take over the schools himself.
If Chavez can get the New Mexico Legislature to agree to his plan — he hasn't so far — Albuquerque would become part of a movement that began 15 years ago, when Boston switched control of its school system from an elected board to one appointed by the mayor.
-- Martha T. Moore New York City School Maintenance and Construction 'Going Green'-- CBS News New York: March 20, 2007 [ abstract] The New York City Department of Education and the School Construction Authority announced the publication of the NYC Green Schools Guide and Rating System, which will be used to guide the sustainable design, construction, and operation of new schools, modernization projects, and school renovations. The guide and rating system will assure compliance with local law, which established sustainability standards for public design and construction projects. The implementation of the Green Schools Guide and Rating System makes New York City one of the first and largest school districts in the nation to have sustainability guidelines required by law.
Sustainable schools will conserve energy and water, reduce operating costs, promote a healthy environment, and help teach environmental responsibility, officials said. Energy efficiency measures required by the GSG, including high efficiency building envelope and HVAC systems, will ensure that NYC's "green schools" save energy costs by at least 20 percent. Water-conserving plumbing fixtures such as metered faucets, dual flush toilets, low-flush urinals, and low flow showers will result in the reduction of potable water usage in each school by more than 40 percent. Efficient classroom lighting fixtures will save energy and provide high quality illumination. Stringent acoustical standards will ensure that instructional spaces are isolated from outside sound interference.
-- Staff Writer New Arizona School Construction Guidelines
-- Arizona Republic Arizona: March 17, 2007 [ abstract] The Arizona School Facilities Board, the state agency responsible for building public schools, revised its basic construction guidelines last month, adding many features considered "basic" by districts. For the first time since its creation in 1999, the board will now consider paying for such features as playground equipment, outdoor lighting, and landscaping, among others. SFB staff gave an example of how the new measure could add $570,680 in basic features to a standard $8.6 million elementary,K-6, school. Flooring: Previous guidelines allowed for carpeting in kindergarten through third-grade classrooms, but the new measure allows for carpeting throughout a K-6 school, $107,200. Gym: No previous guidelines, which mean the state did not pay for this item, but the new measure allows for a basketball court with 10-foot perimeter, $95,000. Classroom storage: Previously, six feet in K-3 classrooms and three feet allowed in others, but the new measure allows for 10 feet per classroom plus 40 feet in science, art and music rooms, $80,000. Exterior Lighting: No previous guidelines except for emergency exits, but the new measure allows for wall fixtures every 50 feet plus lighting for required parking spaces and bus areas, $36,200. Canopies: No previous guidelines, but new measure allows for 1percent of interior square footage be allowed for canopies, $16,000. Playgrounds: No previous guidelines, but the new measure allows for two playground structures including shades, $130,000. Landscaping: No previous guidelines, but new measure allows for 1percent of total budget for landscaping, $106,280.
-- Ray Parker Arkansas School Facilities Bill Hits $456 Million-- Times Record Arkansas: March 07, 2007 [ abstract] A legislative committee unanimously endorsed a study calling for the Legislature to devote $456 million " just more than half of a projected $843 million surplus " to renovate dilapidated school facilities. The money would be the state’s share of an estimated $1.4 billion in school renovation projects that could easily still be under construction in 2011. The Academic Facilities Oversight Committee, a joint committee with House and Senate members, accepted the recommendation without dissent, despite being informed that there are probably not enough contractors in the state to fill all the orders in the next two years. However, the state’s budget surpluses could end this year and the money should be dedicated to facilities while the state has money, lawmakers said.
Part of the state Supreme Court’s mandate in a 2002 decision declaring the state’s public school funding system unconstitutional was to eliminate wide disparities across the state in school funding and facilities. The long-running Lake View school funding case is still before the high court and the overhauling school buildings and equipment is by far the biggest issue left unresolved, according to a brief filed jointly by attorneys in the case. The state is addressing the facilities issue by having school districts across the state turn in master building plans to address needs. The state has also adopted standards that must be met by school districts.
-- Doug Thompson Green Schools for Better Education-- Stanford Daily California: March 02, 2007 [ abstract] All parents want their children to be healthy and do well in school. Elementary schools are places of learning where impressions and ideas that last a lifetime are formed. But existing schools are often built on tight budgets and to the bare-minimum standard necessary to meet building codes. Building codes, however, are rarely designed to enhance the learning environment for children. A new approach toward building schools is needed.
A recent study by Greg Kats of Capital E definitively shows that schools could be “healthier, more comfortable, and more productive” by using well-known green building techniques for an initial cost premium of under 2%, but with cost savings of twenty times the cost of going green over the lifetime of the school. Building green means designing a building so that it is constructed in an environmentally sensible way, with environmental criteria as one of the foremost, if not the top, priority when making design decisions. Green buildings considerably reduce water and energy consumption, and are healthier for their occupants.
-- Jonas Ketterle Twister Blew Through Alabama's Enterprise High School Like 'Big Explosion'-- CNN Alabama: March 02, 2007 [ abstract] Students inside Enterprise High School huddled in the halls, joking around and waiting out what they thought was a standard tornado drill. The school then went black as the lights dimmed and glass from a skylight shattered to the ground. "Everyone got really quiet -- we knew it was serious. No more than five seconds later, it was just like a big explosion and everything -- debris started hitting us," said Mitchell Mock, who was injured when the tornado struck in southeastern Alabama. Mitchell, two brothers and his mother were all inside the school. Students had been crouched with their knees to their chins for nearly two hours. The students were moved to the interior portions of the building, away from the windows, for their safety. When the school took a direct hit shortly after 1 p.m. Thursday, no place was safe. "I had a wall fall on top of me, and the roof fell on top of us," said student Brent Smith. "There was just hundreds of kids coming down the hallway, and a lot of them were covered with blood," said Kim Lewis, Mitchell's mother.
-- Staff Writer Most on Council Back Fenty's Takeover Plan-- Washington Post District of Columbia: February 28, 2007 [ abstract] At the last of seven public hearings yesterday on Mayor Adrian M. Fenty's plan to take over the D.C. public schools, a majority of D.C. Council members voiced approval for the proposal, but several also indicated support for giving the Board of Education more power than Fenty (D) intended.
Several council members suggested that they favor amendments that could allow the board, instead of the mayor, to appoint a chief state education officer and a school ombudsman.
Fenty's testimony brought a series of exhaustive public hearings to a close. "I must say that I'm glad that it's about to be over," said council member Jim Graham (D-Ward 1). "It's time. It really is time to act. No need for further studies. . . . Now, it's up to the council. Let's go."
But council members first had questions and recommendations for Fenty yesterday -- three hours' worth.
Council Chairman Vincent C. Gray (D) was the first member to suggest that the school board could hire the state education officer who would oversee early childhood education, adult education, health requirements and other matters. "This would allow not only an elected board to stay in place . . . but it also would give, I think, some real authority," he said.
Council member David A. Catania (I-At Large) suggested giving the school board more control by giving it more to oversee. "I do think there is something to be said for assigning more state education responsibility to the state board of education, whether that is things from graduation requirements to curriculum to teacher education standards, so on," he said. "That won't inhibit your ability to run the schools themselves."
-- Nikita Stewart and David Nakamura Arkansas Lawmakers May Get Final Figure to Repair School Buildings-- WMC-TV Arkansas: February 25, 2007 [ abstract] Arkansas lawmakers may get a final estimate on how much it will cost to repair crumbling school buildings. Of the state's surplus, Governor Beebe has proposed spending 209 million dollars to bring school facilities up to quality standards. But the governor also has said that 400 million dollars may be a more realistic figure. The repairs are a major issue remaining in addressing an Arkansas Supreme Court order that found the state funding of its schools inadequate and inequitable.
-- Associated Press School Board Unveils Plan to Counter Fenty's Proposal
-- Washington Post District of Columbia: February 23, 2007 [ abstract] The D.C. Board of Education made a case last night for city leaders to retain the current school governance structure, saying the board is more qualified than Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D) to revive failing schools.
School board members outlined their Emergency Student Achievement Act of 2007, an ambitious proposal that promises in 18 months to transform the perennially bottom-ranking school system into one that outperforms other large districts across the country.
The board introduced the proposal to dissuade the D.C. Council from approving Fenty's measure seeking authority over schools, legislation that would require a change in the city charter. At a community meeting at Shepherd Elementary School in Shepherd Park last night, board members told about 50 people that their proposal would result in 10 percent more students becoming proficient or advanced on standardized tests by 2009.
"In the board's view, you set low standards and you get low results. You set high standards and you get high results," said President Robert C. Bobb, who was among three of seven board members present. Although a detailed plan has yet to be worked out, Bobb said, the system would meet its goal by offering more tutors, mentoring programs and counselors in the schools.
George Parker, president of the Washington Teachers' Union, said in a phone interview that the board's bold objectives are unrealistic. "I think it's a promise that doesn't have an action plan. It sounds good. But you have to address how you will change the conditions [in the schools] to accomplish that."
Council Chairman Vincent C. Gray (D) said in a phone interview last night that council members are considering the board's proposal, although he does not plan to schedule hearings on it. "We'll weigh it along with the other proposal," he said.
-- V. Dion Haynes Smarter School Planning Critical-- Montgomery Advertiser Alabama: February 15, 2007 [ abstract] Investments in educational facilities represent one of the largest capital outlays many local governments make. Over the next few decades, thousands of schools will be built or renovated across the country. Decisions about the construction and renovation of these schools will have important implications for their communities.
The average school size has grown and new schools have increasingly located on large sites away from the neighborhoods and towns they serve. The trend of school consolidation/larger schools is a key driver of the trend towards schools on large sites at the edges of the communities they serve. Compounding the problem, in many places there is a policy bias in favor of constructing new schools rather than renovating or expanding existing ones. Guidelines, recommendations and standards that encourage or require building large schools on new campuses are embedded in a variety of regulations and laws. Many states have school construction funding formulas that favor new construction over renovation. Such formulas typically establish a limit on what a district may spend to renovate rather than build new, usually a specific percentage of the cost of new construction. The National Trust for Historic Preservation urges states to eliminate these funding policies, because they penalize communities for maintaining and modernizing old schools, even when doing so costs less than building new.
-- Tim Torma Arizona Antes Up More Bucks for Building Schools-- Arizona Republic Arizona: February 05, 2007 [ abstract] The Arizona School Facilities Board, the state agency responsible for building public schools, has approved spending an additional $585,000 on construction of a typical K-8 elementary school. That includes playground equipment, gym floors and landscaping, which previously were not funded. Districts groused about the issue over the past few years as construction costs skyrocketed but the state failed to keep up with the increases. In the past year, nine of the 25 schools that started construction asked for more money just to meet minimum school standards. Those minimum standards include carpet, parking lot lights and storage cabinets. Even though state lawmakers have raised the school construction formula by 14 percent in the past two years, it has not been enough to cover costs. Nationally, the median cost of an elementary school in 2005 was $153 a square foot, while Arizona gave $116, according to the Education Commission of the States.
-- Staff Writer Council To Hold School Hearings-- Washington Post District of Columbia: January 13, 2007 [ abstract] The D.C. Council will open a series of public hearings on Thursday with testimony from Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D) on his controversial, ambitious plan to take control of city public schools, and it also plans to hear from parents, students and school dropouts over the next month.
Council Chairman Vincent C. Gray (D) scheduled six hearings and said the unusual number of sessions will allow the council to gather the opinions of education experts, community leaders and others about "the most important decision facing the city."
Gray released the schedule, which is subject to slight changes, after meeting yesterday with Fenty. The public meetings are on a fast track so that a council vote on the plan could be taken by April, Gray said.
"I'm excited that the hearings have been called so promptly and I look forward to an early vote on this critical piece of legislation," Fenty said in a statement.
Fenty's 48-page legislative proposal seeks to reduce the authority of the Board of Education and place the mayor in charge of the school superintendent. The D.C. Council would assume line-item control of the school system's budget, and an independent authority with a chief executive appointed by the mayor would be established to oversee school construction and modernization. The school board, meanwhile, would retain oversight over functions usually handled by state boards, such as standardized testing and teacher certification.
Even if the council approves the takeover plan, Fenty would need support from Congress, because the plan would alter the city's home rule charter.
-- Nikita Stewart and David Nakamura Radical Changes Pay Off For D.C. Catholic Schools
-- Washington Post District of Columbia: January 08, 2007 [ abstract] Many Catholic schools in the District seemed moribund in 1995. Paint was peeling, and enrollment and test scores were dropping. Advisers urged the archbishop of Washington to shut or consolidate several schools serving low-income neighborhoods.
Cardinal James A. Hickey refused. "I won't abandon this city," he said. Instead, Washington's Catholic schools began a series of drastic changes in 1997. New administrators armed with research on what worked in urban education put many schools under the same office. They told teachers that they would be judged on how much their students improved, required them to use common math and reading curricula and adopted learning standards that had worked well in Indiana, 500 miles away.
It was one of the most radical realignments of Catholic education ever attempted in a U.S. city. Ten years later, principals and teachers at the 14 schools in the archdiocese's Center City Consortium are celebrating a sharp turnaround in student achievement and faculty support. The consortium serves about 2,400 students through eighth grade, nearly a third of whom receive federally funded tuition vouchers.
-- Jay Mathews Janey Asks for Time to Turn Around Schools-- Washington Post District of Columbia: November 29, 2006 [ abstract] In a major address designed to help him keep his job, D.C. School Superintendent Clifford B. Janey delivered a robust defense last night of his two-year record as leader of the city's beleaguered school system and urged city leaders to allow him to finish the work he has started to move schools forward.
Janey called for laying "a new foundation" for schools that includes higher academic standards, more rigorous student assessment and modernized facilities. It was his first-ever "State of the Schools" speech, as well as his first formal public statement since his future came into question when Mayor-elect Adrian M. Fenty said in September that he might seek to take over the schools.
Fenty has been calling for a dramatic shake-up in the school system, saying that reform is moving too slowly. Janey has been walking a fine line attempting to cooperate with Fenty while asserting his position as the city's chief education leader.
In the sweeping 43-minute address to an enthusiastic audience of about 1,000 school staff, parents, students and city leaders at McKinley Technology High School in Eckington, Janey cast himself as a change agent who was moving quickly to restore the rich legacy of a school system that educated leading African American scientists and historians. He responded to criticism that he lacks urgency by using a metaphor of running a race.
"Like training for a marathon, turning our schools around will require that we build a strong foundation, develop an iron will and maintain the confidence that working together we can achieve the required change," Janey said.
-- V. Dion Haynes and Theola Labb Rich Schools, Poor Schools in Indiana-- Journal Gazette Indiana: November 26, 2006 [ abstract] The fate of the project to bring Fort Wayne Community Schools buildings up to current education standards will ultimately be determined locally. But it’s impossible to ignore state and national influences that suggest public schools are on a spending spree. A closer inspection, however, reveals the building boom is in affluent districts, not districts that, like FWCS, serve a lot of low-income and minority students. It’s important that this distinction isn’t lost and that the project is not rejected or compromised by misplaced assumptions about lavish school spending.
