TEXAS: In an effort to reduce energy costs and battle skyrocketing prices, Katy ISD has joined a new pilot program designed to target the district's least energy-efficient facilities and help cut overall costs. KISD is taking part in CenterPoint Energy's Texas Schools Conserving Resources (SCORE) program. "The SCORE program benefits Katy ISD and the community as it will help us identify areas in which we can reduce energy costs, ultimately saving the district and taxpayers money," said Katy ISD Superintendent Dr. Leonard Merrell. “In addition, through effective energy management, the program will help us create an optimum learning environment for our students and teachers.” According to Karen Gregory, SCORE program manager for CenterPoint, the program is an organized effort to bring needed resources and energy efficiency to Texas Schools. "We identified a real need for an energy efficiency program that specifically targets schools, especially as school budgets spread thinner," Gregory said.

Taxpayers can rejoice in the fact that SCORE offers incentives to school districts committed to conserving energy. KISD will be eligible to receive incentive checks for projects the district installs by next Dec. 1. CenterPoint will pay the district $150 per peak kilowatt of energy saved. The Public Utility Commission of Texas provides the mechanism for calculating energy savings achieved. The district is awarded an incentive check when projects are finished and the new equipment is inspected. KISD says it has already identified substantial facility upgrades and that the SCORE program will help determine what additional upgrades would be most effective. SCORE also involves administrators at all levels of the school district being active in the decision-making process of what facilities need upgrades and which do not. Michael Matej, KISD's utility conservation manager, said this aspect of the program is important because "it ensures that the financial decision makers understand the lifelong cost of the equipment and therefore can justify funding energy efficiency projects."

INDIANA: A school construction boom dominated education news in 2006, with more than $150 million in building projects approved by Hendricks County school districts. Accommodating a huge growth in enrollment has long been a struggle for Hendricks County school districts, and 2006 was no different. Even as the year began, Plainfield was building a new, $103 million high school, and Avon had two construction projects under way, including a sixth elementary school. But with Census Bureau figures showing Hendricks County as the 75th-fastest-growing county in the nation from 2000-05, local school officials soon made it clear that even more construction would be needed. Avon conducted a series of hearings during the summer and fall to demonstrate need for another elementary school, a new middle school and an expansion of the high school. The meetings culminated in November with the approval of all three projects.

Brownsburg school officials in September approved construction of the $18 million Ronald Reagan Elementary at 1250 E. Airport Road, north of East Middle School. The 89,000-square-foot structure building will house 684 students in Grades K-5 and is scheduled for completion in July 2008. Brownsburg also gave approval in November to a $15 million, 27,000-square-foot high school expansion and gave a tentative OK to building a senior or freshman academy in 2010 that would increase capacity by about 800 students. Danville approved plans in February to build a $30 million, 187,000-square-foot intermediate and middle school to be completed in 2008. The two-story school will have two wings of classrooms. One wing will be for Grades 5-6, and the other will house Grades 7-8. North West Hendricks school officials also conducted a series of meetings to assess the need for additional buildings. A task force recommended constructing a lower elementary school in Pittsboro and renovating and adding to the high school. However, the School Board sought additional information on the cost and postponed making a decision until early 2007. Plainfield's new high school is scheduled to open in fall 2008. It initially will serve 1,600 students but could be expanded to accommodate 2,200 students. The old high school will become a middle school and the middle school will be an upper elementary for Grades 4-5.

CALIFORNIA: A new law in California will make it easier for low-performing schools to pay for repairs to their facilities. What was known as the state’s Emergency Repair Program has been converted from an $800 million reimbursement program into a grant program. Schools no longer will have to pay for repairs upfront and then wait to be repaid, a process that can take three months or longer. The new program, which goes into effect Jan. 1, is part of a package of "cleanup" legislation that applies to what is known as the Williams settlement, resolving a lawsuit over school facility conditions and teaching materials. Regulations allowing schools to apply for the money are expected to be available sometime in the spring. Eligible schools—which are determined by their rankings on the state’s academic-performance index—still will be reimbursed if they pay for repairs with local funds.

