Philadelphia to close 17 schools as it aims to address ‘aging’ buildings
-- K-12 Dive Pennsylvania: 05/04/2026 [ abstract]
Superintendent Tony Watlington reiterated in a Thursday statement that the purpose of Philadelphia’s school facilities plan has been to address “the challenges of aging, underutilized, and overcrowded school buildings,” while also expanding equitable access to high-quality academics and extracurricular activities.  Though the district’s overall enrollment slightly increased by 106 to a total 198,405 students between the 2024-25 to 2025-26 school years, those figures vary by the type of school, including traditional, charter, alternative, and cyber charter schools.  Last year, the district noted a 12% enrollment decline — amounting to a loss of 15,546 students — between the 2014-15 and 2024-25 school years. That dip comes as the School District of Philadelphia’s alternative school enrollment rose by 3.1%, its charter school enrollment decreased by 0.5%, and its cyber charter school enrollment jumped over 2,500%, with 13,705 more students in the same 10-year period.
-- Anna Merod
Schools Scale Solar Through Broader Energy Strategy
-- E+E Leader National: 05/04/2026 [ abstract]
Public school systems are moving beyond one-off solar installations, folding distributed generation into broader infrastructure strategies. A recent partnership between Ameresco and Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) shows how districts are aligning clean energy goals with long-term facility planning.
Two rooftop systems—installed at Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School and Germantown Elementary School—are expected to generate nearly 1 million kilowatt-hours annually. While modest on their own, they represent part of a wider push to reduce operating costs and increase on-site energy production. From Pilot Projects to Portfolio Approach
What sets this effort apart is its scale and structure. The solar installations sit within a $23 million energy savings performance contract (ESPC) covering 25 schools. Rather than focusing only on generation, the program integrates multiple upgrades, including advanced energy management systems and LED lighting retrofits.
-- Kaleigh Harrison
Right-Sizing Schools, Part 1: Turning Enrollment Decline into Opportunity
-- School Construction News National: 05/04/2026 [ abstract]
Public school systems across the country are entering a period of sustained enrollment decline, driven by a convergence of demographic and behavioral shifts, particularly evident along Colorado’s Front Range. Over the next five years, the state is projected to lose more than 15,000 children ages 0–17, as persistently low birth rates, high housing costs, an aging population and slower immigration reduce the number of school-aged students.  With more families considering online programs, private schools or homeschooling, public schools across the country are facing declines in student enrollment, accelerating enrollment losses that exceeded 10,000 students this year alone, the largest drop since COVID-19. According to projections from the National Center for Education Statistics, this downward trend is expected to continue nationally, placing increasing pressure on district funding, staffing and long-term planning, especially in high-poverty communities where per-pupil revenue is critical. 
-- Greg Cromer
Dallas ISD approves record $6.2B bond to replace aging schools
-- FOX4 Texas: 05/03/2026 [ abstract]
Dallas voters have just approved a massive $6.2 billion school bond, the largest in Texas history. The voters approved four separate propositions that cover new school construction, safety and security campus upgrades, and technology, as well as buses and playgrounds. The largest part of that money is going towards fixing up aging schools as some of the schools were built more than 50 years ago. The district says 26 schools will be entirely replaced. "Excited about it, but now the hard work begins. We want to be great stewards for the citizens of the city," said campaign co-chair T. Dupree Scovell. "We're teaching in buildings that are fifty, sixty, seventy years old. So not only is the technology inadequate, but I mean, it's old lighting. It's smaller classrooms. There are no lab stations there."
-- Vania Castillo
Construction bids put BBCHS project $16M over budget
-- Shaw Local Illinois: 05/02/2026 [ abstract]

With total costs coming in at nearly $86 million, about $16 million over budget, Bradley-Bourbonnais Community High School officials are working with architects to reduce costs for the planned $70 million facility project.
On Thursday, the BBCHS District 307 School Board’s operations committee reviewed construction bids and project costs with BLDD Architects and PSI Construction.
After receiving construction bids in March and April, the subtotal cost for the project is $76,360,389.
The total base project cost — including a 4% construction contingency of about $2.7 million, a 2.75% construction management fee of about $2.2 million, a design fee of about $4.2 million, and a $500,000 furniture allowance — is approximately $85,936,679.
 