An October report by the 21st Century School Fund, a Washington-based advocacy group supporting improvements in urban public school facilities, reveals spending on school construction is far from equitable. “Growth and Disparity: A Decade of U.S. Public School Construction” finds that affluent districts, with more construction dollars available, are more likely to spend on computer rooms and science labs. Meanwhile, less affluent districts spend on roof repairs and asbestos removal.
-- Editorial Fewer Buildings Likely for Arizona Schools -- Arizona Republic Arizona: November 03, 2006 [ abstract] Students walking to class in future Arizona schools could be more apt to find themselves in hallways than open air. The Arizona School Facilities Board unanimously voted to limit the number of buildings it would pay for a new school in an effort to save on construction costs. The logic is that fewer buildings mean fewer exterior walls, less utility installation and less outdoor concrete work. It also means fewer schools using the campus-style design, unless the district can cover additional costs.
Campus designs are prevalent across the state, thanks largely to the mild climate. These designs consist of multiple buildings with open-air spaces and little or no interior hallway space. "(Campus style) is fun. It looks good. It's fresh. But is it really necessary?" asked John Arnold, interim executive director of the state board. The Facilities Board, created in the late 1990s, approves state-funded school construction and sets minimum adequate standards for what the state will pay for. Under the new guidelines, schools with less than 60,000 square feet will only receive funding for one building. Schools above 60,000, but under 125,000, square feet will receive funds for two buildings. The bulk of school construction in the state falls under these two categories, Arnold said. Of the state's existing schools, only about 18 percent would meet the new building limitations, according to Facilities Board figures. The average number of buildings for an Arizona school is roughly estimated at 6.4.
-- Tony Lombardo The Greening of the LAUSD
-- Los Angeles City Beat California: October 26, 2006 [ abstract] Beginning well before the year 2000, when former Colorado Governor Roy Romer took over as superintendent of the LAUSD, the public has heard little but bad news about the state of the district " especially during this summer’s bruising fight over Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s ambitious plan to take control of the schools. During that time, however, the district has moved inexorably into the forefront of green, energy-efficient, sustainable development in its massive building program. Even as new, sustainable schools continue to come on line " 57 so far, and 10 more this fall " the talk surrounding L.A. Unified is dominated by poor student performance and the legal battle over the mayoral control issue. Sadly, the design standards that have established the LAUSD building program as a national showcase have gone virtually unnoticed.
The LAUSD is enormous " 947 campuses and centers to accommodate K-12 enrollment of roughly 720,000 with another 160,000 adult, occupational, and other students, yet prior to 2002, there had been practically no construction for a quarter century, with no major expansion since post World War II. The exploding enrollment that necessitated 1997’s Proposition BB and a succession of state and local bond issues required a plan for 150,000 new seats. While most citizens equate optimal learning conditions with class size, textbooks, and teacher preparation, an enlightened corps of architects, engineers, environmental scientists, project managers, and energy professionals have persuaded the local educational hierarchy of much more: the maximum efficient use of daylighting; the optimizing of thermal, visual, and acoustic comfort; the reduction of heat islands through shading and lighter paving materials; managing storm water runoff; incorporating high-performance HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) systems; as well as the maximum use of recycling in both construction and demolition " in short, high performance schools.
-- Mitch Paradise Most Charter Schools Miss Test Benchmarks-- Washington Post District of Columbia: September 27, 2006 [ abstract] Thirty of 34 charter school campuses, representing thousands of District students, failed to meet reading and math benchmarks on a new test, according to data released yesterday by the D.C. Public Charter School Board.
The poor results on the D.C. Comprehensive Assessment mirror the performance of students in traditional D.C. public schools reported weeks ago. Of the 146 government-run schools, 118 failed to meet academic targets, up from 81 last year. The charter board knew the results for the schools it oversees at the time but declined to release them, saying it would take more time to verify scores and notify parents.
Under the federal No Child Left Behind law, students from the underperforming schools have the right to transfer to schools that meet benchmarks for yearly academic progress. But with the vast majority of charter and government-run public schools failing to meet the standards, and with long waiting lists at many charter schools, parents have fewer choices. The latest test results provide a fuller picture of the paucity of high-achieving schools in the District, despite the expansion of charter schools in the past 10 years as an alternative to the low-performing traditional system.
-- Theola Labbé and V. Dion Haynes New Everett School Gets Green for Going Green-- Herald Washington: August 29, 2006 [ abstract] The Everett School District's new elementary school construction project will get a $250,000 boost for being environmentally friendly. The state's High Performance School Buildings Volunteer Projects grant encourages "green" buildings. Everett's new elementary school will be two stories tall in order to leave a smaller footprint on the land and makes greater use of natural daylight, among other features. All public school construction projects soon will have to meet similar building standards under the state's "green buildings" law, passed in 2005.
-- Staff Writers Connecticut Public Schools Fail State Energy Survey-- New York Times Connecticut: August 19, 2006 [ abstract] Connecticut's aging public school buildings leak heat in the winter and cold air in the summer, giving them a failing grade in energy efficiency in a report by the Institute for Sustainable Energy at Eastern Connecticut State University in Willimantic. William Leahy, the chief operating officer of the institute, said that about 90 percent of the schools in the state were built at least 25 years ago, when standards for energy efficiency were less stringent.
The study analyzed energy bills for 119 of Connecticut's 1,026 public schools, taking into account the size of the schools and how much of the year they stay open. Connecticut schools scored 26 on a scale of 100, "which makes them among the least energy-efficient schools in the country," the report said. The average score nationwide, as determined by energy-use data from the United States Department of Energy, is 50. The report estimated that Connecticut's public schools spent 35 percent more on energy costs during the last school year than the previous one.
Inefficient systems are not the only reason energy costs are rising. Gas and electric prices have risen in the last two years, but improving school construction would help ease that burden, Mr. Leahy said. Bringing Connecticut's schools up to the national average would save school districts $46 million in annual energy costs, the report said. The problem with the state's schools is that they were built when energy was cheap and efficiency was not foremost on the minds of builders, Mr. Leahy said. Large single-pane windows and slab construction allow hot and cold air to seep out, he said, and old heating and air-conditioning systems gobble energy. A few Connecticut schools, including the Barnard School in New Haven, which has solar panels on its roof, have been built to higher efficiency standards in recent years.
-- Avi Salzman New School Facilities are Springing Up Around West Virginia-- Harold-Dispatch West Virginia: August 13, 2006 [ abstract] The new Wayne Elementary School is just the first of many new schools for students throughout the Tri-State. Cabell County and South Point, Ohio, are also in the process of building new facilities. The Wyne project cost more than $7.5 million, and the state School Building Authority helped fund it. The old school was built in 1929, and Wayne County Schools Assistant Superintendent Jerry Workman said the new school will have to last decades as well. The facility is a result of the support from the building authority, the board and the community. "These kids have lived in a substandard schools all their lives," Russell said. "We want to teach them to be proud of the building and to take care of it."
Five major building projects continue to race through the planning stages in Cabell County. All of the new buildings are a result from a January levy passed in the county that will bring in $65,455,000 over the next 15 years to supply new buildings for Barboursville Middle School, Milton Middle School and Martha Elementary School and a new building that would consolidate the current Cammack and Miller elementary schools. A portion of that money, more than $3 million, will come from state School Building Authority funds that have already been approved for a new Martha Elementary. The bond money would pay to renovate Cammack Middle School for the current populations of Cammack and West Middle School students.
When it's all said and done for the South Point Local School District, every school will be in a new building. Construction is continuing for the middle and high schools, and both are scheduled to open next fall. Both buildings are on the same site, and will have a common connector to the buildings, said superintendent Ken Cook. The Ohio Building Projects is funding about 80 percent of the projects, while local taxpayers passed a levy to fund the rest.
-- Rachel Gensler Louisiana Officials Plan $200 Million in School Hurricane Repairs-- KATC.com Louisiana: August 08, 2006 [ abstract] A $200 million block of federal hurricane relief aid is planned to help repair schools damaged by Katrina and Rita, though schools being completely rebuilt will have to follow design criteria being developed by state officials. A legislative panel reviewed the plans and the governing board of the Louisiana Recovery Authority will consider them.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is covering much of the costs of repairing hurricane damage to schools around south Louisiana, but local officials are required to pick up 10 percent of those repair costs. Some other items, including fire code violations and damage not resulting directly from the hurricanes, aren't covered by FEMA. The $200 million pool _ federal block grant aid in which Louisiana has wide discretion to spend on hurricane recovery _ will provide the 10 percent match to the FEMA dollars for local public school districts and will cover the costs of some other emergency needs that may not be eligible for FEMA reimbursement, according to Andy Kopplin, executive director of the LRA.
New schools built to replace hurricane-damaged ones or schools that involve significant reconstruction will be expected to meet certain criteria to receive the money, if the LRA board agrees, however: smaller schools with integrated technology, adjustable lighting, flexible classrooms and equipment and other design and safety standards.
Lawmakers on a joint House and Senate education panel applauded the plans presented by LRA staff, saying those criteria ensure the dollars will be appropriately spent. Before the dollars can go out, lawmakers must approve the spending by mailed ballots. Local school districts will have to apply for the repair money, and the LRA, governor's office, Legislature and education department will review the projects before the money is spent, according to a process outlined by LRA staff. Kopplin said estimates of the school repair needs reach as much as $387 million, but LRA officials didn't want to set aside that much in block grant aid until they get a better idea of local district repair requests. He said he expected that all needed school repairs would be covered with the federal block grant dollars.
-- Associated Press Florida School Board Scrambles as Construction Costs Balloon-- Orlando Sentinel Florida: July 20, 2006 [ abstract] Facing a $7.4 billion bill for building schools and short $1.5 billion to pay for it, Orange County School Board members are throwing up their hands and asking voters for help. The board plans to poll neighborhoods, conduct community forums and hold marathon budget sessions during the next month, hoping that public input will help them find ways to balance a bloated construction budget. After looking at the sobering numbers, members decided they couldn't scale back the school-building program without knowing what cutbacks parents are willing to stomach.
The board explored growing problems with the district's building plan, part of which is funded with a sales-tax increase the board sold to voters in 2002. If renovations on existing schools continue at their current pace, the cost of projects paid for by sales-tax dollars will double to $4 billion, and the district will run out of money halfway through its 136-school priority list. To compound the problem, board members learned that by 2016, they also need 20 more new schools than they planned just to keep pace with growth. To cover it all -- fully refurbishing or replacing 136 schools and building 68 new ones -- would cost more than $7.4 billion during the next decade. The board, however, expects to have only $5.9 billion to spend. That means all of the 136 schools can't get fully refurbished campuses. All of the 68 new schools might have to open with portable classrooms. Board members hope voters can help them find a middle ground.
Costs have skyrocketed since voters approved the sales-tax increase nearly four years ago. For example, Orange County Public Schools estimated that renovations to the 1960s-era Robinswood Middle School would cost roughly $3.8 million. The Pine Hills-area school is scheduled to be rebuilt next year. But now the price tag is more than $37 million. District officials attribute most of the increases for Robinswood and the other schools to rising materials and labor costs and unanticipated mandates, including statewide class-size reduction demanded by voters. But the projects are costing more because the district is doing more to each school. Over the years, officials discovered the original designs would not correct enough problems, provide enough classrooms or bring schools to district standards.
-- Erika Hobbs Officials Narrowly Keep Schools Measure Off Ballot-- Washington Post District of Columbia: July 12, 2006 [ abstract] The D.C. Council rejected a controversial bill yesterday that would have allowed voters to amend the D.C. Home Rule Act to require "free, high-quality" education for public school students.
The council's 7 to 6 vote to table the D.C. Education Rights Charter Amendment Act means that the measure will not appear on the November ballot and that it might not be reintroduced. The vote took supporters by surprise, especially because the council preliminarily approved the measure 12 to 1 last month.
The state of the District's public schools has become the biggest issue for residents in this year's council election. This year, the council approved giving $1 billion in sales tax revenue to renovate and repair the city's crumbling schools. There is a focus on raising academic standards and improving test scores as students flock to charter schools.
Council members who opposed the education measure did so largely because they could not agree on a definition of high-quality education and worried that promising students a level of education that the system is struggling to provide would open the city to lawsuits.
-- Nikita Stewart Opinion: Fund Arizona Schools Construction Adequately-- Tuscon Citizen Arizona: July 11, 2006 [ abstract] Arizona's growth, albeit great for our economy, means more schools must be built despite skyrocketing costs of construction materials. But because of inadequate funding by the Legislature, schools may be forced to forgo key features such as parking lot lights, playground equipment and landscaping. And the state may no longer pay for campus-style elementary schools. That is not acceptable.
The state took over the responsibility of paying for school construction in the late 1990s after poorer school districts sued, claiming they were being shortchanged by low property tax revenue. Since then, the amount paid for building schools has climbed. In the past two years alone, legislators have increased the square-footage funding by 14 percent. But it isn't enough. While the state now provides $116 per square foot to build an elementary school, contractor bids come in the $130s, The Arizona Republic reported recently. For a 100,000-square-foot school, a $10 square-foot difference means a $1 million shortfall. Arizona's School Facilities Board, which will spend $360 million in 2006-07, is required by law to build schools at minimum standards. That includes classroom temperature and air quality equipment but not playground equipment or parking lot lights. Yet playground equipment is essential in an age of increasing childhood obesity. And parking lot lights reduce vandalism, assaults and other crimes.
To cut costs, the Schools Facilities Board also is considering forcing districts to erect elementary schools with only one or two buildings. The campus-style design common in Arizona, with classroom doors opening to an outdoor courtyard, reduces the need for indoor hallways to heat and cool. Amid Arizona's efforts to increase use of renewable energy sources, the campus style takes optimum advantage of our abundant sunshine. And although school design may seem to be a strictly aesthetic issue, it actually has a profound effect not only on energy costs, but also on how classrooms are organized and how students learn. We concede that few could have foreseen the startling spike in prices for construction materials. Nonetheless, Arizona's students must not be shortchanged because of that. Indeed, the growth that necessitates construction of new schools is largely to thank for the budget surplus the state enjoyed this year. Arizona leaders must, in turn, pay the attendant costs of that growth and build complete schools, not bare-bones facilities. That is especially important when it comes to our students' achievement, safety, health and well-being.
-- Editors Arizona Schools Hurt by Soaring Cost to Build-- Arizona Republic Arizona: July 02, 2006 [ abstract] Faced with rising construction costs, Arizona officials are refusing to pay for many public-school campus features that have long been considered basics, such as parking lot lights, playground equipment and landscaping. Officials also are considering capping the number of campus buildings, which would force school districts to abandon the popular open-style design and return to pre-1970s blueprints with one or two buildings. Some districts say the shift may force them to seek a property-tax hike from voters or persuade more developers to help pay for schools. Otherwise, they will have to cut to what they consider bare bones.