The previous program, which was part of the lawsuit settlement, has been used to reimburse districts for addressing such problems as termite damage, gang graffiti, and overflowing septic systems. But some school district officials were hesitant to apply for the funds because they had to wait to get their money back from the state, and because they didn’t know if their repairs would meet the state’s standards for “emergency facilities needs.”

NEW JERSEY: Three weeks after it launched an initiative to collect millions spent to clean contaminated land purchased for school construction, the state announced a separate legal campaign to start recouping more than $20 million for structural and design defects on school projects across New Jersey. As part of its new campaign, the state filed a lawsuit in Mercer County demanding STV Architects Inc. and El Taller Colaborativo, an engineering firm, reimburse the state more than $3.5 million for repairs on the Mt. Vernon Elementary School in Irvington. The lawsuit contends design errors made by the two Newark firms resulted in the state having to reinforce steel support beams and girders that buckled after upper-level concrete floors were poured.

"The buckling of the steel originally meant to support the upper floors of this structure was so severe it could be seen with the naked eye," said Attorney General Stuart Rabner, whose office filed the lawsuit on behalf of the Schools Construction Corp., which was set up six years ago to manage an overhaul of public school buildings in New Jersey. The setbacks delayed the $22 million school project for months as outside engineers reviewed the structure and determined how to fix it, according to the lawsuit. In addition, the state notes, the agency "continues to feel the effects of the delay to the construction of the school," which is now scheduled to open in April.

CANADA: Parkland School Division, west of Edmonton, has ordered $4.7 million worth of building renovations that are expected to pay for themselves in energy savings, raise student achievement and reduce emissions. Ameresco Canada Inc. will improve lighting, boilers, furnaces, ventilation and control systems in 22 school buildings over the next three years. "We help the school to determine the condition of all components and we relate the facility to learning outcomes," says Wayne Cole, Ameresco's senior business developer for Western Canada. "There is a direct connection between the condition of facilities and teaching and learning," he says.

A review of scholarly literature, commissioned by Ameresco, identified thermal comfort, indoor air quality, visual comfort and acoustics as the facility factors most important to student achievement. Fortunately, Cole says, they can be improved by retrofits that also raise a school's energy efficiency, which Ameresco guarantees. "If the savings fall short of the guarantee, then we will write a cheque for the difference." Well-planned building renewals generate an average return on investment of 15 to 17 per cent annually over 20 years after interest costs, assuming that unit energy costs rise by two per cent annually, Cole says. Ed Paras, Parkland's school facilities manager, says he's confident the 20-year savings in operating costs will at least equal $4.7 million. "I'm monitoring it, but I know it works." The project also is expected to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions equivalent to taking 2,000 cars off the road. The research review found that "facility measures explain 10 to 15 per cent of the differences in students' standardized achievement scores across schools." It also found that schools in good condition have fewer disciplinary problems, higher parental involvement and greater teacher satisfaction. "It appears that extravagant, high-tech schools contribute little to enhanced performance, beyond that found in schools in good condition," the review noted.

ARKANSAS: How does a school district heat a new elementary school when there are no natural gas lines to the site? Dig deep into the Earth and harness the power of Mother Nature through geothermal wells. Bentonville will become one of only a handful of schools in the state to use geothermal energy when the new Bella Vista Elementary School opens along Dartmoor Road next fall. Using geothermal power to heat and cool the Bella Vista school came out of necessity. Bentonville Superintendent Gary Compton said the new school site had no natural gas lines. Compton said district representatives examined electric bills and determined using electricity to control the school temperature was too costly. "We've got a new emphasis on energy management in the district. Bella Vista will be the benchmark," Compton said. The U.S. Department of Energy found that, for most districts, utilities are second only to payroll as a percentage of overall operating expenses.

