|
 |
|
||||||||||||||
 |
|
 |
||||||||||||||
NCEF is a program managed by the National Institute of Building Sciences. |
||||||||||||||||
  |
|
NCEF News summarizes and provides links to news stories about educational facilities nationwide. Links to older articles may no longer be active.
Bourne, Massachusetts Ponders Sale of Unused Historic Schools
Heather Wysocki,
Cape Cod Times
June 30, 2010 MASSACHUSETTS: A town committee is proposing the sale of two vacant school buildings because they have been unable to identify a suitable public use for the historic structures. Earlier this month, the town's capital outlay committee recommended the sale of the Ella F. Hoxie School on Williston Road and the Coady School on Cotuit Road, said chairwoman Mary Jane Mastrangelo. Both schools have been in Bourne for around 100 years. "We just haven't identified a municipal purpose," Mastrangelo said. The committee believes the town won't benefit from keeping the buildings if they don't have a specific purpose, she said. The Hoxie School has been vacant since fall. The Waldorf School of Cape Cod, which had operated out of the Coady School building, has not renewed its lease for next year, she said. "It costs money to keep these vacant buildings open," Mastrangelo said, noting that the town paid to heat the Hoxie School over the winter even though it wasn't used. The schools are residentially zoned, meaning businesses couldn't use the properties without a zoning law change. But they could be used by nonprofit agencies or possibly for affordable housing, she said. Jack MacDonald, a member of the town's historical and community preservation committees, said the schools' histories make them worth keeping. "They've got beautiful craftsmanship, they've got a history, and they're unique," he said. MacDonald said both schools are eligible for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places, and the Coady School nomination has already been submitted. Detroit Schools Boost Security Year after Shooting
Nicquel Terry,
Chicago Tribune/Associated Press
June 30, 2010 MICHIGAN: Since a shooting incident a year ago, Detroit police have been working to mitigate the violence that has extended from the streets into school hallways. And while officials say in-school violence is decreasing, some students and parents say the safety changes haven't been enough. "I feel safe at school," said Emmanuel Gannaway, who will be a senior at Cody High School. "But we do need more security." That need may be partially met this year. The district plans to invest $41.7 million in upgraded security equipment, including new surveillance cameras and alarm systems at schools. Each high school will get 100 cameras placed in stairwells, hallways, parking lots, entrances and other parts of the school, the district said. K-8 schools will get 32 cameras each and elementary schools, 24 cameras. Enhanced surveillance is a tactic to keep outsiders from entering the school to start trouble, said Detroit Public Schools Police Chief Roderick Grimes. The alarm systems, he said, will send a signal to officers when a door is breached. "That will give us somewhere to start the investigations on who got into our buildings unauthorized," Grimes said. The district also has increased the number of metal detectors at school entrances, and Detroit police boosted patrols in some school neighborhoods. Improving school safety is an issue for districts across the nation. Chicago recently unveiled a plan to spend $25 million in federal funds on school safety programs. School Construction Bonds Could Save a Wisconsin District Taxpayers $6 Million
Alex Ronallo,
WJFW.com
June 30, 2010 WISCONSIN: Bonds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act could save Rhinelander taxpayers 6-million dollars. The Department of Public Instruction recently awarded the Rhinelander School District permission to issue 10.4 million dollars in interest-free or low-interest bonds. These are a combination of Qualified School Construction Bonds and Qualified Zone Academy Bonds, both provided under the ARRA. The bonds will help fund the 13.7 million dollar school district project voters approved in and April referendum. That project includes facility improvements at several schools throughout the district. Superintendent Roger Erdahl says this with less and less support coming in from the state government, qualifying for these bonds will be a huge relief for the district and taxpayers. High School Construction Project A Boon to Nearby Diner
Jim Holt,
Rocky Mount Telegram
June 29, 2010 NORTH CAROLINA: One local restaurant is experiencing a significant increase in food sales due to the advent of a major construction project a half-mile down the street. Four years ago, the owner of Hoppin House Grille at 1005 West Mount Drive never thought such a large influx of customers would be at her business’ doorstep with money in hand. But that’s what owner Beth Winstead encountering regularly due to the new Rocky Mount High School going up at Old Mill and Bethlehem roads. “We haven’t really advertised,” said Winstead. “Most of the (construction workers) up the road heard about it through word-of-mouth.” Winstead said that because of the increased sales and the expectation of more sales once students are in closer proximity, the restaurant is looking to install a drive-thru at its only side window. School Districts Get Interest-Free Stimulus Loans
Ann Marie Ames,
Gazette
June 28, 2010 WISCONSIN: Three local school districts will get almost $4 million in interest-free loans created as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Elkhorn, Parkview and Sharon school districts were awarded Qualified School Construction Bond Program loans, according to a news release from Gov. Jim Doyle’s office. The program makes loan money available for school renovation or new construction. The federal government pays all the interest costs from the loans. The Department of Public Instruction administers the loans. In Wisconsin, 56 school districts were approved for $120.5 million in loans. Districts will borrow the money to repair roofs, add classroom space, do remodeling, pay the interest of a construction loan for a new school, and do security and energy upgrades. Nine other districts earned $23.4 million through a similar program. The Qualified Zone Academy Bond program provides money to districts where 35 percent or more of the students are eligible for free or reduced-price school meals. New Hampshire School May Be the First Closed by the State for Building Violations
Lynne Tuohy ,
Boston Globe/Associated Press
June 27, 2010 NEW HAMPSHIRE: Unity Elementary School is braced to make history -- as home to the first school ever closed by the state for life-threatening building violations. Two members of the state Board of Education will tour the school ahead of a vote next month on whether to shutter the 55-year-old school. The 120 students from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade would likely be transported to Claremont, about 10 miles away, if the school is closed. The school has remained open for two years on conditional approval by the state to allow time to correct fire code violations that include "dead end" corridors with no exits, a lack of fire-resistant partitions and classrooms that do not have two exits. Local officials estimate the cost to make the repairs is more than the $5.9 million needed to build a new school. Several state school board members, at their June 9 meeting, expressed outrage that residents twice soundly defeated proposals to build a new school, with one calling it "deplorable." Board members made it clear they were ready to close the school. The one-story school house built on a slab has numerous doors posted as "Not an Exit." Two classrooms can be accessed only by walking through another classroom. The nurse's office has no heat or running water. A small cafeteria doubles as a gymnasium. A quaint kitchen looks like it belongs in a hunting camp, not a school. "It's a tired old building that was built on the cheap, added onto on the cheap and now they're paying the costs," Baldwin said. "This is an opportunity for this town to rally and support a new school. It really is the most prudent solution." School Construction Could Boost Business Growth
Staff Writer,
KNDO.com
June 25, 2010 WASHINGTON: It took years to pass the bond to replace Eisenhower High School. Now, School District leaders are drafting plans and looking to better the entire community in the process. What does a 114-million dollar school bond get you? A new high school, some remodeling and possibly an economic boost. "When our community steps up and supports levies or bond that's a really strong signal and when we can tout that as a result of that two new schools. That's definitely a signal we're moving in the right direction," said Dave McFadden, New Vision. Since the bond passed with a majority approval, the school district has been busy creating plans for the new Eisenhower High School. "We've had a lot of public comment periods and in addition we have a Web site that allows any member of the public to comment and I think at last count we had over 30 thousand hits on that Web site," said Dr. Elaine Beraza, superintendent, Yakima School District. Dr. Beraza said the old school is 225 thousand square feet, the new school will be larger at 320 thousand square feet. Ike's athletic space will double and the school will feature modern technology. "And we're really looking for something the public looks at with pride, but doesn't feel as if their money was wasted so we're look for really strong infrastructure," said Beraza. "You know one of the first questions we ever get from a company is just what's the quality and quantity of your local labor force, well that's wholly dependent or mostly dependent on the quality of our local schools," said McFadden. Teaching Students Carbon Consequences
Karin Rives ,
Press Release: America.gov
June 24, 2010 NATIONAL: Three years have passed since students at Redmond High School near Seattle set out to measure their school's carbon footprint. They looked at the school's electricity and water consumption, how much waste it produces and where it goes, how students and teachers travel to school - and at every other school activity that generates greenhouse gas emissions. Today, the school in the northwestern United States is saving some $30,000 in annual electricity costs, compared with power costs three years earlier. Waste costs have dropped by $10,000. Carbon dioxide emissions, meanwhile, are down by 200,000 pounds annually. That means Redmond High has beaten the goals set by the Kyoto Protocol, the international climate treaty. Not bad for a school with 1,400 students. So how did they do it? "We're educating the kids that climate change has some pretty simple solutions," explained Mike Town, Redmond High's environmental science teacher, who pioneered the now-national Cool School Challenge ( http://coolschoolchallenge.org/index.aspx ) initiative, a call for students and schools to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. If they turn off the lights in a classroom for one hour they save the school district 4 cents in electricity costs," Town said. "But when you show them that they also save half a pound of carbon dioxide, then it means a lot more to them. The actions that the students perform have a carbon consequence and that's what we're trying to teach them." Redmond High is part of a rapidly growing green school movement that is marshalling hundreds of schools and thousands of teachers across the United States to press for better environmental practices and instruction during school hours. Earth Day Network, a Washington, D.C.-based environmental group, is playing an important role in this effort through its Green Schools ( http://earthday.net/greenschools ) initiative. Green Schools offers grants and education curriculums to schools that want to go green, along with practical assistance for projects such as garden design and construction and implementing recycling programs. Earth Day Network, with the Clinton Foundation and the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), launched Green Schools in 2007. Since then, 300 schools have been certified as "green" in accordance with USGBC's stringent LEED standards for energy-efficiency (LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). More than 1,700 schools are in line to be certified. Building what Earth Day Network calls a "green generation" of children who grow up to be environmentally conscious citizens "takes a long time, and we're still in the early stages," said Sean Miller, the group's director of education. "That's why we've defined this generational change to take 25 to 40 years. Within that time frame, we're looking to see a complete transformation of school building standards as well as our school curriculum." State Court Upholds Columbia Campus Expansion Plan
Charles V. Bagli,
New York Times
June 23, 2010 NEW YORK: New York’s highest court handed Columbia University a major victory for its $6.3 billion plan to build a satellite campus in Harlem, ruling that the state could seize private property for the project. In a unanimous decision, the Court of Appeals overturned a lower court ruling that prohibited the state from using eminent domain to take property in the 17-acre expansion zone west of Broadway, known as Manhattanville, without the owners’ consent. The ruling held that the courts must give deference to the state’s determination that the area was “blighted” and that condemnation on behalf of a university served a public purpose, two ways that the project could qualify for eminent domain under state law. School Construction Pumps $873 Million Into Denver Area Economy
Nelson Garcia ,
9News
June 22, 2010 COLORADO: On Election Day in 2008, voters agreed to let their property taxes go up in exchange for the largest renovation project in the history of the Mile High City. "You can't underestimate the responsibility we feel for the trust they place in us to actually agree to tax themselves," David Suppes, chief operating officer for Denver Public Schools, said. In 2008, voters approved a $454 million bond issue for work at every single school building in the district. It is the largest bond issue passed in Colorado's history. Neighboring districts Aurora and Cherry Creek also had their respective ballot initiatives approved. The three districts combined create school construction projects totaling $873 million over a five-year period. "This summer alone, we've got about 200 projects," Suppes said. Out of the 200 projects in the works, almost all of them have to be completed in the time from when students leave for summer vacation to when they return in the fall. "We have approximately 45 working days," Katheryn Zeeb, construction project manager for DPS, said. "Efficiency and organization are the two keywords." Zeeb says the construction needs are saving and creating jobs in the Denver area. "We've got crews that are willing to work every day that we've got good weather," Zeeb said. Suppes says the combined school construction projects around Colorado are providing a major boost to the local economy. "I've seen it estimated at for every dollar that we spend on a bond program, it could create $5 worth of spending in the city," Suppes said. With all the school construction in progress, some may wonder how the school district can spend all this money while cutting programs and eliminating jobs at the same time. By law, bond money can only be used for capital expenses and construction costs. He says the district will likely spend up to $70 million less than the initial projected expenses. DPS also plans on finishing all the construction within four years instead of five.