The cost-control efforts have reignited debate over what the state should spend on school construction. The law requires the state to provide enough money to build facilities at minimum standards, but in recent years enough money was often left over to pay for extras. Now, with the mounting cost of concrete, steel, copper and lumber, state officials say they cannot afford to pay for everything they did in the past. Arizona School Facilities Board staffers even told school districts last year that the state wouldn't pay for flagpoles, until a review of the law found that flagpoles are mandatory.
The state took over responsibility for paying for schools in the late 1990s after poor districts sued, saying wealthier districts had an unfair advantage. New schools now must meet minimum adequate standards, for which the state will cover the entire cost. The standards, set by the facilities board, include everything from the classroom temperature and air quality to the brightness of classroom lights. In the first few years, schools were able to meet the minimums and cover extras such as trees, bushes, swings and slides. Then, several years ago, a housing boom and red-hot global economy drove up construction costs. Schools have been hit hard. Although state legislators have raised the per-square-foot funding formula by 14 percent in the past two years, it isn't enough to cover costs. The state gives $116 per square foot for an elementary school, but bids are in the $130s. A difference of even $10 a square foot can be significant, adding $1 million to a 100,000-square-foot school. Over-budget schools are having to look for money elsewhere if they want things such as window blinds or a concrete courtyard. The state will only pay to carpet kindergarten through third-grade classrooms. School officials say it's tough to meet even the minimums. Nearly every state-funded school built in the past 1Â1/2 years has kicked in some of its own money through bonds or other means, said Arnold, who heads the facilities board staff. In the past year, nine of the 25 schools that started construction asked for more money just to meet minimum school standards. The state has approved 52 schools that have not broken ground and are scheduled to open between 2007 and 2009.
-- Anne Ryman Cropp Shifts On Control Of Schools-- Washington Post District of Columbia: June 18, 2006 [ abstract] D.C. Council Chairman Linda W. Cropp said that if elected mayor, she would seek to take control of the city's failing public schools on a case-by-case basis, a shift from her position on the council, where she sought to maintain the school system's autonomy.
In a policy paper released by her campaign last week, Cropp (D) laid out a plan to ask the council and Congress for authority to allow the executive branch to take over public schools whose test scores are below federal standards five years in a row.
-- David Nakamura Colorado Governor Owens Vetoes School Construction Bill-- Colorado.gov Colorado: May 26, 2006 [ abstract] Governor Owens vetoed the Senate Bill and appropriation concerning the capital construction needs of Colorado public schools for the following reasons. Senate Bill 065 creates a 14-member Advisory Committee for Public School Capital Construction and charges the committee with the task of formulating a statewide minimum public school facility standard. The committee would then propose its minimum standards to the State Board of Education for adoption, and the benchmarks would be used to establish state funding assistance qualifications. The advisory committee would also be responsible for overseeing a statewide needs assessment to examine every school facility to determine its condition and utility relative to the minimum standards. Information collected from this assessment would be used in deciding funding priorities of facility projects.
Currently, the determination of capital construction funding priorities comes directly from local school districts, the entities most attuned to the needs of the facilities they oversee. There are a number of factors that make the adoption of minimum statewide school facility standards problematic. Most notable is the range of communities and sizes of schools in Colorado. There is no industry based, objective data from which to derive an appropriate standard suitable to fit the needs of the entire state. Consequently, a one-size-fits-all solution is unworkable.
S.B. 065 estimates the expense of conducting the needs assessment will range from $5.5 million to $9.9 million. Not included in this figure are the costs associated with addressing the outcome of the assessment and the state's obligation to bring any facilities deemed substandard into compliance. Local school districts are already aware of the capital construction needs of their districts. Funds available for such purposes should be spent fixing roofs and replacing heating systems rather than conducting an assessment to re-identify those unmet needs.
Meanwhile, Colorado is currently fulfilling its obligation to the Giardino school finance settlement by appropriating $190 million to needy school districts over a period of 11 years to help address capital construction priorities. The state has accepted this commitment to help address the needs of our public school facilities, making a payment towards the settlement of $25 million this year. S.B. 065 assumes that one definition of adequacy for all school facilities in the state is achievable and prefers to direct large sums of money toward redefining, rather than solving the problem.
-- Press Release Many Massachusetts Schools Grew Beyond State Size Limits-- Boston Globe Massachusetts: April 26, 2006 [ abstract] More than 90 percent of the roughly 250 Massachusetts public schools built or renovated in the past decade were bigger than state rules dictated, as communities took advantage of soaring revenues to erect sometimes sprawling campuses at taxpayer expense. The review of the costs, by the state School Building Authority, is the first detailed examination of the school building boom of the 1990s, when communities sought -- and the state often approved -- large schools, which sometimes included Olympic-sized swimming pools, senior centers, or field houses with seating for 3,000 people. In other examples, communities built schools only to find out later that they erred in their projections -- and few students enrolled. State taxpayers picked up the tab for most of the spending. On average, the state paid 72 percent of the construction costs.
State officials attribute the out-of-control spending to a lack of oversight and a poorly-staffed Department of Education that simply didn't enforce basic standards for school size. The state regulations called for elementary schools to be no more than 115 square feet per child, middle schools at 135 square feet per child, and high schools at 155 square feet. Some during that period swelled to more than 300 square feet per student. Today, the School Building Authority, which took over the state's school construction program from education officials in 2004, will warn communities that they can no longer rely on the state to support so many additions beyond a basic school building. The authority plans to draft new regulations on project size, and authority officials promise to rigorously enforce the rules.
-- Maria Sacchetti Houston School District to Pay $60 Million for Repairs-- Houston Chronicle Texas: April 20, 2006 [ abstract] Some of Houston's older schools could get their air conditioning replaced and leaky roofs repaired as part of a three-year, $60 million maintenance proposal. The package would help erase the effects of years of neglect at some of the Houston Independent School District's more than 300 campuses, officials said. While specific funding sources haven't been disclosed, district leaders said they expect to pay for most of the work from the operating budget and savings fund.
HISD has added nearly 3 million square feet of building space in the past seven years, increasing its total square footage to 26.7 million in 2005-06. During that period, the budget for maintenance and operations fell from $55 million to $45 million. In addition, school trustees reduced the tax rate in 1987 by cutting 3.7 cents that had been earmarked for capital projects. That decision has cost the district more than $300 million in two decades, officials said. The repairs are a major component of a new "facilities to standard" initiative, designed to develop guidelines for building and maintaining schools. The standards, for instance, will outline the square footage of libraries and what type of heating systems schools should use. District leaders also will determine the cost of bringing existing buildings up to those standards, although they doubt HISD can afford the whole bill.
-- Jennifer Radcliff In Maryland, Portable Classrooms Are a Persistent Headache-- Washington Post Maryland: April 09, 2006 [ abstract] Soon after she started fifth grade at Bells Mill Elementary School in Potomac, Katie Jenkins began coming home with headaches, puffy eyes and a stuffy nose. Infection followed infection, and last month she underwent surgery to remove inflamed adenoids. About the same time that other parents came forward, her parents came to believe it was Katie's classroom, Portable No. 6, that was As a precaution, administrators closed two of the eight portable rooms, including Katie's, that sit on the shrinking ballfield behind Bells Mill -- one of the most prized public schools in the Washington suburbs and, not by coincidence, one of the most crowded.
Portable classrooms huddle behind hundreds of public schools in the fast-growing Washington region and thousands more across the nation. They are boxy trailers that mar the landscape, critics say, with noisy ventilation systems and stale air that sometimes seems to make teachers and students sick. And they are an endless source of complaints.
At Bells Mill, where five other portable rooms are being repaired, parents have hired independent specialists and surveyed every student in the upper grades, compiling a list of 41 students -- out of 115 in portable classrooms -- with symptoms including headaches, chronic sinus infections and colds. The parents have stormed school board meetings and prompted a bill in the Maryland Senate that would empanel a task force to study environmental health in public classrooms. The dispute at Bells Mill underscores the difficulty in assessing air quality in these rooms. No federal standard exists for what constitutes bad air, no simple way to link mold to illness. Montgomery school officials say they found no elevated levels of mold or other irritants inside the Bells Mill classrooms, although the parents and their hired experts say otherwise.
-- Daniel de Vise Volume Rises in Debate on Classroom Acoustics-- Baltimore Sun Maryland: March 13, 2006 [ abstract] The Baltimore County school board has set aside $400,000 in its proposed budget to install and test "sound enhancement" systems - wireless microphones and speakers designed to distribute a teacher's voice evenly around the room. At least seven schools in the Baltimore area are already using it, and others in Maryland and across the country are investing in the equipment. Proponents say the technology can help children hear lessons over the shuffle of papers and other classroom noises. They say it can also ease the strain on teachers' voices.
A typical classroom is awash in sounds: the hum of overhead projectors, computers or ventilation systems; the kickball game outside; the roar of an airplane overhead. Hard surfaces such as tile flooring and painted walls reflect noise, as well as words, creating interference. It can be even worse in "open" classrooms without walls. And children's hearing is not the same as adults'. Voices must be at least 15 decibels higher than the ambient noise for children to understand speech properly. The Maryland State Department of Education and other agencies recognize that sound field amplification technology can help in existing buildings where attempts to improve acoustics have failed, according to a state classroom acoustics manual that will be published this year. However, the guidelines do "not support widespread use of these systems in new construction." Instead, the manual states that the best approach is to design schools according to established acoustic standards.
-- Liz F. Kay School Maintenance Left Behind-- Statesman Journal Oregon: March 11, 2006 [ abstract] Does a student learning at a high school in disrepair have the same shot at success as a peer at a newly built high school? Representative Darlene Hooley wants to find out, and she is asking federal auditors to fund such a study. Speaking at Central High School, Hooley toured the school and found several classrooms using buckets to collect rainwater from a leaky roof. She also found a school that has grown in population -- but not in physical size. "While we're asking students to do more and schools to be more accountable, funds for school construction are going down," she said.
Hooley cited an initial study by the U.S. Department of Education that found students at modernized schools performed 4 percent to 17 percent better on standardized tests than students at older schools. Hooley said that if the federal government is going to demand more from students with the No Child Left Behind standards, it should make sure that no schools are left behind, either. Students shared their stories with Hooley about the clogged hallways, an outdated ventilation system and growing class sizes. They referred to some classrooms as caves -- where no natural light seeps in. The district, which has about 2,650 students, is preparing a bond measure aimed at addressing an estimated $13.5 million in deferred maintenance on the district's school buildings. By comparison, the Salem-Keizer School District, with about 37,900 students, has estimated its deferred-maintenance backlog at $18 million. The average Central district school building is 49 years old, while the national average age is 40 years, according to district officials.
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Hooley is hopeful to get the study funded soon. She has been joined by the top two ranking Democrats on the House Education and the Workforce Committee: California Reps. George Miller and Lynn Woolsey. Although she applauded the school staff for making the best of a less than ideal teaching and learning environment, calling their efforts heroic, Hooley would like to see how Central students would perform in a more ideal environment. "A learning environment like this really does put students at a disadvantage," she said. "We need to have adequate facilities in order to show respect for students. We have to give them the tools to succeed."
-- Dan De Carbonel New Mexico Schools Blaze Path to LEED-Certified Construction Status-- New Mexico Business Weekly New Mexico: March 10, 2006 [ abstract] An independent school in Santa Fe is on track to construct one of the first LEED-certified buildings in that city, potentially the second such certified project in New Mexico. The Baca Dlo'ay azhi Community School, located on the Navajo Nation reservation in Prewitt, north of Grants, is currently the only LEED-certified building in the state. LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is a voluntary, national standard established by the U.S. Green Building Council. The USGBC certifies buildings in four categories, including Certified, Silver, Gold and Platinum, based on the number of LEED credits achieved through the project's design and construction. Within the past year, both Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chavez and Gov. Bill Richardson mandated that more city and state government buildings achieve at least LEED-Silver status.
The Santa Fe Preparatory school is shooting for silver itself, although it might be able to reach the gold standard, depending upon whether the project is able to incorporate more "green" (energy-efficient, environmentally-friendly) elements into the 20,000-square-foot structure. The building eventually will be the home of a new library, digital language labs and additional classrooms that, together, are expected to save up to 30 percent on energy costs compared to a more conventional project, a key reason these building owners seek to meet the LEED certification standards.
-- Abby Roedel Schools chief sees a crowd on the horizon-- New Jersey Times New Jersey: February 02, 2006 [ abstract] Township schools are overcrowded, more students are on the way and
many of the aged buildings are starting to deteriorate, school officials told a
crowd at Grice Middle School Tuesday night.
The meeting may lay the groundwork for a multimillion-dollar voter referendum
late this year or early in 2007, if history follows a recent precedent. In
1998, a similar meeting at Grice ultimately led to the $30.6 million ballot
question approved by township residents in December 2000.
Superintendent Neil A. Bencivengo presented a series of charts that showed
enrollment could grow to roughly 14,500 by 2013. It is 13,707 this year.
He also presented charts showing the number of new houses, condominiums and
apartments that have been approved, including 680 approved at the former
American standard site.
-- Andrew Kitchenman The Greening of America's Campuses-- New York Times National: January 08, 2006 [ abstract] Colleges have long marketed their campus amenities, their rosters of scholars, their selectivity and study-abroad programs. To that list, add one more thing: their green credentials. From Berea College in Kentucky, where students designed a house that produces its own electricity, to Middlebury in Vermont, where local forests supply wood for construction, the greening of higher education is everywhere, showing signs of outlasting earlier, faddish fits and starts. Nationwide, more than 110 colleges have built or are building structures certified by the United States Green Building Council, a nonprofit group that promotes construction and designs that meet high standards of energy efficiency. But it's one thing to put up a trophy of recycled glass and brick that relies on the sun, the wind or other renewable resources for power. It's another to build a curriculum - and to get students to look at the world differently - with green buildings as a centerpiece.
-- Timothy Egan Florida School's Design Has Safety in Mind-- St. Petersburg Times Florida: November 27, 2005 [ abstract] While Dunedin's old middle school has fallen to the wrecking ball, a new elementary school will rise in its place. The new and improved Dunedin Elementary will be larger, more secure, and beefed up to meet hurricane standards. Fleischman-Garcia Architects designed the new facility to fit in with the community aesthetically, said Jeff Pelszynski, a senior associate with the firm and project manager for the school. "It will be broken up into smaller units so it won't look like a huge box and will be less intimidating to the youngsters," he said. The proposed design incorporates five buildings, most of which are two stories high, connected by covered walkways.
In today's world, safety is front and center. "The overall design is in keeping with the latest advances in security and surveillance," said Pelszynski. The entire area will be fenced, with gates open at arrival and dismissal times. "No one will be able to gain access to the campus without going through the administration office," Pelszynski said. Thirty-two cameras for full-time surveillance are incorporated into the plan. The media center and multipurpose rooms on the west side of the 12-acre site may be accessed separately after hours for community programs, school functions and other meetings.