Allan Yearry, director of support services for the Benton School District, said the district began using geothermal power five or six years ago in a new junior high school. It's powered by about 100 geothermal wells. "It reduced our water bill and that affects the sewer rate too," Yearry said. "We feel that our electric bill was cut by about a good third."

James "Junior" Copeland, maintenance director for the Springdale School District, said geothermal energy has been used for one year at Hunt Elementary School and for two years at Bayyari Elementary School. "Right now, utility bills for those two schools in the summer are running about the same as other schools, but there is some savings in the winter," Copeland said. The geothermal system saves $2,000 to $3,000 at each school during each winter month, when compared with schools using traditional heating systems. aintenance and repair costs for geothermal systems are 20 percent to 40 percent of the cost of maintaining conventional heating and cooling systems, according to the federal Department of Energy.

FLORIDA: High school students want indoor athletic fields, indoor swimming pools, courtyards covered by Plexiglas domes, and cafeteria food replaced with fast-food vendors. And how about a track with sensors in the ground that accurately and automatically measure shot-put distance? Students in Marty Mayer's Speech I class at Middleburg High spent the past two months designing their own 1,000-student high school, with an unlimited budget. Ben Wortham, Clay County's deputy superintendent of schools, gave students some tips in advance and then came back to judge the final products, along with George Copeland, assistant superintendent for business affairs. Each group created a Web page and a trifold display board with their school name, mascot, colors, scale drawings, floor plans, a course selection book and list of sports and clubs. Recently, students had six to eight minutes to present their plans to their classmates and the judges.

The goal of the project, Mayer said, "was for students to be aware of the complexity of designing a school." Mission accomplished, students said. "It was a lot of work, really cool, eye opening," Stephanie Geoghagan said. "You don't realize all the tiny details that go into making a school." The county expects a lot in regard to class sizes, student-teacher ratios, health regulations, accommodations for disabled students and building facilities to match course offerings, student Saura Johnston said.

VERMONT: Several Addison Central Supervisory Union schools are considering new security measures in light of recent acts of violence at schools in Vermont and throughout the country. Middlebury Union Middle School has already installed a new front-entrance security system, while other schools in the district are considering blinds, alarm systems, reorganized offices that look upon entryways, and/or doors that lock from the inside, as upgrades to better protect teachers and children from would-be attackers. "We still want people to come to our schools, but we want to ensure their safety at the same time," said Middlebury School Resource Officer Scott Fisher.

WEST VIRGINIA: As part of his ongoing effort to help with repairs and renovations of West Virginia’s aging schools, U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-WV, has announced that Congress has passed legislation that will mean millions for West Virginia’s schools. The bill, which passed in the last hours of the 109th Congress, will extend interest-free construction loans for two more years for West Virginia’s school systems. The bill also includes key education tax deductions for teachers who spend their own money on teaching supplies and for families who have college tuition expenses.

"Studies show that students in new, up-to-date facilities are more likely to learn," said Rockefeller. "I have long fought for federal funding to help improve existing schools and build new ones, so that our students are given the best environment possible to learn and grow." The passed by Congress extends the Qualified Zone Academy Bond (QZAB) program, which enables qualified schools, that partner with the private sector to borrow money without any costs or at nominal interest rates.

Rockefeller fought to make sure that the access to this funding for rural areas was not compromised. He pushed for the local matching requirement to be very flexible and to include in-kind contributions. In-kind contributions can include the transferal of land, educational software, or even the donation of tutorial time.

NEW JERSEY: Preparing for a surge in new work, New Jersey's embattled Schools Construction Corporation adopted an operating budget that will expand its staff by 20 percent and increase overall administrative spending by almost 50 percent in 2007. The extra spending and 53 new employees will support added construction as the corporation expects to step up activity after almost 18 months of disarray and reorganization. The new budget anticipates almost $1.4 billion in school project expenditures next year, compared with just over $1 billion in the current year. Administrative spending would rise from $32 million this year to $47.4 million.

