The Guadalupe Union School District is settling into new facilities after expanding its campuses over the last year with a new junior high school and early learning center.

The expansions aim to relieve existing overcrowding, improve learning spaces for students, and prepare for continuing growth posed in large part by projects such as the 800-home Pasadera development, which broke ground in 2015. 

In 2022, the Guadalupe City Council approved plans for Pasadera South, adding 98 homes to the phased development at the southeast corner of Highways 1 and 166. 

Before the expansion, the district’s two campuses — Mary Buren Elementary and Kermit McKenzie Intermediate — were operating at or beyond comfortable capacity, said district superintendent Dr. Emilio Handall, during the recent State of Education forum in Santa Maria.

Denver Public Schools has carried more obligations than unrestricted assets since at least 2005 — limiting the district’s financial flexibility for nearly two decades, a Denver Gazette analysis of district audits has found.
In practical terms, when the unrestricted net position is negative for a long time, it means most of the district’s resources are already committed to debt, pensions or other obligations.
Financial statements show the broader balance sheet reflects that pressure.
In its most recent audit, DPS reported about $3.7 billion in assets compared to roughly $4.2 billion in liabilities, leaving the district with an overall negative net position.
While that does not mean DPS faces an immediate cash crisis, it indicates the district has limited financial flexibility if revenue declines, costs rise or unexpected expenses emerge.
The Denver Gazette’s analysis of two decades of district audits identified several key trends:
• DPS has carried more obligations than unrestricted assets for two decades
• Long-term borrowing — bonds and certificates of participation — accounts for about 85% of the district’s liabilities, while pension liabilities represent a much smaller share
• The district’s funding mix has shifted, with state support shrinking, while local property taxes make up a growing share of revenue
 

The Oak Harbor School District may seek voters’ support funding either the construction of a new elementary school or major improvements to existing school buildings.  Those are the two recommendations of the district’s Capital Facilities Advisory Committee, which reviewed data, organized physical evaluations of existing facilities and solicited community feedback to formulate potential capital projects. Further discussion is needed before any decisions are made.  Whatever is done, action must be taken to address aging facilities district-wide.
“I think the big pressure point here is, we’ve gone a long time doing nothing here in Oak Harbor,” Superintendent Michelle Kuss-Cybula said during a board meeting on Monday. “… What we can’t do is nothing.”  Addressing capital improvements — like those concerning ventilation, roofing and security — at various schools would run the district $30 million. About $5-7 million of that total would be spent on improving the transportation center in similar ways.  These improvements would benefit multiple schools in multiple neighborhoods quickly. However, money would be invested into old buildings, the outdated designs of which will not be changed.
 

CHEYENNE — Starting this summer, school districts won’t be able to charge rental fees to non-school sports and organizations in excess of an hourly rate based on their own costs.

A new state law passed during the 68th Wyoming Legislature allows for youth organizations, including those not officially registered as nonprofits, to rent facilities like gyms and pools for only the hourly rate of personnel, equipment, utility and supply costs actually incurred by the district.

Sen. Evie Brennan, R-Cheyenne, who sponsored the legislation for the second time, became emotional Friday when Gov. Mark Gordon signed Senate Enrolled Act 36, former Senate File 90, “School facilities-use fees.” Surrounded by Cheyenne athletes from basketball players to swimmers, she said legislation regarding children always brings her to tears.

Allowing access to school facilities for club sports and related activities, she said, will give in-person connection and community in an era when many interactions happen online.

A bill that would require Florida’s School Districts to document their vacant land and its value to the state is gaining momentum in the Legislature.

The House passed SB 824 with a vote of 84-27 on Monday. The amended bill goes back to the Senate, where it was adopted on the Senate floor last month, 28-9.

Republicans said the purpose of the bill is to make it easier for the public to know how much land School Districts are amassing.

“We’ve had people in our community that have come through … that said, ‘We’d like to know what the school owns because they’re sitting on a lot of property,’” said Rep. Danny Nix Jr., who sponsored the House version, on the impetus of the bill. “As a commercial Realtor, somebody who does this for a living, it was hard for me to find every parcel that the School Board owns. So this literally just puts it in one place for them to be able to give out.”

KAHLOTUS, Wash. — The Kahlotus School District is accepting bids for a major renovation project aimed at modernizing aging school buildings constructed in the late 1950s.
The renovation project is being funded through a $6 million Small School Modernization Grant from the state, along with additional grant funding secured through urgent repair programs.
The improvements will focus on some of the district's most pressing needs, including replacing aging roofs across several buildings and installing a new HVAC system to replace an outdated steam-based heating system that has become unreliable.
School officials say the buildings have been maintained over the years, but many of the core systems have reached the point where major upgrades are necessary to keep the facilities safe and functional for students and staff.
The district has seen strong interest from contractors in the bidding process.
"They opened it up and said if you as a contractor would like to come out and look at the property, you may. They said that you'd normally only get like five or six contractors — and like I said we had ten, ten to twelve," said Dr. Andie Webb, superintendent of the Kahlotus School District.
 

