Next week, California will jumpstart a seven-year initiative to convert potentially thousands of schools into full-service, parent-focused community schools. 
Approved a year ago by the Legislature, the $3 billion California Community Schools Partnership Program will be the nation’s most ambitious effort to create schools serving multiple health and learning needs of children. Community schools have come to be known as schools with “wraparound services.” The underlying assumption is that a holistic approach to education, particularly in low-income areas with unmet basic needs, creates the best conditions for children to thrive emotionally and academically.  Gov. Gavin Newsom is proposing to increase the community schools program by $1.5 billion – 50% – in his revised 2022-23 state budget, which he released on May 13. 
At its meeting next Wednesday, the State Board of Education is expected to approve $635 million in planning and implementation grants for 265 school districts, county offices of education and charter schools.
On the recommendation of the California Department of Education, 192 districts, county offices of education and charter schools will receive $200,000 two-year planning grants in the first round.
The other 73 districts, with at least some existing community schools, will receive implementation grants covering 444 schools; each school will receive over five years between $712,500 for schools with fewer than 150 students to $2.375 million for schools with more than 2,000 students. Schools serving at least 80% low-income children will receive priority funding.
 

Mayor Michelle Wu pledged Thursday to spend $2 billion to overhaul Boston’s deteriorating school facilities, under an ambitious effort that would begin with 14 new school buildings or major renovations.
Wu billed the proposal as a “Green New Deal for Boston Public Schools” and promised to greatly accelerate the pace of construction in a school system that has built fewer than a dozen new schools over the last 40 years, and where some buildings date to the 1800s. In many schools, the clanking of steam radiators distracts students, learning spaces are devoid of sunlight and fresh air, and water fountains lack drinkable water.
“These improvements are long overdue, decades overdue in many cases, and we’re often seeing the consequences of deferred maintenance,” Wu said outside the McKinley Elementary School in the South End.
“Our young people see that every day in the feelings they have when they enter buildings where you can see water stains on the ceiling tiles, or shades that don’t properly work, or windows that are sticky to open,” Wu said. “And we’re seeing that has built and reinforces mistrust between the city and the community we are here to serve.”
The ultimate goal is to ensure that every school community will be in an upgraded building. But that could involve some difficult decisions about combining schools in a district where many families like the intimacy of small schools, even if it comes at the expense of art, music, or gym. That dynamic has sometimes made it difficult for administrators to win support for large-scale projects.
The new building plan comes as BPS is grappling with a decline in enrollment and is under pressure from some elected officials and fiscal watchdogs to close buildings. Current enrollment is about 49,000, down about 8,000 students over the past decade.
 

CEDAR RAPIDS — The Cedar Rapids Community School District is considering going to voters in March 2023 to approve a general obligation bond referendum to finance $323 million in secondary school building projects.
One consideration is consolidating the district’s six middle schools into four. Another is creating a new central aquatic center instead of upgrading the three separate swimming pools at Jefferson, Kennedy and Washington high schools, said Susan Bowersox, with OPN Architects, who presented an update on secondary schools facility needs assessment during a school board meeting Monday.
Renovated middle schools could have between 900 and 1,200 students, an increase of the between 500 to 800 students now at each middle school. New middle and high school buildings are also on the table.
“Do we talk about new construction versus major renovations?” Bowersox said. “When you talk about renovating a 100-year-old building to prepare it for the future, those are not small renovations.”
The school board last year approved an agreement between the district and OPN Architects to study secondary schools for a facility needs assessment, including the district’s six middle schools, three high schools and its alternative high school, Metro.
Final recommendations on the secondary facilities master plan will be presented to the school board this fall. The district had planned to present a facilities master plan recommendation for secondary schools this month, but more time is needed, Bowersox said.
Proposed construction projects to secondary schools include upgraded athletic facilities, upgraded music rooms, more space in nursing and counseling offices, flexible classroom spaces and furniture, collaboration spaces for students and staff, single-occupany restrooms, LED lighting, floor and ceiling replacements, upgraded kitchen equipment and technology upgrades.
District board documents included facility needs at McKinley STEAM Academy, Taft Middle School and Washington High School.
McKinley STEAM Academy could see a new 400-meter running track, new football and soccer fields, three new tennis courts, a new accessible competition gym and new boys’ and girls’ locker rooms.
 

