PITTSBURGH — Several parents, students and community members rallied in front of the PPS Administration building Monday chanting, “Closed minds close schools.”
They want their message to get across to administrators with Pittsburgh Public Schools. They’re demanding more answers as to what the facilities utilization plan means for students.
“We’re not hearing the transparency,” said a woman with 412Justice, an education rights group.
Some parents said there is still a lot of confusion about what the plan entails even after going to several town halls.
“It’s all about finances and buildings and there’s really nothing in there with what’s going to happen with our kids,” said PPS parent Jessie Merlin.
The plan takes a look at a number of schools operating at a capacity of 50% or less. As enrollment continues to decline and the school district’s massive budget gap grows, administrators have repeatedly said school closures are possible but won’t say that for sure.
“I want you to know our approach did not identify any schools for closure. This does not mean that will not happen,” Superintendent Dr. Wayne Walters said in a video posted to the PPS website.
Jessie Merlin has two daughters who go to Woolslair Elementary, a school that’s been saved from the chopping block before. She said closing schools would only hurt students’ education.
 

Schools across Pennsylvania can now receive free assistance in applying for funds for solar enhancements.
Pennsylvania’s General Assembly and Gov. Josh Shapiro recently passed ‘Solar for Schools,’ a bill that aims to fund solar energy projects throughout Pennsylvania, including public K-12 schools, community colleges, and career technical schools. In addition to the passing of this bill, $25 million from the state budget will be utilized to fund the program to allow schools to transition to solar energy.
Schools can access funds through the GET Solar Schools program, which is led by the Pennsylvania Solar Center, a nonprofit that aims to provide trusted guidance and help Pennsylvanians enter a clean energy economy.
According to the PA Solar Center, roughly 5 percent of Pennsylvania schools have already gone solar, offsetting between 65% and 110% of their previous energy costs per year. Some have even eliminated their energy bills, and receive revenue for excess energy that they reinvest back into their classrooms.
 

NEWPORT — Despite mitigation efforts, a surprise spike in PCB levels at North Country Union High School has district leaders worrying the school might not be able to open on time — or at all — this coming school year.

An expedited $5 million mitigation and abatement project is underway at the school over the summer. But whether those efforts will be effective, and what state health officials will ultimately decide about school operations, remains unknown. 

“This puts the opening of school in person on time in jeopardy,” Chris Young, the high school’s principal, told VTDigger last week. “The most important thing to us is that we get kids back on time, in person.”

Last year, elevated PCB levels resulted in limited access to some parts of the school’s “C-wing,” part of the school primarily dedicated to North Country Career Center. The district undertook a nearly $500,000 mitigation project last Christmas that, based on later testing, appeared ineffective. 

The more recent tests, from late this spring, showed elevated levels in “B-wing,” the academic hub of the school, stoking fear that students might have limited access or no access at all to even more classrooms. 

A group of educators, staff and parents are suing the West Contra Costa Unified School District (WCCUSD) for failing to address poor building conditions, teacher vacancies and violating the rights of students, particularly Black, lower-income and multilingual learners.

The lawsuit, filed late Friday by civil rights law firm Public Advocates and pro bono counsel Munger, Tolles & Olson, comes months after 48 Williams complaints were submitted to the district. It’s the first time a school district has been sued under the landmark Williams v. California settlement in 2004, which established the complaint process, the right to textbooks, clean, safe schools, and qualified teachers for all California public school students, said Karissa Provenza, Public Advocates attorney.

“The petitioners in the case are seeking a court order to compel WCCUSD to immediately remedy these violations, respond to complainants, and finally provide students with the safe and healthy school environment to which they are entitled,” a statement from Public Advocates said.

NORMAL — For the 12 weeks of summer break, school teachers prep their upcoming classes, students enjoy what freedom they can, families go on vacation and administrators hammer down plans for the upcoming year. 
But maintenance technicians have to sprint through whatever repairs and upgrades the actual school buildings need in a very short amount of time while the buildings remain mostly empty.
"We have 148 projects this summer to do in 45 working days," said Tom Rockwell, operations manager for McLean County Unit 5.
The maintenance staff of 13 has roughly three projects a day to complete this summer between school years. 
Those projects include everything from installing portable classrooms, repairing geothermal water pumps, refinishing basketball courts and pools, all the way down to painting offices, Rockwell said.
 

