Feb. 15—CHEYENNE — The construction of school facility projects has long been funded at the state level, but lawmakers in the Wyoming Senate now suggest passing that off to the local districts.

A joint resolution introduced in the Senate on Thursday calls for an amendment to the state constitution, which would transfer the responsibility for all school facility construction projects to local school districts. Senate Joint Resolution 5, "School capital construction-constitutional amendment," was sponsored and introduced on the floor by Sen. Charles Scott, R-Casper.

"Our current system really is not going to work any longer," Scott said. "As a practical matter, we've got to do something differently."

Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Wednesday announced a “long overdue” plan to build new facilities to better serve deaf, blind and visually-impaired students at historic but dilapidated schools in Little Rock. 

The disrepair of the Arkansas School for the Deaf and the Arkansas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired was highlighted last fall when the governor and a group of bipartisan lawmakers toured the facilities, which are located about a mile west of the state Capitol.

“We will invest significant resources to build a new state-of-the-art facility on the current campus, combine administrative functions and provide additional high-quality instruction on a regional basis,” Sanders said. “And we’re going to prioritize student safety and happiness so that ASD and ASB will thrive as they were intended to right here in the heart of our capital city.” 

Sanders said there will be further discussions about construction and funding, and while there’s not yet a specific timeline for the project, she said the goal is to work as quickly as possible. 

The state has received some estimates on the project, Sanders said, and the Legislature previously set aside roughly $30 million in 2022 for the schools.

PORT ANGELES — The Port Angeles School District’s aging infrastructure has been kept in good working order through regular preventive maintenance and responding promptly to emergency repairs, Superintendent Marty Brewer told the board.
Nonetheless, five schools that are between 45 and 70 years old have deteriorated to the point where they need to be replaced.
“We have a responsibility to address our facilities’ needs before it gets to the point where we don’t have solutions,” Brewer said during a review of the district’s 30-year plan on Thursday.
Brewer’s presentation and that of Nolan Duce, director of maintenance and facilities, were preludes to the district’s intention in November to ask voters to support a bond issue that would fund construction of new Port Angeles High and Franklin Elementary schools.
The board would need to approve such a measure and it has not yet been presented with one.
 

The Shoshone-Paiute Tribes of the Duck Valley Indian Reservation in northern Nevada broke ground Friday on a new school that will replace a 70-year-old building tribal leaders have linked to many cancer deaths in the community.

“It’s quite the accomplishment,” said tribal Chairman Brian Mason. “It was a big effort by just not myself, but everybody involved. And it couldn’t have benefited a better demographic group than the children. And that’s all that really matters.”

The Owyhee Combined School, where generations of tribal members were educated, sits adjacent to hydrocarbon plumes that Mason believes is the cause of more than 100 cancer cases among tribal members over the years.

In the 1950s, a maintenance shop owned by the Bureau of Indian Affairs began disposing of diesel and other oils through a shallow injection well. By the 1980s, the school’s water began tasting and smelling like fuel, according to Mason.

Although the old drinking water wells were capped and replaced by new ones, tribal leaders fear the contaminants could remain in the old school pipes.

The Madison School Board on Monday discussed its plan to transition the school district to 100% renewable energy by 2040 — a goal that will likely require revisions given the scale of the proposed changes.
The necessary updates to district buildings, which would focus on electrifying heating systems, will cost around $1 billion. These upgrades would be made alongside other building renovations.
Most of this money would be generated through regular referendums, which could potentially begin as soon as November 2024 and last through 2044, according to board materials. Other money would come from fundraising or federal grants, according to Bob Soldner, the district’s assistant superintendent for financial services.
“I think it’s fair to say the majority of these funds are going to need to be approved by voters, but there could clearly be other fundraising to supplement what voters would approve,” Soldner told the Wisconsin State Journal Monday.
 

Flood control measures installed to protect Valley High School and its campus, including the New Kensington-Arnold School District’s football stadium, are overdue for needed maintenance.

A debris basin at the upper end of the campus is 80% full and “minimally functioning,” said Jim Pillsbury, a hydraulic engineer with the Westmoreland Conservation District.