-- Stephanie Markham
8 groups of Maine high schools are seeking funding to combine
-- Bangor Daily News Maine: 05/02/2026 [ abstract]
Portland’s three public high schools. A consortium of coastal schools led by Ellsworth. Wiscasset and Boothbay. These are some of the schools competing for capital funding to build a first-of-its-kind regional high school in Maine.
Eight groups of school districts, career and technical education centers, colleges and businesses submitted the first part of a funding application for a Maine Department of Education pilot program last fall.
The Bangor Daily News obtained all eight applications this week through a Freedom of Access Act Request, revealing the scope and ambition of eight consolidation efforts that have largely remained below the public radar. You can read them here.
District leaders view the program, which will fully fund the construction of an “Integrated, Consolidated 9-16 Educational Facility,” as an opportunity for school systems battling rising costs, declining enrollment and aging buildings to reshape the future of local education without asking local taxpayers to raise the necessary capital.
 
-- Cameron Levasseur
At Schools Citywide, NYC Students Are Transforming Playgrounds â€" and Themselves
-- The74 New York: 05/02/2026 [ abstract]
Pink basketball courts, a hair braiding station and a butterfly garden. These are just some of the innovative ideas that New York City schoolchildren came up with when they were actively engaged in the planning and design process to transform their schoolyards into vibrant public spaces that better serve themselves and their communities. Anyone familiar with NYC knows that while it has some of the most iconic green spaces in the world, from Central Park to the High Line, it also has a shocking number of neighborhoods with almost no green space at all. This is where schoolyard transformations come in. Every NYC neighborhood has a public school, and most of them have outdoor yards. For years, various initiatives have taken those city-owned spaces, often covered in asphalt, and opened them up to millions of students and nearby residents for recreation and relaxation.
-- Tamar Renaud
Glendale School Board Approves Facilities Master Plan, Considers Bond Measure for Ballot
-- Glendale News-Press California: 05/01/2026 [ abstract]
The Glendale Unified School District is considering placing a $690 million bond measure in the Nov. 3 election ballot, which if voter-approved, would help cover facilities-related needs. However, full support of a bond is limited among Glendale voters, according to data from a recent poll. At a meeting on Tuesday, April 21, the GUSD Board of Education unanimously approved the 2026-2036 Facilities Master Plan, which identifies $2.2 billion in need across the district over the next 10 years, recommending projects focused on enhancing safety, modernizing aging building systems such as plumbing, aligning with programmatic needs, and improving outdoor environments, according to a board report. The board also heard a presentation on survey results from the public opinion poll, conducted by Fairbank, Maslin, Maullin, Metz & Associates (FM3) from March 26 through April 2, regarding the potential bond and other related matters. FM3's survey of likely November 2026 GUSD voters garnered 615 responses, with 62% of respondents saying they'd pass a bond and 31% saying they would not.  Of those 62% of respondents, 35% were a definite yes to a bond measure. 
-- Tristan Longwell
SFUSD Wants to Fix Its Lottery System, Then Look Again at Closing Schools
-- KQED California: 05/01/2026 [ abstract]

San Francisco’s superintendent of schools is putting a new timeline on two major changes for the district: an overhaul of its embattled “lottery” enrollment system and a long-delayed plan to close some schools.
In a message to families on Thursday night, Superintendent Maria Su said a new school assignment system should be in place by fall 2028. The district confirmed it plans to complete any school closures or mergers two years later, by fall 2030.
The San Francisco Unified School District board put both initiatives at the top of Su’s list when it made her the permanent superintendent last fall, and neither is expected to be a light lift.
In fall 2024, a botched plan to close or merge more than a dozen schools led to the resignation of former Superintendent Matt Wayne — and Su’s appointment as his replacement.
While school closures are almost always contested and emotional for families, Wayne’s proposal was criticized for lacking transparency and engagement, and for disproportionately affecting Chinese and immigrant students.
 