Two years ago, before the agency was rocked by revelations of waste and mismanagement, spending peaked at $1.375 billion, SCC records show. Scott Weiner, the corporation's chief executive officer, said the increased costs for staff and consultants in next year's administrative budget will be more than offset by savings from initiatives carried out by the new employees. For instance, he said, although spending on staff attorneys and hired lawyers is scheduled to rise from $2.8 million this year to $4.2 million in 2007, the corporation expects to save $12 million through aggressive management of contractors' payment claims.

NEW JERSEY: Preparing for a surge in new work, New Jersey's embattled Schools Construction Corporation adopted an operating budget that will expand its staff by 20 percent and increase overall administrative spending by almost 50 percent in 2007. The extra spending and 53 new employees will support added construction as the corporation expects to step up activity after almost 18 months of disarray and reorganization. The new budget anticipates almost $1.4 billion in school project expenditures next year, compared with just over $1 billion in the current year. Administrative spending would rise from $32 million this year to $47.4 million.

Two years ago, before the agency was rocked by revelations of waste and mismanagement, spending peaked at $1.375 billion, SCC records show. Scott Weiner, the corporation's chief executive officer, said the increased costs for staff and consultants in next year's administrative budget will be more than offset by savings from initiatives carried out by the new employees. For instance, he said, although spending on staff attorneys and hired lawyers is scheduled to rise from $2.8 million this year to $4.2 million in 2007, the corporation expects to save $12 million through aggressive management of contractors' payment claims.

MINNESOTA: The federal Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA, recently honored nine Minnesota districts, including Columbia Heights and Mahtomedi, with Energy Star leader awards. That means the districts made continuous improvement on energy efficiency. The EPA recognized the Columbia Heights School District as one of the top districts in the country. In total, Minnesota school districts have avoided an estimated $5.7 million in energy costs since a program called Schools for Energy Efficiency, or SEE, was introduced four years ago.

Columbia Heights and all the other districts the EPA recognized have been working with a White Bear Lake company called Hallberg Engineering, which administers the SEE program. The program helps schools implement low-cost or no-cost methods that will save energy and energy-related expenses. The approach includes operational and behavioral changes. Don't turn on the lights until right before most teachers and students arrive. Shut down computers at night (that saves $20 per computer annually). Spend about $60 for a vending machine device that cuts down on running time, and that will save $150 per machine annually. The SEE program monitors how much energy is used and saved and attaches dollar figures to those savings. Awareness is growing thanks to the program and an emphasis in classrooms and curriculum. Anne Anderson, an energy efficiency coordinator for some districts, said students are learning habits they'll carry with them through life.

IDAHO: As their enrollment numbers continue to trickle away, many of Idaho's rural school districts are switching to a 4-day school week to save money - and are seeing some extra benefits. At Marsh Valley High School, one of the latest school districts to make the switch as an experiment this year, teachers say attendance has gone up. At Bear Lake High, where they're in their second year of a four-day week, teachers say students show up fresher and ready to learn. Public schools in Idaho are funded through state money, which is handed out on a per-pupil basis. As these schools' enrollments decline, the money they get from the state goes down with them.

The four-day week is meant to save money by cutting down on utility payments. Classroom thermostats at Marsh Valley High are dialed down from 70 degrees to 55 degrees on Fridays, and it's not uncommon to see teachers bundled up in their winter coats in their classrooms on Fridays getting in extra work. By lengthening class periods from an hour to 70 minutes, and lengthening school days by an hour, the district expects to save between $60,000 and $80,000 per year. At the Soda Springs district, they've saved between $130,000 and $200,000 per year, depending on the weather.

WEST VIRGINIA: A low-tech gadget can shine a light on potential troublemakers in schools. Visitors to Riverside High School in Kanawha County have to sign in first. That's nothing new. But school officials said the white sticker that visitors have to wear turns bright blue or purple if they step outside. The change in color identifies potential troublemakers to teachers and other school personnel. Parents have to wear the tags, too, but they like the added security. "If the kids steal them or try to take 'em out and try and get their friends to come in and sign them out, they're not going to get out?" asked Riverside parent Lisa McClure. The answer: That's right. Stickers exposed to daylight automatically change color, thus alerting school personnel the pass is dated. The school has a public library, bank and health clinic, so people are coming and going all the time. Riverside High School has used the stickers for several years. The school pays $250 for 2,000 stickers.