-- Terri Bryce Reeves Florida Schools Use Architecture and Technology to Test New Ways of Learning-- Sun-Sentinel Florida: November 09, 2005 [ abstract] Computer textbooks. Handprint ID scanners. Super-sized high schools with "expandable" hallways and wireless Internet hot spots. School of the future? Not really. Public schools in South Florida already are testing these and other high-tech ideas, from energy-saving reflective windows to computerized gizmos that will alter the way teachers and students communicate. In Hollywood, for example, South Broward High is letting police peek into campus with a $5 million computer system that links school security cameras to police cruisers. At Boca Raton's Don Estridge High Tech Middle, students, as an experiment, will pay for lunch and check out library books using an ID scanner that measures the unique shape of their hands. And North Miami Senior High is replacing its sprawling, low-slung campus with a mammoth four-story building, a $78 million project complete with tree-lined "skypatios" on the third floor and a state-of-the-art theater.
"For many decades now we've shortchanged the public in the quality of school design," said Rose Diamond, the chief facilities officer for Miami-Dade County schools. "We've solved overcrowding so far with trailers, turning them into trailer parks. My mission is to change that." School designers are always mulling over new classroom shapes, "expandable" learning nooks in hallways and other ideas that promise to make life better for students. It's hard to say which will become standard issue and which will bust. But administrators say the next generation of schools will follow a few distinct trends.
-- Chris Kahn Schools Plan For High
Energy Bills-- Associated Press, Gazette Wisconsin: October 31, 2005 [ abstract] Students always want to be part of the cool crowd. Now, because of higher energy costs, chances are they will be a little cooler, thermally if not socially. Districts across Wisconsin are turning down thermostats, eliminating unnecessary appliances and upgrading heating systems in a bid to keep energy bills affordable. Complicating the issue are state caps on tax increases that restrict schools from raising additional funds and a mandate that schools maintain minimum standards of comfort. So school administrators have been forced to design creative solutions to cut both energy costs and usage as bills continue to rise.
State law mandates a minimum classroom temperature of 68 degrees. Bishop said his district keeps temperatures between 68 and 72 degrees, and turns heating systems off as soon as the last bell rings. Kids who participate in indoor after-school activities are advised to wear warm clothes. Schools are also driving down electricity costs by eliminating perks from classrooms and offices such as coffee pots and microwave ovens, appliances that administrators say aren't there for the kids. One district has automated certain outlets so power can be cut off to energy-intensive machines -- vending machines, water coolers, computers -- after school hours. Some districts are negotiating with unions to shut down between Christmas and New Year's, instead of having some support staff on duty, to keep heating costs down. Other districts use their size to their advantage. Larger schools consume enough energy that the district saves money by buying natural gas in bulk on the open market. Even small changes make a difference. Turning off all 8,000 computers in the Kenosha district at the end of the school day instead of letting them run all night saves nearly $48,000 a month, according to estimates by state utility We Energies.
-- Associated Press Dade, Broward Schools Canceled; Power Outages, Damage Cited
-- Miami Herald Florida: October 25, 2005 [ abstract] Public school will be canceled at least through the end of this week in Miami-Dade and Broward counties, district leaders said Tuesday, raising issues about the length of the school year and the schedule of Florida's high-stakes standardized tests. Principals were still gauging hurricane damage to school buildings, but massive power outages and difficult road conditions convinced both districts to scrap the entire week. Initial damage reports were surprisingly light for a region that sustained massive trauma to homes and businesses.
In Miami-Dade, a wall collapsed at Henry H. Filer Middle School in Hialeah. Maintenance offices in north Dade and Coral Reef sustained serious wind and water damage, which will slow repairs elsewhere. In Broward, Blanche Ely High School in Pompano Beach lost its gymnasium roof, Cypress Bay High School in Weston sustained major roof damage and eight new portables were severely damaged in Pembroke Pines.
-- Matthew I. Pinzur Teachers Use High-Tech Devices to Capture Students' Interest
-- San Diego Union-Tribune California: October 16, 2005 [ abstract] Textbooks, overhead projectors and chalkboards are the traditional teaching tools, but Claudio Zavala Jr. doesn't rely on any of them in his fifth-grade class. He is among a new breed of instructors who have gone high-tech. Zavala wears a clip-on microphone and stands in front of a presentation station equipped with a document camera, a modern version of an overhead projector with a remote control and a mouse. Next to him are an iBook with high-speed Internet access and a wireless pad that allows him to control computer applications from anywhere in the classroom and highlight images projected onto an 84-by-84-inch screen. Everything is linked to a ceiling-mounted digital projector. Zavala's classroom at Herbert Ibarra Elementary School in City Heights is the face of modern education throughout the United States. As schools are upgraded and new ones are built, high-tech gadgets are becoming standard fare. It isn't cheap. Wiring and equipping a digital classroom costs about $20,000, according to the San Diego school district.
Studies suggest that when technology is effectively integrated into the curriculum, it improves performance. In the Escondido Union School District, research has shown that students who learned through digital filmmaking do substantially better on standardized tests than those who do not. The program is credited with motivating students to come to school. In Maine, where the state provided every seventh-and-eighth-grade student and teacher with laptop computers starting in 2002, more than 70 percent of instructors surveyed say the laptops help them meet curriculum goals. The same percentage of students said laptops helped them get their work done more efficiently. Studies on the use of microphones indicate they are effective in keeping students' attention. Teachers' voices are not hoarse at the end of the day. And during silent reading, they can play classical music from their laptop for their students. However, no single study captures the combined effects of multiple technologies. Digital classrooms of San Diego's caliber are so new that there is scant research on them.
-- Helen Gao Wyoming School Facilities Commission Seeks More Power-- Star Tribune Wyoming: September 27, 2005 [ abstract] The Wyoming School Facilities Commission asked a legislative committee to help redefine and, in some cases, increase its power in the state. The commission needs more explicit power to force school districts to opt for efficient building plans, said director James "Bubba" Shivler. It also needs the authority to work with districts' architects earlier in the building design process to keep costs down, he said. But in other issues arising from the statewide push to rebuild and remodel schools, the commission wants to take a hands-off role. For example, it doesn't want to get involved in any aid the state might provide school districts or municipalities for off-site infrastructure, such as roads. The commission also reported that the state's 48 school districts have requested about $600 million in facilities funding in the coming biennium, a figure the commission does not expect the Legislature to fully allocate.
One proposal brought to the committee would give the commission more power to compel school districts to accept value engineering suggestions. The value engineering process is one in which school plans are assessed at different stages for efficiency and educational suitability. While most districts comply with the findings, Shivler said some do not. Another potentially contentious proposal would give the commission the authority to contract with architects working on districts' building designs and to develop standardized school plans for the state. As it stands now, districts contract individually with architectural firms. Both proposals, Shivler said, are integral to keeping construction costs down in a rapidly fluctuating market. He said school building bids are consistently coming in over estimates, and that the cost to build a school in dollars per square foot is unpredictable throughout the region.
-- Jenni Dillon North Carolina County, Schools Look at Building Standard Updates
-- The Herald Sun North Carolina: September 26, 2005 [ abstract] School and county officials began reconsidering a 10-year-old set of construction standards they said were outdated. The cost of building schools has increased considerably, the officials said, since the elementary- and middle-school standards were adopted in 1996. The high school construction standards, approved in 1999, are also outdated, they said during a semiannual meeting of the Orange County and Chapel Hill-Carrboro City school boards and the Orange County Commissioners. "The cost guidelines really don't make sense at all in terms of what's happening when we're building schools," said Lisa Stuckey, chairwoman of the city school board. The standards call for a high school to cost between $25 million and $30 million, and hold 1,000 students, but be expandable to hold 1,500. However, when the city school board set out to build a high school several years ago, members found that that size school would cost some $34 million. The school, scheduled to open in 2007, was scaled back to hold 800 students -- and board members are still finding, with the rising cost of steel and construction materials -- the building will cost about $34 million. An Orange County middle school, meanwhile, could cost the county school board about $22 million. The standards call for a middle school to cost $18.5 million. "As we know, per-square-foot costs and other costs have gone up," County Manager John Link said during the meeting at the Southern Human Services Center. "They've all gone up."
-- Carolyn Norton Green Making the Grade at Washington Schools
-- Seattle Times Washington: September 22, 2005 [ abstract] Ben Franklin Elementary in Kirkland opened this school year as one of the newest schools to be constructed under the state's "green school" standards. Other districts, including Seattle, Northshore and Arlington, also are using elements of the green standards in new construction. Ben Franklin, of the Lake Washington School District, was designed to be more environmentally friendly, using natural light and ventilation and natural materials such as rubber and wool. The school cost $9.8 million to build, about the same price as for a conventional school, said Kathryn Reith, spokeswoman for the district. The new building is at least 35 percent more energy efficient than the old one and will save 40,000 gallons of water yearly by using waterless urinals. The new school has carbon-dioxide monitors in each classroom that trigger louvers, which let in fresh air to keep students and teachers from feeling drowsy. Overhead lights dim when the natural light is bright enough, and motion sensors turn the lights off when the room isn't in use. Windows facing south are shaded to keep the light from causing glare in the room, and the light is diffused and bounced farther back into the rooms with the help of light shelves. The school is an example of a trend toward using sustainable resources in school construction. These new, environmentally friendly school designs will become standard for public schools seeking state matching funds for construction beginning in 2007.
-- Rachel Tuinstra Wyoming May Standardize School Buildings
-- Star Tribune Wyoming: September 21, 2005 [ abstract] The Wyoming School Facilities Commission may be moving toward some form of standardizing new schools. State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jim McBride suggested offering school districts a half dozen designs of schools that have been built and paid for and meet all requirements for Wyoming. The commission also could have a laundry list of "enhancements" the districts can choose from. The list of enhancements can be extensive, McBride said, but it should be made clear that the state won't pay for these extras.
Commission members have been dogged by the enhancement issue ever since they began the job of bringing schools in the state's 48 districts up to standard as required by the Wyoming Supreme Court in a 2001 decision. In that decision, the Supreme Court moved the responsibility for school construction and maintenance from the local school district level to the state. The commission does not pay for such amenities or enhancements as a swimming pool or extra space for a lab.
-- Joan Barron Federal Leaders Pledge Relaxed Rules for Schools
-- Boston Globe National: September 01, 2005 [ abstract] The schools devastated by Hurricane Katrina, and those trying to help them, will be given leeway in complying with a federal law that aims to raise education standards. U.S. education leaders said that they will consider broad requests for relief from states in the overwhelmed Gulf Coast, meaning schools could get significantly more time to raise yearly test scores or to ensure that all their teachers meet federal qualifications. An estimated hundreds of thousands of displaced students will attend school in a different district, if not a different state, as the school year begins. Education officials also pledged to relax rules on college aid, including timelines for students to pay their loans.
As the storm's fallout became clearer, officials in schools and colleges in states such as Georgia, Kansas, Ohio, Virginia, and Tennessee pledged to enroll displaced students. In response, the Education Department told school chiefs in Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas that they could expect fast relief. State leaders are still figuring out what kind of help they will seek, but they are expected to jump on the department's offer to consider waivers under the No Child Left Behind Act.
-- Ben Feller Turning The Tables-- Tampa Tribune Florida: August 22, 2005 [ abstract] Instead of individual desks, areas in the intensive reading class at Wharton High in New Tampa are tailored to tasks students perform. The format is becoming more common. Fewer teachers are opting to set up classrooms with long rows of individual desks. They say a less- rigid layout stimulates students and holds their attention. The traditional approach was to assign students to seats alphabetically. Students with vision or behavior problems were often placed near the front, and talkative friends were separated. Now teachers often place students in the most productive work situation. Students do written exercises and group work at large tables. A station of computers lets the class use software and online programs. Another table lets the teacher work one-on- one with students. The most unusual spot in the classroom may be the "living room." The space features couches, comfortable chairs, a coffee table, a rug and even a lava lamp.
Most educators agree that classroom layout contributes to student success. Configuring different classroom layouts is standard in teacher training. The guidebook given to new teachers in Hillsborough County features tips for classroom setup and offers sample layouts. Renalia DuBose, Hillsborough's director of training and staff development, said unusual layouts are more common because teachers aren't as afraid to take chances. "There was a time when it was believed that a quiet class was a class on task," DuBose said. "But the research shows you need that discussion and interaction between students. Teachers aren't afraid anymore to group their students." Although more teachers are veering from traditional classroom seating, don't expect to find recliners replacing desks anytime soon. Some subjects, such as math, are more easily taught in a traditional format. Also, some classrooms are too small for elaborate designs.
-- Michele Sager Study: Broward Schools Making Progress in Equality-- Miami Herald Florida: August 16, 2005 [ abstract] Broward schools are closer to offering all students the same educational facilities, equipment and classes than they've been since minority parents filed a lawsuit in 1995. Still, there's room for improvement, according to a new report. In two areas -- textbooks and disciplinary actions -- more information and analysis were needed to determine if goals were being met. While technology, school media centers and athletic facilities still need work, the district has solutions in sight. About 90 percent of schools meet the current technology standard. That means four computers and Internet access in every classroom; laptops for teachers; and printers for every other classroom. But a new standard is being developed that would distribute computers according to student population. Helping with that is a $68 million program to put 40,000 new laptops in classrooms. That will reduce the need for students to go to a computer lab or media center, the report says.
-- Hannah Sampson Arkansas Eyes Standards for School Buildings
-- Texarkana Bulletin Arkansas: July 26, 2005 [ abstract] Arkansas public school administrators and concerned citizens got a briefing about public school building standards that will become state law later this year. "The biggest thing in establishing the standards is the type of instructional methods which are being used (and then) making recommendations for increasing student achievement," said Dave Floyd, Division of Public School Academic Facilities and Transportation director. "Educational programs drive the standard. (We want to) provide adequate classrooms, update science labs, art and music standards and computer labs." The main theme of the hearing was concerns about the individual districts and their responsibilities. Floyd ensured concerned school administrators that there would be plenty of time to comply with the standards and that the requests of the committee will not be unreasonable. "Each district in the state will develop a 10-year master plan (for complying to the new standards), which is due on February 1, 2006," Floyd said.
The original committee was formed after the 2002 Arkansas Supreme Court's decision stated educational facilities were inadequate and unequal and violated the states constitutional guarantees of free, adequate, efficient and equal public education for the children of Arkansas. After the decision, a task force was formed to report to the Joint Committee. The task force and Joint Committee are responsible for defining what an adequate school facility looks like for elementary, middle, and high schools and for making recommendations for providing equal schools and facilities for all districts in Arkansas.
-- Erin Buller New Pittsburgh School to be 'Green'
-- Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Pennsylvania: July 21, 2005 [ abstract] The new two-story, 270,000-square-foot stone-and-brick high school building in Moon will employ green design principles, a practice becoming more standard in new construction. Green buildings incorporate energy-saving features and often recycled and nontoxic materials. Thus, they are healthier for their inhabitants and the environment. They also help preserve another type of green, money, as they're designed for maximum long-term flexibility in their use and reuse, thereby promoting a longer life for the building.