CHEYENNE — As the 68th Wyoming Legislature’s budget session draws to a close, the Select Committee on School Facilities met Thursday to outline what it will focus on for the remainder of the year to prepare for the 2027 general session.

Facing the pressures of declining enrollment in some districts and a 2025 landmark court ruling that found the state’s school funding and facility assessment methods are unconstitutional, the committee began the work of setting its goals for the next year.

Tania Hytrek, operations administrator for the Legislative Service Office, briefed the lawmakers on the Chapter 3, Section 8 exception process and educational suitability, ruled unconstitutional in the broader school finance case. Hytrek noted the state will seek to retain a consultant to assist the committee in undertaking this work.

In the Delmar School District, fifth through 12th grade students share almost everything. They use the same library, they eat lunch in the same cafeteria, and they use the same sports fields. 
That is because Delaware’s southernmost school district only has one building, and both its middle and high school students attend classes there.
The school was built in 2000 for a capacity of just under 1,200 students. But more than 25 years later, the community is facing a persistent problem: a growing student population, which has pushed the district over its capacity by nearly 300 students. 
Because of the overcrowding, some Delmar students have classes in the school’s media center. Two classes are held at once in the auditorium. Teachers must leave their classroom during planning periods so other classes can use the space.
 

A judge ordered state lawmakers to properly fund school construction and maintenance in Arizona, a move that comes more than six months after he ruled that the state has unconstitutionally underfunded public schools.

In a final judgment in a case that began in 2017, Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Dewain Fox wrote that state lawmakers have eight months to fix the capital funding system for Arizona schools. 

However, Fox also issued a 90-day pause on his judgment so that Arizona Republican lawmakers, who control both legislative chambers and have been defending the funding system, can appeal his findings. 

Public school advocates cheered on the judge’s order.

“For nearly a decade, Arizona educators and district leaders have fought in court to hold state lawmakers accountable for properly funding our schools. We welcome this ruling as an important step toward ensuring that all children have the safe, modern school facilities they deserve,” Arizona Education Association President Marisol Garcia said in a written statement.

Attorneys for parents and students in school districts with unsafe, unhealthy and inadequate facilities that say they can’t afford to fix asked the Alameda County Superior Court on Friday to freeze $3 billion in state funding for building repairs until the court has ruled on their lawsuit challenging the state’s funding system.

The motion for an injunction argues that the state’s funding formula “shortchanges” property-poor districts, condemning children to subpar school buildings.

“Our students in rural schools deserve a chance to learn in a safe and modern environment,” said Terry Supahan, executive director of True North Organizing Network in California’s North Coast, in a statement Friday. “We must freeze this money until we can figure out how to distribute the money fairly.”

An injunction, if approved, could further delay state matching funding for modernization projects for hundreds of school districts, already facing yearslong waits after past state funding dried up. It could also put pressure on Gov. Gavin Newsom to seek a settlement to the lawsuit. A court hearing is scheduled for May 13. 

The Montana Department of Environmental Quality and the United States Environmental Protection Agency announced that the clean-up and remediation of asbestos at the Park City Schools has been completed after a December windstorm tore the roof off a building, causing insulation containing asbestos to spread around the town.

The sudden storm on Dec. 17, 2025, which received a federal emergency declaration order, ripped the roof off part of the school’s structure, doing damage to the building. But the wind swept particles of roofing and insulation containing vermiculite — a form of asbestos.

A massive rise in material and labor costs could stymie the start of any new construction tied to Ann Arbor Public Schools’ capital bond this year.
District leaders reported a 44.4% rise in inflation related to projects in the second phase of AAPS’ campaign just over six years after voters approved a $1 billion capital bond.
Initially budgeting for a 2.1% rise, the 32% higher-than-expected difference will reportedly send officials back to the drawing board as they wait for the outcome of a sinking fund renewal request expected to go before voters in the months ahead.
Crews broke ground in 2025 on new buildings to replace Dicken, Logan, Mitchell and Thurston elementary schools, as well as the modernization of Slauson Middle School.
However, a host of other projects were penciled in for the second phase through 2030.
Here are a few takeaways about what the change means for local taxpayers and the AAPS community.
 

The price tag for a proposed rebuild of Madison Park High School in Boston may seem shocking with an estimate reaching $700 million — here’s a look at some of Massachusetts most expensive school builds and how costs have skyrocketed in recent years.

The ten largest school building projects have all received approval from the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) and local communities since 2018, ranging from $285 million to over $659 million for a Lexington High School project moving forward last year.