PENNSYLVANIA: As Philadelphia's police and citizens grapple with street crime, the public schools are gradually becoming safer, school district chief Paul Vallas said. Primarily responsible for making schools safer, he said, are the 250 community group employees hired to help monitor school facilities, the 2,300 cameras installed in the last two years and the creation of school climate manager positions for some schools. To keep crime down, plans call for installing 1,000 more cameras and using $600,000 in new state money to hire 150 more community group employees, Vallas said.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA : Demographic experts projected that new housing construction in the District could result in as many as 5,000 additional school-age children in the city by 2010, a potential boom in a system that has lost about 20,000 students over a decade. But whether those children attend traditional public schools, charter schools or other alternatives depends on the condition of the D.C. public schools, which need vast improvements in academic programs and facilities, the experts said at a forum. "Our ability to attract people to come and stay in the District depends on our ability to have good schools," Ellen M. McCarthy, director of the D.C. Office of Planning, told about 200 education and community advocates at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The group gathered to discuss the study "Housing in the Nation's Capital," prepared by the Fannie Mae Foundation and the Urban Institute. The study said improved schools are key to the city's goal of attracting 100,000 more residents by 2020. Thus far, new development has consisted largely of condominiums that have drawn residents without children. But the experts called for city and school officials to work together to attract and retain families.

NORTH CAROLINA: Faced with a need for more space, the Iredell-Statesville school board is considering a complex that could house an elementary school, a high school magnet program and district offices under one roof. Board members selected FirstChoice Public-Private Partners to look at building new schools for the district under a capital lease agreement, a form of financing that was approved recently by the state legislature to help speed school construction projects and possibly reduce costs. The district can provide the land, and the developer would handle the school design and construction.

INDIANA: A 27-member task force looking at proposals ranging in price from $234 million to $995 million to improve the city's school facilities, including a proposal to close more than 10 percent of the district's buildings. The task force is charged with reviewing the needs of the district's 53 buildings and matching that with how much the community can afford to fix. One proposal calls for closing as many as six schools. The work would be spread over six to 11 years, depending on how much is done. The project would cost the average home owner between $9.75 and $41.75 a month.Schmidt Associates, an Indianapolis-based firm hired at a cost of nearly $390,000, found that 85 percent of the district's buildings were inadequate. "There hasn't been a lot of construction in the last 30 years," said Wayne Schmidt, chief executive officer of Schmidt Associates.

NEW JERSEY: Members of the Building and Grounds Committee in the Nazareth Area School District debated just how "green" the new middle school building needs to be. Project manager Jamie Lynch spoke to the committee during the capital project review. Lynch said the new building's current design might not meet state requirements for partial loan reimbursements. The building must gain 33 points for "silver" certification, the minimum allowed for the state to pay $600 per student at the building toward debt service. That figure comes out to some $300,000. The building gains points for various features that will benefit the environment.

"We were at 42," Lynch said. "But now the way I see the project, we're at 34." Assistant Superintendent Judith Swigart disagreed with Lynch's point calculations, citing the eight points he said the building lost according to an environmental consultation firm. "These points were never lost," Swigart said. "They were never earned." Lynch said a margin of error of one point on the scale is risky if the school district counts on the reimbursement money.

Thomas Maher, a member of the school board, asked how much money it would cost to make sure that the building was silver certified. Lynch said he didn't want to guess. Judith Swigart, assistant superintendent for support services, said estimates claimed the cost of a "green" building is 3 percent higher than a regular one. In that case, the tab could come close to $1.35 million. "Our first focus was to use this building as an educational tool," school board President Donald Keller said. "What value do you put on the educational value of this? Is it cost effective?" "When it comes to tax money, everyone wants to do it the least expensive way so that it is the least burdensome on the taxpayers."

