News items come from the U.S. Department of Educations's National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities (NCEF).

School board approves loans; district gets good grades
-- DEB ANDERSON, The Dunn County News

Wisconsin: August 29, 2010 -- After a brief exchange regarding the difference between the committee of the whole and a regular school board meeting — raising the question of discussion vs. formal action — the Menomonie school board’s first committee of the whole meeting commenced on Monday evening. As time was of the essence regarding a decision, the board agreed to make some special approvals that night. However, it was decided that committee of the whole meetings will mainly be used for the purposes of gathering information for regular board meetings; decision-making will be limited: only issues of a timely nature will be subject to voting. And in addition to its regular board meeting on the second Monday of every month, the board will continue to meet as a committee of the whole on the fourth Monday of each month.

Eagle-Vail high school makeover could cost $10.5 million
-- Sarah Mausolf , Vail Daily

Colorado: August 27, 2010 -- enovations at the old Battle Mountain High School building in Eagle-Vail took another step forward this week. Eagle County School Board members gave the district permission to borrow $7.7 million for project. The vacant building will be refashioned into a school for pre-kindergarten through eighth-grade students.Students from Minturn Middle School and Meadow Mountain Elementary schools will be combined at the former high school beginning in fall 2011. Graduating fifth-graders from Red Sandstone Elementary School will also matriculate into the Eagle-Vail school for sixth through eighth grades.

Money for New Orleans School Construction Is a Giant Step for Our Recovery: An Editorial
-- Editorial Page Staff, Times-Picayune

Louisiana: August 27, 2010 -- The transformation of New Orleans public schools has been one of the brightest and most consequential developments post-Katrina. That’s why the Obama administration’s decision to fully pay for a citywide school construction plan is a momentous step for our recovery. The total $1.8 billion in FEMA funds approved for school construction makes the award one of the largest recovery grants since the storm. The grant includes $700 million for school construction that FEMA committed last year and an additional $1.1 billion that had been in doubt until this week. The total equals the projected cost of a citywide master plan the Recovery School District and the Orleans Parish School Board approved in 2008. That means education officials should have enough money to provide every school — charter and traditional — a new building or a substantially renovated one. Just as important, FEMA agreed to lump the schools’ extensive Katrina damage into one large project. That will allow new schools to be built wherever needed, without being restricted to rebuilding pre-Katrina structures.

Lancaster, Pennsylvania School District Installs 'Green' Roofs at Three Elementary Schools
-- Brian Wallace, Intelligencer Journal

Pennsylvania: August 26, 2010 -- When School District of Lancaster pupils return to classes at three elementary schools next week, they may be wondering: Who's gonna water the roof? That's because three of the schools — Lafayette, Wharton and Ross — installed "green" roofs this summer on new additions. The vegetated roofs, which are designed to reduce rainwater runoff and conserve energy, are the first ever installed at public schools in Lancaster County, said Mary Gattis-Schell of the county planning commission. Franklin & Marshall College, Lancaster Mennonite School and a few local businesses have installed the roofs in recent years, but SDL is the first public school system to try out the green technology on a large scale, she said. The roofs were funded with a portion of a $479,000 "energy harvesting" grant the planning commission received from the state Department of Environmental Protection. SDL received $118,710 for its two vegetated roofs at Lafayette and Wharton, each of which total 10,000 square feet. The district also received a $30,000 grant from the Lancaster Foundation for Educational Excellence for the 2,500-square-foot vegetated roof at Ross. The grants offset the higher cost — about $7 per square foot, or a total of $157,500 at the three schools — of the roofs, said Greg Collins, SDL's coordinator of capital projects.

New Orleans Schools Get $1.8 Billion for Katrina Damage
-- CNN Wire Staff, CNN

Louisiana: August 26, 2010 -- he federal government will award $1.8 billion to New Orleans schools damaged by Hurricane Katrina, U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-Louisiana, said. A provision in an appropriations bill authorizes the Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide a lump-sum payment for K-12 schools damaged by hurricanes Katrina and Rita. "The provision also reduced penalties for insufficient flood insurance and alternate projects, which yielded more than $500 million in savings for Louisiana schools," Landrieu's office said in a statement. New Orleans schools are still rebounding five years after Katrina struck. The money gives "local leaders the ability to rebuild New Orleans' school system in a comprehensive and strategic manner, instead of using a uncoordinated and piecemeal approach," Landrieu's statement said. The Orleans Parish School Board and the Recovery School District are reducing the number of campuses from 127 to 87.