New pre-K through eighth grade schools, early childhood programs in high schools and campus closures are some of the many options the Clark County School District could consider to address a school facility funding shortfall, according to a new report.
Clark County School Board trustees will hear district officials Wednesday present a report on preliminary draft options to best optimize how the district’s 374 school buildings are used.
While the report floats hundreds of ideas, additional materials in the meeting’s agenda show some of the most referenced options are:
— Continuing school renovations and replacements that are already planned.
— Converting select elementary and middle schools into pre-K through eighth grade schools.
— Opening new pre-K through eighth grade schools.
— Constructing additions to existing schools to relieve overcrowding.
— Establishing new pre-K programs at high schools.
— Creating new “choice” programs at existing elementary and middle schools.
— Closing and rezoning select elementary and middle schools.
 

The School District of Philadelphia has revised its proposed $2.8 billion Facilities Master Plan, reducing the number of recommended school closures from 20 to 18 and removing Russell Conwell Middle School and Motivation High School from the list.

The updated proposal was presented during a public Board of Education meeting that drew more than a thousand attendees, with overflow space used to accommodate the crowd. Community members gathered outside district headquarters before the meeting, chanting “save our schools,” as board members reviewed the revisions.

Under the revised plan, Russell Conwell Middle School will remain open. Instead of closing the Kensington school, the district now plans for students from Lewis Elkin Elementary School to feed into Conwell to increase enrollment.

Roanoke City Public Schools plans to install solar-powered microgrids to store and distribute power for both of its high school buildings. The upgrades will be fully financed by a mixture of state funding and a private grant, and, combined with solar panel installations, are estimated to save millions of dollars in energy costs over the next few decades at a time when city budget cuts have created a $16.5 million annual budget deficit for Roanoke’s schools.

The project is part of a broader multi-year shift to solar energy by the school division, its director of communications Claire Mitzel told the Virginia Independent in a phone interview. 

The School District of La Crosse hosted a groundbreaking ceremony at the site of the former Hogan Administrative Center.
The ceremony marks the official start of construction on a brand-new elementary school that will bring together students and staff from Emerson and Spence Elementary Schools.
A $53 million referendum was approved in 2024 to consolidate the elementary schools.
Superintendent Aaron Engel says the district has sought this for years, and officials are excited to see the project finally come to fruition.
“We knew that we had declining enrollment. We knew that we had to do something about our aging facilities. We’ve spent a lot of time in the office drafting plans. It’s really neat to finally be able to break ground and get started on the actual construction,” says Engel.
Director of elementary education Shelly Shirel says it took everyone from school officials, to partners and community members to get this project to where it is now.
“The three story elementary school that will emerge from this spot will be more than a building. It will reflect collaboration, thoughtful planning, and our shared commitment to students and community. It will be a place where students, staff, and our community can grow, explore, and thrive together,” says Shirel.
Along with officials from the school and city, students from Emerson and Spence Elementary also joined the ceremony for their future school building.
 

An elementary school playground in Clinton Township is showing signs of serious wear, and parents say children are still using the equipment despite visible rust and cracked plastic.

Brittney Beardsley said she told her 4-year-old daughter, Teagan, to stay away from the playground because of the damage.

Beardsley said she reported the damage to the school but saw no repairs, which led her to contact us for help.

“I want them to fix it. I want them to take care of our kids. I’ve been home since COVID hit, since they went virtual, and I’m home with my kids every day because I don’t trust other people to watch my kids. I’m supposed to be able to trust the school, and I can’t even do that,” said Beardsley.

Local 4 reached out to Clinton Valley Elementary School and sent photos of the damage.

The Newark Board of Education is steering $6.3 million in state funds to repairs at two city high schools as part of efforts to maintain the district’s decades-old buildings.

The board on Thursday approved the bulk of the money — $6 million — for repairs at Technology High School, while just under $350,000 will go to Weequahic High School. The funds come from a Schools Development Authority grant that allocated $6,349,715 to Newark this fiscal year for urgent building needs and to prevent further deterioration. The SDA is the state agency responsible for fully funding school construction projects in Newark and 30 other high-poverty districts.

The district proposes urgent repairs and maintenance projects to the state, and once the SDA approves them, it directs funding to schools that need it. Unlike state funds for urgent repairs, the SDA decides which schools to build or renovate and manages new construction from start to finish.

On Feb. 26, Houston ISD’s board of managers unanimously voted to close 12 schools in June—a choice district leaders said will save HISD $14.6 million to $20 million.

What’s happening

Seven of the schools will be closed permanently, while the remaining schools will be co-located at a separate campus, as previously reported by Community Impact.

During the Feb. 26 special meeting, Superintendent Mike Miles said maintenance costs and declining enrollment fueled the decision to close schools. From the 2022-23 to the 2023-24 school year, the district lost roughly 13,200 students, or about 7% of its total population.

“It's a tough decision,” Miles said. “We recognize that, but we got to the point where the school facilities—to repair them is so much more expensive than replacing them at the end of the day. ... Besides the enrollment problem.”