Green Bay, Wisconsin Schools to Save $3.3 Million in Bond Interest With Federal Programs
Staff Writer,
FOX11
June 22, 2010 WISCONSIN: The Green Bay Area Public School District expects to save more than $3 million in interest on bonds through a pair of federal programs. School leaders said of the $16.7 million voters approved in an April referendum, $16,571,000 will be interest-free. The district was allowed to borrow $8,521,000 in federal Qualified Zone Academy Bonds (QZAB) and $8,050,000 in Qualified School Construction Bonds (QSCB) at zero percent interest. Combined, the two bonds are expected to save $3.3 million in interest. To qualify for the QZAB program, districts must have 35 percent of more of their students eligible for free or reduced-price school meals under the National School Lunch Program. The Green Bay Area Public School District is at 54 percent. The QCSB program is open to all school districts, regardless of size or poverty levels. Top priority went to school districts that have passed a referendum or have a board-approved resolution to issue non-referendum debt, school leaders said. Small New York City High Schools Found to Boost Achievement
Karen Matthews,
Washington Post/Associated Press
June 22, 2010 NEW YORK: They were known as dropout factories: big high schools in poor neighborhoods where only a quarter to a third of students graduated. New York City under Mayor Michael Bloomberg has systematically shut down large, failing high schools and replaced them with small schools, many pegged to themes like the fashion industry or the business of sports. A new study funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation - which has invested more than $150 million in New York City schools - suggests that the small schools have succeeded in boosting graduation rates for the city's most academically challenged students. Proponents say small schools can provide one-on-one support to struggling students, and the specialized programs are supposed to improve students' motivation by enticing them to apply to schools that match their interests. "This shows the strategy is working," said New York City Schools Chancellor Joel Klein, who since 2002 has shuttered more than 20 large high schools with as many as 4,000 students each and replaced them with 216 small schools with names like the Academy of Health Careers or the Law, Government and Community Service Magnet High School. The study by the education think tank MDRC examined students at 105 of the new high schools with 550 students or fewer. It found that by the end of their first year of high school, 58.5 percent of students at the so-called "small schools of choice" were on track to graduate in four years, compared with 48.5 percent of the students at other schools. By the fourth year, the small schools had an overall graduation rate of 68.7 percent compared with 61.9 percent for the control group. Both numbers were much higher than the graduation rates at the closed schools. Governor Signs Off on Alaska Rural School Grant Program to Build and Repair Schools
Christopher Eshleman ,
Daily News-Miner
June 21, 2010 ALASKA: Alaska will employ a grant program to build and repair rural schools after Gov. Sean Parnell signed the plan into law. The program will steady an often-inconsistent flow of school-construction dollars going to rural, unincorporated communities, linking that spending to the amount promised to organized boroughs and cities. Proponents had cited, as justification, court cases that found Alaska has failed to give villages and rural communities “adequate or equitable funding” for school construction. “This is a significant step forward for education,” Parnell told an audience. The measure also extends in perpetuity the state’s promise to cover 70 percent of school construction debt in Fairbanks, Anchorage and other municipalities’ school districts. The Legislature had previously had to renew the promise every few years. Funding for rural grants will be calculated by formula: For every dollar the state spends to help repay bond-funded school construction in organized areas it will also make money available for rural grants. The result this year would have meant over 3 cents in grant funding per Rural Education Attendance Area student for every dollar of outstanding bond debt. The bill, pushed hard by Sen. Lyman Hoffman, D-Bethel and co-chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, also includes a clause that will force the state to build schools to high energy-efficiency standards. The House’s Finance Committee added the clause during debate in April, which Rep. Les Gara, D-Anchorage, said improved a “groundbreaking” bill that improves equity in funding for education in urban and rural areas. Smart Schools
Wayne Engebretson,
Reed Construction Data
June 21, 2010 NATIONAL: Hearing the term “high performance schools”, one might construe it in a purely academic sense, given news headlines about Race to the Top funding and other results-oriented legislation that focuses on student and teacher performance. For the AEC community, “high performance schools” carries a much different meaning: literally building an improved learning environment through carefully planned design and construction. The idea is sustainability with an aim not only to conserve energy and expense, but to facilitate a better academic environment through design and structural innovations that affect lighting, air temperature, humidity, noise levels, and other factors that can affect a school’s learning environment. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has delineated several characteristics of a high performance school, including the “usual suspects” in a “green building”: possessing good indoor air quality; thermally, visually and acoustically comfortable; energy efficient; material efficient; water efficient; built on an environmentally responsive site that conserves existing natural areas, minimizing water runoff and controlling erosion. Other notable characteristics are listed that seem specific to a public learning environment, including the building itself serving as a teaching tool, where the sustainable components of the structure can serve as a lesson on energy conservation; use as a community resource; and on an aesthetic note, the school being architecturally stimulating, creating a visual highlight for the community. A misconception is that high performance schools cost more to build. This is not the case — the key is to plan early and thoroughly, taking an integrated systems approach to the building’s design. A variety of factors must be considered: the size of the school, its location and the climate, all of which contribute to specific needs for HVAC, lighting, building envelope, water systems and energy supply. A site-specific, tailored plan is necessary. Additionally, the cost of high performance schools is most accurately looked at with long-term operating and maintenance costs in mind, using life cycle costing as an estimating methodology. Indiana Governor: Law Should Force Districts to Transfer Closed Schools to Charters
Andy Gammill,
Indystar
June 19, 2010 INDIANA: Gov. Mitch Daniels took aim at public school districts, urging state legislators to pass a law requiring the districts to transfer their empty buildings to charter schools seeking property. Daniels said public school districts are standing in the path of new charter schools by refusing to sell them unused buildings. Forcing charter schools to use tax dollars to buy or build new schools when old ones already paid for by taxpayers sit empty is a waste of money, he said. "People say they should sell them," Daniels said in remarks at a charter school conference. "Sell them? . . . They should give them away. The public already paid for them." Representatives of Gary Community Schools and Indianapolis Public Schools denied they're discriminating against charters or trying to block them. IPS is using nearly all of the facilities it has, spokeswoman Kim L. Hooper said, and it offers charter schools a fair chance to buy them when schools are sold. The argument made by Daniels and charter school proponents just doesn't hold up, Hooper said. "They make it sound like just because a school district closes a school, it should automatically be given to a charter school, which I think is ridiculous." Special Education School Earns A+ for Going Green
Staff Writer,
PRNewswire
June 18, 2010 TEXAS: The Monarch School, a national leader in special education programs for children with autism / Asperger's Syndrome, ADHD and other neurological differences, is celebrating the A+ earned recently by its new Chrysalis green building. The environmentally cutting-edge, 100% green powered building is the first LEED (R) Gold certified and 'Designed to Earn the ENERGY STAR(R)' certified special education school in the United States. Monarch's Executive Board President David Matthiesen said, "We wanted to build green but we thought LEED and ENERGY STAR would cause exorbitant costs. Ultimately, we took a fact-based leap of faith, and learned firsthand that building green is economical, practical, meaningful and relevant to students, particularly ours with autism / Asperger's, attention deficit and hyperactivity, and other neurological disorders." Shelly Pottorf, the project's lead architect with Jackson & Ryan said, "Being in a sustainable environment provides a significant advantage to the development of children with special education needs, like Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs), the prevalence of which has soared from 1 in 1000 (1990) to 1 in 100 children (2010). The Monarch School's results suggest that learning and playing on a green campus in sustainable classrooms would reasonably benefit all children, families and even faculty." Pottorf added, "Daylighting, outdoor views and better air quality – possibly the most critical green building strategies for healthy buildings – have been shown to improve students' health, attendance, test scores and overall productivity. The new special education facility is also serving Monarch as a teaching tool about sustainability and the environment. Green Building Services' Senior Consultant Amanda Tullos said, "Monarch's gung ho, green students are the ones earning the school an A+ for going green. They've even interviewed Mayor Annise Parker about her plans for greening Houston." Science teacher Richard Klein added, "Monarch's curriculum integrates sustainability and clean tech with science, mathematics, engineering and technology (SMET) and other disciplines via several hands-on activities that teach leadership, entrepreneurship, neighborly respect and hospitality, as well as resource conservation for the great outdoors." Dairy Farmer Donates Composted Manure to 40 NYC School Garden Programs
Alyssa Sunkin,
Times Herald-Record
June 18, 2010 NEW YORK: It's hard to imagine a vegetable garden on a slab of concrete in a New York City public school, but it's a sight a Warwick dairy farmer helped make possible. The American Dairy Association donated 300 cubic yards of composted manure from Tunis Sweetman's Warwick dairy farm to PS 295 in Brooklyn and about 40 other city schools for their gardens. PS 295, an elementary school, got the first batch of the composted manure, a nutrient-rich fertilizer. Students filled the raised beds inside the courtyard with the fertilizer, and met with Sweetman and a week-old dairy calf. "It was a very inspirational experience," Sweetman said. "These students were thrilled to put their hands in the soil." Fertilizer deliveries will be made to the other schools this month. They all participate in the Garden to School Cafe initiative, which allows schools and their students to create their own gardens and use the produce in school lunches. PS 295 started its first garden three years ago, said school librarian and program coordinator Susan Weseen. The courtyard garden is the third and largest. All 400 students can use it. Students will plant produce next week. Weseen, some students and parents will keep up the garden during the summer, with a large harvest event planned for the fall. Sweetman said the garden is giving city children a chance to learn about agriculture they otherwise wouldn't have. New York City Opens East Side’s First New Public School Building in Fifty Years
Stephen Ceasar,
New York Times
June 18, 2010 NEW YORK: East Side Middle School, on 91st Street between First and Second Avenues, is the first new public school building on the Upper East Side in nearly 50 years. By all accounts, it is a welcome upgrade from the school’s old home on East 78th Street. “Now, if I spread my arms out, I don’t touch both sides of the hallway,” said Gilliam Madans, 13, a seventh grader. Upper East Side campuses are overcrowded, with many students on waiting lists to attend schools in their own neighborhoods. The 80,000-square-foot building, also known as Middle School 114, has room for 190 more students. It includes space for a special education program, and should help remedy overcrowding, school officials say. It also has a full-size gym. The building was made possible through the city’s Educational Construction Fund, a partnership between the city and private developers who build and pay for the school. In return, the developers are allowed to build on part of the land, said Jamie Smarr, the fund’s executive director. In this case, the developers, the DeMatteis Organization and the Mattone Group, added a residential and retail building with more than 120 apartments. The city leased the land for 75 years to the developers, whose annual payments offset the $45 million construction cost. “This would be a great building if we had to pay for it, but for free, it’s off the charts,” Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein said at a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Partnerships that combined schools and development boomed in the 1970s, but slowed and eventually came to a halt. East Side Middle School is the first privately financed public school building in New York City since 1980, Mr. Smarr said. He plans to use such partnerships to build schools in other overcrowded areas. Ground has already been broken on East 57th Street for two public schools and more than 100,000 square feet of retail space and about 350 apartments. School’s Walk Would Link Eco-systems and Campuses
Staff Writer,
Sag Harbor Express
June 17, 2010 MAINE: The land behind Sag Harbor Elementary School, which currently hosts a storage container and tennis courts, will soon take on a new face thanks to a group of Sag Harbor parents and British designer Sam Panton of the environmentally friendly landscape architecture firm, Terra Design. Their plan? The Sag Harbor “Eco-Walk,” an educational outdoor walkway that is designed to connect Sag Harbor Elementary School to Pierson High School, and aims to teach children the benefits of having an “edible backyard.” When completed, the proposed Eco-Walk, which will rely on the Sag Harbor community for both labor and funding, will provide schoolchildren the opportunity to cultivate their own food and beautify their surroundings, while simultaneously creating a greater sense of community within the whole of Sag Harbor. And indeed, what could be a more symbolic example of community-building than joining Sag Harbor’s two public schools? The group’s committee is hoping to have a pathway extend directly from Sag Harbor Elementary School across Jermain Avenue to Pierson High School, and is working with other parties to ensure the walkway is paved and efforts are made to slow traffic and make both schools more accessible to pedestrians. The students in Sag Harbor Elementary School and Pierson High School will collaborate to plant, grow, harvest, and compost the project’s yield, creating what Sag Harbor Elementary School science teacher Kryn Olson refers to as “a full cycle” of both agriculture and community. In an effort to expedite the process and drive home the theme of community building, the Eco-Walk, with an estimated budget of $100,000, will be created with “community labor, and most importantly, solely with community money.” Most of the materials, including trees and the solar panels for the classroom, have been donated by supporters of the project, and hopes are high for continued donations from local designers and small business owners. Wisconsin School Districts Can Access $144 Million in No-interest Bonding Authority
Press Release,
State of Wisconsin
June 17, 2010 WISCONSIN: Governor Jim Doyle and State Superintendent Tony Evers announced that 65 school districts will benefit from two programs that pay interest costs on bonds used to fund construction, renovation, and improvement projects in schools. To qualify for bonding authority, school districts submitted proposals to build, rehabilitate, or repair school facilities and obtain equipment for those facilities. Created in 1977 and expanded with funds from the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), the Qualified Zone Academy Bond program will provide $23.4 million in bonding authority to nine Wisconsin public school districts. To qualify for this bond program, districts must have 35 percent or more of their students eligible for free or reduced-price school meals under the National School Lunch Program. Another 56 districts have been approved for $120.5 million in Qualified School Construction Bonds. This tax-credit bond program was created as part of ARRA for all school districts, regardless of size or poverty levels. Bonds can be issued for school renovation or new construction. As with the Qualified Zone Academy Bond program, the federal government will reimburse 100 percent of interest costs associated with Qualified School Construction Bonds. The Department of Public Instruction set priorities for an external panel of reviewers to evaluate Qualified School Construction Bonds proposals. Top priority went to school districts that have passed a referendum or have a board-approved resolution to issue non-referendum debt. Reviewers also considered proposals with projects for science, technology, engineering, and math; early childhood and 4-year-old kindergarten; Green and Healthy Schools; or Safe and Healthful Schools.