-- Katie DeBenedetti
New elementary school built for families at Naval Station Great Lakes
-- ABC7 Chicago Illinois: 05/01/2026 [ abstract]

NORTH CHICAGO, Ill. (WLS) -- A first-of-its-kind elementary school is opening in the Chicago area.
A ribbon cutting ceremony was held Friday for an elementary school located at Naval Station Great Lakes in North Chicago, but the school is not just for military families.
The new Forrestal Elementary School is designed to mimic a children's storybook, taking not only the students but their families on a journey that is safe and welcoming for those that serve the country.
It's a new era for families at living at Naval Station Great Lakes.
"If you're planning for a year or plan to garden, planning for a decade, plant some trees, planning for a lifetime, build a school," Illinois 10th District U.S. Brad Schneider said.
That's what they did. With a grant from the Department of Defense, the new $72 million building will hold up just over 600 students K-5, meant to make them feel like they are inside a storybook.
 
-- Jasmine Minor
Small Maine town votes to close a school that serves 5 students
-- The Maine Monitor Maine: 05/01/2026 [ abstract]
The remote Washington County town of Topsfield voted Thursday to close its five-student school, opting to send a shrinking student population elsewhere. Residents voted 42 to 18 to shutter the East Range II School after high costs began to drive students from out of town elsewhere, bringing the number of students down from 25 in 2023 to the small total it has today. Turnout was robust in a town with only about 175 residents and 130 registered voters. School district officials projected that the school, which had once served pre-K through eighth grade but would have been left only with pre-K through early elementary school students, would teach no more than seven students at a time over the next five school years. They also expected it would cost nearly $500,000 per year to keep the school open. “I had no idea how the vote was going to go,” Eastern Maine Area School System superintendent Amanda Belanger said Friday. “I’m glad that a decision has been made and that we can move forward.”
-- Daniel O'Connor
Stronger schools start with smarter materials: Why Charlotte is building safety into the walls
-- Charlotte Business Journal North Carolina: 05/01/2026 [ abstract]
Charlotte is in the midst of one of the most significant school construction efforts in its history. Backed by $2.5 billion in bond funding, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) is advancing dozens of projects, from new campuses to major renovations, to keep pace with a fast-growing region. But this moment is about more than adding capacity. It’s also about how those schools will perform for decades to come. They must be safe, durable and factor in operating costs. And that comes down to decisions that are often overlooked: the materials that form the structure itself. One material continues to stand out in school construction: concrete masonry. Concrete masonry units (CMU), commonly known as concrete block, provide multiple layers of protection in a single system. Reinforced masonry walls not only offer inherent resistance for a number of safety concerns, but come in beautiful architectural finishes, while helping create learning environments that are both durable and easy to maintain.
-- Danielle Mokris
Virginia's First Charter Elementary School Completes Historic Renovation
-- Moringstar Virginia: 05/01/2026 [ abstract]
RICHMOND, Va., May 1, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Building Hope, in partnership with the Patrick Henry School of Science and Arts (PHSSA) — Virginia's first charter elementary school — today announced the reopening of its historic top floor, the culmination of a decade-long, phased restoration of its nearly 100-year-old building on Semmes Avenue. The space has remained closed since 2007, when the building last operated as Patrick Henry Elementary School, and its reopening this school year welcomes third, fourth, and fifth grade students into newly revitalized classrooms designed to support innovation, collaboration, and academic growth.
The newly opened floor reflects Patrick Henry's mission to cultivate a culture of literacy through environmental science and arts education. The space will be home to a new "Learning Lab," equipped with digital microscopes, science lab tables, and interactive math and literacy resources.
 