CARAWAY, Ark. (KAIT) - A school district has “flipped the switch” in new efforts to reduce costs and become energy efficient.

The Riverside School District celebrated its newly active solar array on Tuesday. The panels are located on-site at East Elementary School.

The project was a partnership between Little Rock-based Entegrity, who together designed and installed the array that would offset 95% of Riverside’s total consumption and save them about $1.5 million over the project’s lifetime, according to a news release.

“By deciding to build a solar array, we have found a way to reduce facility costs while being good stewards,” Superintendent Jeff Priest said. “Having this array on school grounds provides students and faculty access to unique learning opportunities and garners the importance of promoting energy efficiency in our community.”

The Detroit school board unanimously approved the district’s ambitious $700 million facility plan, setting up major renovations and rebuilds for school buildings across the city over the next half a decade.

The district will spend $281 million to rebuild five schools, $296 million to renovate buildings, and $128 million to reopen previously closed school buildings, expand pre-K, build additions onto existing schools, and demolish or sell some vacant buildings.

The major building changes would include:

Constructing new buildings on the current sites of Cody High School and Paul Robeson/Malcolm X Academy.
Reopening Paul Vetal Elementary, which closed in 2011, with an expanded pre-kindergarten program.
Building new additions at Charles Wright Academy, Communication and Media Arts High School, and John R. King Academy.
Closing Ann Arbor Trail Magnet Elementary-Middle School and Thurgood Marshall Elementary School by phasing out enrollment over the next several years.
Demolishing or selling active and closed school buildings, including Post Middle School, and Biddle and Larned elementary schools.

McClymonds High School will soon be getting a makeover. The West Oakland school, which has occupied the same campus since 1938, is set to receive $65 million over the next three years—part of a $735 million bond approved by Oakland voters in 2020 to modernize and upgrade Oakland Unified school sites. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2024, but community members, school and district officials, and architects must first agree on a vision for the campus revamp. 

All those involved agree that the renovation of McClymonds’ campus, located on Myrtle and 26th streets, is long overdue. In addition to needed technology and seismic upgrades, there are environmental and safety concerns to address, including elevated lead levels in the plumbing infrastructure and carcinogens in the groundwater. School and community leaders are hopeful that a modernized campus will also attract more students to McClymonds, where enrollment in recent years has plummeted. 

While optimism about the project is high, there are concerns: Some community members worry the funds won’t be enough to realize all of the desired improvements, and that a renovated campus could catch the eye of charter schools looking to expand or relocate. And the level of community engagement in the planning process thus far hasn’t been what many had hoped.

“This is not going to be an easy process,” said VanCedric Williams, the school board director for District 3 where McClymonds is located. “We’re all in agreement that McClymonds deserves some new energy and some new designs. We’re going to continue to push through this conversation.”

SANDWICH – Residents in Sandwich approved a $13 million debt exclusion for school improvements at the annual town meeting on May 2.

The work would take place at Oak Ridge School, Forestdale School, and Sandwich High School. Kevin Lasit, Sandwich High’s Theater Company Director, asked people to support the article since the school’s facilities need critical improvements.  

“The roof continuously leaks when it rains or when the snow melts. During rehearsals we have about eight to ten large garbage cans that catch water,” Lasit said, citing one hazardous incident when water leaked onto the stage during a live performance.

The article, which would also include improvements to the town’s Human Services Building, passed at town meeting. It was then posed as a ballot question on Thursday, May 5, where voters approved the plan as well.

The state legislature passed a measure that'll provide additional funding for the Windermere Building Project, aimed at addressing crumbling foundation concerns.

The measure lawmakers passed pertains to the school construction portion of the budget implementation bill.

Ellington Public Schools said the new measure increases the reimbursement rate from 55.4% to 70%. This will provide the school district with just over $9 million additional dollars than expected.

This higher reimbursement rate is expected to save Ellington taxpayers money.

"As Board Chair and former Windermere parent, I am thrilled with the progress we have made on this project in shaping it for the community. We appreciate the leadership of Mr. Greenleaf, who has a unique and extensive skill set in school construction projects, and many others who have worked to proactively address our facilities and we appreciate the State’s recognition of this ongoing concern,” said Board of Education Chair Jennifer Dzen.