New Model for Urban Schools: Replace Concrete With Grass,Flowers, Edible Gardens
Opinion Writers,
Daily News
June 17, 2010 CALIFORNIA: Sometime in the last century, the design for public school campuses became set in stone in Southern California - or, more accurately, set in concrete: Unremarkable but functional school buildings surrounded by acres and acres of hard top used for parking, for large gatherings, for lunch time and for recreation. That model might have made sense 50 or 30 years ago, but the concrete fields that became the staple of 20th century schools are no longer considered ideal learning environments. And in the high temperatures of the San Fernando Valley, the blacktop yards are about as desirable as sun-scorched mall parking lots. The parents and community members of Calvert Elementary decided these "seas of concrete" at their school had to go. They got together, raised half a million dollars and created a project called Calvert Green, in which organized volunteers replaced the concrete with grass, shrubs, flower beds and eventually an edible garden. Officials at the Los Angeles Unified School District ought to be commended for stepping back and allowing the gardenifacation of Calvert. But we'd like to challenge the district to do more than just step out of the way when it comes to its 21st century campuses. The school district has the perfect opportunity to innovate a new model for urban schools that employs native foliage and green spaces into design for educational, aesthetic and environmental reasons. Still in the middle of a construction spree, the district could lead the way for the next generation of schools, particularly those in more urbanized areas that already have a severe dearth of green spaces. Forget the blacktop - that is so 20th century. Instead, school and facilities officials ought to look to Calvert as inspiration for a LAUSD Green program. LAUSD Green would ideally be an interactive program, with students participating in maintaining their school's gardens as part of their education and recreation activities. LAUSD Green would make sure every campus had vegetable gardens - if not for producing actual food for the cafeteria, then for teaching students about good nutrition, how food grows, basic biology of life as well as the rich agricultural history of both the country and the San Fernando Valley. Missouri District Sees Savings on High School Site Contract
Jonathon Braden,
Columbia Daily Tribune
June 17, 2010 MISSOURI: During the weeks before the April election in which voters passed Columbia schools’ $120 million bond issue, administrators bragged about how a slow construction market would help the district get lower bids for its projects. So far, their hypothesis appears correct. The winning bid for site excavation and site utilities for the district’s third high school was at least 30 percent under what the district had planned on spending. District administrators said the market is proving to be as weak to contractors and as favorable to buyers as expected. If the trend continues, they said, the district could spend millions of dollars less than it had planned on spending, leaving cash available for other projects. More than 77 percent of voters supported the district’s $120 million bond issue, one of the largest bond issues proposed by a school district in the history of the state. The district plans to build a $75 million high school among its other projects planned. The district has the $120 million to spend, plus $18 million left from a 2007 bond issue. Murals Spice Up School Gardens Planted With Native American Crops
Staff Writer,
NorthJersey.com
June 16, 2010 NEW JERSEY: New murals in Ringwood have been catching the attention of passers-by. The murals, attached to the Robert Erskine and Peter Cooper schools, depict images from the borough's Ramapough Mountain Indian community. They were created to bring attention to the rich culture that the Native American community offers to the area and its schools. The murals provide the backdrop for native gardens that have been established at both schools. Faculty, students and parents have planted crops such as corn, blueberries, squash and wheat in these gardens to undergo the same tending and harvesting rituals that Native American communities experienced centuries ago. Massachusetts’s $150 Million Qualified School Construction Bonds Beat Build Americas
Brendan A. McGrail and Allison Bennett,
Business Week
June 16, 2010 MASSACHUSETTS: Massachusetts sold $151 million of Qualified School Construction Bonds at a yield almost half a percentage point below more popular Build America Bonds. The Massachusetts School Building Authority’s debt, rated third-highest by the three major credit companies, was priced to yield 5.47 percent, or 44 basis points below the average yield for Build Americas, according to a Wells Fargo index. A basis point is 0.01 percentage point. In April, Los Angeles schools sold similar obligations at 8 basis points below the benchmark. The school issue, the third-largest of such securities this year, was encouraged by the popularity of Build America Bonds, said Evan Rourke, a portfolio manager with Boston-based Eaton Vance Corp. Both of the taxable securities were created under the U.S. economic stimulus last year. “BABs helped pave the way” for qualified school bonds, said Rourke, who helps oversee $8.3 billion in municipal holdings. “They evolved into a product everyone understands and created a strong buyer base.” Build Americas, with issuance totaling $111 billion, are the fastest-growing part of the $2.8 trillion municipal market. The Massachusetts offering boosted year-to-date issuance of so-called QSCBs to $1.9 billion, compared with $2.7 billion in all of 2009, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Issuers from Nevada to Ohio plan to sell an additional $160.4 million of the school bonds this week. The federal government subsidizes as much as 100 percent of the interest costs on the school debt and a fixed 35 percent on Build Americas. Since March, the school bond subsidy, formerly offered to investors as a tax credit on interest paid, is paid directly to the issuer, as is the case with Build America Bonds. The building authority, created in 2004 by the third- wealthiest state per capita, can fund as much as $500 million in new construction and repair projects annually through a dedicated portion of the state sales tax, according to Fitch Ratings. Underwriters led by Barclays Plc marketed the securities. A School Desk that Revolutionizes Classroom Design
Cliff Kuang,
Fast Company
June 16, 2010 NATIONAL: IDEO and Steelcase have just announced what might be a revolution in classroom design, a school desk that seamlessly adapts to whatever happens in class. If you've spent any time in a schoolroom in the last 15 years, you're familiar with the high pitched whine of metal scraping against linoleum, as students rearrange their chairs and desks to whatever activity is going on. It seems like a minor annoyance, but it's a serious design problem: School furniture was largely designed 50 years ago for static, face-forward teaching. It isn't suited to the myriad forms of teaching that take place in the modern classroom. Contrast that with the Node chair, which was designed by IDEO and produced by Steelcase, a Michigan-based furniture company. The details betray a remarkable thoughtfulness: The seat is a generously sized bucket, so that students can shift around and adapt their posture to whatever's going on; the seat also swivels, so that students can, for example, swing around to look at other students making class presentations; and a rolling base allows the chair to move quickly between lecture-based seating and group activities. In group activities, the proportions are such that the chairs and integrated desktops combine into something like a conference table: And finally, there's storage underneath the seat--but off the ground--for backpacks, while the armrests themselves have a subtle flair that allows them to become strong, convenient hooks: EPA Introduces Green Competition
Staff Writer,
Green Building News
June 16, 2010 NATIONAL: Fourteen buildings across the county will compete head to head in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s first national energy efficiency contest. While trimming kilowatt hours off is their bottom lines, the business will also save money and help fight climate change. Nearly 200 applicants were received for the EPA’s National Building Competition, and the 14 finalists will be judged on their energy performances from Sept. 1, 2009, to Aug. 31, 2010. The energy use of each building is monitored with the EPA’s Energy Star online energy measurement and tracking tool, Portfolio Manager. The building that sheds the most energy waste on a percentage basis will be declared the winner on Oct. 26. The competition website will provide profiles of each contestant and chronicle their progress as well as feature advice for contestants from the EPA and leading building-efficiency specialists. Each building will also participate in midpoint and final contest “weigh-ins,” and the results will be posted on the website. EPA National Building Competition contestants include: Crystal River Elementary School, Carbondale, Colo.; Morrison Residence Hall at UNC Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, N.C.; Tucker Residence Hall at North Carolina State University, Raleigh, N.C.; and Van Holten Primary School, Bridgewater, N.J. Indiana Schools Save Money on Energy Use with Conservation Program
Tom Lange ,
Elkhart Truth
June 16, 2010 INDIANA: At the end of 2009, as it became increasingly clear schools would need to do more with less, area districts began looking for ways to cut back on energy costs. To accomplish the cuts effectively, several area districts partnered with Energy Education Inc. A Texas-based company, EEI works intensively with organizations to help them reduce their energy consumption. It's too early to know the total savings the partnerships will yield, but officials are encouraged by the results so far. Elkhart's energy conservation program began last fall, and a key move for the district was hiring Ted Foland as its energy education specialist. Foland spends most of his time in Elkhart's buildings at all hours looking for ways to reduce energy consumption and avoid waste. To measure the cost savings Foland uses a computer program called EnergyCAP. The software, which does not come from EEI, analyzes the utility cost information for the district. For Elkhart, that amounts to readings from more than 170 meters for electric, gas and water/sewage use. The software then calculates the district's energy savings compared with the baseline year. ECAP also takes external factors such as weather into consideration. From January through March of this year Elkhart saved $223,767, or 18.8 percent, compared with those three months in 2009. "We're encouraged by the numbers we see here," Foland said. There's still more work to do before Elkhart will know its full savings potential. Foland will spend the remainder of the year finding the balance between keeping buildings comfortable for students and teachers and operating efficiently. He'd like to see the district reach and maintain a 20 percent energy savings. EEI has played an active role in helping the district find ways to cut energy costs. Foland meets with energy management people at least once a week for several hours and consults with workers with experience in areas like electric and boiler operations. Elkhart pays EEI monthly and performance fees, and if the district's savings goals are met this year they will ultimately pay EEI $500,000. Hasler he thinks the district will save more than enough to cover the EEI expenses, as well as Foland's position and the one-time cost of the ECAP software, which is just under $12,000. Hasler said Elkhart is obligated to pay EEI for four years but believes the district will still net energy savings during that time. After that Elkhart will continue to consult with the company free of charge and will only be responsible for the cost of Foland's position. Energy savings generated by the district will most likely benefit the capital projects fund which pays for the majority of Elkhart's utility costs, Hasler said. Audit Questions New Jersey School Construction Program’s Priorities
Jon Whiten,
Jersey City Independent