-- Staff Writer
C-I Schools’ facilities maintenance budget stretched thin
-- Isanti-Chisago County Star Minnesota: 04/30/2026 [ abstract]
With the voter rejection of Cambridge-Isanti Schools’ bond referendum last November, the district is being forced to pick and choose which long-term facilities maintenance projects will be tackled, plus when such projects will take place. According to Finance Director Chris Kampa, at the time of the referendum, the district was looking at $45 million in LTFM projects, with the district only receiving approximately $1 million per year from the state. “LTFM funds can only be spent on deferred capital expenditures for fixing old buildings,” Kampa explained. “Think leaky roofs, HVAC units, updating plumbing, or carpeting. What they cannot be used for is new construction, remodeling, or operating expenses. “If you are doing the math, wondering how we can adjust $45 million in needs with $1 million per year in funding, the answer is we can’t. Therefore, we prioritize.”
-- Bill Stickels III
School gardens help students learn science and connect with agriculture â€" but making them happen isn’t easy
-- The Conversation National: 04/23/2026 [ abstract]
I used to teach high school science in Oklahoma, and one day I brought in a stalk from a cotton plant with bolls of cotton still attached. Students asked me why I glued cotton balls to a stick. My students and I lived in a rural town surrounded by pastures of cattle and goats and fields of wheat, soybeans and cotton. I was amazed to learn how little my students understood agriculture. After a few related incidents, I started incorporating agriculture into my science classes. When the United States was formed, about 80% of the population lived and worked on farms. Within a century the number had fallen to 40%. Today, less than 2% of the population lives on farms. When most Americans lived on farms, agriculture was part of daily life. Most kids did farm chores, and planting and harvest seasons dictated the schedule of the school year. Today, most Americans are several generations removed from agriculture, and agriculture is seen as a career instead of a part of daily life. As an agricultural extension specialist focused on horticulture, I’ve found that gardens can be an excellent teaching tool. By integrating gardens into schools, students can grow up learning about agriculture and the food systems that shape their daily lives. Many researchers have cataloged the benefits of school gardens, and they go far beyond seeing how food grows.
-- Shelley Mitchell
One school, nine students. CA pays over $100,000 per kid to keep small schools open
-- Cal Matters California: 04/20/2026 [ abstract]
School closures are an incendiary issue in nearly every corner of California, as enrollment declines and expenses climb. The topic has sparked parent revolts, teacher strikes and school boards’ desperate attempts to keep districts financially afloat. And then there’s Orick. The picturesque town in northern Humboldt County has a historic school with five classrooms, a gym, a vegetable garden and an expansive play field. Its current enrollment: nine. Its expenses: $118,000 per student per year, more than five times the state average.  California has dozens of school districts with enrollments under 100 and higher-than-average expenses. Most of these districts are in remote areas miles from the next nearest school. But as urban districts grapple with the threat of school closures and the inevitable backlash from families and staff, rural schools face an even more heart-wrenching scenario: close the school and decimate the town. “Close the school? It comes up all the time,” said Orick Elementary School District Superintendent Justin Wallace. “But I’d say it’s an equity issue. We have families who can’t afford a lot, and this school provides the most consistent setting for our kids. They’re safe, they’re well fed, they’re learning.”