Zelienople-based Foreman Architects and Engineers, who specialize in school construction, have listed four pages worth of green design aspects in the project. Such elements range from using locally produced brick to recycled material for ceiling tile to using a gym floor supplier that employs replanting programs to replace the lumber stock it harvests. Each room will have a sensor that will turn out the lights automatically if no one is inside. Another sensor in each room will turn off the outside air flow to unoccupied rooms, cutting back on heating and cooling costs. Carbon dioxide monitoring will be used to determine and maintain air ventilation rates in the building. More windows and skylights offer daylight, reducing the level of energy needed for lighting, increasing occupant productivity and reducing absenteeism.
-- Dan Gigler Seattle Schools' Drinking Water Still Fails Lead Test
-- Seattle Post-Intelligencer Washington: July 20, 2005 [ abstract] Recent tests show that about 60 percent of new drinking fountains in Seattle's public schools -- installed to reduce the levels of contaminants in water -- have themselves failed to meet the district's standard for lead contamination, raising the possibility that more extensive repairs may be needed. The district replaced 250 school drinking fountains over the past few months, after systemwide water tests last year found that about one-quarter of fountains overall had elevated levels of lead. Ron English, a school district attorney overseeing the testing and repairs, said the new fountains were retested and more than half had lead levels exceeding the district's limit of 10 parts per billion, twice as stringent as the 20 ppb "action level" set by the Environmental Protection Agency. About 30 percent of the new fountains exceeded even the more lenient EPA standard.
Ed Schwartz, a member of an advisory committee overseeing the testing and repairs, is concerned about whether the measures being taken are adequate. "The pipes are old and corroding, even if they don't show high in lead," he said. Richard Maas, co-director of the Environmental Quality Institute at the University of North Carolina-Asheville and a national water expert, said it's not surprising that the new fountains would still show elevated lead levels, since the contamination is more likely coming from lead solder and leaded brass in the main pipes. Obtaining a clear picture of the level of contamination would require testing all water outlets again, not just those that were fixed, he said, since results typically fluctuate by as much as 25 percent.
-- Deborah Bach Arizona Schools Fight for Repair Funds
-- Arizona Republic Arizona: July 16, 2005 [ abstract] Poor school districts statewide are struggling with leaky roofs, mildewed showers, and fire-code violations seven years after the state drew up a plan to ensure that they would receive equal funding for new buildings and the money to maintain them. The Students FIRST legislation in 1998 created a building-renewal fund to maintain buildings at minimum standards. Since 1999, the state has spent $2.4 billion building new schools and fixing up old ones. But school districts have received only a fraction of the building-renewal dollars they are required to receive. The Legislature cast aside a court-ordered funding formula laid out in the state Constitution and shorted school districts hundreds of millions of dollars they are due.
District officials and lawmakers agree on the reason for the lack of money: Legislators have raided the Students FIRST building-renewal fund, used for maintenance, to balance the budget and concentrated their efforts on such high-profile programs as all-day kindergarten or English-learning. This leaves districts with having to take money from other areas, such as salaries, to make up for not getting repair funds.
-- JJ Hensley New Jersey School Designs Will Be Recycled to Cut Cost
-- Star-Ledger New Jersey: June 23, 2005 [ abstract] Two years ago, architects for a new school in Long Branch offered district officials a 50 percent discount to re-use the building's blueprints for a nearly identical school they were about to construct in the town. But the Schools Construction Corporation, the state agency managing school construction in Long Branch and 30 other needy communities, turned down the offer and put the new school project out to bid. The firm that offered the discount, Tomaino & Tomaino, won the new bid for $1.5 million -- double its cut-rate offer. Yesterday, spurred by a recent state Inspector General's report that assailed it for waste and mismanagement, directors of the Schools Construction Corporation voted to re-use school designs whenever possible. Officials said the new policy should cut design costs in half. The board also agreed to charge architects for design mistakes that end up increasing the cost of school projects by at least 2 percent. In her report, Inspector General Mary Jane Cooper said $22.9 million of change orders had been attributed to errors and omissions, and recommended adopting a policy to seek reimbursement of those costs.
The policy shifts come after the SCC has already spent $465 million on architecture fees. "We would expect to save about 50 percent of the design cost through the re-use of the design on another site," said Jack Spencer, chief executive officer of the SCC. Vineland architect Bruce D. Turner, president of American Institute of Architects New Jersey, said the SCC changes appeared reasonable. "We understand we have to be sensitive to the issues that are important to taxpayers," he said. The new policies are the latest in a series of sweeping reforms developed since February, when a Star-Ledger analysis showed the six schools built by the SCC since 2002 cost, on average, 45 percent more than 19 schools built without SCC involvement at the same time. The analysis found that the SCC paid it architects fees that are almost double the industry standard.
-- Dunstan McNichol What Price for New Indiana Schools?
-- The Journal Gazette Indiana: June 12, 2005 [ abstract] The numbers Indiana state officials used to rebuke educators for building extravagant schools show northeast Indiana projects in the past two years mostly meet the national standard, except for some costlier high school additions. County-by-county averages released by the Department of Local Government Finance showed additions in four counties exceeded newly established cost-per-square-foot parameters set by the department. For instance, three additions constructed in Allen County averaged $15.4 million " or $362 a square foot. In Kosciusko, two additions averaged $20 million " or $427 a square foot. When new school buildings were constructed, districts fared much better. But school officials in those areas say the numbers don’t tell the whole story.
-- Niki Kelly Florida School Board Adds $4000 More Impact Fees-- The Standard Florida: June 02, 2005 [ abstract] The Baker County School board elected to impose a $4,000 fee for new home construction within the county. Developers who construct duplexes, townhouses, condominiums or apartments will be charged $2,000 for each unit, and mobile homes will cost residents $3,000. The money would be used to fund new school construction and capital expansion needs to meet projected major increases in both the county population and within the school student body over the next twenty-five years. When added together with the pending county impact fees, total fees for a new residential home in Baker County will be at least $7,432 if both governing bodies enact their proposed ordinances. The school system and the board of commissioners are trying to insure that new growth in the county helps pay for the increased infrastructure demands. Nearly all other counties in Florida already have some form of levy to fund the rising costs of services.
-- Melissa Burnsed More Than the Minimum in Wyoming
-- Star Tribune Wyoming: May 23, 2005 [ abstract] Uinta County School District 6 is one of a handful around the state seeking local enhancements under Wyoming's school facilities laws. According to state law, the School Facilities Commission is responsible for setting minimum adequacy guidelines for school buildings and the state is responsible for funding construction and maintenance for those facilities. However, statute also allows local school districts to use a portion of their reserve funds or seek local bond issues to go above and beyond the standards. [Part of a 5-part series on Wyoming's new school facilities system.]
-- Jenni Dillon Wyoming 'Pipeline' Schools Get More
-- Star Tribune Wyoming: May 23, 2005 [ abstract] Park County School District 1 is getting a new high school, but it's not as big or as nice as it would have gotten before the Wyoming School Facilities Commission was created. For various reasons, including a clash with the Legislature's special committee on school capital construction over the costs of the new high school, the Powell project did not become a "pipeline" school and instead came under the school standards set by the School Facilities Commission. A "pipeline" school is a project that was started before the Wyoming Supreme Court mandated that school construction and maintenance is a state responsibility. [Part of a 5-part series on Wyoming's new school facilities system.]
-- Joan Barron Schools Deal With Lockdown Quandary -- The Arizona Republic Arizona: May 20, 2005 [ abstract] Schools are walking a tightrope between protecting students and detaining them under lockdown conditions for so long that their physical well-being becomes a concern. Recent incidents highlight the widely varying standards schools use in determining when a lockdown is necessary and when to sound the all-clear.
-- Maggie Galehouse Wyoming School Building Costs Skyrocket
-- Caspar Star-Tribune Wyoming: May 03, 2005 [ abstract] If construction costs keep going up, the state may have to turn to a standardized design for new public schools, the director of the Wyoming School Facilities Commission said. James "Bubba" Shivler said that, as an architect, he does not like prototype or model school designs. "The problem is we're seeing prices over $200 per square foot. We have to be careful because we're not sure the Legislature would be willing to spend that much," he said.
Spurred by the Supreme Court ruling, Wyoming has embarked upon a string of school construction projects that is expected to cost about $1.1 billion. The ruling placed the burden of school construction on the state, instead of local school districts, and that change resulted in creation of the School Facilities Commission. While local school boards still have influence over the design of new schools, the state commission must approve those plans. That oversight has resulted in considerable conflict between local boards and the commission, with some complaining that the state is moving toward a "cookie-cutter" school design that fails to take into account individual community needs and desires.
-- Joan Barron Construction Budget Compromise Will Fund Washington School Construction
-- Associated Press Washington: April 21, 2005 [ abstract] Washington state legislative negotiators reached a compromise on a $3.2 billion state construction budget — including money that will go toward school construction and building a new prison. The plan now heads back to the Senate and House, where it's expected to pass handily. It will then go to the governor. The K-12 construction plan is $217 million more than the current level. It provides an average of 40 percent of a district's construction and remodeling costs, a significant improvement over the current matching program. Money will also go toward modernizing schools, emergency repairs, and to help new buildings meet the "green building" environmental and efficiency standards recently signed into law.
-- Kelly Kearsley Architects: No Possible Way to 'Tornado-Proof' School Facilities
-- Hattiesburg American Mississippi: April 10, 2005 [ abstract] The recent destruction at Mize Attendance Center may have some parents of school-aged children concerned about the structure of schools, and builders say there is no way to completely "tornado-proof" any facility. About 650 students at the Smith County school escaped injury when an apparent tornado ripped the roof from one of the buildings during storms that whipped through much of the state.
Architect David Landry, who has designed numerous Pine Belt schools, said the schools he designs are built to standards of structural strength. "People think about holding the building up, but we also think about holding the building down, which we also have to take into consideration when we design the building," he said. He said buildings in the Pine Belt should be constructed to withstand speeds of 100-110 mph."With the wind speeds you have in tornadoes, it's virtually impossible to design a building to withstand it," he said. "You can have a tornado come through with winds in excess of 200 mph."
Some school administrators, however, are more optimistic about the buildings they are responsible for. The school buildings are periodically inspected and safety upgrades are performed. Older buildings are probably not as safe as newer ones because codes have changed over the years. However, if a building is properly maintained, it should have an unlimited life span. The only thing a school can do to prevent danger to the children is to have early warning systems.
-- Lindy Sholes Palm Beach County School's 'Green' Design May Be First in State
-- Sun-Sentinel Florida: April 07, 2005 [ abstract] It will be a place where natural light is plentiful, urinals are waterless, and environmental awareness matters most. The first "green" public elementary school -- built and designed for energy efficiency -- is coming to Palm Beach County. And the school, which will be built in the middle of a wildlife sanctuary, could be the first of its kind in Florida. Palm Beach County School Board members agreed to build the $19.9 million elementary school on the grounds of the Pine Jog Environmental Education Center. Clearing the property for the green-themed school ironically will mean uprooting some of the natural wilderness, officials concede. But they promise to pay for the removal of any wetlands or upland vegetation by restoring a comparable amount elsewhere.
To make the project distinctive, the school's construction will follow the strict standards of the U.S. Green Building Council. That means using energy-efficient equipment and designs such as relying heavily on daylight. It also may include waterless urinals, low-flow plumbing fixtures, and environmentally sensitive and recycled building materials.
-- Marc Freeman What the District's Students Breathe
-- Washington Post District of Columbia: March 31, 2005 [ abstract] The air quality in most of the 150 schools in the District schools is so bad, parents, faculty members and administrators say, that children simply cannot learn. Dust, grime, mold, and insect infestations combine with malfunctioning heating systems. Indoor temperatures can range from 50 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit.
Cornell Brown, the new executive director of facilities management for the District's public schools, said the vast majority of the schools suffer from air quality problems. Mechanical systems are not working properly in about half of the schools and housekeeping is often substandard, Brown said. Indeed, 71 percent of D.C. school buildings are rated "poor" overall, he said. In the District, the problem is widespread. Cornell Brown, the new executive director of facilities management for the District's public schools, said the vast majority of the schools suffer from air quality problems. Mechanical systems are not working properly in about half of the schools, and housekeeping is substandard in many, Brown said. Indeed, 71 percent of D.C. school buildings are rated "poor" overall, he said.
Concern about indoor air quality is growing as new research shows the health dangers from stagnant air that contains mold, mildew, dust, animal dander, radon, asbestos, formaldehyde and other irritants. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, asthma alone accounts for 14 million missed school days each year. The rate of asthma in young children has risen by 160 percent in the last 15 years, and one in 13 school-age children has asthma. Ironically, many of the District's older school buildings were part of an architectural movement to promote good health. The high ceilings, windows that opened,and corner locations for cross-ventilation were seen as elements of a healthy environment. But years of neglect allowed many of the buildings to deteriorate. Water leaks and broken pipes weren't fixed, dust accumulated, windows became stuck, and vents weren't cleaned.
-- Valerie Strauss Group Pushes Fire Safety in College Dorms
-- Boston Globe Massachusetts: March 21, 2005 [ abstract] The Center for Campus Fire Safety is leading a campaign to step up parents' concern about fire safety in hopes that their attention will drive more colleges to add sprinklers in student housing. Costly to install but proven to significantly reduce the risk of fire fatalities, sprinklers are standard in new dorms but are not required by Massachusetts law in student housing built before 1975, except in buildings over seven stories and those that undergo extensive renovation. The number of Massachusetts dorms lacking sprinklers is unknown, according to the state fire marshal, but a recent national survey by the National Fire Protection Association found only 35 percent of educational properties across the country that reported fires in 1999 had sprinklers.
-- Jenna Russell Arkansas Senate OKs ‘Historic’ Facilities Bills
-- Times Record Arkansas: March 18, 2005 [ abstract] Four bills that would redefine how public schools are built in Arkansas passed the Senate almost unanimously, with one dissenting vote on one of the bills. The bills will set up a new division of Academic Facilities and Transportation at the state Department of Education. That division will oversee, approve, and reject building plans for all 254 school districts in Arkansas. The state boards overseeing that department will set standards. Failure by schools to meet those standards could result in state sanctions as harsh as removing the superintendent and consolidation.
One bill will require each district to write up a detailed 10-year master plan on facilities. Those plans, combined and prioritized, will make up the state’s master plan for where an estimated $50 million a year in facilities money will be spent after an initial investment of $150 million over the next two years to handle urgent projects. The state’s master plan will be submitted to regular sessions of the Legislature every two years for approval, and would also require school districts to set aside 9 percent of the money they get from the state under the state’s school funding formula for building maintenance.
-- Doug Thompson For D.C. School Buildings, a Practical Plan Instead of a Wish List-- The Washington Post District of Columbia: March 13, 2005 [ abstract] Somewhere in the District, a little girl sits in a public school classroom trying to learn, but it's difficult. She's wearing two sweaters because it is cold, and as her teacher lists spelling words on the chalkboard, she is distracted by a large stain on the wall, the residue of a recent plumbing problem. The girl rarely gets to use a computer because her school is not wired for the high-tech world.