The school district said the bill will make the project eligible for state funding. They're planning to submit an application to the Office of School Construction Grants and Review for consideration.

The project also gets to move forward six months earlier than previously anticipated because of this new measure.

Voters on Saturday approved all five propositions of a massive $315 million Galveston ISD bond package that will set the district up with new academic and athletic facilities, according to complete but unofficial results.

Along with building a new Ball High School and Kermit Courville Stadium, the bond package will set up the district for long-debated middle school realignment and prepare three buildings to accommodate the new campus system.

“It’s a resounding show of community support,” school board President Tony Brown said.

The bond package included five propositions: $233.9 million for a new Ball High School, buses and vans; $16 million for an aquatics center attached to the new Ball High School; $36.2 million for middle school renovations; $4.5 million in technology upgrades; and $24.3 million for a new Kermit Courville Stadium.

Voters resoundingly approved the new Ball High School, with 61 percent, 3,857, of the 6,327 ballots cast, according to complete but unofficial results.

More than 56 percent, 3,534, of the 6,295 voters approved the aquatics center that will be built in the new high school.

About 61 percent, 3,816, of the 6,264 voters approved the middle school renovations and 60.3 percent, 3,779, of the 6,264 votes approved the $4.5 million technology upgrades.

Compared to the other measures, the new stadium passed by a slimmer margin, with 52.8 percent, 3,284, of the 6,220 voters approving the measure.

ANDOVER, Kan. (KWCH) - Surveillance video released by Andover Public Schools on Thursday shows several angles of the damage created as a tornado barreled through town on Friday. The video, nearly four minutes long, offers multiple points of view from outside and inside the building.

At 1:17, 1:42 and 2:10, you can see the wind pick up single vehicles left in the parking lot and blow them away. Another camera inside the building shows the storm sweep through the lunchroom blowing around tables and debris, and blowing out the windows.

The district said that while the video may be difficult to watch, it’s a testament to storm shelters. Despite damage in the building, nothing inside the storm shelter was affected. Plus, officials said the video can help show the power of the storm and help make sense of what happened.

More than two dozen school districts across North Carolina will share nearly $400 million in new state lottery-funded grant awards for school construction, renovation projects and other capital improvements.

Among the projects to be funded by the grants, aimed at districts in economically distressed counties, are 14 new or replacement school buildings, including four high schools, a Career and Technical Education Center, and a pre-kindergarten through 12th grade school.

The grants, awarded under the Needs-Based Public School Capital Fund, represent the largest annual allocation under the program, created by the General Assembly in 2017 from state lottery revenues. The grants are in addition to the state’s lottery-supported Public School Building Capital Fund, from which all districts receive an allocation each year.

 State Superintendent of Public Instruction Catherine Truitt said the needs-based grants are a key support for districts where local tax resources fall short of needs for modernizing or replacing aging school facilities.

 “Just as all students in North Carolina need an excellent teacher in every classroom,” she said, “students and teachers need high quality schools in good repair that help support learning. These needs-based grants are an important boost for many districts and communities – and most importantly, their students.”

 In all, districts in 28 counties are benefiting from this year’s round of needs-based grants, with 42 individual projects that include new schools, improvements such as roof replacements, renovations, and new classroom additions. Thirteen of the 28 districts had previously been awarded needs-based grants, but construction of the funded projects had not been started.

As the School District of Philadelphia determines the best use for each of its aging buildings, officials have unveiled a new website that will detail the state of each facility. The yearlong review process will allow district officials to make recommendations on how to improve the buildings' conditions and make them safer for students. 
Each of the more than 200 buildings operated by the district will be scored on four key factors: facility condition, suitability for providing education, the weighted combined score of the first two factors and the utilization of each building. The recommendations will be presented to the Board of Education next spring.
The launch of the website follows years of concern over the crumbling conditions of some school buildings. In the fall of 2019, the district began its Comprehensive School Planning Review, which worked with a small subset of schools to determine the condition and best use of each school building. 
That work, like much of the work the district has done to remediate asbestos and lead in its school buildings, was paused due to COVID-19. Now, after more than two years, officials have decided to expand that building review to include every school in the district. 
The district will utilize $325 million in federal stimulus funds over the next four years to pay for improvements to facilities. The funding is a portion of more than $1 billion in American Rescue Plan funding the district is eligible to receive. It must be spent by September 2024. 
 