A dozen V-shaped deflectors in Little Pucketa Creek, made from rocks and intended to help the stream keep itself clean as it flows past the school, also need maintenance, he said.

And while the district is working to replace the twin pedestrian bridges over the creek, it also would be helpful if the district avails itself of the opportunity to remove sediment from the channel, which Pillsbury said there would be less of if the basin had been maintained more regularly.

School board member Bob Pallone and other district officials recently met with Pillsbury about the creek. Pallone, who returned to the board following last year’s election, heads the board’s buildings and grounds committee.

Harrisburg, PA - Recognizing that students cannot learn, grow, and thrive without access to safe and healthy school facilities, the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) today announced $75 million in grant funding to help schools to make environmental repairs and improvements. 

“Preparing and nurturing the next generation of successful Pennsylvanians starts with making sure all students have a safe, healthy environment to learn in,” said Secretary Dr. Khalid N. Mumin. “These grants help school districts make necessary upgrades and repairs to their buildings and learning spaces to ensure that our students and school staff have safe air to breathe, water to drink, and classrooms to learn in.”

Eliminating lead and asbestos along with other environmental contaminants in schools lowers cumulative exposure across childhood, leads to better cognitive and overall health outcomes for children, and increases the likelihood of academic and career success.

In fall 2023, the leaders of the Milton Town School District unveiled the design for its new elementary and middle school. 
The existing Milton Elementary School was first built in the 1950s to serve grades 1-6 and expanded piecemeal over the following decades, eventually becoming the district’s pre-K-8 school. 
By 2020, the oldest parts of the building had long been showing their age. A perennial mold problem had plagued the school for decades, and the school boilers were on their last legs. Leaders said upgrades were sorely needed.
The initial cost estimate of almost $200 million gave the community pause, but it was the challenges of the current annual budget cycle that ultimately led the district to table the much-needed project this year. 
The latest projections indicate that property taxes could increase statewide by an average of 20% next year. That figure, local and statewide school officials have said, is largely due to ballooning health care costs, maintenance and student mental health needs resulting in higher education spending, with less federal support available as a result of expiring Covid-era relief funding. 
Some are also pointing fingers at Act 127, a new law taking effect this budget season that changes the way statewide education funding is distributed. Its purpose is, in short, to direct more funding to schools with pupils who are more expensive to teach, such as English language learners, rural students and students living in poverty.
 

Here in Hawaii, our Department of Education is unique in several respects.  In most states, K-12 education is handled by localities such as towns and counties and is largely funded by property tax.  Our DOE, however, is descended from royalty – it was established by King Kamehameha III in 1840 – and it now runs education statewide.  No property tax is used to fund education; our state constitution now says that the property tax is the exclusive kuleana of the counties.

The DOE also is unique in that it is the only state agency with the power to impose a tax.  (Even the Department of Taxation only administers and enforces taxes imposed by laws enacted by the legislature.)  The tax that DOE imposes is called the school impact fee.  We have written about it before.  Basically, developers of housing projects are required to provide land for school facilities depending on the number of kids that the projects are expected to house and the amount of capacity (or lack thereof) in the schools that now serve those projects.  Builders in the same districts that are too small to be expected to provide land are required to cough up some money instead.  In addition, all home builders or buyers must pay a construction cost fee.

BAY CITY, Mich. (WNEM) - Heading to the polls in just over two weeks, voters will decide if they want to keep paying to help one school district maintain and care for its buildings.
Voters in Bay City approved the millage when it first appeared on the ballot in 2018 with 56 percent saying yes and 44 percent no.
The Bay City Public Schools Superintendent, Stephen Bigelow, said he’s hoping for the same outcome this time around.
“Something that is incredibly important for Bay City Public Schools,” Bigelow said about a 10-year renewal of the sinking fund millage.
He said voters renewing the sinking fund millage through 2034 is vital to the school district.
“What a sinking fund does is, it provides districts with money that they can count on to put specifically towards maintenance and care of facilities,” he explained.
If approved, the sinking fund millage will bring in about $1.4 million annually for the upkeep of 13 buildings in the school district.
“Our newest building is 50-years-old and our oldest building, Bay City Central, is over 100-years-old, so they take a lot of care,” Bigelow said. “We certainly want to make sure that we’re keeping all of our buildings up to spec and making sure that things are looking good and working properly.”
 