GEORGIA: Atlanta Public Schools officials are asking voters to approve more than a half-billion dollars in new taxes so they can finish renovating aging campuses. The nine-member Board of Education unanimously agreed to seek a five-year, $572.9 million extension of the 1 percent sales tax to pay for school construction. "Some of these facilities have not had any work done on them for 40 years," said Kathleen B. Pattillo, the board's chairwoman. "That's the shame of it all: For so many years, these schools were just kind of left." Atlanta is joining the city of Decatur, DeKalb County and Fulton County school systems in seeking continuation of the special purpose local option sales tax, or SPLOST, which has been a popular method of financing school construction. Superintendent Beverly L. Hall said there are still basic facility needs at about a third of the schools. "To go two-thirds of the way and leave 27 schools in a state of disrepair," she said, "would, to me, be very unfair."

NORTH CAROLINA: School designers face a dilemma, a hopeless one. The public sees Grimsley High School, High Point Central and R.J. Reynolds in Winston-Salem, all built in the 1920s before the Great Depression and World War II, and grouse: "Why can't they build schools like those anymore?" They can, designers say. But if they did, duck! The wrath of the same public would be fierce.

"Even now, people say the schools we build are too expensive," says Joe Hill, a consultant to Guilford County Schools since his retirement as director of school facilities. The cost of replicating Grimsley, Central and Reynolds — beautiful buildings with columns, ramparts, pilasters and other architectural frills set on landscaped campuses — would be out of sight. Hill says the trend toward less expensive, more bland looking schools dates to the 1950s and 1960s and reflects changing lifestyles. "We have a more transient society today," he says. "People don't have deep roots in a community."

Greensboro's population was more stable when Grimsley opened as Greensboro Senior High School in 1929. City leaders actually boasted of its high cost. It was the state's first school to cost $1 million. Could anyone imagine the school board now bragging about a school's high cost? Hill says the strategy in recent times calls for erecting schools quickly and economically to meet student populations . Also, the least costly tracts for schools are often fields. Hill says in some respects school design now is more complicated, particularly interiors. But, he concedes, modern schools don't catch the eye as do Grimsley or Reynolds. Grimsley's three main buildings look stately on a knoll with a sweeping lawn sloping to Westover Terrace. Motorists approaching from the east encounter Reynolds set high on Winston-Salem's Silver Hill. The designer was the famous Philadelphia architect Charles Barton Keen, who also designed Reynolda House in Winston-Salem. Elementary and junior high schools (now middle schools) back then were built to look classy, too. Lindley Elementary and Aycock Middle are examples.

Greensboro architect Virginia Freyaldenhoven, whose firm, TFF, has worked for the county schools, says school and public buildings once "held a more important place in the framework of a town. They were more monumental." She sometimes longs for those days of ornate exteriors and a higher priority for site selection and landscaping. Up-front costs would be higher, she says, but not long range. There's value in the pride the community takes in public buildings. She says design and landscaping remain priorities at some area private schools, such as Canterbury, where her firm has done work. It's a campus of red brick buildings with a Gothic cathedral that continues to grow in north Greensboro. Freyaldenhoven says Canterbury views campuses in the same way colleges do. They must be appealing or potential students might look elsewhere. Canterbury leaders, she says, "were willing to think of their campus as a community and were willing to put money into those buildings. They want to make an impression." Joe Hill predicts that the likes of a Grimsley, Reynolds or Central won't come again. He says when Central opened in 1927 a central vacuum system allowed custodians to clean the school from a master control in the basement.