Poudre School District will finalize construction on Timnath Middle-High School this summer and conduct about 30 projects across 20 other locations.
Timnath Middle-High School is nearly done with construction, while Wellington Middle-High School recently finished. The final two new schools approved by voters in the 2016 bond are set to open on time — and be completed on budget — for students grades six through 10 in August. Both have the capacity to serve 1,500 students and can be expanded to serve 1,800 students. 
Back in 2016, the bond gave the district $375 million to address population growth occurring in the district and complete facility improvements on 50 existing schools. The bond funded construction of three new schools, an athletics complex at Timnath Middle-High and a new transportation facility. Voters also approved an $8 million mill levy override that year to address growth in PSD and fund the new schools' startup costs.
PSD Director of Construction Earl Smith said the two middle-high schools alone were a massive undertaking and that their developer told them “most school districts don't attempt one project of this size, let alone do two of them at the same time.”
Wellington Middle-High received its certificate of occupancy earlier this year and is in the process of moving in furniture and supplies for the upcoming year. The Wellington construction project was estimated to cost up to $130 million. 
 

State lawmakers are poised to enact a number of reforms to Connecticut’s school construction office as a federal investigation continues into the multibillion-dollar grant program.

Legislators in the House folded several changes to the program into the state’s annual budget bill, which they passed early Tuesday morning. The Senate is expected to take up the legislation Tuesday night.

The reforms tighten the bidding procedures for school construction contracts and set stricter deadlines for completing audits of school building projects.

The state Office of School Construction Grants and Review has been in the spotlight since February, when state officials revealed that a federal grand jury subpoenaed records related to the school grant program.

That subpoena — and similar summons that were sent to at least five municipalities — suggest that federal prosecutors are focused on investigating the work of former Office of Policy and Management deputy secretary Konstantinos Diamantis, who ran the school construction office for more than six years.

Diamantis, who previously served as a state Democratic lawmaker, was removed from both his state jobs last October.

The entrance to Washington, D.C.’s newest elementary school building leads right to an open-space library painted in blue, green and yellow, with a makerspace that hangs above like a treehouse. On the side, a massive touchscreen invites students to tap away at an interactive dashboard with real-time data detailing how the building is performing for a new climate reality.
“Students can see bar charts of how much energy their building is generating and consuming — for the kitchen, for the mechanical systems, and for the lights,” says Juan Guarin, a sustainability expert at the architecture firm Perkins Eastman. “We also try to use it to teach topics like climate change, social and environmental justice, and human health.”
Guarin is part of the team behind John Lewis Elementary School and the Benjamin Banneker Academic High School, the district’s first net-zero schools — meaning they are supposed to eventually consume only as much energy as they generate on-site annually. 
Both have sustainability features that prioritize natural lighting and fresh air flow, with expansive windows and a beefed-up ventilation system. Geothermal wells beneath the playground provide heating and cooling. Cafeteria kitchens use electric rather than gas stoves. The city is also in the process of contracting with a solar developer to install photovoltaic panels throughout the rooftops, which will help offset energy use. 
The new facilities are part of D.C.’s ongoing school modernization effort funded through the city’s Capital Improvement Plan, and their debut this school year comes as the U.S. is increasingly targeting schools for greening efforts.
 

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Andover Public Schools has announced that due to "significant" damage to the Prairie Creek Elementary building, after a tornado tore through the area Friday, school will not take place at the building for the remainder of the school year.
The district said that there will be no school for Prairie Creek students through Friday as leaders work to find alternate in-person locations to continue classes. School sessions are expected to resume May 9.
All other students in the district will resume May 3.
Photos of the damage dealt to the school was shared in a district Facebook post.
No school through Friday
Andover tornado.png
Photo by: Courtesy Jason Knipp | Provided by KSNW
By: Jack AnstinePosted at 6:43 AM, May 01, 2022 and last updated 7:48 AM, May 01, 2022
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Andover Public Schools has announced that due to "significant" damage to the Prairie Creek Elementary building, after a tornado tore through the area Friday, school will not take place at the building for the remainder of the school year.
The district said that there will be no school for Prairie Creek students through Friday as leaders work to find alternate in-person locations to continue classes. School sessions are expected to resume May 9.
All other students in the district will resume May 3.
Photos of the damage dealt to the school was shared in a district Facebook post.