June 15, 2010 NEW JERSEY: An audit is raising new questions about the 2008 master plan for New Jersey’s multi-billion school construction program, saying that some of the school projects in the plan “may not have been most critically needed.” The state auditor’s report, which covered the time period of July 1, 2007 to Feb. 28, 2010, finds that two rules in particular gummed up the works — one that gave priority to projects already underway, and one that made sure each eligible district had at least one project included. “Since program needs far exceed available state funding, it is imperative that the SDA districts with the most critical needs receive priority with respect to new schools,” the audit reads. “The methodology used to formulate the 2008 Strategic Plan was not completely effective in achieving this goal resulting in some less critical projects being funded.” The Schools Development Authority (SDA) was authorized by legislation in 2008 to issue billions of dollars in bonds to pay for dozens of school construction projects in urban districts, including five in Jersey City. Most projects haven’t yet begun, and the Christie administration’s new SDA leader is currently reviewing the 2008 plan. Meanwhile, Jersey City school officials continue to wait. The SDA responded to the audit with a three-page statement. “SDA management remains committed to insuring that the most critical projects across the state advance,” SDA director Marc Larkins writes. “The SDA acknowledges that school districts’ comparative needs may shift with the passage of time, and, therefore in part, the SDA is pursuing an updated review of the 2008 Capital Plan.” Earlier this month, Larkins told the SDA board that it could be another four months before the review is completed and projects could start again. The report also briefly details the costs of the plan. While saying “the effectiveness of the SDA’s budgetary process … cannot be evaluated at this time” since “the majority of the projects have not reached the construction phase,” the audit details sunk costs of more than $26 million for eight suspended or replaced projects. Many Hands Help School Gardens During Summer
Marta Hepler Drahos,
Record-Eagle
June 15, 2010 MICHIGAN: When school ended, Chef Gene Peyerk and his Glen Lake Community Schools culinary class walked away from their garden, leaving behind rows of heirloom vegetable plants and boxes of fragrant herbs. For the next few months, the garden will be maintained by the Glen Lake 4-H Kids Club, an after-school and summer educational child care program for kids from 5 to 12. And when school starts again in September, the tomatoes and cucumbers, peppers, onions and squash will be ready for harvesting by another culinary class for use in school lunches. "They're eating pretty good here," said Peyerk, who incorporates the herbs and vegetables in healthy soups and salads, entrees and desserts. "Probably 85 percent is from scratch." The 3-year-old garden is a collaboration between Glen Lake students and teachers, from the preschool and elementary classes that plant seeds in trays each spring, to La Fresca culinary students who tend them in the hothouse, prepare the garden and put up the harvest, to the summer Kids Club. The 15-foot-by-100-foot garden behind the school kitchen is as attractive as it is practical, with its handcrafted sundial, bird bath and stepping stones — all the result of senior projects. It's also a model for other schools in the area looking to create gardens for health and education.The garden is a project of Scharp's environmental science class, which focuses on local sustainable economy. The money to start it came from a raffle of quilts made with the students' recycled shirts. Families and businesses donated wood for the beds, windows for cold frames, tools and hoses. A bus driver pitched in with top soil. Now a special education teacher is raising money for a greenhouse. Burke County, North Carolina: From Six Schools to Three
Steve Welker,
Hickory Record
June 14, 2010 NORTH CAROLINA: As soon as Burke County students left school for the start of summer vacation, teachers began packing personal items and classroom furnishings in the first step toward this year's consolidation of six schools into three. The district will spend approximately $750,000 for one-time capital improvements on the way to reducing annual expenses by an estimated $1.4 million. This year's budget shortfall accelerated the decision to consolidate schools and reduce costs. Stellar repeatedly has warned the school board that the looming loss of federal stimulus funds will force more hard budget decisions next spring. Although a consultant recommended developing a master facilities plan before deciding on school consolidations, which might have delayed any decision until January, the board went along with the administration's recommendation to start saving money by merging schools this fall. Burke County Public Schools needs to reduce expenses because the state and federal governments base much of their support on enrollment. Burke County Public Schools' enrollment peaked at 14,600. It has fallen every year since 2002-03. At the end of 2009-10 it was about 13,400, down more than 8 percent in eight years. What attracted less public attention was Evergreen's statement that "capital construction costs to accomplish the consolidations are estimated to be $2.32 million." Some school board members appeared blindsided by the cost of preparing for consolidation. Assistant Superintendent Tony Cox asked for approximately $750,000. Transportation Director Doug Setzer — who will take on many of Cox's responsibilities when the assistant superintendent's contract ends June 30 — described those costs in detail. He also showed pictures of worn carpets reduced to a rumpled patchwork, leaking hot-water units, cramped office spaces carved out of former storage facilities and storage space cribbed from classrooms and libraries. The tab for renovation, replacement, moving costs and other expenses — board member Tim Buff warned, "You never know what you'll find when you get inside (older buildings)" — is $281,000 at Drexel, $146,500 at Hallyburton and $254,000 at Hillcrest
Massachusetts School Hailed for Green Work
Steven Fletcher,
Gloucester Times
June 14, 2010 MASSACHUSETTS: The Manchester Essex Regional High School green team — led by Eric Magers, a foreign language teacher — want their facility to stand as the "greenest school in America." The school has received a state "Green Difference" award that placed them in the state's top three green schools, recognizing MERHS's efficient design, recycling, composting and waste reduction programs. Sarah Creighton, school building committee chairwoman, said the $49 million school facility received the highest level of pre-certification under the Massachusetts high performance schools program. The facility requires efficient lighting, air quality controls, efficient materials and conserve materials, resources and energy. The new high-school also maximized the National Grid and Keyspan utility rebates. The school's construction, Creighton noted, includes high-efficiency lighting that dims depending on sunlight, low-flow faucets and toilets, a 30kw photovoltaic (solar) power system that provides 40,000 kilowatt hours of clean electricity. Morrison mentioned that district received a new start along with the new building. "It's not just the construction," said Paul Murphy, MERHS assistant principal. "It's the people inside." In conjunction with the environmentally sound design, the high school created a "green team" of committed students and faculty one year ago. The group, which comprised of 100 students and 25 faculty district wide, promoted several green initiatives within the school, ultimately reducing MERHS' waste output by 85 percent. The team, led by Magers, Morrison and Cavollano, instituted single-stream recycling, composting and electronic waste disposal in the school, and stainless steel compost bins stand as a common sight in school halls. The team also introduced what Magers called "terracycling" measures — designed to reuse wrappers, expo markers, and pens, among other refuse — and Nike-Grind, a national service that turns athletic shoes into athletic surfaces. According to Magers, the waste disposal efforts saved the school $1,000 over the course of 2009-2010. The green team's latest endeavor placed a 7,000-square-foot, raised bed, garden on the school property. With the garden, the team hopes to provide a percentage of produce, radishes, tomatoes, squash, beans etc., to district schools — though, Sheila Perisian, MERHS food service director, the garden won't supply everything. The school cafeteria serves as a barometer for building wide recycling efforts. The kitchen alone produced eight bags of trash every lunch period before the green team initiative, Magers said; by the end, it was generating only two. The cafeteria staff began using recyclable bowls and compost-worthy plates made of sugar cane and cups made of corn starch. The materials cost a great deal more than Styrofoam flatware, but the food services staff believe they are worth the expense. Making a Better Place to Learn
Bruce Lieberman,
San Diego Union-Tribune
June 13, 2010 CALIFORNIA: For more than eight years, educators in Rancho Santa Fe have sought a new public school campus with modernized classrooms and more space. The school district finally has that place. This fall, a new campus for 700 students in kindergarten through eighth grade will open at the site of the former 52-year-old R. Roger Rowe campus. The school, completely re-imagined for up to 850 students, is a compact addition to the Rancho Santa Fe Village. “I think we’ve maximized use of our funds to make a focal point for the community for years to come,” said Lindy Delaney, superintendent of the Rancho Santa Fe School District. The school is styled after the Spanish colonial architecture that characterizes the area. The campus is dominated by two-story stucco classroom buildings topped with red tile roofs. The school cost $37 million to build. A total of $2.5 million in construction aid has been held up by the state, requiring a handful of scaled-back plans — at least temporarily. The project has been funded by a $34 million bond measure that voters passed in February 2008, plus $3 million left over from a bond measure voters passed in 2004 to renovate the R. Roger Rowe campus. San Marcos architect John Trittipo designed the school, but Delaney said the school district worked hard to incorporate suggestions from many people in the Rancho Santa Fe community. Construction began in May 2009. The front of the campus, facing La Granada, is centered by a two-story administration building, flanked on each side by two-story classroom buildings that include science and technology labs. Directly to the right of the administration building sits the campus library. Second-story walkways connect classroom wings, allowing students to circulate from class to class above ground level. Courtyards and outdoor amphitheaters, meanwhile, will provide places for students to congregate. The most prominent structure on campus will likely be the multipurpose room, which is being built to be used also as a performing arts center that seats between 300 and 350 people. Designed with theater acoustics, enhanced lighting and a loft for theater performances, the performing arts center is expected to be a community focal point for musicians, dancers and actors. While a multipurpose room was budgeted to cost $3.5 million, a community campaign has raised an additional $1 million to outfit it as an arts center. Another $1 million is still needed to complete it, Trittipo said. As portable classrooms are removed this summer, more space for a new parking lot and blacktop space will be available. Ohio Colleges Get Stimulus Funding for Energy Efficiency Projects
Staff Writer,
Business First
June 11, 2010 OHIO: Five schools in and around Central Ohio are receiving millions of dollars in federal stimulus funding through a program aimed at energy retrofits and other emissions-cutting projects. Gov. Ted Strickland announced 14 winners of $10.7 million in funding through the $2.7 billion, stimulus-funded Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant program. Ohio has been cleared to spend up to $84 million in stimulus dollars for the initiative. The following schools are among those receiving grants through the latest stimulus round: Ohio Wesleyan University of Delaware, which received $375,000 to conduct a campus-wide energy audit and draw up a conservation strategy; Ohio University, which received two awards, A $1.09 million grant to add new hardware to a food waste composting facility and $432,000 to install a solar electric system at a heating plant building: Hocking Technical College of Athens County, which received a $444,777 grant to upgrade heating and cooling systems; Antioch College of Greene County, which received $289,887 to retrofit its ecology institute with new energy-efficient features and install a heat pump. Leading the Way to a Greener School
Janene Holzberg,
Baltimore Sun
June 11, 2010 MARYLAND: At 17, Jacob Esposito may seem too young to have left a legacy behind. But at Long Reach High School, the 2010 graduate has done just that. The Elkridge resident was named to the All-America Service Team, a group of 15 high school students from across the country who are changing their communities through service. Esposito conducted research in environmental sustainability, assisted a contractor in reducing energy costs at Long Reach and expanded the school's recycling program. The first-ever service team was jointly selected from more than 200 eligible applications by the syndicated news magazine Parade and The League, a national youth service organization based in New Jersey. They will be awarded medals in a White House ceremony led by U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. Esposito was a natural for this honor, his English teacher Heather Johnston said. "Jake really feels strongly about the possibilities of living green in the future," she said. "He's altruistic about making the world a better place, and I'm certain he'll go on to do great things." Ken Roey, the school system's director of facilities, said Long Reach "took a real hard look and made behavioral changes as well," so much so that the school has the lowest energy cost of all comparable high schools in the county, including River Hill and Wilde Lake. The Long Reach project, which Roey said allowed Esposito to develop leadership skills, has spurred a similar one with another contractor at Reservoir High School in Fulton. Some Educators Question if Whiteboards, Other High-Tech Tools Raise Achievement