While this story is fictitious, this situation is real for thousands of D.C. children who go to class in substandard buildings. But here's the irony: It's all part of the "plan."
-- Mary Filardo District to Examine Safety, Security of Facilities -- Standard-Journal Pennsylvania: March 04, 2005 [ abstract] As part of its Safe Schools Plan, the Lewisburg Area School District is making new efforts to examine the security and safety of its facilities. A group of parents, school board members, and law enforcement personnel are part of a committee looking at safety within the school, Superintendent Mark DiRocco reported at a school board meeting. As part of the plan, there will be a walk-through of all the districts' school buildings. Each school will be assessed on the basis of a security checklist that includes questions about organization, security systems, and alarms and the perimeter, exterior, and interior of the buildings.
-- Cathy Snyder Baltimore Mayor Seeks Duty of Schools' Upkeep
-- Baltimore Sun Maryland: February 07, 2005 [ abstract] Mayor Martin O'Malley announced in his State of the City address that he would like City Hall to assume responsibility for repairing and maintaining 184 aging Baltimore school buildings, many with leaky roofs, heating and air-conditioning woes, and lead-tainted drinking fountains. School officials have not yet accepted the offer, which O'Malley has quietly pushed for months. City and school leaders plan to meet to discuss the matter.
It would take nearly $1 billion dollars to repair the facilities, according to studies commissioned by the school system in 1997 and 2000. That includes $604 million to correct physical deficiencies such as leaky roofs, and an additional $350 million to make them educationally adequate by state standards, with modern media centers and science labs.
-- Laura Vozzella and Laura Loh D.C. Weighs Controversial School Security Deal
-- The Washington Post District of Columbia: January 24, 2005 [ abstract] The D.C. Board of Education is considering whether to approve a six-month contract extension with a security firm that has been criticized by investigators for charging more than other bidders and has drawn complaints from parents that it provides too few guards to patrol the schools. In June, the D.C. inspector general alleged that the school system wasted as much as $8.8 million by awarding the contract to Watkins in 2002 and said that the company was the most expensive, yet least qualified, among several bidders. The inspector general faulted Watkins for high absenteeism among security guards. He also cited problems with the school system, including a lack of standards in its procurement process and failure to properly monitor contractors' work.
-- V. Dion Haynes Green Day Dawns for Pupils-- The Chicago Tribune Illinois: January 04, 2005 [ abstract] Prairie Crossing Charter School began holding classes in its new, environmentally friendly 10-classroom building in Grayslake. Pupils kicked off the first day in their new school with a treasure hunt, searching for all the ways the building is distinctive. They found classroom floors made of bamboo, which grows back quicker than other trees used for flooring. They saw motion-sensitive lights that automatically turn off when no one is in the room. And they tested the water-saving toilets--turn the knob up if you need extra water, down if you don't.
The $3 million school is among the most environmentally friendly in the country, said Taryn Holowka, communications manager for the U.S. Green Building Council, a Washington-based nonprofit group that certifies buildings as "green. It is the most environmentally responsible and progressive school in Illinois." The new building cost 8 percent more than a traditional school of the same size, said school director Linda Brazdil. "The money will be recouped in savings on energy, lighting, and other costs. It is 40 percent more energy efficient than a typical school."
Prairie Crossing likely will become the first certified in Illinois under the rating system designed four years ago by the Green Buildings Council. In May, Chicago school officials announced they had adopted the council's standards for all new construction, with the philosophy of using resources efficiently and making the health and productivity of students and staff a priority.
-- Jodi S. Cohen Coronado Board Adds Lockers to High School
-- San Diego Union-Tribune California: December 26, 2004 [ abstract] The Coronado school board's recent vote to spend $230,000 for adding 1,000 lockers to the ongoing $55 million reconstruction of Coronado High is an anomaly. Most California high schools built in recent years have not included student lockers, which are often seen as havens for weapons and contraband, targets for thieves and vandals, administrative problems when it comes to replacing lost locks and deciding who gets a locker when there aren't enough for everyone, and corridor spacewasters with banging doors. Still, students without lockers must carry their books around all day and home at night. Two years ago, the California Legislature passed a law requiring maximum weight standards for textbooks because of reports linking heavy backpacks to back pain in children.
-- Chris Moran Getting Fairfield School Facilities Up to Standards Could Cost $26 Million-- The Fairfield Ledger Iowa: December 17, 2004 [ abstract] Members of the Fairfield Community School District's School Infrastructure Committee learned it could cost about $26 million to make needed improvements to six school buildings. A company hired to help the district with its long-term facilities planning inspected the school's facilities and its architectural, mechanical, and electrical systems. "These numbers are staggering," said committee member Warren Wechsler.
-- Vicki Tillis Baltimore School Officials' Remedy is Shrinking the Size
-- Baltimore Sun Maryland: November 21, 2004 [ abstract] Forget equipping principals with cell phones and walkie-talkies, improving school lighting, and repairing broken door locks. They're just bandages for this fall's increase in violence and disruptions. The long-term solution to the fights and fires of Baltimore's schools, officials and experts say, is simply a matter of size.
The city's hulking, impersonal middle and high schools -- built in the 1970s, when Baltimore embraced the notion that large schools were more efficient -- are rapidly being transformed into smaller schools with higher academic standards and more support for troubled students. Over the past two years, school system officials have divided three of their biggest high schools into 10 smaller schools, while opening four other small magnet high schools. Although violent incidents across the system are up 40 percent in the first two months of this school year compared with the same period in 2003, other statistics show signs that the smaller schools tend to be calmer places. And a study last year shows that students report feeling safer in small schools.
-- Liz Bowie and Laura Loh School's Price Up $1.7 Million-- The Miami Herald Florida: November 11, 2004 [ abstract] Site cleanup delays for a Doral high school have increased the campus' construction costs by $1.7 million, Miami-Dade school district leaders said. The project's $31 million price tag is a bargain by district standards, because the land was sold at a deep discount by a developer building a residential community nearby. The additional expense, however, raised specters of the cost overruns that plagued the district in recent years and prompted unprecedented oversight of its spending.
-- MATTHEW I. PINZUR Arkansas Panel Begins Schoolwork-- Arkansas Times Record Arkansas: October 06, 2004 [ abstract] Work will begin on calculating the cost of improvements to schools across Arkansas following the tentative endorsement of proposed school building standards by a legislative panel. An overview of the standards, which affects all 6,400 school buildings statewide, was presented to the Joint Committee on Educational Facilities. As one group begins the cost calculations for each building, another group will begin to look for ways to pay the cost of improvements and new construction.
-- David Robinson Schools Not Worth Saving, W-H Told-- The Dallas Morning News Texas: August 23, 2004 [ abstract] Wilmer-Hutchins School District officials were told two years ago that nearly all their schools suffered from such poor maintenance that they should be abandoned and razed. The August 2002 report, prepared by the Texas Association of School Administrators, said only 6 percent of classrooms in the district met minimum standards, and some had significant safety problems.
District officials said they know Wilmer-Hutchins' schools are not in good shape, and they hope to address some of the problems with a $68 million bond issue that goes before voters in September.
-- Joshua Benton State Says 13 Schools No Longer Dangerous-- The Philadelphia Inquirer Pennsylvania: August 18, 2004 [ abstract] State officials praised the Philadelphia district for having safer schools last year, removing 13 schools from the list of those deemed persistently dangerous. While there have definitely been positive changes in some schools, the district is still monitoring 50 schools for violence and disruption. All 27 schools on the state's list last year, along with 23 others, are getting special attention that includes more programs for parental involvement, a safety plan, and increased security.
Under the federal No Child Left Behind law, states must compile a list of persistently dangerous schools each year but can set their own standards for which violent incidents to include. Parents must be informed if their child's school is persistently dangerous and given the right to transfer the student.
-- Dale Mezzacappa Public Schools Seek Private Partners to Build Schools-- The Associated Press Maryland: August 05, 2004 [ abstract] Faced with an estimated $3.85 billion needed to bring every Maryland school up to minimum health and safety standards, Maryland is joining a growing number of states by looking for private partners to help improve school facilities. A law that took effect July 1 allows Maryland's school systems to fund school construction and renovation projects using alternatives to traditional financing, which usually comes from the sale of bonds by public agencies to banks and investors.
More extensive private investment is taking place in Denver, where developers are building several schools from the ground up. Officials struck a deal this year for the schools to be built as part of a planned community, hoping to draw families to the area by improving the image of local schools.
A model public-private partnership school opened in 2001 in Washington, D.C., when a national real estate firm designed and rebuilt a school in exchange for half the land to build an apartment complex.
-- Brett Zongker Nation's School Districts Differ on Drinking Water Standards-- The Seattle Times Washington: July 26, 2004 [ abstract] In the absence of government regulation, school districts across the nation have adopted different standards for how much lead in their drinking water is tolerable. In the District of Columbia, Philadelphia, and Baltimore, public schools have taken drinking fountains or sinks out of service if lead is present at more than 20 parts per billion (ppb) " the level at which the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recommends, but does not require, remedial action. School districts in San Francisco and Portland, however, have taken a more cautious stance by setting their "action levels" at 15 ppb,which EPA considers the lowest level at the tap that can reasonably be required of public water suppliers.
-- Sanjay Bhatt Kentucky to Review Standards for School Safety-- The Courier-Journal Kentucky: June 03, 2004 [ abstract] Kentucky education officials said they would honor a federal request to review their rules for deciding whether schools are so dangerous that students must be allowed to transfer, and will begin issuing annual reports to detail each school's safety record. The moves come as many states are being criticized for skirting a year-old provision of the federal No Child Left Behind law that requires them to identify their most dangerous schools.
School safety consultant Kenneth S. Trump, president of National School Safety and Security Service in Cleveland, said states are avoiding saddling schools with the damaging label by creating definitions that require a large number of high-profile offenses to be committed several years in a row.
-- Nancy C. Rodriguez West Boca Raton High Gets $1 Million Kitchen to Teach Aspiring Chefs-- Sun-Sentinel Florida: June 03, 2004 [ abstract] West Boca Raton High School's new 5,400 square foot, $1 million kitchen for future chefs has the latest culinary technology and gourmet gadgets, including deluxe refrigerators and fancy cooktops.
School officials unveiled the kitchen to the public during a ribbon-cutting ceremony that proclaimed the official opening of the $61 million school, which also will have sophisticated career programs for students who want to learn architectural drafting and information technology.
The Palm Beach County School District wants to become a national model for its career academies -- which include automotive repair, construction, and teaching -- and needs to expose students to complex technology so they perform at high standards in the work world.
-- Lois K. Solomon Virginia Districts Wall in Open-Area Schools-- Washington Post Virginia: May 17, 2004 [ abstract] Virginia school districts are spending millions of dollars to put up walls and doors in their 1970s-era open-plan schools.
Many chools from that period emphasized open learning areas as a means of encouraging students and teachers to mingle and collaborate during informal lessons driven by student interests rather than rigid lesson plans. These schools often turned out to be too noisy for teaching, too hard to make secure, and unsuited to the current educational focus on standardized instruction and high test scores.
-- Christina A. Samuels Site Scarcity Alters Design of Georgia Schools-- Atlanta Journal-Constitution Georgia: May 12, 2004 [ abstract] Flat sites — the school system's ideal for its standard, one-level elementary and middle schools — are now as scarce as caribou north of Canton, school officials said. This has forced architects back to the table to come up with prototypes that stack classrooms in two-story and multilevel designs to accommodate the increasingly mountainous terrain.
-- Diane R. Stepp New Portland School Aims to be 'Green' -- Portland Press Herald Maine: April 29, 2004 [ abstract] Revised plans for a new $10.5 million Portland elementary school calls for a "green" school that will ensure a healthy, energy-saving environment, while recycling some materials from the mold-infested building it will replace.
The new building is designed to meet modern environmental standards; its heating, cooling, drainage, insulation and other systems will promote fresh air exchange and limit opportunities for mold growth and sick-building complaints. Building materials will be made without toxic chemicals and won't require harsh cleaners. Specially designed window systems will make the most of natural light, reduce electrical costs, help keep classrooms cool, and, it is believed, improve student performance.
-- Kelley Bouchard Schools Pass Up Quake Safety Study-- Los Angeles Times California: March 29, 2004 [ abstract] Sixteen months ago, California released a study identifying thousands of public school buildings that might perform poorly in a big quake. But few school districts have bothered to review the study, and even fewer have attempted to upgrade buildings that might imperil students. The study found that 7,537 school buildings, about 10% of all schools in California, could fall short of "achieving life-safety performance in future earthquakes," and estimated that retrofitting them to this standard would cost $4.7 billion.
-- Kenneth Reich Wyoming Legislature: Fate of Old Schools Pondered -- Billings Gazette Wyoming: March 02, 2004 [ abstract] A little school in Granger, population 146, is the focus of an emotional question in the school funding debate: Should facilities that are costly to maintain but still functional be spared the wrecking ball? The Granger school has fewer than 20 students and is remote even by Wyoming standards, situated in a tiny desert town 30 miles west of Green River.
According to Representative Parady, "Two stories tall, built of brick and sporting a gleaming wood floor in its gym, the 50-year-old school deserves to be spared because it is the core of the community - and because its replacement wouldn't be better." Although Wyoming representatives voiced sympathy, they were ultimately unwilling to make large changes to Wyoming's court-ordered school finance system to enable school districts to continue receiving maintenance funds for schools, like Granger's, that are deemed surplus property.
-- Associated Press Judge rules in favor of county schools on zoning-- Baltimore Sun Maryland: January 21, 2004 [ abstract] Howard Circuit Court Judge James B. Dudley ruled that the county school system does not have to comply with local zoning laws in asking for exemptions to construction regulations when building schools.
"The County Charter, Code and Zoning Regulations make no reference to standards required for variances for governmental uses of land," Dudley wrote, noting later that the current system for such exemptions is adequate.
That process requires only that the County Council determine whether deviations are "in the public interest" for governmental bodies - such as the school system - after holding a public hearing on the matter.
The case grew from an appeal filed by a group of residents fighting the placement of a new high school in their community.
-- Tricia Bishop Mold in Schools Raises Fears of Illness-- The Washington Post District of Columbia: December 24, 2003 [ abstract] Many school heating and ventilating systems are not designed to deal with the extraordinary humidity of 2003 and this resulted in mold.
Medical research on the health risks of mold is scanty. Exposure can trigger allergic reactions, asthma attacks, cause inflammation, leading to a weakened immune system, and this can open the door to pneumonia.
Like other plants, molds produce gases, toxins and allergens.
There are no federal, state or local government standards when it comes to acceptable levels of mold.
Several studies are underway, and a bill recently introduced in Congress calls for the EPA to set standards.
In the meantime, individual jurisdictions tackle the problem as best they can.
-- Michele Clock Lawmakers tour aging schools: Parents seeking bond-- The Arizona Republic Nevada: December 18, 2003 [ abstract] Parents took state legislators on a tour to show shortalls in state funding for school buildings.
