GILLETTE, Wyo. — Wyoming’s School Facilities Commission will vote at its June 7 and 8 meeting in Buffalo on emergency rules to adopt changes to the state’s School Facility Condition Assessment process.
The meeting will take place at Johnson County School District #1, located at 601 W. Lott in Buffalo.
Legislators established the commission in 2002 to ensure adequate, equitable primary and secondary school facilities in Wyoming. The governor appoints commissioners, while legislators approve them.
In the 2022 Budget Session, Wyoming legislators decided to appropriate $4 million for the new School Facility Condition Assessment, according to the meeting packet. During this year’s legislative session, lawmakers eliminated the consolidated remediation schedule, which goes into effect in July. They changed state laws around charter schools that require the department to determine whether school districts have sufficient space for such a school. These changes require rules updates.
The School Facilities Division of the State Construction Department recommends the state’s School
Facilities Commission complete the following, the meeting packet said:
Adopt the Emergency Rules draft the Department has presented to the School Facilities
Commission and request the Governor not sign them into effect until on or after July 1,
2023, when the statutory changes take effect with regards to the consolidated remediation
schedule;
 

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. 

Just a day after Pittsburgh Public Schools rolled out an extreme heat protocol for schools without air conditioning, the district announced that 40 schools will transition to remote learning as temperatures are expected to spike later this week.

On Tuesday, Superintendent Wayne Walters announced a new Extreme Heat Protocol for schools without sufficient air conditioning systems, which guide heat-related closures and other decisions. By Wednesday, the district said 40 facilities would go to remote learning for the remainder of the week due to hot forecasted temperatures

According to the National Weather Service, temperatures in Pittsburgh may surge up to 90 degrees on Thursday and up to 94 degrees Friday. 

Mr. Walters’ new protocol guides the district to monitor the temperature inside school facilities when outside temperatures are forecasted for one or more days to exceed 85℉ and/or a heat index of 90℉ or higher, per the National Weather Services. With that monitoring, the district will make a decision on whether to temporarily shift to remote learning.

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.

As California grapples with how to deal with heat waves made more intense by climate change, schools in the state may soon have to come up with plans for cooling down outside play areas by planting more trees and replacing surfaces like asphalt that swelter on hot days.

The state Senate passed the legislation that would require public and charter schools and districts to strategize on how to introduce more shade on campus, plant gardens and replace surfaces that hold on to a lot of heat with alternatives such as grass and wood chips. They have a 2027 deadline to start implementing their plans.

"We needed this a long time ago," said state Sen. Caroline Menjivar, a Democrat representing the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County. "We are making up for the decades of delay that we're in right now."

Only a handful of state senators voted against the bill. It would still need approval in the state Assembly.

The bill is a starting point that will set schools up for any future, stricter legislation that could mandate how they have to mitigate heat, Menjivar said.

One of the most significant institutions of Black education in the United States was the Rosenwald School, a local school developed in part through the philanthropy of Julius Rosenwald. Although many of the physical schools no longer remain in Arkansas, their legacy survives through the students educated in them.

Julius Rosenwald was born in 1862 in Springfield, Ill., to Jewish immigrant parents. He never finished high school or attended college but went into the clothing business instead in 1878. He invested $35,000 in the stock of Sears, Roebuck and Co. in 1895, and in a little more than 30 years, it grew into $150,000,000. He became president of the company in 1908 and chairman in 1922. Rosenwald became a trustee of Tuskegee Institute in Alabama in 1912 and made gifts to the rural school movement being carried out by the institute, primarily through close contact with his friend Booker T. Washington, whose autobiography, "Up From Slavery," inspired his philanthropic vision. Washington had a goal of providing safe, purpose-built school buildings for Black students, and Rosenwald wholeheartedly supported Washington's dream.

Rosenwald believed that a philanthropist should focus on expendable rather than endowment resources. He felt that donors needed to make sure that their contributions would make the most impact within their lifetimes. The needs and problems of future generations, he believed, should be left to the philanthropists of the future to solve.