BESSEMER, Ala. —
As the state school superintendent decides whether to intervene and take over the Bessemer City School System, Bessemer board members are moving forward, looking at their capital budget plan for the next five years.
Many schools in the district are in rough shape. Some have failing ceiling tiles, and officials often have to bring in portable air conditioners to keep students cool.
But if the state takes over, the work they put in on their five-year plan may not matter.
Greenwood Elementary School is 90 years old, built before air conditioning. So, it and Abrams Elementary have been retrofitted with a boiler for heat and a chiller for cooling.
Now, the Capital Improvements Committee discussed possibly spending right at $3 million to make repairs and upgrades to the two schools.
School Board President Lee Jones said, “Rather than, like I have mentioned before, to keep putting money into these old buildings, we need to build a new building. We may be able to consolidate some schools to eliminate some of these old buildings.”
But that doesn't address the hot classrooms students could return to in a few weeks.
 

Later this summer, states will find out if they'll get millions of dollars to reduce planet-warming pollution. The money comes from the Inflation Reduction Act the Democrats and President Biden pushed through Congress two years ago. Earlier this year, states submitted plans for how to lower emissions, but every state has a different idea of what that looks like. In one conservative state, the plan is largely about schools. Here's Ellis Juhlin with Montana Public Radio.

ELLIS JUHLIN, BYLINE: The high school in Big Sandy, Mont., was built in the 1930s and is in desperate need of upgrades to make it energy efficient, including a new boiler.

DAN SCHROCK: It's so bad that we actually have to turn our heat off to try to regulate the heat as opposed to simply turning the thermostats down.

JUHLIN: This is superintendent Dan Schrock.

SCHROCK: You can only do more with less for so long before you're actually doing less with less, and then you're compounding the actual cost of that deferred maintenance down the road.

JUHLIN: Big Sandy isn't alone. Many districts can't pay for major updates without help. But a coalition of environmental groups and retired teachers see the need for updating schools as an opportunity to help the state reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

WINONA RACHEL: At some point, we're going to have to deal with it.

MODESTO, Calif. — There was no silent reading time at James C. Enochs High School in Modesto Thursday. Instead, the on-campus scene involved cones, caution tape, scissor lifts and drills.
"We’re painting the exterior and we’re also adding a solar array in the front large student parking lot," said Roger Orth, senior director of Maintenance and Operations for Modesto City Schools. "We’re also adding a synthetic track and field."
The ruckus doesn't stop at Enochs High School.
"In the 36 years I have been in the school district, we've never done anything close to what we're doing right now," Orth said. "We have 34 total schools. Most of our campuses have work going on right now and that includes new gyms, cafeterias, solar projects and shop buildings."
With just 26 days until the hard hats are replaced with backpacks for the Aug. 13 start of the fall semester, it’s crunch time.
"All the projects that entail having instructional space ready for the start of school... those will all be ready for school to start," Orth said. "These other projects will run into the fall and sometimes beyond the fall."
 

Liberty County Board of Education members may be taking a look at increasing the fees charged for use of school facilities.

But not all members are apparently eager to put new fees in place.

School system officials proposed raising fees for use of buildings, gymnasiums and athletic fields. The existing fee structure for district facilities has not changed since 2006, according to school system officials. Meanwhile, electrical costs have increased 22% in the last two years, water and sewer costs have gone up 40% in the last 10 years and labor costs have risen 46% in the last 10 years.

“We’re not trying to make any money. We’re trying to offset the cost we have,” Superintendent Dr. Franklin Perry told board members.

School system officials recommended the facility use fee hike to cover operational expenses because current fees were not covering the costs of hosting events, they said.