-- Carolyn Jones
Ohio school officials ask to keep power local in sale of school buildings in opposition to new bill
-- Ohio Capital Journal Ohio: 04/20/2026 [ abstract]
A new Ohio bill that would make changes to how and to whom school districts can use or sell school facilities received some criticism in a Senate committee this week, and major education unions asked for changes to the overall bill. Ohio Senate Bill 311 changes several things related to school districts in Ohio, from cracking down on so-called “cheating resources” – services or organizations who advertise services “with the intention of assisting a learner to cheat” on exams or assignments – to truancy enforcement and educator licensure regulations. One particular provision of the bill received attention in the Senate Education Committee this week, as the the superintendent of Canton City Schools asked the committee to leave control of the disposal of school district property in the hands of local districts, rather than creating further state mandates around it. The bill revises current state law on the disposition of school district property, specifying that a school district must sell an “unused school facility” at “the appraised fair market value as an educational facility,” and adds chartered private schools to the list of schools a district must offer its unused facilities before moving outside the district for sale.
-- Susan Tebben
School District of Philadelphia revises facility plan again, sparing one more school from closure
-- WHYY Pennsylvania: 04/20/2026 [ abstract]
The School District of Philadelphia has again revised its plan for closing, merging and investing in school facilities over the next 10 years. An updated plan released Monday reduces the number of proposed school closures to 17, sparing James R. Ludlow Elementary School. The latest version of the plan, which Superintendent Tony Watlington referred to as the “final, final” plan on a call with reporters Monday, would retain the Paul Robeson High School and Lankenau Environmental Science Magnet High School properties, but both schools are still slated for closure. The district would seek community feedback on future uses for the Robeson property, which could include demolishing the building and reimagining another school on the property, Watlington said, and would convert the Lankenau property into an environmental education center for students across the district. The changes boost the plan’s price tag from $2.8 billion to $3 billion, with the school district planning to borrow $1 billion through capital bonds. The school district plans to seek additional support from the state government and philanthropic organizations to cover the remaining costs.
-- Sophia Schmidt
New Haven schools seek to bring facilities work in-house to improve oversight, cut costs
-- New Haven Register Connecticut: 04/18/2026 [ abstract]
NEW HAVEN — The New Haven Public Schools may soon employ its own staff to help with managing the district's facilities.
Since 2022, the district has outsourced the work of taking care of its facilities to a contractor. However, Paul Whyte, the district’s chief of school operations, told the Board of Education that this has brought some challenges, which prompted the idea of the district hiring its own staff to do the work. 
“We’re looking at this as an opportunity to create more flexible services and particularly increase internal oversight, where we have people working very hard and working within our system,” he said at the board's meeting on Monday. 
 