Recent Stories from kshb.com
Overland Park woman accused of medical murder plans to turn herself in
"Some rooms were untouched, while others were heavily damaged. Prairie Creek was the only school building that suffered damage," the post said.
 

STEVENSVILLE — After more than $20 million and over two years of disruption, the biggest school renovation in Bitterroot is finally complete.
When Stevensville School leaders proposed, and voters approved, two major bond issues in 2019 the district embarked on an ambitious path to renovate both the elementary and high school. No one knew of the pandemic and disruption to come.
into community showcase

SteviSchollCommons.jpg
By: Dennis BraggPosted at 3:56 PM, Apr 30, 2022 and last updated 12:31 PM, May 02, 2022
STEVENSVILLE — After more than $20 million and over two years of disruption, the biggest school renovation in Bitterroot is finally complete.
When Stevensville School leaders proposed, and voters approved, two major bond issues in 2019 the district embarked on an ambitious path to renovate both the elementary and high school. No one knew of the pandemic and disruption to come.
Recent Stories from kpax.com
"They were difficult times for us in the education field and really transitioning to offsite," Stevensville School Superintendent Bob Moore said this week, sitting inside the new Commons at the renovated high school, just minutes after it was opened for the first time.
"It did help us in the construction project quite frankly because when the students weren't here, they were able to accomplish a lot of projects that you wouldn't normally have been able to do while we were in session."
In fact, the timing was everything. The district was also able to tap into historically-low bond rates and lock down the project before all the supply issues and spiking construction costs. And Thursday, the community got to see the results. A dramatic transformation.
 

JACKSONVILLE, Arkansas — Several schools across Arkansas will soon get a makeover thanks to funds from the state.
But like any form of construction, there's some road blocks in the way.
The state is giving nearly $92 million to 58 different building projects across 45 Arkansas school districts. 
That's a large sum but Tim Cain, Director of the State Division of Public School Academic Facilities and Transportation, said inflation may make things a little tricky.
"As you know, it's a national problem that we're facing," he said.
Like most national problems, this one is trickling down and it's impacting where Arkansas students learn.
"It means different things for different districts, but it does present a big challenge for some districts in meeting their budget," Cain said.
He is on the commission that approved the millions of dollars for school building projects on Thursday, April 28.
According to Cain, the money can be used for anything-- from brand new buildings, to roofing, to even AC and security systems.
"It's going to address both growth needs and warm, safe and dry needs," he said.
Those needs are coming at a higher price this year though, as construction costs continue to rise. 
 

The Cheshire Board of Education has been knee-deep in discussions over future efforts to modernize local school buildings.

Last week, the group took a step that should help provide options for sustainability when shovels finally meet dirt.

On Thursday, April 21, the BOE voted in favor of modifying language specific to educational specifications for new school buildings that will provide for more design options. The amendment modifies one sentence in the wording pertaining to building systems when constructing new school facilities — important language, officials stated, as the Board and Town Council are considering a multi-million dollar school modernization plan.

Originally, the regulation stated that the building systems for new construction would have to be designed in accordance with state and LEED silver rating standards, as well as consideration of renewable energy resources and net zero emissions. The new language, introduced by Board member Samantha Rosenberg and read aloud by Chief Operating Officer Vincent Masciana, modifies the standards to state: “In addition, utilizing renewable energy resources including solar and geothermal as well as net zero energy and/or emissions will be considered in the building design in the context of a 50-year estimated useful life.”

The Prince George’s County school system is embarking on a climate action plan that would reduce its carbon footprint and offer more robust curriculums on environmental justice.

The plan includes 58 recommendations from a work group of students, parents, teachers and administrators and was unanimously approved by the school board Thursday. The recommendations include initiatives that would reduce the amount of food waste and nonrenewable energy from the school system. The plan also includes adding lessons for students on topics like construction design using recyclable materials.

The plan started developing last year after students pushed the board of education to prioritize climate action initiatives. In March 2021, the board passed a resolution that included pledges to run the school system on 100 percent clean-sourced energy by 2030, and contribute zero landfill waste by 2040.