Of particular concern is Coronado school which is in violation of today's fire code. But no state money is available to fix it because it met standards when built and is "grandfathered".
Coronado would be largely rebuilt under district plans, but voters would need to approve a bond to do it.
The Scottsdale School Board has not voted whether to put a bond on the November 2004 ballot. But a group of parents that make up a Parent Budget Recommendation Committee said they will ask the board in the spring to put a measure on the ballot that would fix the five high schools.
-- Anne Ryman Student Performance Not Tied to Urban Setting, Study Suggests-- The Washington Post National: December 18, 2003 [ abstract] For years, big urban school districts have been considered educational disaster areas, full of underperforming students. But a new federal study suggests that this picture is a caricature, and that urban students perform similarly to their peers elsewhere.
A study of 10 urban school districts released yesterday by the National Assessment of Educational Progress shows that students in some districts do better than the national average on standardized tests, while others lag behind. But there is no consistent pattern of underperformance in urban areas when they are compared to suburbs, small towns or rural areas.
"Differences in student performance do not appear to be caused by the urban environment," said Darvin M. Winick, chairman of the National Assessment Governing Board.
-- Michael Dobbs Campus Crowding Can Make PE a Challenge-- Los Angeles Times California: November 19, 2003 [ abstract]
Virgil, an east Hollywood school that opened in 1912, is so overcrowded that it is on a year-round, triple-track schedule, with about 1,800 of its 2,700 students on campus at any given time.
Gym classes there often exceed 70 students per teacher. National recommendations are that classes have a 25-1 ratio, and most other states approach those numbers. California's official average is closer to 43 to 1, although some say the number may be higher.
But even capping classes at 55 would cost the district about $6.1 million, according to district estimates, and officials say such spending is unlikely.
Limits on class size that govern other subjects do not apply to physical education. The crowding is worse at middle schools than high schools, because every middle school student is required to take physical education.
At many Los Angeles schools, students spend a good part of their required gym class time waiting.
A report issued this month that 27.1% of California's seventh-graders were deemed physically fit. In L.A. Unified, the number was even lower: Only 16% met the minimum standards.
-- Cara Mia DiMassa Controversial survey finds many school buildings substandard-- The Baltimore Sun Maryland: November 07, 2003 [ abstract]
State education officials reported results of a survey yesterday that indicated many of the public school buildings in Maryland are failing to meet local, state or national standards in areas ranging from air quality to building accessibility to student capacity.
Many school system leaders in the Baltimore region took issue with the conclusions reached in the survey, calling into question its methodology -- much of the information was self-reported. Some argued that the standards were inappropriate, including higher air quality requirement than for homes.
The state plans to use the survey, completed last month by the Task Force to Study Public School Facilities, to set priorities -- and wants school districts to do the same.
-- Tanika White School Board eager to sell Ditch Road site-- The Indianapolis Star Indiana: October 24, 2003 [ abstract] The Washington Township School Board is preparing to sell a 14.45-acre Ditch Road site and use the income to jump-start a fund for proposed physical education facilities.
"The site would never be usable for a school today" because of its small size, Superintendent Eugene White said.
White said revenue from the property's sale could begin raising funds for three proposed projects at North Central High School: A natatorium and a multipurpose physical-education facility and renovations to the school's football stadium to comply with handicapped-accessibility requirements.
Fellmy said two appraisals have put the value of the property at $1.3 million, which would serve as a standard for the district's approval of a final price.
-- Howard Smulevitz A School In Shambles-- Newsday New York: September 25, 2003 [ abstract] Hempstead, New York officials closed Prospect School the day before classes were to begin because of deteriorating conditions, including mold growing outside the cafeteria, a caved-in chimney, rodents, fire violations such as rescue windows that do not meet design standards, and sewage leakage in the basement. District officials said they had no idea the building, built in the early 1900s, had gotten so bad, but parents of the more than 400 displaced Prospect students insisted the violations could not have developed overnight.
-- Nedra Rhone School Builders Design for Better Acoustics-- Wall Street Journal National: August 04, 2003 [ abstract] According to educational experts, poor acoustics are one of the biggest treatable obstacles to learning. Last year, the American National standards Institute approved acoustical benchmarks to limit background noise and reverberation in schoolhouses. While the new standards have their critics, many states and school districts are willing to fund extra costs in their construction budgets to insure adequate classroom sound. School architects are adding ceilings that slope from front to back so sound carries, but doesn't echo, changing the footprint of the rooms to reduce the tendency of sound to reverberate, using double layers of sound-absorbing ceiling tiles, insulated glass windows, and thicker walls where they abut raucous spaces such as stairwells, and installing quieter heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems.
-- Alex Frangos Court allows N.J. to freeze Abbott funds-- Philadelphia Inquirer New Jersey: July 24, 2003 [ abstract] In a 4-1 ruling, the New Jersey Supreme Court said the state funding delegated to the 30 Abbott districts would be frozen for the second straight school year. The decision means that the districts will get the same amount of funding they received last year, with the exception of cost-of-living raises to cover negotiated salary and benefits increases. The court gave the state, which is under court order to take extraordinary measures to improve the districts, 30 days to provide the districts with preliminary budget figures for the 2003-04 school year. But the court also required the state to set standards for evaluating administrative and other noninstructional expenses before making any budget cuts in those areas. David Sciarra, executive director of the Education Law Center, called the decision a victory, saying the order would go a ong way in proventing the state Department of Education from making unsubstantiated claims that districts are not using Abbott money efficiently.
-- Melanie Burney and Angela Couloumbis School site unsafe, neighbors say -- New Orleans Times-Picayune Louisiana: May 30, 2003 [ abstract] Residents near a proposed new junior high say that the site could expose children to contaminated water and put them dangerously close to patients who wander off the grounds of a nearby psychiatric hospital. Homeowners told school system officials that the 25-acre tract probably has been polluted by waste from a landfill that closed in 1992 and that well water intended for use at the school could be harmful.They also raised concerns about hurricane-related floodwater washing over the former dump and carrying harmful sediment toward the school. Top school administrators said that reports show that the land meets safety standards set by the state Department of Environmental Quality and the federal Environmental Protection Agency.
-- Michelle Krupa Schools combat mold growth -- Mobile Register Alabama: March 24, 2003 [ abstract] A dispute is brewing at an elementary school on the Gulf coast of Alabama. Parents say their son contracted bronchitis from toxic mold in the air at the school, while school officials claim the mold levels in the building are within regulation. The school acknowledges that it has a mold problem due to poor drainage and flooding occurring on the first floor, but insists that students were removed from these areas moved to areas with a lower mold concentration. Various experts, including Children's Environmental Health Network's Claire Barnett, voiced opinions on what should be done in this school and how school districts in general can set standards for determining poor indoor air quality and how much mold is too much.
-- Rebecca Catalanello High school officials act to combat mold in the air -- Buffalo News New York: January 21, 2003 [ abstract] A construction project at Lancaster High School last summer caused the release of dangerous mold spores into the air. Teachers complained of watery eyes and sneezing when they returned to school in September. Concerned about the dust from the construction project, the school district hired Building Science Investigations to sample the air on two separate dates. The testing found that concentrations of asbestos and nuisance dust were within acceptable OSHA standards, but the level of mold spores in the air was high. The consultant recommended the school better secure the barriers between the school and the construction site, and that filters in each classroom be upgraded. Custodians are being trained in more effective ways of mopping to control mold, and are also using a particulate-arresting vacuum to stop the immediate problem.
-- Mary Pasciak School job bidding should be redone, supt. says -- Memphis Commercial Appeal Tennessee: January 14, 2003 [ abstract] The school superintendent Johnnie Watson in Memphis, Tennessee recommended that the board of education reopen the bidding process on school heating and cooling duct renovations to allow more companies to compete and get the school system a better deal. Last year, only one company submitted a bid, and the superintendent feels the board is wasting tax dollars. Watson also ordered that all new construction be frozen as the school system's Division of Facility Planning reorganizes itself. Members of the board were quick to say that their position differed from that of Watson. An independent consultant found that the bidder's per-square-foot charge was seven times the industry standard for air duct repair, and was enough to build two new elementary schools.
-- Ruma Banerji Mattison Ave. school passes air tests -- Philadelphia Inquirer Pennsylvania: December 19, 2002 [ abstract] Environmental Protection Agency officials and school contractors had found four bits of asbestos on surfaces around the Mattison Avenue Elementary School since last Tuesday, but tests performed yesterday resulted in only one fiber in 10 samples, which is within the EPA's standards. The school will reopen after Christmas break. However, despite the test results, some parents are still not satisfied with the results, claiming any asbestos is too much. In response, school board officials, EPA regulators, teachers, and other parents have said that they feel 100% safe bringing children into the building.
-- Benjamin Wallace-Wells New law poses problems-- USA Today National: December 18, 2002 [ abstract] In this article, National Education Association President Reg Weaver questions whether the parameters set by President Bush's No Child Left Behind Act are the best way to improve the country's schools. Governors from across the country report to Education Secretary Rod Paige that state budgets are extremely tight, with many states facing unprecedented deficits, and with a complete lack of funding from Congress, the law's many programs and mandates are difficult to meet. Weaver states that teachers and other education professionals need to be consulted about how to best meet the law's ambitious goals. He writes, "As it now stands, the law proposes to spend billions on tests to label schools and children as "failures," but it spends only a pittance on positive interventions to boost schools serving poor, minority and immigrant children." Weaver sees lowering teacher standards as a likely, yet "unconscionable" outcome if the NCLB plan is not modified. He proposes increasing educational productivity by providing modern facilities, high standards, smaller classes, and fully certified teachers to failing schools, instead of taking a few children out and busing them across town.
-- Reg Weaver Regents Urge More Spending on Poorer School Districts -- New York Times New York: December 16, 2002 [ abstract] The New York State Board of Regents urged state legislatures to increase state education spending by $516 million, with a majority of the money going to districts with high concentrations of poverty. The Board acknowledged the state's fiscal problems, and realizes that giving this money to education realistically means that cuts will have to be made to other programs, but feels the money is necessary to bring all of New York's districts up to the latest- and more stringent- educational standards. The plan includes nominal increases for wealthier areas, but 76 percent of the money is earmarked for "high need" districts, particularly those in small and large cities.
-- Greg Winter School reopens after asbestos incident -- Baltimore Sun Maryland: December 03, 2002 [ abstract] A school in Arbutus, Maryland re-opened after being closed for a week after asbestos was discovered in the school. The asbestos fibers were most likely released during construction and abatement work being done in the school. Tests confirmed that levels in the school were below the federal standard, and students attended class without incident.
-- Jonathan D. Rockoff Arbutus school to remain closed for asbestos removal -- Baltimore Sun Maryland: November 26, 2002 [ abstract] Maiden Choice School in Arbutus was closed this week after an asbestos leak was discovered during construction. The school, which has 120 special needs students, cleaned the area over the weekend, and tests indicate that asbestos levels are back below federal standards. However, school officials decided to keep the school closed through this week so testing can be done throughout the school and asbestos can be removed from other locations.
-- Jonathan D. Rockoff Northville suit calls school a bad neighbor -- The Detroit News Michigan: November 19, 2002 [ abstract] A resident in Northville Township is suing the school district because she claims they did not follow zoning ordinances when they constructed the town's new high school. According to state law, school are not required to comply with local zoning codes and construction standards, only that the plans be reviewed by the state school superintendent. The Michigan state Supreme Court will review this case, and the decision could have dramatic effects on the future of school construction in Michigan. Those in favor of the current system say it is best because, logistically, it is much more expedient and cost effective for one person to make the decisions, rather than waiting for a community consensus on everything. Those supporting the lawsuit say that stricter zoning laws will lead to more oversight and prevent construction errors that lead to dangerous consequences.
-- Sheri Hall Damaged Solon school to reopen in January -- Cleveland Plain Dealer Ohio: November 14, 2002 [ abstract] A school severely damaged by strong storms should reopen by the end of January, far earlier than the original estimates at the damage assessment the day after the storm. Parents were pleased with the quick progress the school board made in planning repairs. "You've done a remarkable job in taking what could have been a nightmare and making it work," one parent said at a meeting where plans were unveiled. Until the repairs are finished, students are being bussed to alternate sites.
-- John Horton Solon schools scramble for space -- Cleveland Plain Dealer Ohio: November 12, 2002 [ abstract] Two area schools could be closed for the rest of the semester because of extensive damange following a storm, leaving the district scrambling for classroom space for 1,350 students. The goal is to get a makeshift school running by next week so classes can restart, Superintendent Joe Regano said. Vacant buildings around Solon are being considered as temporary replacements while the "dual school" on SOM Center Road is repaired.
-- John Horton Lead Levels in Schools' Water Prompt Warnings and Shut-Offs -- New York Times New York: November 09, 2002 [ abstract] The New York City school system announced yesterday that it had shut off drinking fountains and posted warning signs on sinks at about one in five of its public elementary schools, after finding that the level of lead in the water slightly exceeded federal standards during tests completed last month. The lead was found in water at 222 of the city's 990 elementary schools during tests that started in August. The levels were not high enough to pose a significant health risk, said David Chai, a spokesman for Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein. There is no apparent pattern among the affected schools, he said, but the source of the lead appeared to be old pipes. Water at the city's middle and high schools is now being tested.
-- Robert F. Worth St. Charles schools warn of housing plan's impact -- Chicago Tribune Illinois: October 30, 2002 [ abstract] The St. Charles Community Unit District 303 Board of Education plans to issue a position statement soon saying that unless guidelines are followed, a proposed residential development might add more students than the district can handle. Board members voted 6-0 Monday to draft a statement saying, among other things, that the Grand Prairie development must help with the cost of educating the children it brings to the district. District 303 board member Ginny Waller discussed an eight-point plan recommending that the development pay for all required school facilities. The proposal also says it should adhere to zoning standards, set clear divisions between school districts and conform to the county's 2020 plan for residential density.
14 School Cafeterias Faulted on Sanitation -- Washington Post District of Columbia: October 29, 2002 [ abstract] Health inspectors found unclean conditions at 14 District school cafeterias over the past two months, and several employees at one school have been put on leave as a result, school officials announced yesterday. The violations included: rodent and roach infestations, needed plumbing and ventilation repairs, standing water, obstructed drains and grease traps, warm refridgerators, and bathrooms not in compliance. Since the health officials visited, the lunchroom and kitchen have been cleaned and food service workers will be retrained. The superintendent has ordered the inspection of the remaining schools within 90 days, with applied standards higher than those used by D.C. Health Department inspectors.
-- Justin Blum and Avram Goldstein District starts ball bouncing for East High gym project -- Cleveland Plain Dealer Ohio: October 15, 2002 [ abstract] A ceremonial groundbreaking was held yesterday at East High School, starting construction on a new gymnasium following a roof collapse at the old gym nearly two years ago. The incident made national news, spurring the district to launch a campaign to rebuild and renovate all 120 schools in Cleveland. The district now has $1.5 billion in state and local tax money to spend on construction.