Stephanie McCrummen,
Washington Post
June 11, 2010 NATIONAL: Under enormous pressure to reform, the nation's public schools are spending millions of dollars each year on gadgets from text-messaging devices to interactive whiteboards that technology companies promise can raise student performance. Driving the boom is a surge in federal funding for such products, the industry's aggressive marketing and an idea axiomatic in the world of education reform: that to prepare students kids for the 21st century, schools must embrace the technologies that are the media of modern life. Increasingly, though, another view is emerging: that the money schools spend on instructional gizmos isn't necessarily making things better, just different. Many academics question industry-backed studies linking improved test scores to their products. And some go further. They argue that the most ubiquitous device-of-the-future, the whiteboard -- essentially a giant interactive computer screen that is usurping blackboards in classrooms across America -- locks teachers into a 19th-century lecture style of instruction counter to the more collaborative small-group models that many reformers favor. Community Bids Farewell to Nevada City, California Elementary
Michelle Rindels,
The Union
June 10, 2010 CALIFORNIA: Elsie Sharpe's most poignant memory of Nevada City Elementary was the day she walked across the stage to receive her eighth-grade diploma. That was 1937, the first year the school opened. Sharpe had no idea she would come back a few years later as a teacher, then finally as principal of NCE. “NCE has always been very special,” Sharpe said. “It's hard to think of the doors being closed.” A committee of representatives from both Gold Run Elementary and NCE spent the spring researching options for school closures as a way to cope with the district's rapidly declining enrollment and a widening budget gap. Nevada City School District board members decided in May to close NCE, since the newer Gold Run School has more space for growth, better traffic flow, is closer to the district's two other schools and costs less to run. Schoolchildren romped on the downtown Nevada City property long before the art deco NCE campus was completed in 1937 — the Victorian-style Washington School was built in 1868. “There were no buses, no lunch programs, and all kids walked to school,” said Sharpe, who attended the Washington School before NCE was built. As the three-story, wooden school aged and became a safety hazard, Nevada City applied for funding through President Franklin Roosevelt's Depression-era Works Progress Administration, according to research by NCE parent and art historian Kristanne Heaton. When city officials won the funding, they demolished the Washington School building to make way for the new structure. The transition was just as emotional as today's, according to the Nevada City Board of Education Two Flint, Michigan Elementary Schools Prepare to Shut Down, Neighborhoods Lament Loss
Khalil AlHajal ,
Flint Journal
June 10, 2010 MICHIGAN: Students will board the last buses leaving Williams and Wilkins elementary schools next week when the two schools close for good. The closures will make 12 total schools shut down by the Flint district in the last five years. The closures have been part of a plan to shrink the district down to a size more appropriate to enrollment. “I sincerely hope that this is the last round (of closures),” said Superintendent Linda Thompson. She said the two schools are the last to be closed under the district’s current plans to address budget concerns, but added that continued declines in enrollment and other factors could conceivably change that in the future. “It’s hard to tell... But as I see it now, no, we’re not going to be closing any more buildings,” she said. At its peak, Flint Community Schools once boasted over 46,000 students. Today, enrollment is around 12,000. 5 Midland, Michigan Elementary Schools Ready To Close
Staff Writer,
WNEM
June 10, 2010 MICHIGAN: As students prepare to say goodbye to each other during the final day of classes in Midland, school officials and the community are saying goodbye to five of the district’s elementary buildings. The Midland Public Schools system will officially close Chippewassee, Cook, Longview, Mills and Parkdale once the final bell rings Wednesday afternoon. School officials said budget constraints and declining enrollment led to the closures. More than 1,000 students currently attend classes at the schools. Those students will transfer to the district’s remaining seven elementaries next school year. The district is expected to save nearly $400,000 per school -- not including the additional savings from cuts in teaching staff eliminated in the closures. Subterranean Schoolhouse Blues
Allie Shah,
Star Tribune
June 10, 2010 MINNESOTA: At Central Public elementary school in Norwood Young America, school is already out for the summer. And as early as next week, the school itself will be outed, too. Workers will start removing thousands of cubic yards of dirt that cover the roof and are bermed around the building's sides. It's believed to be last earth-sheltered school in Minnesota. Come next fall, the school's 430 students will see something different -- windows, 44 in all, letting in natural light from the outside that was absent from classrooms since the school was built in 1982. And this winter when the snow falls? No more sliding off the school's roof. The nearly $2 million unearthing is expected to kill a growing mold problem and add a new roof to the school district's one and only elementary school. When it first opened, Central Elementary was a source of pride for the young community. School and community leaders chose an earth-shelter design that was all the rage for energy conservation. "That was the new thing," recalled Mary Wilson, a librarian who was working in the school district when Central Elementary opened to much fanfare. "Everybody just loved it. It was a beautiful building." The school even won a building design award from the American Association of School Administrators. But when the roof started to leak a few years ago, and concerns about mold surfaced, public love for the quirky building faded. Last December, voters passed a referendum to pay for school construction projects, including digging out the school. Cleveland Schools Students Say Farewell as 16 Buildings Reach End of Line
Thomas Ott,
Plain Dealer
June 09, 2010 OHIO: For some of the 16 Cleveland public schools that close today, their demise comes almost mercifully. Others were jolted by the decision, even if risk factors like academic failure and declining enrollment were plain. A.B. Hart Elementary, in the Slavic Village neighborhood, was on everyone's list of predictions as district officials sought to cut costs and pursue "transformation." The former high school and junior high housed 300 students in a building that could accommodate 1,000, and double-digit percentages were absent most days. The building was so empty, the third floor was mothballed. Test scores long failed to meet standards. For years, staff heard downtown was set to pull the plug. New South High Principal Erik Thorson thought he was making headway, reducing security problems and improving on a 40 percent graduation rate. The relocation of ninth-graders to the Washington Park Horticulture Center in Newburgh Heights helped. But it was too late. Perhaps the most pushback came from Alexander Graham Bell Elementary, both a neighborhood school and regional center for the hearing impaired. Yes, Bell had 380 students -- about a fourth of them hearing impaired -- in a building that could hold double that amount. But teachers said the test scores had fared better than at surrounding schools and the culture was positive. The district has placed 13 of the buildings on a demolition list but says it will entertain credible offers to buy. Seven buildings are protected by city landmark designations or have applications that are pending.
Federal Stimulus Grant Helps North Carolina Schools Install Energy Efficient Lighting
Roger Bell,
The Daily Herald
June 09, 2010 NORTH CAROLINA: Better lights, lower cost. Thanks to a grant through the state’s energy office, schools in Roanoke Rapids will be saving money and improving lighting for students and staff starting in August. The $167,195 grant comes from the federal economic stimulus measure, but is disbursed by the state’s energy office. The grant, which the district received earlier in the year, is designed to improve lighting systems in buildings. The technical aspects are fairly simple — the current lights, which are T-12 fluorescents, will be replaced with T-8 fluorescents. The T-8s, according to Miller, put out the same amount of light and, perhaps more importantly, handle power differently. Miller said the way the current lights power up, all the power flows into the bulbs at once. In some cases, that causes overload and wear on T-12 magnetic bulbs. The new lights, which are electronic, gradually introduce the power into the bulb, which causes the lights to brighten more quickly while using less energy and putting less stress on the bulbs. The new bulbs also can restrike more quickly, meaning once they’re off, they can be turned back on more easily. Miller feels pleased by the opportunity the grant affords the district. “Energy management is one of the few controllable aspects of our budget,” he said. Miller also feels the grant lets the district set a good example for the community by lowering energy costs. “We need to set as much of an example as we can,” Miller said. “We want to spend the taxpayers’ money as wisely as possible.” Maryland School Construction's Strong Foundation
David Lever,
Baltimore Sun
June 09, 2010 MARYLAND: A recent report by the American Civil Liberties Union has highlighted the large backlog of school facility deficiencies in Baltimore City. However, Baltimore's challenges should not obscure the vast facility needs of other school districts throughout Maryland, or their requirements for state funding assistance. Maryland joins a handful of other states in recognizing that school construction is a statewide responsibility. By allocating $1.9 billion for school construction since 2005, including $1.3 billion allocated in the four years of the O'Malley administration, the state has demonstrated an unprecedented commitment to education during a time of economic hardship. Despite these historic increases, our statewide needs still vastly exceed our resources. To equitably allocate scarce state funds, the Interagency Committee on School Construction, the body charged by the state Board of Public Works with management of the state's Public School Construction Program, bases its recommendations on a far broader set of factors than those addressed in the ACLU report. A recent Sun editorial left readers with the misleading impression that Maryland's school construction funding is not equitable or based on need. On the contrary, the Interagency Committee and the Board of Public Works have promoted a process that — far from being "broken" or ignoring "different jurisdictions' needs or ability to pay," as stated in the Sun editorial — actually gives ample voice to the facility needs of individual school districts and the financial condition of local governments, and has over time resulted in an exceptionally equitable allocation of funds. Closing of One-Room School Ends 157-year Napa Tradition
Hudson Sangree,
Sacramento Bee
June 09, 2010 CALIFORNIA: A one-room schoolhouse has stood in the Wooden Valley since the early 1850s, educating the children of the isolated farming vale beneath the Vaca Mountains. Nearly 160 years of history will come to an end. After graduating its last class of fifth-graders and hosting a community barbecue, the Wooden Valley Elementary School will close. Officials with the Napa Valley Unified School District decided the school could no longer be sustained in an era of multimillion-dollar budget cuts, and they felt its students would be better served at larger schools in town. To residents, the closure represents the waning of a rural way of life. The one-room schoolhouse has been the center of the community for generations – a place where children learned in much the same way as their 19th century forebears. John Hill, director of the National Rural Education Association in Indiana, said the fate of Wooden Valley is shared by hundreds of rural campuses across the nation as schools consolidate. "If you take away the school, usually the community dies pretty fast," he said. "For the people who live there, it's an emotional, not an economic, issue." The first school in Wooden Valley, a classic one-room wooden schoolhouse, was built about 1853 and served students for a century. Today, it sits in a vineyard, neglected and rotting. The current tan-and-green school dates from the 1950s. Tall windows look out on a creek lined with bay trees and blackberries. Quail dart across country lanes beneath jagged peaks. Rows of grape vines grow yards from the swing set and basketball court. Inside, six grades share one large classroom. They say the small setting provides a learning environment geared toward each student's abilities and is free of the misbehavior and bullying at larger schools. Ohlandt said the education at Wooden Valley is similar to that of hundreds of one-room schools in California in the 19th and early 20th century. State Department of Education officials don't keep exact tallies but say that as of 2008 there were about 130 multi-grade schools with fewer than 30 students. Some of those schools have one classroom. Governor Announces $4.5 Million to Fund 15 Solar Projects at New Mexico Schools