KATY, TX (Covering Katy News) – The Katy Independent School District was awarded $391,502 this year as part of the CenterPoint Energy SCORE (Schools Conserving Resources and Energy) Program for its energy-saving efforts throughout the district. This figure represents a substantial increase of nearly $140,000 compared to the amount received at the same time last year.

With the opening of each new school, renovations to existing campuses, incorporating new Building Automation Systems, and replacing essential components such as HVAC systems, lighting, chillers, and boilers, these decisions and enhancements have proven cost-effective and energy-efficient.

“We take immense pride in the great strides we have been able to make to reduce energy consumption district-wide,” said Ted Vierling, Chief Operations Officer at Katy ISD. “The energy-saving practices implemented across our schools and facilities are a testament to Katy ISD’s responsible stewardship of taxpayer funds. As part of our ongoing effort, we will continue to pursue Energy Star Certifications for all our schools."

Idaho Republican leaders introduced a bill Thursday that would provide $1.5 billion in new funding over 10 years for school districts to repair and replace their aging and overcrowded school buildings — a proposal they said would mark the largest investment in school facilities in state history.
The bill would create the School Modernization Facilities Fund, which districts could use for construction and maintenance needs. It would also provide money through an existing fund to help school districts pay off their bonds and levies, which are used to finance school facilities and district operating costs.
School districts across Idaho have for decades faced challenges to fixing or replacing their aging, deteriorating schools and to building new ones to accommodate growth. Last year, an Idaho Statesman and ProPublica series showed how the state’s restrictive school funding policies and the Legislature’s reluctance to make significant investments in school facilities have challenged teachers and affected student learning. Some students have had to learn in schools with leaky ceilings, discolored water, failing plumbing and freezing classrooms.
During Gov. Brad Little’s State of the State address earlier this year, he announced he wanted to make funding for school facilities “priority No. 1.” He proposed putting $2 billion toward school facilities over 10 years, or $200 million per year.
 

The Paradise Valley Unified School District Governing Board approved on Thursday night to close three schools because of lack of enrollment.

The board voted 4-1 to eliminate Sunset Canyon Elementary, Desert Springs Preparatory and Vista Verde Middle School. The closures will happen for the 2024-2025 school year. The measure also includes redoing the boundaries for Desert Trails Elementary School and Sonoran Sky Elementary School. Hidden Hills Elementary was on the chopping block but the Governing Board voted against closing that school.

Here are the new proposed school changes:
Consolidate Sunset Canyon Elementary students with Eagle Ridge Elementary School
Consolidate Desert Springs Preparatory Elementary School with North Ranch Elementary School, Liberty Elementary School and Desert Shadows Elementary School
Consolidate Vista Verde Middle School students with Greenway Middle School and Sunrise Middle School
Proposed boundary changes:
Reboundary Desert Trails Elementary School east of 56th St. to Pinnacle Peak Preparatory (north of Deer Valley) and Grayhawk Elementary School (south of Deer Valley)
Reboundary Sonoran Sky Elementary School triangle west of Scottsdale Rd. to North Ranch Elementary School

School districts can now access uncapped, noncompetitive and unlimited direct payment in lieu of federal tax credits to finance clean energy initiatives like solar panels, ground source heat pumps and electric buses. 

These investments can result in reduced costs and air pollution and provide resilient infrastructure, said those supportive of the new initiative. 

Known as the ”direct pay″ provision in the Inflation Reduction Act, the program allows tax-exempt entities like schools to receive tax-free cash payment for qualifying projects for the tax year their clean energy initiatives were put into service. This funding can be combined with other revenue sources, such as grants and utility rebates, and covers projects that began service after Jan. 1, 2023.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (WFXR)—U.S. Senator Tim Kaine cosponsored a bill to improve public school infrastructure across the country.

The bill, ‘Rebuild America’s Schools Act,’ would help ensure school facilities are safe, healthy, and sustainable and offer positive learning environments for all students. School infrastructure projects developed through the bill would also create over two million jobs across America.