-- Janet Okoben School renovations can pose health risks -- Philadelphia Inquirer Pennsylvania: October 11, 2002 [ abstract] In light of a recent school closure due to noxious fumes from a recent construction project, the Coatesville teachers union filed a lawsuit this week in the Chester County Court of Common Pleas, siting the renovation process at the school created an unsafe environment for faculty and students. The lawsuit has raised questions regarding the safety standards of school renovations taking place when schools are in session. Critics point out that there is very little oversight for these projects, and each school is left on its own to negotiate safety standards with individual contractors, and some schools do not do an adequate job with this task.
-- Benjamin Wallace-Wells A Lesson in Unintended Consequences -- New York Times New York: October 06, 2002 [ abstract] This article details a 1968 experiment called "community control" in which members of a local community serve as a local school board for elementary and junior high schools. The experiment spawned from the idea that those people closest to children knew how to best guide their education. The process of community control has since become known as decentralization, and what started as a plan with good intentions, has become an issue of race, economics, and education. Students at the decentralized schools consistently perform poorly on standardized tests, prompting New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg to take action. Earlier this year, the State Legislature undid community control, placed the independent citywide Board of Education, which ran the system, under the mayor's control and scheduled the demise of the local boards for the end of the current school year.
-- James Traub School repairs to begin during holiday break in Cleveland -- Cleveland Plain Dealer Ohio: September 24, 2002 [ abstract] The much-anticipated "warm, safe and dry" work that Cleveland Municipal School District officials have promised for every building will begin in December, over the eight-day vacation period. The $97 million effort will take three years and involve 112 of the district's 120 buildings. The money to replace windows, roofs and heating systems will come from the sale of Issue 14 bonds. Voters agreed in May 2001 to raise $335 million in local taxes for the district's 12-year, $1.5 billion construction project.
-- Angela Townsend Freshman Academy eases transition -- Memphis Commercial Appeal Tennessee: September 09, 2002 [ abstract] A new program is in place at Millington Central High School which segregates the freshman from the rest of the school in an attempt to ease the transition between middle and high school. Ninth graders now attend a freshman academy, essentially a school within a school, and so far freshman disciniplinary problems are down from previous years. Advocates of the program say the students will gain identity, self-confidence, maturity, and academic focus when surrounded solely by other freshmen in a more structured environment, rather than the relative freedom and vulnerability of a standard high school, where new students are often isolated and ridiculed. Opponents say segregating students during ninth grade only postpones the same struggles until the students are sophomores, when they will still be considered the babies of the school by upperclassmen, and continue to feel the same feelings of confusion in a new building.
-- Katherine Cromer School construction office tells staff not to take gifts -- The Cleveland Plain Dealer Ohio: July 24, 2002 [ abstract] The state's school construction agency banned employees from receiving gifts from state contractors yesterday in the wake of an ethics investigation of the agency's director. The policy also requires top employees to file financial disclosure statements with the Ohio Ethics Commission, and it requires almost all employees to participate in ethics training. Additionally, the school commission gave final approval to the Cleveland school construction project and five other urban projects, including one in Akron. The $1.5 billion Cleveland project calls for building 52 new schools and renovating 59 others. Seventy-two buildings will be demolished.
-- Plain Dealer Bureau Foundation Formed to Aid Budget -- The Washington Post District of Columbia: July 17, 2002 [ abstract] A year after declaring the D.C. public high school athletic programs substandard and underfunded, a District-based parents advocacy group yesterday announced the formation of a private foundation that will solicit donations to supplement the city's cash-strapped budget.
-- Judith Evans School-building agency to create ethics policy -- The Cleveland Plaindealer Ohio: July 03, 2002 [ abstract] The state agency spending $2 million a day to rebuild Ohio's schools
should adopt stricter ethics policies and will be investigated by the state
inspector general, the chairman of the Ohio School Facilities Commission
said yesterday.
School contracts OK'd second time -- The Cleveland Plaindealer Ohio: June 19, 2002 [ abstract] The agency responsible for Ohio's $2 billion school construction program gave retroactive approval yesterday to more than 1,000 contracts that a judge said had not been voted on properly.
Ohio schools panel begins review of construction pacts -- The Cleveland Plaindealer Ohio: June 18, 2002 [ abstract] The agency responsible for Ohio's $2 billion school construction program will scrutinize contracts more closely but won't slow down the speed at which it spends money, Gov. Bob Taft's budget director said yesterday.
-- Andrew Welsh-Huggins State sees training opportunities in city school-building programs -- The Cleveland Plaindealer Ohio: June 15, 2002 [ abstract] The state wants to make contracts for new school buildings more union-friendly, as a multibillion-dollar construction program enters a new phase in cities with a strong labor presence.
-- Andrew Welsh-Huggins Too many kids at middle school make Euclid feel squeezed -- The Cleveland Plaindealer Ohio: June 15, 2002 [ abstract] School districts such as Medina, Hudson and Olmsted Falls educate kids in trailers because they lack space. Those are growth areas, though, while Euclid is an older system with mothballed schools it cannot afford to reopen.
-- Thomas Ott State overseer of school projects draws Hagan's ire -- Associated Press Ohio: June 09, 2002 [ abstract] Timothy Hagan, the Democratic candidate for governor, said on Friday that Randall Fischer, the chairman of a state panel
that oversees school construction projects, should step down as chairman of the Ohio School Facilities Commission because he acknowledged blocking payment of union-scale wages on school-construction projects.
4 elementary schools spared from closing in -- The Cleveland Plaindealer Ohio: June 07, 2002 [ abstract] Four Cleveland elementary schools headed for closure were given new life
last night after the school board finalized a major construction plan.
Dozens of other schools will be renovated or rebuilt, and the city will build
four new schools as the state's largest school district settled on a 10-year
plan to transform its crumbling, dated school buildings.
-- Janet Okoben 2 elementaries, others may be spared -- The Cleveland Plaindealer Ohio: June 05, 2002 [ abstract] Two Cleveland elementary schools scheduled to be closed appear to be
spared, and others may be, too, as Cleveland school board members
continue to fine-tune the district's $1 billion construction plan.
-- Janet Okoben Board zeroing in on $1 billion plan for city's schools -- The Cleveland Plaindealer Ohio: June 03, 2002 [ abstract] After spending more than two months hearing from angry parents and critical City Council members, the Cleveland school board yesterday began the daunting job of deciding how to spend $1 billion to reshape and rebuild the system's crumbling schools.
-- Scott Stephens School construction chief wrongly approved contracts, judge rules -- The Cleveland Plaindealer Ohio: June 02, 2002 [ abstract] The head of Ohio's school-construction program improperly approved $2 billion worth of contracts for more than 1,700 projects statewide, a judge has ruled.
Garfield schools get boost from state -- The Cleveland Plain Dealer Ohio: April 17, 2002 [ abstract] Cleveland city schools have received a $19 million commitment from a state agency to help pay for building projects.
-- Ronald Rutti Akron proposes increasing county sales tax for schools -- The Cleveland Plaindealer Ohio: April 12, 2002 [ abstract] In a plan without precedent in Ohio, Akron is seeking to increase county sales taxes to pay for school building projects in the city and throughout Summit County.
-- Martin Stolz Schools seek more advisers for construction programs -- The Cleveland Plaindealer Ohio: April 12, 2002 [ abstract] District officials will hire two more advisers on the Cleveland schools construction project, to join chief adviser Nicholas Jackson, a former top aide to Mayor Michael White.
-- Angela Townsend and Janet Okoben At session, schools look past blueprints -- The Cleveland Plaindealer Ohio: April 10, 2002 [ abstract] More than 150 educators from across the state huddled this week to find ways of getting more than just bricks and mortar for the $25 billion they will spend on replacing and refurbishing schools.
-- Scott Stephens John Hay happy about repairs, but not closing -- The Cleveland Plaindealer Ohio: March 28, 2002 [ abstract] Students at John Hay High School give school officials an "A" on their decision to renovate a building in desperate need of repair but an "F" for disrupting so many students' lives by choosing to close the school for two years for renovations.
-- Olivera Perkins and Angela Townsend Parma schools lay out plan for $23 million in building repairs -- The Cleveland Plain Dealer Ohio: March 28, 2002 [ abstract] Parma schools are going to get a $23 million sprucing-up in the coming year. And the repairs are long overdue, board members say. "This is the first major investment in our structures in at least two decades," said board President Kevin Kelley.
-- Joseph L. Wagner Cleveland plans to rebuild 46 buildings -- The Cleveland Plain Dealer Ohio: March 27, 2002 [ abstract] The Cleveland school district will start replacing 46 schools with new buildings this year and will close 16 other schools beginning in 2007, district officials said last night.
-- Angela Townsend Renovation of schools still sketchy -- The Cleveland Plain Dealer Ohio: March 25, 2002 [ abstract] More than 10 months after voters paved the way for a $1 billion schools renovation project, Cleveland district administrators say they can't give the public many details on how that money will be spent. That won't happen until the school board approves the district's master plan for repairing and rebuilding the schools - now in draft form - at its May 16 meeting, officials said last week.
-- Angela Townsend and Janet Okoben 3 teachers from mold-infested school sue construction firm -- Milwaukee Journal Sentinal Wisconsin: March 15, 2002 [ abstract] Three Madison elementary school teachers blame their chronic asthma and other respiratory problems on substandard work done by the general contractor of a mold-infested school closed in fall just three months after it opened, according to a lawsuit filed Thursday.
-- Kevin Murphy Ohio Schools get $31 million grant from Gates, others -- The Cleveland Plaindealer Ohio: March 09, 2002 [ abstract] A cadre of foundations led by Bill Gates' philanthropic group is giving Ohio a $31.5 million grant to transform large, troubled urban high schools into small, innovative learning academies.
The bulk of the money - $20 million from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and $5 million from the Cincinnati-based KnowledgeWorks Foundation - will be used to redesign existing high schools or to create new, smaller schools in six to eight cities.
-- Scott Stephens and Janet Okoben Two firms will advise schools in Cleveland on construction project -- The Cleveland Plaindealer Ohio: March 04, 2002 [ abstract] Fifth Third Securities Inc. and SBK-Brooks Investment Corp. will team up to be financial adviser for the Cleveland school district's $1 billion school construction project. They anticipate their biggest challenge will be to educate potential bond buyers about how the schools have improved.
-- Angela Townsend Many Schools Built Near Toxic Sites, Study Finds-- National: January 21, 2002 [ abstract] A new report prepared by an environmental coalition called Child Proofing Our Communities Campaign found that most states and public school systems lack environmental standards for selecting school construction sites. Instead, school projects are regulated only by local land-use laws, which the report called haphazard when it comes to evaluating environmental hazards. Consequently, the report said, many cash-strapped systems have opted to build on relatively cheap land on or near toxic waste sites.
Battle over, school walls come down -- Ohio: January 11, 2002 [ abstract] School officials had disagreed that the Kirk Middle School could be renovated for less than the $18 million cost of a new school and still meet the needs of modern education. They held to their position through years of protest. The 71 year old school is being demolished.
Southern Ohio school opens on land entrepreneur donated -- Cleveland Plain Dealer Ohio: January 03, 2002 [ abstract] Students filled the halls of a new school that opened yesterday on farmland donated by a 90-year-old businessman. School construction cost $18.8 million, including $16 million in state funding. School officials said the district could not have afforded the new school, which replaced two older buildings, without Grandle's land donation.
E. Cleveland school's days numbered (Ohio)-- Ohio: December 04, 2001 [ abstract] Supporters were trying again yesterday to prevent demolition of Kirk Middle School, but pieces of the building had already been hacked off.
Court ruling clears way for razing of school (Ohio)-- Ohio: November 29, 2001 [ abstract] A court ruling that allows the demolition of Kirk Middle School threatens to end a debate mixing historic preservation and race. Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge Lillian Greene decided yesterday to lift an order prohibiting demolition of the 71-year-old school. Superintendent Elvin Jones said work could begin as early as next week.
School oversight committee names engineer as executive (Ohio)-- Ohio: November 12, 2001 [ abstract] Dennis J. Kolp, 52, an engineer who owns a North Canton construction consulting firm, will be executive director of the Bond Accountability Commission. His hiring, for $144,000 a year, was announced yesterday. He is the first employee hired by the commission, a 23-member group formed to keep tabs on the estimated $1 billion in repairs and renovations needed for Cleveland schools.
Some school issues fail test at polls; others pass-- Ohio: November 07, 2001 [ abstract] Voters in Akron and Wickliffe agreed yesterday to raise their property taxes and avoid deep budget cuts in their schools. Lorain residents, meanwhile, OK'd a $41 million bond issue that will attract millions of state dollars to help renovate and replace classrooms. But bond issues in Elyria, Midview and Chardon were defeated.
Test scores reveal width of racial gap (Ohio)-- Cleveland Plain Dealer Ohio: November 04, 2001 [ abstract] The gap in test scores between black and white students in Ohio is wide,
pervasive and persistent. Black students as a group consistently score lower on standardized tests than their white counterparts in wealthy and poor school districts alike, in Ohio and throughout the country. Academic researchers say many factors contribute to the test-score gap, but most concede there is no comprehensive list. Shaker Heights Superintendent Mark Freeman said the district has developed
a host of programs to help black students improve their test scores,
including study groups, a tutoring program run by high-achieving black
students and a group on race relations.
-- Stephen Ohlemacher CPS mulls $185M from state to rebuild (Ohio)-- The Cincinnati Enquirer Ohio: October 10, 2001 [ abstract] Officials of Cincinnati Public Schools are debating if $185 million in state aid for school construction would be best appropriated for complete replacement, demolition, or renovation, or, alternatively, to sell the majority of district buildings and losing some local decision-making power. Since 1997, the Ohio School Facilities Commission Ohio School Facilities
Commission will contribute a portion of aid - 23 percent for CPS - for a
construction and renovation project designed to bring all the district's
school buildings up to state standards. There is debate surrounding the situation, as many in the city feel the complete distruction and rebuilding of area schools is unnecessary, while spokespersons for the commission state that it is the best way to ensure all children in Cincinnati receive the best possible education.
-- Jennifer Mrozowski In Birth of New Schools, County Has Smooth Delivery-- Virginia: August 26, 2001 [ abstract] Explosive growth in Loudoun County, Virginia has more than doubled the number of students in the past 10 years. This kind of growth is so standard, school officials said, that building new schools and hiring teachers has become something like clockwork. "We've been managing growth so well that people don't even know we're growing anymore, except that new schools keep opening up," said School Board Chairman Joseph W. Vogric (Dulles).
DCIAA Underfunded: Study Says Athletic Programs, Facilities in Decline (District of Columbia)-- District of Columbia: June 01, 2001 [ abstract] A new study commissioned by Parents United states that DC's public high school athletic programs and facilities are substandard and underfunded, exposing students to potentially serious injuries. Allen Chin of the DCIAA says that the environment, the older buildings, without more funding makes it difficult to do more.
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