Most Idaho school districts want their new facilities money all at once.
House Bill 521, passed into law this year, will deliver $1 billion to schools for facilities upgrades, and districts have the option to take their share in a lump sum or in annualized installments over the next decade. 
The $1 billion comes from state bonds, part of a total $1.5 billion investment in school facilities through HB 521. The Department of Education — which is responsible for distributing the funds — doesn’t yet have concrete data on school districts’ preferred method for receiving the money. 
“But everything we’re hearing from schools anecdotally is that most plan to take the lump sum payment,” said Scott Graf, communications director for the department. 
That includes large and small districts. Murtaugh School District — enrollment 388 — plans to take the lump sum, said Superintendent Michele Capps. Same goes for the Lewiston Independent School District, which has 4,512 students. 
Lewiston will receive about $17 million from HB 521. The money is slated for upgrades to windows and doors along with potential building expansions that would give programs, such as orchestra, more space, according to Lewiston Superintendent Lance Hansen.
Hansen said there are a couple reasons that the lump sum is more advantageous. First, districts can maximize the value of the money in the short term. Facilities construction and maintenance costs increase regularly, making far-off expenses difficult to predict. 
“We’ve seen projects escalate 10, 15, 20% just in a year,” Hansen said. 
At the same time, inflation is driving down the value of the dollar, meaning $1.7 million — what Lewiston would receive in 10-year installments — won’t go as far in years to come if inflation persists.
 

Wake County system schools will need to operate a “fire watch” after inspectors discovered more than two dozen schools’ fire alarms could no longer signal needed maintenance to school staff.

The school system has been operating under a fire watch since Wednesday, the school system announced Thursday. That means a staff member walks the entire building searching for fires when the buildings are occupied. They can’t do any other tasks, per state law on fire watches.

The problems with the fire alarms don’t affect how they function when a fire is detected; the alarm would still sound and sprinklers would still go off, the announcement states. However, the affected alarms can currently only signal a need for maintenance — similar to how a home smoke detector beeps when it needs new batteries — to off-campus officials.

America’s teachers often supplement meager classroom stipends with their own money to purchase everything from markers and cleaning supplies to snacks and toiletries for students who struggle with access to those items at home. This summer, for too many teachers, that list will grow to include fans, bottled water, digital room thermometers, and other supplies to combat high temperatures that make it impossible for kids to focus and pose serious risks to their health.1 This need will only grow as heat waves become more frequent, widespread, and intense across the country. For child care providers and early educators working with very young children, many of whom operate out of their homes, dealing with the impacts of extreme heat will be even more challenging.

As global climate change progresses, extreme heat is becoming an increasing concern for the children, teachers, and staff across the country who are left unprotected by aging schools and child care facilities.2 Researchers expect the United States to see an increase of nearly a month’s worth of annual extreme heat days by 2050 relative to 1976–2005, with much of the Southeast experiencing an increase of 40 to 50 extreme heat days—when temperatures top 90 degrees Fahrenheit.3

CATOOSA, Okla. — Catoosa Public School board unanimously approved the dome cafeteria to act as a community storm shelter during nonschool hours.
"It really is nice, especially last time when the clouds were looking so terrible. I was like, ‘Where are we going to go?’ so now that I know it’s right there, pal out the emergency exit immediately," said Fredrice Shaw an employee at a neighboring business.
Shaw is also a former CPS student who is proud of the school's decision.
 
"Last time we went to Walmart and we just kind of snuck out in the back room so I think it’s pretty cool that they’re doing that," said Shaw.
It’s giving the community more peace of mind. The building has been at the school for a bit but can offer more.
"It’s been FEMA-approved since 2016 when it was built. But it’s been used primarily by our students and staff during school hours. What we wanted to do was use it outside of school hours for our community," said Assistant Superintendent Timothy Ray.
The building is opening its doors to the community. However, there are a couple of caveats. It will only be open to the public after school hours.
 

The Prince George’s County Council passed a resolution Tuesday that will allow several new schools to be built through a public-private partnership. The same resolution failed last week.

The decision went down to the wire, as the funding deal had to be approved by the end of the month and Tuesday was the last day before the council went on break.

The county executive’s P3 school construction deal will fast-track building eight new schools, using $850 million in state funds.

Last week, several council members abstained from the vote.

Supporters held a news conference to make sure it got through this time.