Missouri Governor Visits School to Tout Stimulus Bond Funded Construction Projects
-- Claudette Riley, News-Leader

Missouri: August 26, 2010 -- A project to install air conditioning at Jarrett Middle School received a gubernatorial inspection. Gov. Jay Nixon visited the middle school on the second day of classes to see the progress -- cool air is expected to be blowing into classrooms by the spring -- and tout the value of no-interest bonds. "These bonds are enabling school districts like Springfield to finance construction projects less expensively, while bondholders receive full return on their investment," Nixon said in prepared remarks. "And these projects are creating real jobs right here in the community, and helping to save energy as well." Early this year, 72 Missouri districts received more than $162 million in interest-free federal bonds from the state, made possible through the federal Recovery Act. The Qualified School Construction Bonds help school districts pay financing costs connected with projects paid for through voter-approved bonds. Districts had to compete for the help and Springfield was awarded a sizable chunk in part because voters had approved a $50 million bond issue -- to pay for air conditioning, construction, improvements and technology projects -- in November. The assistance will help Springfield save $5.5 million in interest over the life of the bond. "It helped us quite a bit," said Superintendent Norm Ridder. Ridder points out that by leveraging the federal Recovery Act funds, the district was able to request the bond issue without increasing taxes

Schools back in session
-- LAURA BUCK, Southern Maryland Newspaper Online

Maryland: August 25, 2010 -- The first day of school was an old tradition in a new building for Calvert Middle School students who started the 2010-2011 school year Tuesday. The new Prince Frederick school, which was $23 million in construction costs according to Calvert County Public Schools Director of School Construction George Leah, replaced one of the oldest schools in Calvert County, now left vacant.

New Mexico Middle School Gets Photovoltaic Solar System With Stimulus Grant
-- Jim Kalvelage, Ruidoso News

New Mexico: August 25, 2010 -- he one-year old Ruidoso Middle School will move forward with generating some of the facility's electricity from the sun. The school district board approved establishing a budget to accommodate grant funding for the project. Earlier this summer the New Mexico Public Education Department (PED) announced the middle school would receive $300,000 to purchase and install a 50-kilowatt photovoltaic solar energy system. The Ruidoso district was one of 15 around the state to receive a grant made available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Before tapping into the funding, the district must first submit building plans and a request for school related construction with the state's Public School Facilities Authority and PED. There is an educational component of the renewable energy system for students and teachers, involving installation to monitoring the energy and cost savings. Governor Bill Richardson had said the state wanted the 15 projects to inspire students to pursue education and jobs in the state's green economy.

USDA To Award Schools $1 Million In Grants For Community Gardens.
-- Nanci Hellmich, USA Today

National: August 25, 2010 -- Since first lady Michelle Obama planted a garden at the White House in the spring of 2009 and invited schoolchildren to help tend and harvest the produce, more school gardens have been sprouting up across the country. The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced it will award $1 million in grants for eligible high-poverty schools to start community gardens. The goal: to teach students about gardening and nutrition and to provide fresh produce for school meals. Some of the harvest may also be given to students' families, as well as to local food banks and senior-center nutrition programs. Improving nutrition in schools is part of the first lady's Let's Move! initiative to fight childhood obesity. School gardens "give kids exposure to where food comes from and encourages them to try foods they might not otherwise try," says Kevin Concannon, USDA undersecretary for food, nutrition and consumer services. They give teachers an opportunity to talk about soil, water, sun, health and science, and the gardens can be used for math and art programs, he says. Estimates suggest that about 15% to 20% of schools across the country have gardens, says Mike Metallo, president of the National Gardening Association, a non-profit group that provides gardeners and teachers with information and resources.

Milbury: State makes available $7.3 million to help rebuild Lake High School
-- Kim Wendel, WKYC-tv

Ohio: August 25, 2010 -- State officials announced up to $7.3 million in assistance is being made available for Lake Local School District in Lake Township to help cover the costs of rebuilding Lake High School after it was destroyed June 5 from tornadoes that swept through the area. Governor Ted Strickland, Superintendent of Public Instruction Deborah Delisle and Ohio School Facilities Director Rich Murray made the announcement.

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