Press Release,
State of New Mexico
June 09, 2010 NEW MEXICO: Governor Bill Richardson announced that $4.5 million in federal stimulus funds are now available to 15 school districts for installation of solar photovoltaic electric systems. The projects will create jobs and allow schools to invest in energy-saving technology. "These new solar systems will not only create jobs and help these schools reduce their utility bills, but the entire process – from installation to monitoring the energy and cost savings – will serve as an invaluable educational tool for both students and teachers, Governor Richardson said. "We want these projects to inspire students to pursue education and jobs in New Mexico’s emerging green economy." The 15 school districts were selected through a competitive application process and include: Belen, Carrizozo, Corona, Dulce, Elida, Gallup, Hatch, Los Alamos, Los Lunas, Moriarty, Peñasco, Portales, Rio Rancho, Ruidoso, and Taos. Funds will be used to purchase and install a 50-kilowatt solar photovoltaic system at a school in each of the 15 districts. The program will be funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment State Energy Program administered by the New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department and supported by the U.S. Department of Energy. $120,000 Federal Grant for School Community Gardens Across Vermont
Press Release,
Vermontbiz
June 08, 2010 VERMONT: Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) has announced that $120,000 has been awarded to establish community gardens at 40 schools throughout Vermont. “This project addresses two major issues confronting not just Vermont but the entire nation,” Sanders said. “It will help students learn the importance of good nutrition and a healthy diet. It also will broaden the school curriculum and help make learning fun.” The grant to the Vermont Community Foundation was secured by Sanders from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Working through the Friends of Burlington Gardens, the hands-on educational program will provide material and supplies such as topsoil, compost, raised beds, fencing, hoses, rakes, hoes and trowels. Each school will be linked to the Vermont Master Gardener program at the University of Vermont with experienced and trained gardeners to provide expert advice and assistance. Students will learn about growing food and where food comes from. There will be lessons about diet and the benefits of fresh food compared to processed snacks. Student gardeners also will learn about Vermont’s rich agricultural history and, in the process, strengthen bonds between schools and their communities, and between schools and the sustainable agriculture producers and networks in Vermont. Students will plant seeds and then nurture, cultivate, water and weed the fruit and vegetable gardens. At the end of the summer growing season, they will harvest what they have grown. Then salads, soups and healthy snacks made from the freshly-picked produce will end up on the menu for school lunch programs. The practical gardening experience will be augmented by classroom lessons on healthy diet practices. The current epidemic of obesity in America, and childhood obesity in particular, is directly related to diet. By growing their own food, students will be more likely to eat smarter and ask their parents to serve more fruits and vegetables at home. “It is my hope that this project will prove to be a successful pilot and eventually help bring school community gardens to every school in the nation,” Sanders said. Walmart Foundation Funds School Solar Project
Melissa Hincha-Ownby,
Kansas City Star
June 07, 2010 MISSOURI: The Walmart Foundation, Walmart's philanthropic organization, announced a $1.2 million donation to the National Energy Education Development Project (NEED). These funds will allow 20 schools in five U.S. cities to install solar panels, reducing the school's carbon footprint and saving money on annual energy costs. "The Walmart Solar School program will help educate the next generation on the opportunities and benefits of using more renewable energy," said Margaret McKenna, president of the Walmart Foundation. "This program aligns perfectly with Walmart's sustainability commitment to involve our communities and customers in our environmental and social efforts." The 20 schools are located in the following cities: Chicago, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, Minneapolis and Seattle. The installations will generate about 150,000 kilowatts of electricity annually, reduce energy costs by more than $15,000 annually, and prevent more than 100 tons of greenhouse gas emissions from entering the atmosphere each year. The recent economic crisis has severely impacted state budgets in many areas and unfortunately, education has been the target of many of these cuts. Although the environmental impact of the solar installations is noteworthy, the financial savings that the schools will realize from this project will make an immediate impact on students and families in the district. Future University of Michigan Buildings to Meet Tougher Energy Efficiency Guidelines
Tina Reed,
AnnArbor.com
June 07, 2010 MICHIGAN: All future University of Michigan major construction projects will have to be built to a widely recognized standard meant to increase energy efficiency and reduce the environmental impact of buildings, the university announced. U-M is officially adopting building standards that will meet LEED Silver Certification guidelines. LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, was created by the U.S. Green Building Council and is widely regarded as the standard for environmentally friendly and energy efficient buildings. Several levels of certification can be achieved by using certain building techniques, such as efficient design, use of sustainable materials, using water-saving technology and building close to public transportation. In fiscal year 2004, U-M began systematically monitoring and reporting environmental progress. In the past five years, U-M has decreased its energy use by 19 percent and its per-capita water use by 7.1 percent. U-M says it has the largest alternative energy fleet of any university with 596 vehicles that run on biofuels. Campus bus ridership is up 56 percent to 6 million riders since 2005. Recovery Act Funds Jewell School Lighting Project
Staff Writer,
Daily Astorian
June 07, 2010 OREGON: Last fall, the Oregon Department of Energy awarded Jewell School District $5,600 in federal funds for installation of new energy-efficient lighting in the school's gymnasium, auditorium and parking lot. The project was funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act awarded through the State Energy Program. These funds are designated for energy efficiency and renewable energy projects in public buildings. The U.S. Department of Energy administers the funds, approves the projects and reviews the state's progress. Jewell School District contracted with Inland Electric for the installation work, following a public bidding process. The new lighting is expected to result in annual energy savings. Brian Gander, Jewell School District Superintendent, said, "The new lights will not only save the school money, they have really brightened up the gym, auditorium and parking lot. Over time, we hope to trade out all the less efficient school lighting." "We are pleased to have made this award to the Jewell School District," said Shelli Honeywell, manager of the Oregon Depart of Energy ARRA team. "Not only will students and staff enjoy a learning environment with better lighting, but the funds provided work for a local contractor." Hamilton: Green Schools Program Money Well Spent
Tyler Hamilton,
The Star
June 07, 2010 ONTARIO, CANADA: It is $20 million well spent. That’s my initial impression of a government initiative that aims to equip more than 150 of the province’s schools with clean technologies from Ontario-based companies. There are more than two dozen Ontario clean technology ventures participating in the program, which is being jointly spearheaded by the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Research and Innovation. I say the $20 million is well spent because these projects are designed to demonstrate Ontario-based technologies that lack a solid track record of deployment. Without that track record, it’s tough for these companies to go out into the global marketplace and convince others to take a chance on their products. But not every dollar devoted to “greening” our schools need be given away. Last April, for example, the McGuinty government earmarked $550 million for energy-reducing “renovations and retrofits” of schools. A month later another $50 million was announced for renewable energy projects – solar, geothermal, micro-wind and other clean energy systems that generate electricity, heating or cooling. I applauded the financial commitment at the time, and to an extent still do, but looking back I wonder whether just throwing the money at schools was the right approach during a time when provincial budgets are under intense stress. It’s well established that energy-efficiency retrofits offer the biggest emissions-reduction bang for the scarce public buck. Energy savings of between 15 per cent and 30 per cent can be achieved with proven and widely available technologies. Sure, such retrofits can cost a lot up front, but compared to solar or geothermal, the payback is often less than two years – as opposed to a decade or longer. That being the case, why not just loan the money to schools and other public institutions, and then have these institutions pay back that loan – and maybe 2 or 3 per cent interest – from the energy savings that result? 18 Detroit Schools Off Closure List, but 32 Others Will Be Shuttered
Marisa Schultz ,
Detroit News
June 07, 2010 MICHIGAN: Eighteen Detroit Public Schools won't be shutting after this year while several others were added to the district's school closure list. That left 32 schools and one support building slated to be closed this month, Emergency Financial Manager Robert Bobb announced. Parents and students at the soon-to-be-shuttered schools were saddened their efforts to save their buildings didn't help, while others cheered their buildings were spared closure at least another year. The closures are fewer in number than the original proposal by Bobb in March to close 41 school facilities, marking the largest school closure plan in the nation and adding to the nearly 100 closures since 2005. Community feedback and further planning for the school construction bond program helped shape the final decisions. But for students at schools on the list, the news was hard to take and marked confusion and fears over where they will be next year. On top of the closures this month, nine more schools will shut next year and four more in 2012 for a total of 45 schools over three years as part of Bobb's master facilities plan. The closures are needed to downsize the number of facilities due to shrinking enrollment, save the deficit-ridden district $28 million annually for three years and to transfer students out of crumbling schools to ones that are slated for upgrades, DPS officials say. "The reality is that schools must close, but we have done our best to ensure that in every case children will benefit from our decisions," Bobb said. An extensive period of community feedback shaped Bobb's decision. More than 40 local community meetings and nine town hall meetings have been held since the list of candidate schools for closure was announced in March. The final decision was to have occurred in April, but Bobb hadn't cemented his list until now. Factors considered in closing include enrollment, building condition, academic performance, cost of operation and the demographic trends of the neighborhood. DPS, still the largest district in the state, has been hard-hit by continuous enrollment declines throughout the decade, plummeting from about 150,000 students five years ago to about 87,000 today. District officials predict enrollment will drop to 79,000 next year and continue to fall to below 57,000 by fall 2014. It also faces a budget deficit of $317 million. Bobb's five-year facilities plan calls for $500.5 million in investment in the first phase, funded through the Proposal S bond measure voters approved in November. The second phase would be another $500 million bond measure that he hopes voters will take up in the future.