“We don’t play when it comes to our kids,” District 2 council member Wanika Fisher said. “And we don’t play when it comes to our children in District 2. But I have colleagues that don’t mind playing with our kids’ future for politics.”

If it failed again, supporters say, the project would have been in jeopardy and the county stood to lose millions of dollars to build those schools.

MARION — A five-year facility plan for Linn-Mar schools that began in 2022 included construction of a new administration building, a larger performance venue and an indoor athletic center added to the high school, among other projects.
The cost estimate for all the projects at the time was between $48 and $60 million, which included design fees, construction costs and equipment expenses.
After the new administration building is finished this fall, the plan is to renovate its former space at the Learning Resource Center, 2999 N. 10th St. in Marion, as additional space for Linn-Mar High School and for other academic programs.
The Learning Resource Center was built in 1948 when 17 one-room rural schools joined together to become the Marion Rural Independent School. It was renamed Linn-Mar in 1959. The center currently houses the administrative offices for the district as well as the COMPASS Alternative High School and Venture Academics Program, a project-based learning program.
Funding for the five-year plan will come from the following streams:
 

Twenty-two children have died and at least 132 have been injured after a school building collapsed in Nigeria’s central Plateau state, local officials say.
Saint Academy in the state capital Jos caved in while students were in class on Friday morning. Children were left trapped under the debris.
Volunteers used excavators, hammers and their bare hands to break through the piles of concrete and twisted iron rods to reach many of those trapped.
Police told reporters that at least 22 children had died in the collapse, with many more receiving treatment in local hospitals.

CLOVIS, Calif. (KFSN) -- As students soak up the summer, staff is hard at work in the Clovis Unified School District.

With kids out of class, crews are working to keep schools in tip-top shape.

Cole Elementary School has plastic-wrapped windows and doors.

Without kids on campus, crews are using the summertime to give it a new coat of paint.

"This is when we get all of our heavy lifting done," Asst. Superintendent Facility Services Denver Stairs said.

This is just one of multiple "deferred maintenance projects" going on across the Clovis Unified School District.

Stairs says the site will also receive new roofing this summer.

He says district-wide, there's always a running list of items that need to be maintained to keep all facilities in working order.

"If you think about it in terms of your house, it's just normal maintenance that we need to do, and so we try to stay up on that," Stairs said.

When it doesn't happen, major issues can pop up, like last year at Clovis High when there was a power failure.

SOUTH PLAINFIELD, NJ -  South Plainfield Schools will receive two grants from the New Jersey Schools Development Authority’s (SDA) Regular Operating District (ROD) program. 

The grant funding, which totals a little over $1.3 million, will go specifically toward roof upgrade projects at Roosevelt Elementary and the Roosevelt Pre-K Annex, which will open this fall at the Leonard A. Tobias Administration Building. 

“This funding opportunity allows the South Plainfield School District to save a significant amount of money,” said Business Administrator Alex Benanti, adding, “Work on the roofs began this past week and is expected to be complete in early August.”

HOUSTON — The Houston Independent School District is reporting that dozens of its campuses sustained damage when Hurricane Beryl tore through Southeast Texas on Monday.

The district reported that an "overwhelming majority" of its schools lost power during the storm and around 70 of them were still without power as of Friday morning. HISD highlighted that there were downed trees at roughly 50 of its campuses and around 60 of its campuses had roof or structural damage.

Madison School District 12 and Venice School District 3 began discussing a proposal to consolidate during special meetings each board of education held Wednesday evening. At the meetings, local education officials gave a presentation on the benefits of a potential merger to the two Madison County school boards and community members.
Madison District 12 is a pre-K through 12th grade district with an elementary school and combined junior high and high school. Its enrollment was about 675 at the end of the 2023-24 school year. Venice District 3 is a pre-K through eighth grade district consisting of an elementary school that enrolled about 67 students at the end of the 2023-24 school year. It is currently building a new school to serve up to 160 students with a $26 million emergency construction grant from the state after the former school was condemned in 2020 due to structural issues. Venice High School closed in 2004 with an enrollment of 58 after a voter referendum, according to past BND reporting.