This legislative session brings hope for improved education funding in our state. Gov. Joe Lombardo’s proposed budget calls for an increase of $2 billion dollars in state appropriations for K-12 education over the biennium, and legislators are considering this critical proposal now. Nevada’s Economic Forum recently provided increased projection of $250 million in state coffers as well. However, even in this remarkable economic landscape, many school districts will continue to face longstanding and enormous challenges in meeting the needs of their students. 

For the White Pine County School District, the persistent challenge is seen in our ability to construct new facilities. New construction may seem to be a vanity project to some or secondary to providing quality education to others, but neither is the case for our district. Though we have worked for years to address this, many of our facilities lack the essential characteristics necessary to serve our students and their families, retain qualified instructional staff and provide the safety and accommodation that any family would expect to have for their children.

Because we are a rural district, many readers may not know about the conditions our students and staff face throughout the school year, especially for two of our schools: David E. Norman Elementary School and White Pine Middle School. Both of these schools are housed in charming buildings that are full of state and local history. They are also, to put it simply, inadequate and concerning. 

APPOMATTOX COUNTY, Va. (WSET) — The Virginia Board of Education has granted Appomattox County Public Schools (ACPS) a School Construction Assistance Grant worth $4.5 million.

This grant, awarded on May 11, comes as part of the statewide initiative to support school construction projects, with Appomattox being one of the 45 recipients. The Virginia Public School Construction grants are the outcome of the School Construction Assistance Program, established by Governor Glenn Youngkin during the 2022 Special Session I General Assembly, which provides a total of $450 million in state funds for fiscal year 2023. These funds aim to facilitate competitive grants for new school construction, additions, and major building renovations.

Annette Bennett, the Division Superintendent, expressed her enthusiasm regarding ACPS's successful application for the grant, which was submitted in March 2023 to aid the renovation of Appomattox County High School.

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.

The problem of "food deserts" in many parts of the United States has gained attention in recent years. Now, researchers are highlighting a similar issue: play deserts.

In a recent study, investigators at the University of Georgia found that in many areas of the country -- particularly the South -- families have few safe, free parks and playgrounds for their kids to enjoy.

That's a problem, experts said, because when kids lack those opportunities, they're more likely to stay inside and stare at screens.

It's well known that there are communities nationwide where people have a hard time getting to a grocery store or any other source of fresh, nutritious food. Those places have been dubbed food deserts, and an estimated 10% of the United States falls into that dubious category.

At least 19 children have died in a fire in the central Guyanese mining town of Mahdia, officials say.

The fire broke out just after midnight on Monday, engulfing a secondary school dormitory and trapping students.

Emergency services are struggling to contain the fire because of bad weather conditions, the government says.

Initial investigations suggest the blaze may have been started maliciously, police say - although no suspects have yet been identified.

Earlier reports had recorded the death toll as being slightly higher, with at least 20 lives lost.

Several other people have been injured and some are being prepared for evacuation to the capital, Georgetown, where a special centre has been set up.

"This is a major disaster. It is horrible, it is painful," said Guyanese President Irfaan Ali.

Seven people, including four children, were killed when a roof over a school sports field collapsed in a storm in Thailand.
The children, aged between six and 13, were playing in the open-sided building at a school in Phichit province on Monday, watched by a number of spectators.
At about 6:30pm (local time) the storm struck, according to local media, and heavy rain and high winds caused the roof to collapse suddenly.
The fatally injured adults were two parents and a cleaner, the provincial office of public relations told the AFP newswire, while 18 people were injured.
A six-year-old boy was rushed to hospital but died of his injuries.
The injured remained in two hospitals, where they were receiving treatment.
None were reported to be in a serious condition.
A video shared on the Facebook page of the local public relations office showed a twisted mess of metal, with poles and corrugated iron lying crumpled on the ground.
 

Children learn in temporary trailers because schools are short on classroom space. Teachers say they suffer stronger asthma symptoms when inside their school buildings. Waste water drips down into a teacher’s closet through a black-stained ceiling. Children hold performances, eat their lunch and take gym class in the same room — a space ill-suited for any of those roles. 