Chicago Teachers Using City Codes on Overcrowding to Challenge Hike in Classroom Sizes
Azam Ahmed,
Chicago Tribune
June 07, 2010 ILLINOIS: Chicago teachers union President Marilyn Stewart announced a new tack to prevent the school district from raising class sizes next fall. The union plans to file a lawsuit arguing that a proposed increase in class size would violate city municipal codes by creating overly crowded classrooms. The response comes days after school board officials sent the union a letter stating its intention to raise class sizes to as many as 35 students per class in light of a massive budget deficit. Stewart said that in addition to posing a safety hazard, the move would jeopardize children's ability to learn. Class sizes currently range from 28 to 31 in city schools. The code states that classrooms should have 20 square feet of floor area per person. "More than 90 percent of our schools have classrooms with at least 700 square feet if not more," said schools spokeswoman Monique Bond. "We will meet any requirements, and we will never compromise students' safety." Fire officials said a recent review by the school board determined that classrooms could handle the proposed number of students, said spokesman Larry Langford. The Fire Department did not independently verify the review, he said. Missouri School Districts Get Help with Construction Projects from Stimulus Bonds
Alaina Busch ,
Southeast Missourian
June 07, 2010 MISSOURI: Despite a failing economy, construction and financial experts continually told the Cape Girardeau School Board the time is now to pursue construction projects, in part because of low interest rates. One of the components of what experts deemed a perfect storm kicked in when Gov. Jay Nixon announced the latest round of no-interest construction bonds awarded through the stimulus package. Low-interest bonds through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and low interest rates were selling points for some districts that turned to voters in the past year for construction projects. "We talked to them about the fact that with this program and the fact that a lot of people are looking for work, this is your perfect storm," said Mike Kiehne, superintendent of the Richland School District. Voters of the Stoddard County school district approved a $750,000 bond proposal in November. Richland is one of five Southeast Missouri school districts collectively receiving $9.08 million of the $146 million in interest-free Qualified School Construction Bonds announced by Nixon. Bloomfield, Cape Girardeau, Pemiscot County and Ste. Genevieve school districts were also on the list, the second round of bonds awarded through the program. Last year, the state awarded $141 million of the interest-free bonds. Districts are also pursuing other low-interest bonds through the stimulus package including Qualified Zone Academy Bonds and Build America Bonds. As area administrators begin tackling construction projects, they said their districts will begin to see immediate savings from the programs. Some districts will do more renovations, set lower tax rates or pay off projects sooner because of the bonds. With Qualified School Construction Bonds, bondholders receive federal tax credits in lieu of interest paid by school districts. Kiehne said the recently awarded bonds will help increase the scope of the district's project, which will fund heating and air conditioning upgrades and window replacements. "This will give us a great shot in the arm," he said. Florida High School Opens With New, Improved Design
Jeffrey S. Solochek,
St. Petersburg Times
June 06, 2010 FLORIDA: Fivay High School looks like no other school in Pasco County. The brand new $49 million school, which has about four times more indoor space than a Publix grocery store, takes the best of past designs along with the lessons learned from other recent new high schools. The result has principal Angie Stone and her team giddy with enthusiasm. "I would describe it as a small college campus," said assistant principal Erik Hermansen as he toured the school, which remains under construction until mid June. It's two stories, with a brick-lined courtyard filled with trees at the center of the classroom buildings. And it features many of the improvements that several principals recommended as necessary to avoid known future expenses. The bus loop, student/staff parking and visitor lots don't share common entrances, for instance, in an effort to avoid the traffic entanglements that snarl other high schools. The hallway double doors have removable center bars to make it easier to move furniture around. To speed up serving time, the cafeteria has six serving lines instead of four, as most other high schools have. Assistant principals have reception and meeting spaces in their offices, so students don't have to stand awkwardly outside while waiting for attention. The classrooms even have built-in storage space and, to the delight of teachers coming from bunker-like Hudson High, windows. "Just about everything we gave them, they've improved in this design," Stone said. More than that, the school also enjoys the latest top-of-the-line equipment, plus some extras. Hermansen was particularly enthralled with the culinary arts classroom and kitchen, which looks so professional that the cafeteria manager wondered whether it was the cafeteria kitchen. It's part of the school's planned culinary and hospitality learning community, which is slated to become its first career academy. Assistant principal Matt McDermott, a former coach and athletic director, pointed to the school's many sports facility upgrades — built-in batting cages and ample storage under the football bleachers among them — as highlights. The field also includes a discus and shotput cage, and women's restrooms with almost three dozen toilets to get rid of long lines. The school's media center is larger than those in other schools, and it's attached to a large television production studio complete with a green-screen wall. The center even has a tiled area where the school will have cafe tables and a coffee bar, to give it more of a Barnes & Noble feel. "We want the media center to be inviting," Stone explained. "We want kids to want to be there." The indoor common areas have LCD projectors with screens for announcements and presentations, similar to other new schools. They've got extra lighting on the lower floor and glass block windows on the upper floors to allow more natural lighting, too. The restrooms also feature a privacy upgrade. To discourage mischief, most high schools have private stalls but no main door on the restroom, so passersby can look right in. Fivay also has open doorways, but the stalls are tucked around a corner, out of public view. The boys' locker room has individual shower stalls rather than group showers, too. Carrollton, Georgia Schools to Use $8 Million Stimulus Bond for Construction Projects
Rachel Lane,
Times-Georgian
June 06, 2010 GEORGIA: Despite cutbacks in its budget for 2010-2011, the Carrollton city school system did receive good news in the form of an $8 million bond approval, to be used for construction and renovation projects. Qualified School Construction Bonds (QSCBs) are no-interest federal bonds loaned to states that do not need to be repaid immediately and cannot be repaid early, according to Steve Spofford, chief operating officer for Carrollton City Schools. According to the Department of Education, QSCBs are bonds the government subsidizes by allowing bondholders “to receive tax credits approximately equal to the interest that states and communities would pay holders of taxable bonds.” As a result, issuers are responsible for repayment of just the principal. States may directly issue the bonds on behalf of eligible schools or they may suballocate authority to issue the bonds within the state. The program also allows schools to wait until the economy improves before repaying the loans. Construction of a two-story sixth-grade building will cost about $5.5 million, and renovations to the high school gym and restrooms are expected to cost about $2.5 million. Carrollton Schools Superintendent Kent Edwards said the money can only be used on those three projects. Carrollton was one of only 12 school systems in the country to receive the full funding that was requested. Contractors will be pre-qualified, based on which companies have the experience needed to complete the projects. That process will take about a month, and projects will then be open for bids. “It doesn’t matter if its one penny; the lowest bid will win,” Spofford said. The condition of the federal bonds, however, requires the projects to be bid out based on prevailing wage, which could mean a possible increase of 10 to 15 percent. “We knew the conditions of these bonds when we applied,” Spofford said. “We factored it [wage conditions] in, but I don’t expect to have any money left.” Wave of School Closings in Twin Cities Is Biggest Since Early 1980s
Allie Shah and Emily Johns,
Star Tribune
June 05, 2010 MINNESOTA: Not since the early 1980s has the end of the school year brought such a large wave of schools in the Twin Cities area that will not reopen next fall. Thousands of students and teachers in at least 20 schools are packing up their desks and their memories and heading to new buildings next fall. Two of the state's largest districts -- Anoka-Hennepin and St. Paul -- are experiencing their largest downsizing ever. The shutdowns are due to a combination of demographic and economic forces, and a greater choice of schools. Most acutely affected are those two big districts and Minneapolis, where fewer students have created "excess space" in some buildings. That slack, coupled with the bleakest education funding forecast in a generation, has left districts with little choice but to close schools and to expect more shuttering of buildings in coming years. The situation hasn't happened on this scale since 1982, when scores of Minnesota schools closed due to a significant drop in student enrollment and very tight budgets. Today's school closing wave is concentrated in the three largest school districts -- Anoka-Hennepin, St. Paul and Minneapolis. Unlike three decades ago, it reflects a more pronounced effect of competition from charter schools, open enrollment and other school choices. Funding pressures figured prominently in the timing of closing decisions in Anoka-Hennepin, St. Paul, Minneapolis and St. Louis Park. "In some cases, they're closing them a little earlier than they probably would have because of the funding shortages. That's accelerating the decision," said Scott Croonquist, head of the Association of Metropolitan School Districts. Typically district leaders will postpone closing buildings as enrollment numbers fall because the decisions are so painful and unpopular, Kyte said. But when a financial crisis such as the state budget deficit hits, they can no longer avoid closing schools, he said. Demographic trends show the youngest members of the baby boom echo have now graduated from high school. State demographer Tom Gillaspy said last year's graduating class was the peak of that generation. In Minnesota and nationwide, secondary school populations are starting to decrease. Primary enrollments are rising. Enrollments have been for the most part relatively flat to declining this decade across the state," he said. "Some districts are growing a bit and other districts are declining a bit." Pennsylvania to Get $602 Million in Federal Stimulus for 101 School Construction and Energy Efficiency Projects
Tom Barnes,
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
June 04, 2010 PENNSYLVANIA: The federal stimulus program is providing new benefits for Pennsylvania, funneling more than $600 million to help pay for construction projects in many of the state's school districts, including 13 districts in Western Pennsylvania, Gov. Ed Rendell said. The largest single amount going to southwestern Pennsylvania is $50.5 million for the Pittsburgh Public Schools. Pittsburgh Public Schools spokesman Craig Kwiecinski said the district -- one of 46 in the state to get funding -- will apply federal money to increasing energy efficiency at Perry, Oliver and Langley high schools and expanding pre-kindergarten space at Pittsburgh Northview PreK-5. "Obviously, we are very pleased with the award," he said. Across the state, $602 million will be available to help pay for 101 construction projects. Other school districts receiving funding include McKeesport Area, which will get $15 million. The same amount will be going to East Allegheny, New Castle Area and Sharon. Washington, Pa., will get $20 million in stimulus funds, and South Fayette, $16.8 million. Washington School District will use most of the money to renovate its high school, while lesser amount will be used for energy conservation projects and renovations at the elementary school, district business manager Rick Mancini said. Federal funding is also going to Big Beaver Falls Area, along with Cornell, Duquesne City, Farrell Area, Jeannette and Peters. Money has also been set aside for districts in the Altoona/Johnstown area and Erie. Pennsylvania is getting the sixth highest amount in the nation. The federal money will be used to pay interest on bond money that will be borrowed to finance the projects, as well as for bond underwriting and counsel fees, Mr. Rendell said. Each school district will pay off the principal of the loan. Three kinds of construction projects are involved: those making school buildings more energy efficient or reducing water consumption; those providing facilities for early childhood education programs; and those building labs for science, technology, engineering or math courses. "These funds will help put people to work on vital construction projects, save energy costs and help improve education programs," while saving taxpayers in the school districts the amounts they would have had to pay for debt service on the bonds, said Mr. Rendell. Mr. Rendell said the stimulus program already has provided many jobs in manufacturing and construction in the state. The stimulus program is also providing $2.7 billion to balance this year's $27.8 billion state budget, he said. "The stimulus program has been a godsend for Pennsylvania," he added. With Last Day of Classes, 21 Kansas City, Missouri District Schools Fade to Memory
Joe Robertson,
Kansas City Star
June 02, 2010 MISSOURI: Lynn Nemeth stayed behind, motionless in her seat, as the rest of the crowd left with the overwhelming news of Kansas City’s plan to close schools. Her school — McCoy Elementary — was on that list. “It was the last time you knew you would be normal,” the principal recalled. She knew then that this day would be coming. Today, 21 buildings will watch children pass through their doors out into summer for the last time. It’s not an easy thing, telling a school goodbye.The schools range from 17 to 101 years old, most of them older and tired. They are elementary schools, middle schools and a high school. Their communities and their district faced storms of economic change, racial politics and down-spiraling enrollment. But the children and teachers leaving them today will take indelible memories with them, same as the generations before them. “The school is their social community,” said Carolyn Barber, assistant professor of educational research and psychology at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. “School is where their friends are. It’s where many of the adults are who are important in their lives.” Closing any one of them, on its own, would be noteworthy. It’s frightening to close so many at one time, knowing what’s at stake, said former City Councilman Bobby Hernandez. Thirty schools were named on the first closings list in February. It was pared to 26 before the board voted in March. Two more came off in May to make it 24. That included two schools already phased out before today and an adult classroom building. The choices were difficult and pragmatic. School closings strike deep, said education researcher and author Diane Ravitch. Kansas City’s plan, closing 40 percent of its schools, is particularly stunning in scope, but not a lone action. Many districts are closing schools, sometimes as the ultimate punitive measure for poor performance, other times driven by starving budgets. “It seems that some superintendents boast of how many schools they close,” Ravitch said in an e-mail to The Star. “School-i-cide doesn’t improve education, and it destroys social capital.” While Kansas City considered a school’s academic performance when making its list of closings, the overarching reason was a looming budget crisis. But that is small comfort, Ravitch said, to communities preparing to lose their anchors. “When schools are closed because of underenrollment,” she said, “it is a matter of sad necessity.” ACLU Criticizes Inequitable and Inadequate School Construction Funding in Baltimore, Maryland
Liz Bowie,
Baltimore Sun
June 02, 2010 MARYLAND: The ACLU is calling on state and city leaders to address a $2.8 billion need for renovations to Baltimore schools by developing a more creative and equitable way to fund school construction across Maryland. In a report, the American Civil Liberties Union says that despite state increases in school construction dollars in recent years, many city schools are still deteriorating and at current funding levels it would take 50 years for them to be in good condition. Subpar schools negatively affect student achievement, discourage middle-class families from remaining in the city and bring down neighborhoods, the report said. The report argues that because the state does not take into account each district's needs and ability to fund projects locally, school construction funding lacks equity. While the need is greatest in the city and Prince George's County school systems, according to the report, those districts get about the same amount of money from the state as the other largest school systems. From 2007 to 2010, for example, the state gave wealthy Montgomery County $174 million vs. $162.6 million to Baltimore City. Most counties are able to use their local revenues to significantly increase the amount of money they spend on facilities. But over the past three years, the total spending on school buildings, including state and local funds, in Montgomery County was $931 million, compared with $239 million in Baltimore. David G. Lever, executive director of the Maryland Public School Construction Program, says there is equity in the state funding. Every school system has complex needs, and nearly every school system has a gap between its need for school construction dollars and what it gets, he said. Editorial: Building Equality
Editorial Board,
Baltimore Sun
June 02, 2010 MARYLAND: Maryland's Bridge to Excellence Act of 2002, known as the Thornton law, revised the state's formula for funding school districts to direct more money to the state's poorest jurisdictions, where the need was greatest. Within a few years, the results were evident: In Baltimore City, test scores have been rising every year since the law was enacted, as have enrollment and graduation rates. At the same time, the city's dropout and absentee rates have fallen. The Thornton formula was devised to eliminate the disparities in instructional funding among the state's richest and poorest school districts, which in some cases amounted to thousands of dollars per pupil. But it did not directly address the issue of capital funding for school repair and construction. While wealthy districts have a variety of means of funding school capital projects, Baltimore, for example, has neither the wealth nor the capacity to raise the approximately $2.8 billion needed to modernize more than 100 schools in various states of disrepair. Baltimore's problems with old, dilapidated and potentially unsafe school buildings are thus on a completely different order of magnitude than those of Maryland's big suburban counties. Yet state funding for repair, renovation and new construction has never been focused on the city's schools in a way that is commensurate with those challenges, according to a new report from the Maryland ACLU. As a result, the disparity has only grown wider over the years, leaving thousands of city students struggling to learn in buildings that lack even the basic amenities of functioning heating, electrical and ventilation systems. The ACLU rightly calls such disparities unacceptable under the Maryland Constitution's provision for the establishment of a "thorough and efficient system of Free Public Schools." The group points to a number of court decisions that have interpreted that clause to mean that an adequate education requires school buildings that protect safety and health, and that grossly inadequate facilities, such as those found in many Baltimore City schools, deprive children of their basic right to an education. The report leaves little doubt that Maryland's current system of funding school construction is broken. Despite a process that is supposed to prioritize the state's needs, and in spite of significant increases in state school construction funding in the last few years, too often decisions about which projects get funded come down to political choices made with little regard for different jurisdictions' needs or ability to pay. No matter what steps the state has taken to bring a semblance of objectivity to the process, officials have used school construction money as just another bargaining chip in Annapolis. That can't continue if Maryland is to have any chance of building the kind of public schools that can support academic curriculums equal to the demands of the 21st century. The ACLU was a driving force in the process that resulted in the Thornton Commission school funding program, which showed what can be accomplished by concentrating school operating and instructional funds in the areas of greatest need. Clearly, the time has come to start doing the same thing with school construction funds as well. 1-Year Suspension In New Hampshire School Construction Aid Approved
Staff Writer,
WBZTV/Associated Press
June 02, 2010 NEW HAMPSHIRE: The House and Senate have passed legislation that suspends New Hampshire's school construction aid for a year. The bill calls for suspending aid starting July 1 but makes exceptions for health and safety reasons. The bill allows a waiver for schools to get aid when part of a school building is dangerous to occupants. A study committee returns in the fall with recommended changes to the cash-strapped aid program.