“Our students and educators deserve the safe, healthy, and up-to-date learning environments they need to succeed,” said Senator Kaine. “This bill will help make much-needed infrastructure upgrades to schools in Virginia while boosting our economy and creating millions of jobs.”

More than 100 schools in England with dangerous concrete will need to have blocks rebuilt or refurbished, the Government has announced.

The Department for Education (DfE) published a final list of 234 schools with reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac) on Thursday.

They include 119 of schools where one or more buildings need to be rebuilt or refurbished through the Government’s School Rebuilding Programme.

A further 110 schools and colleges where the presence of Raac was found to be less extensive will receive a grant to help them remove the concrete.

Hundreds of schools and colleges in England have been identified as having the crumbly concrete in some areas of their buildings since the Government first raised the alarm in August last year about the risk of buildings collapsing.

The Columbus Board of Education has appointed 28 people to a community task force that will make recommendations to the board in four months on which schools to close and consolidate.

Those appointed to the task force represent a cross-section of the community, and include the president of the Columbus teachers union, religious leaders, a Near East Side barber and community leader, representatives of Columbus City Council and Mayor Andrew Ginther, five students and even some nonresidents of the district.

The task force members the school board approved during its Tuesday meeting, in alphabetical order by last name, are:

The School Facilities Authority is in search of a new leader after its former executive director, Chad Farias, resigned from his position at the end of last month. 
SFA’s board appointed Riki Fujitani as interim executive director Tuesday. Fujitani previously served as director of the Office of Facilities and Operations’ auxiliary service branch within the Department of Education. 
Fujitani’s effective start date has yet to be determined, said SFA Board Chair Alan Oshima during Tuesday’s meeting. 
“There’s a huge amount of promise and money associated with the SFA at this moment that needs to be back on track as soon as possible,” Fujitani said following his appointment on Tuesday.  
When SFA was created in 2020, it was intended to oversee schools’ capital improvement projects. In a December interview, Farias said the agency has primarily focused on constructing projects for charter schools and the state’s public pre-kindergarten program so far. 
The agency had plans to take responsibility for all of the CIP funds allocated for public school facilities within the next two years, Farias said at the time. 
 

WASHINGTON, N.C. (WNCT) — In Beaufort County, the school system is moving forward with its plans to build a new school.

The Board of Education held a joint meeting with the county commissioners on Wednesday for the announcement. Beaufort County is getting a $42 million grant from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. They applied for the needs-based school grant back in December.

State Superintendent Catherine Truitt was in town on Wednesday, letting the district know they were awarded that grant. It will allow them to build a consolidated school in Washington. This will combine Eastern Elementary and John Cotten Tayloe, creating a pre-K through third-grade school.

“When I saw this application come across my desk, I saw the age of the buildings they are currently in and knew these kids were having to constantly transition between the two buildings,” said Truitt. “I thought to myself this was a special application.”

Beaufort County Superintendent Matthew Cheeseman said this new school will be safer for students with one entry point. It’ll also be a space where students can learn better.

“Going into a learning environment where one it’s all-inclusive inside of the same building, you don’t have to leave one building to go to another to the gym or restroom,” Cheeseman said. “To walk out of buildings that were built in the 1960s and really advance into today’s innovative society is going to be great.”

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Richmond Public Schools recently rolled out a new facility audit system and a newly proposed budget to help address significant maintenance concerns — but it’s possible the funding simply won’t be there.
From air conditioning to fire alarm issues — Several Richmond families have expressed concerns that their students’ classrooms are unsafe.
Richmond parent Adiel Chavarria, whose children attend Elizabeth Redd Elementary School, said his child became sick due to recent air conditioning problems.
“Kids and teachers stay in the school 100 degrees all day, all seasons,” Chavarria said.
However, Chavarria said Elizabeth Redd Elementary is not the only place he has heard of these concerns, with other schools throughout the city needing repairs.
“We have aging facilities — we’re just severely underfunded year over year,” said Dana Fox, Chief Operating Officer at Richmond Public Schools. “So it’s hard to stay ahead of it.”