Those are just a few of the myriad problems that plague Paterson students and teachers in a district where 17 active school buildings are more than a century old, and more than 1,700 students lack adequate classroom space. 

In the final segment of its three-part series “Crumbling Schools, Struggling Students,” NorthJersey.com today focuses on the potential solutions that educators and experts have suggested across the country to tackle the staggering costs to renovate old school buildings and construct new ones, particularly in underserved, overburdened urban districts that lack the property tax base to pay for such projects on their own.

GREEN BAY ― Green Bay's Hispanic community is mobilizing, calling on the Green Bay School Board to stop a plan to close 11 schools in the Green Bay School District.
The Northeast Wisconsin Latino Education Task Force, or NEWLET, formed in late April in response to the school district's Facilities Task Force finalizing recommendations that are inequitable, according to the group.
NEWLET is worried that the proposal will put an undue burden on students of color by splitting up their communities and removing the option to easily walk to school.
"(It) impacts the quality of life of Latino students and takes away healthy walks to school by a predefined bus schedule with limited participation in sports, athletic events, musicals and other enrichment opportunities," said Amanda Garcia, the executive director of Casa Alba Melanie and the chair of NEWLET. She was also a member of the district's Facilities Task Force.
 

HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) — With another round of graduations among us, some parents face tough decisions when it comes to deciding which school their kid will go to next.
News13’s Claire Purnell spoke with a mother of two Horry County Schools students who is concerned about what next school year will look like in terms of overcrowding.
Kristie McCarthy said she is not the only parent feeling this way, especially when it comes to deciding where their kid will go to high school.
McCarthy has two kids at Ocean Bay Middle School, including one who will graduate in the next couple weeks. The 8th-grader plans to go to Carolina Forest High School, but knowing the school is already at 120% capacity, they are starting to weigh their options.
“It’s 2700-ish at Carolina Forest High School and if there’s only so many kids on the football team or basketball team, what are the kids going to do?” McCarthy said.
Earlier this month, the HCS board settled on its 2024-2029 capital improvement plan in which the district plans to spend nearly $300 million to accommodate some of that growth.
 

BOSTON — State lawmakers are pushing for more funding and changes in policy to help local governments afford the rising cost of building new schools and renovating existing buildings.
A nearly $56 billion budget expected to be taken up by the Senate next week includes hundreds of millions in new funding to the Massachusetts School Building Authority, which reimburses cities and towns for a portion of the costs for new construction and school building renovation.
But lawmakers say more money is needed as persistent inflation continues to push up construction costs and eat away at existing state and local funding for the projects.
State Sen. Barry Finegold, D-Andover, has filed several amendments to the budget related to school construction, including a request for an additional $100 million dollars for the building authority. He said there are a number of schools in his district in “desperate” need of renovation, but the problem is statewide.
“The cost of these projects is going through the roof,” he said. “We need to do everything we can to help schools with these high costs.”
Finegold said the authority recently increased the reimbursement rate to a maximum of $390 per square foot, but the average cost of construction has risen to about $600 per foot.
“So in theory, if a community is getting a 60 percent reimbursement rate from the state, it’s really actually about 20 percent less than that,” he said. “These buildings are very expensive, and the added costs are falling on these communities.”
To be sure, the Senate budget calls for increase the annual cap on grants awarded by the building authority by $400 million, raising the total cap to $1.2 billion.
 

Learn strategies to address indoor air pollutants.
On April 27, three organizations—the Center for Green Schools, the National Association of School Nurses and Chemical Insights Research Institute of UL Research Institutes, a leading expert organization in indoor air quality (IAQ)—hosted a joint webinar titled “Identifying and Addressing Emerging Indoor Air Pollutants: School Health and Facilities Staff Collaborations.” This webinar highlighted opportunities for school health and facilities staff to collaborate in creating healthy learning spaces.