Dollars Don't Measure Controversial New Newton, Massachusetts North High School's Full Cost
Dan Atkinson,
Wicked Local Newton
June 02, 2010 MASSACHUSETTS: With little fanfare, the city took ownership of the new Newton North High School. What started out in 2000 as a $39 million renovation mushroomed over the years to a $197.5 million new building that includes mold-free rooms, natural light instead of windowless halls and an HVAC system that actually circulates air. While the new North will open to students in the fall, it will take two decades to pay for the project. But money accounts for only part of the building’s cost. In the decade between its conception and construction, the new North caused rifts between neighbors. It was also responsible for coalescing a new generation of political activists while ending the career of one of the city’s most popular politicians and altering the paths of several others. “I don’t think there’s any question that the project was divisive at times,” said Jeremy Solomon, former Mayor David Cohen’s spokesman from 2004 to 2009 and a Newton North alumnus. “People felt passionately one way or the other about the scope and size and costs, whether we could afford it as a community. “There were tremendous costs for some of us.” Award-winning Mesa, NM Middle School Designed to be Energy Efficient and Environmentally Responsible
Suzanne Michaels ,
Las Cruces Sun-News
June 02, 2010 NEW MEXICO: Gabe Jacquez can't wait for school to start this fall. He's not a student ... he's the principal of an award-winning school under construction: Mesa Middle School, designed to be energy efficient and environmentally responsible. Without a doubt, Mesa Middle School is special. "We studied the desert environment of Las Cruces, and designed the most energy efficient facility we could, to reduce the overall cost of the school during its lifetime," says Joseph Muhlberger, the project's lead architect at Van H. Gilbert Architect PC. The extra effort of a life-cycle cost analysis has already paid off: Mesa Middle School was just recognized nationally by the EPA for Energy Efficient Design, and will be honored in June at an AIA national forum in Miami. The school is recognized as a distinguished participant, with an exceptional rating of 99 out of 100 in the 2010 Energy Star Challenge Grant. From the beginning, the goal was to disturb as little land as possible during the construction, and part of the property has been permanently fenced off to protect surrounding wildlife and serve as an environmental studies "park" for students. "Sustainability" is the word you hear over and over in descriptions of the school. Furnishings will be made of recycled materials from "green certified" companies. During construction, unusable building materials, like the ends of lumber, steel supports or broken cement, are not being transporting to a landfill as construction debris - instead, those materials are being recycled on site, pulverized and turned into base course and used for soil stabilization by a local company. Site supervisor Tony Dorwart describes Mesa Middle School as a "thermal mass" building, "Once it's brought to temperature, it will only take a little energy to heat and cool the facility." In fact, the design incorporates geothermal cooling with five well fields reaching down 300-feet to bring up cool water that will circulate through the building to drop temperatures during the hot months. Natural lighting is a critical component of the school design: clerestory windows - made of high value glass and frames - face solar south to flood hallways and classrooms with natural light while dramatically reducing heat input, and saving energy. Electric lights will turn on and off through motion detectors and heat sensors, to further save on electric bills. California Schools to Cut 80% Electricity Costs with Solar Systems Funded by Stimulus
James Cartledge ,
BrighterEnergy.org
June 01, 2010 CALIFORNIA: Six schools in California are to switch to solar power, with expectations of cutting their electricity costs by an average of 80%. A total of 3 megawatts of generating capacity is to be developed at schools in the San Ramon Valley Unified School District, in the San Francisco Bay Area. The District, which comprises 34 schools in total serving more than 28,000 students, approved a contract with San Jose firm SunPower Corp. It is anticipating savings of more than $2 million in the first year for the installations. District Superintendent Steve Enoch said the contract had been studied carefully before the decision was taken to opt for the solar power systems. Mr Enoch said: “We truly believe that we can maximize savings through these systems, while at the same time modeling thoughtful stewardship of our environment for our students and the community by producing clean, renewable solar power at our schools.” SunPower will install solar carport tracking systems for the schools – solar arrays that provide shade for parked cars while also delivering clean energy. The company said it would be using its E-series solar panels mounted on the tracking systems, which will follow the sun through the day to collect more energy than fixed-tilt systems. The equipment will be produced at SunPower’s new panel manufacturing facility in Milpitas, less than an hour’s drive from the schools. SunPower said construction would be complete by the end of the year. The systems will be financed through the use of low-interest Qualified School Construction Bonds, available through the federal Recovery Act. Bill Kelly, managing director at SunPower, said: “The San Ramon Valley Unified School District is wisely leveraging funding provided by the federal government to deliver clean energy to their schools, while dramatically lowering long-term operational costs. “We are very pleased to work with the district, and congratulate them on their significant commitment to renewable, emission-free solar power.” The solar company, which has previously provided solar systems for the Los Angeles Unified School District, University of California, Merced, and Mendocino College, said it would also be partnering with the San Ramon Valley Unified School District to offer lesson plans on energy, allowing students to make use of the solar installations as educational tools. Safety Concerns Raised About Overcrowding in Bridgewater, Massachusetts Classrooms
Theresa Knapp Enos ,
Patriot Ledger
June 01, 2010 MASSACHUSETTS: When Linda McDermott attended her son’s parent-teacher conference, she expected to hear about his progress and see some of his schoolwork. What she didn’t expect to see was 35 desks crammed into a fifth-grade classroom at the Williams Intermediate School. Although the boy had told his parents the room was crowded, it was a shock to see it first-hand. “While my husband and I were meeting with the teachers, we looked around and saw how crowded the classroom was,” says McDermott. “We asked the teachers how they thought they would fit even more desks in the room next year because we have been hearing that 40 is a number that might happen in the fall in lieu of proper funding. The teachers then showed concern that there was barely enough room to walk around as it was, let alone trying to fit more in.” Due to projected budget cuts, class sizes could swell to 40 to 45 students per classroom. So McDermott wrote a letter to Bridgewater Fire Chief George W. Rogers Jr., asking for a room-capacity analysis of each classroom in each Bridgewater school building. In her e-mail to Rogers, she wrote: “What is the number that is considered safe, or even legal? ... If there was an emergency, could this impede a quick evacuation? Where does the line get drawn as far as safety is concerned for these kids? When do you step in and say it is impossible to look these kids in the eyes and tell them that they will be safe if an emergency arises?” Based on McDermott’s concern, Rogers, Deputy Chief Tom Levy, Inspector of Buildings David Moore, and Director of Facilities for Bridgewater-Raynham Regional School District Al Baroncelli conducted a walk-through of each school building, along with that school’s principal recently. In a letter to B-R Superintendent Jacqueline Forbes last week, Moore said, “We found no evidence in any classroom of occupancy loading (overcrowding) in violation of (the state building code). However, I am further reviewing the regulations for a finer interpretation.” Moore said they did find a number of situations where furniture was arranged in the classrooms that restricted the use of secondary emergency egress, noting that travel through adjoining classroom doorways should be clear. Baroncelli said that would be corrected immediately. Moore also suggested “the idea of a fire drill be explored, where teachers direct students out of the classrooms through adjoining classrooms to egress stairways and doors. This could re-enforce the idea of alternate ways to exit and the need to keep them clear.” Moore also found a number of areas where student papers and displays were posted in excess in the corridors, which caused a potential safety hazard. Moore said he would reinspect the buildings in two weeks. McDermott is concerned that the law calls for a maximum number of students in a building, not an individual classroom, and has asked town and school officials to reconsider its analysis. Missouri School Districts Get $146 Million Federal Funds for Bond Financing
Staff Writers,
Springfield Business Journal
June 01, 2010 MISSOURI: More than $146 million in federal stimulus money will be distributed to 60 Missouri school districts through interest-free federal bonds to help pay for construction projects. Through the Qualified School Construction Bond program, districts can borrow interest-free money for projects funded by voter-approved bond issues. Bondholders receive federal tax credits in lieu of the interest they would receive from the school districts issuing the bonds. Springfield R-XII School District will receive $7.6 million in bonds to pay finance charges from its $50 million bond issue approved by voters in 2009, which includes retiring the lease notes for construction of the Hickory Hills school, expansion at Westport Elementary and air conditioning at seven schools. "Missouri school districts that have identified ways to fund projects and have gained the approval of taxpayers will benefit greatly from the ... program," Gov. Jay Nixon said in a news release. "This demonstrates that timely, taxpayer-endorsed investment in critical capital needs is a smart move, particularly when incentives reduce costs."
|
||||||||||||||
|
©
National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities at the National Institute of Building Sciences 1090 Vermont Ave., NW Suite 700, Washington, D.C. 20005 · Toll free: 888-552-0624 · 202-289-7800 · www.ncef.org Funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education |
||||||||||||||||
Subscribe to RSS