-- Jessica Simms
Longfellow Middle School rebuild delayed to 2028 as costs rise to $80M
-- Berkeleyside California: 04/17/2026 [ abstract]
The reconstruction of Longfellow Middle School will be further delayed to summer 2028, with maximum costs ballooning to about $80 million after engineers discovered “unforeseen” structural failures at the campus, school officials say.  The Berkeley Unified School District (BUSD) board on Wednesday approved an updated contract with Alten Construction for the Longfellow Middle School Modernization Project, now with a completion date of June 22, 2028, about two years later than originally planned. The new cost is estimated at $72.9 million, plus a 10% contingency fund.  Students and staff were relocated to the district’s adult school campus at 1701 San Pablo Ave. after Longfellow’s main building was red‑tagged in June 2024 due to extensive dry rot, water damage and seismic deficiencies that were discovered during remodeling.  BUSD Assistant Superintendent of Facilities John Calise said the district initially believed the damage was limited to one side of Longfellow’s main building, but further inspection revealed the entire structure and others were also compromised.
-- Vanessa Arredondo
Specially designed playground in West Pullman acts as sponge to reduce flooding
-- CBS News Illinois: 04/17/2026 [ abstract]
A specially designed playground in the West Pullman neighborhood is making a difference, addressing flooding and the impact of climate change across Chicago. The playground behind Ronald Brown Elementary Academy, at 12607 S. Union Ave., includes a basketball court, football field, and running track, and children's playground equipment. It's also designed to capture more than 300,000 gallons of water to prevent storms from flooding nearby homes or streets. Since the space opened last spring, it's made a major difference in the area. "With these places, once the water rains, it gets absorbed almost immediately," said Kenneth Varner, community engagement manager for the nonprofit Healthy Schools Campaign, which teamed up with the nonprofit Openlands conservation group to develop the Space to Grow program to use green infrastructure and transform schoolyards to help manage stormwater runoff and reduce flooding.
-- Tara Molina
Building to be demolished after Baltimore City Schools spent millions on upgrades
-- Fox 45 News Maryland: 04/17/2026 [ abstract]
BALTIMORE (WBFF) — Baltimore City Public Schools is spending millions of dollars to renovate a school building that will be used for only three years before it is torn down, a decision some describe as a waste of taxpayer dollars. The renovations at the University of Baltimore are intended to accommodate Baltimore City College high schoolers while their own campus undergoes major upgrades. But the UB Academic Center renovations won’t be useful after City Schools’ three-year lease ends in 2028, because the building is set to be demolished soon afterward. Baltimore City Council Member James Torrence suggests that City Schools could have tried to extend its lease, allowing other high schools to cycle through UB during their facility upgrades.
-- Brooke Conrad
$248 million draft of Senate capital budget would shore up schools and state facilities
-- Alaska Public Media Alaska: 04/15/2026 [ abstract]
A budget proposal that would provide $100 million to shore up schools and state facilities in dire need of repairs across Alaska is on its way to a full Senate vote. The Senate Finance Committee rolled out its capital budget on Monday and passed the bill out of committee Tuesday afternoon. The Senate’s draft would require roughly $248 million in unrestricted funds, much of which would go towards shoring up schools and state facilities around the state. That’s $88 million more than the governor proposed in December. The head capital budgeter in the state Senate, Republican Sen. Bert Stedman of Sitka, said it represents “roughly half” of the final amount he hopes to see pass the Legislature this year. Stedman said the Senate’s draft seeks to spread dollars fairly around the state by leaning heavily on prioritized lists of projects developed by the governor’s administration, rather than allowing legislators to pick and choose their favorites. “We're trying to deal with some of the massive deferred maintenance that's being compiled up for the state to deal with,” Stedman said. “Unfortunately, there isn't enough funds to have individual allocations to all our communities.”
-- Eric Stone
Six CT Towns In Line For $150M In School Building Grants
-- CT News Junkie Connecticut: 04/14/2026 [ abstract]
HARTFORD— Six Connecticut towns are in line to receive more than $150 million in state funding for school projects under House Bill 5150. The bill authorizes school construction state grant commitments totaling $150.6 million toward total estimated project costs of $305.6 million.  House Bill 5150 would allow Connecticut to provide financial support for new school construction and renovation projects, advancing a list of priority improvements for local districts. The bill cleared the Education Committee by a 44-1 vote and the Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee added it to the consent agenda at its Monday meeting. Supporters of the bill at a public hearing argued it was necessary for municipalities and school districts.
-- Kenneth Reed
Caroline school officials want new elementary school; supervisors push for renovations
-- Fredericksburg Free Press Virginia: 04/11/2026 [ abstract]

The scene at Lewis & Clark Elementary School is a familiar one for Caroline County Public Schools officials.
With 1,024 students attending the school, occupational and physical therapy sessions for students were moved to a stage. The division was forced to double the amount of physical education and library instructors, and those staff members teach classes in the same space at the same time.
“Despite these adjustments, the building remains over capacity,” CCPS Chief Operations Officer Marcia Stevens told the two dozen or so people who gathered to discuss capacity concerns Thursday evening at a town hall held at Bowling Green Elementary School.
The sights are familiar to Stevens because just last year at BGE, counselors were working with small groups in the hallways where behavioral interventions, English Language Learner sessions and other activities were also taking place because of overcrowding.
The school board, however, was able to convince the county’s board of supervisors to reappropriate nearly $1 million in unspent funds from Fiscal Year 2024, so that the division could construct trailers to install at BGE.
There is growing concern in the school division that the board of supervisors has not shown any signs of releasing $1 million in FY25 reversion funds for the construction of trailers at Lewis & Clark.
The process to install the trailers at BGE took just 92 days, but Stevens said that’s not an accomplishment the division aims to repeat; 10 months for site preparation, building and construction is more appropriate.
 
-- Taft Coghill Jr.