Panelists brought expertise from a variety of areas in public health research and health and safety management of educational environments, and they shared a common goal: fostering healthy learning spaces. Key takeaways from the webinar include:

1. Identify the problem.
Many schools struggle with maintaining good IAQ. A recent survey found 54% of public school districts needed to update or replace multiple building systems or features related to IAQ performance in their schools. Schools are vulnerable to common pollutants, such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs), semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs), particles, allergens and biological pollutants. These pollutants come from common building materials, nearby outdoor air pollution, activities performed in the space (such as cleaning or printing), excess moisture and even people bringing allergens inside.

School staff and students are exposed to these pollutants through inhalation, ingestion and skin absorption. In buildings, pollutants can be found in the air and settled dust. Younger students are more vulnerable to pollutant exposure due to frequent hand-to-mouth behavior, higher respiration rates and closer proximity to the ground.

Panelists discussed four emerging sources of pollution in schools, including:

The Guam Department of Education is in the midst of the Herculean task to ensure all public school facilities meet the school building sanitation code. There's a chance that not all schools will be able to open in time for the start of the next school year.

GDOE has 41 school facilities. Six of those schools — John F. Kennedy High School, Tiyan High School, Okkodo High School, Astumbo Middle School, Liguan Elementary School and Adacao Elementary School — are leased. That leaves GDOE responsible for the maintenance of 35 facilities.

"The idea is to ensure that all schools are ready for inspection,” GDOE Deputy Superintendent Joseph Sanchez told The Guam Daily Post Friday evening.

GDOE has been in a race against the clock to ensure that schools across the island, leased or not, will be ready for the Department of Public Health and Social Services Division of Environmental Health inspection by Aug. 9, the day Public Law 37-4 becomes effective.

WASHINGTON — After a long, cold winter, the sound of temperatures in the 80s comes as a welcomed forecast. However, for children still in school and stuck in hot classrooms without air conditioning, it's something to dread. 
The Environmental Protection Agency released a report showing how climate change may impact students who are exposed to heat in the classroom.
The report found that heat affects a child's concentration and learning. EPA officials found that climate-driven temperatures may lead to a 4 to 7 percent reduction in annual academic achievement per child.  
Officials are concerned that learning losses could lead to future financial losses, potentially thousands per child. 
WUSA 9 has reported on children learning in hot classrooms at D.C. area schools, such as at Wheatley Education Campus. A math teacher at Wheatley Education Campus, Alexa Cacibauda, told WUSA9 that with no air conditioning, temperatures inside her classroom reached the 80s. 
"A third-grade teacher reported that her students were crying," Cacibauda said. "Students are very cranky. They're miserable."  
 

The Carson City School District’s Facilities Master Plan Committee has made its final recommendations for building and maintenance needs. Superintendent Andrew Feuling said they will be considered during the Board of Trustees’ Capital Improvement Plan discussion Tuesday, May 23.

Projects are prioritized according to the district’s financial constraints while ensuring student and staff safety, health and comfort, educational program needs and energy and operational safety, Feuling told trustees May 9.

The Fritsch Elementary and Carson Middle school campuses are nearly 70 years old and Carson High is coming up on 50 years old. All district facilities are at least 30 years old, Feuling said.

“While we have to think about maintaining those facilities, while it would be nice to say we could replace all these eventually, with the property tax caps that are currently in place, it likely won’t go away and continues to squeeze funding over time,” he said.

High schools being built in Washoe County now cost about $250 million, and Carson City can’t afford to do the same, he said. The district had the funding to build Empire, Fremont and Mark Twain elementary schools between 1988 and 1992, but those dollars aren’t available today, he said.

Marty Johnson of JNA Consulting Group, the district’s bond consultant, said Carson City has a bonding capacity of a $25 million issuance this summer or fall with another $12.5 million available by 2027. There is $5 million remaining from its last bond.

The Facilities Master Plan document encompasses overall district projects at a cost of $3 million for assessments on its properties or ones to acquire in upcoming months. Examples include heating, ventilation and air conditioning needs for Carson High School, alarm systems and security camera refreshing or to purchase 10 acres of the former Lompa Ranch.