He laughs at how the public would yell if a central vacuum system was budgeted for a school today. Nevertheless, design may be getting more attention. Hill predicts the new Northern Guilford High School will warrant articles in state and national school publications for its "green" design. It is being built to be energy efficient and with renewable materials on Spencer Dixon Road. Northern will have windows for natural light, as do Grimsley and other old schools. In the 1970s, windows went out of fashion. Southwest High School has few. Central air conditioning made windows a frill, a nd they were thought to be a distraction — s tudents would look out instead of inside at the teacher. But Hill says studies show natural light results in greater efficiency. Windows also make for more appealing design. With the all the sympathy expressed for Eastern Guilford High School, a corn field school built in 1974 and recently destroyed by fire, perhaps no one would grumble if a 21st century Grimsley replaced it. It won't happen, Hill says, but the new Eastern will be more attractive than the old one. It will have the same green design as Northern Guilford. When school officials show off county schools, Northern and Eastern will be on the van stops. But so will Grimsley and Central, architectural marvels after more than 75 years.

NORTH CAROLINA: School designers face a dilemma, a hopeless one. The public sees Grimsley High School, High Point Central and R.J. Reynolds in Winston-Salem, all built in the 1920s before the Great Depression and World War II, and grouse: "Why can't they build schools like those anymore?" They can, designers say. But if they did, duck! The wrath of the same public would be fierce.

"Even now, people say the schools we build are too expensive," says Joe Hill, a consultant to Guilford County Schools since his retirement as director of school facilities. The cost of replicating Grimsley, Central and Reynolds — beautiful buildings with columns, ramparts, pilasters and other architectural frills set on landscaped campuses — would be out of sight. Hill says the trend toward less expensive, more bland looking schools dates to the 1950s and 1960s and reflects changing lifestyles. "We have a more transient society today," he says. "People don't have deep roots in a community."

Greensboro's population was more stable when Grimsley opened as Greensboro Senior High School in 1929. City leaders actually boasted of its high cost. It was the state's first school to cost $1 million. Could anyone imagine the school board now bragging about a school's high cost? Hill says the strategy in recent times calls for erecting schools quickly and economically to meet student populations . Also, the least costly tracts for schools are often fields. Hill says in some respects school design now is more complicated, particularly interiors. But, he concedes, modern schools don't catch the eye as do Grimsley or Reynolds. Grimsley's three main buildings look stately on a knoll with a sweeping lawn sloping to Westover Terrace. Motorists approaching from the east encounter Reynolds set high on Winston-Salem's Silver Hill. The designer was the famous Philadelphia architect Charles Barton Keen, who also designed Reynolda House in Winston-Salem. Elementary and junior high schools (now middle schools) back then were built to look classy, too. Lindley Elementary and Aycock Middle are examples.

Greensboro architect Virginia Freyaldenhoven, whose firm, TFF, has worked for the county schools, says school and public buildings once "held a more important place in the framework of a town. They were more monumental." She sometimes longs for those days of ornate exteriors and a higher priority for site selection and landscaping. Up-front costs would be higher, she says, but not long range. There's value in the pride the community takes in public buildings. She says design and landscaping remain priorities at some area private schools, such as Canterbury, where her firm has done work. It's a campus of red brick buildings with a Gothic cathedral that continues to grow in north Greensboro. Freyaldenhoven says Canterbury views campuses in the same way colleges do. They must be appealing or potential students might look elsewhere. Canterbury leaders, she says, "were willing to think of their campus as a community and were willing to put money into those buildings. They want to make an impression." Joe Hill predicts that the likes of a Grimsley, Reynolds or Central won't come again. He says when Central opened in 1927 a central vacuum system allowed custodians to clean the school from a master control in the basement.

He laughs at how the public would yell if a central vacuum system was budgeted for a school today. Nevertheless, design may be getting more attention. Hill predicts the new Northern Guilford High School will warrant articles in state and national school publications for its "green" design. It is being built to be energy efficient and with renewable materials on Spencer Dixon Road. Northern will have windows for natural light, as do Grimsley and other old schools. In the 1970s, windows went out of fashion. Southwest High School has few. Central air conditioning made windows a frill, a nd they were thought to be a distraction — s tudents would look out instead of inside at the teacher. But Hill says studies show natural light results in greater efficiency. Windows also make for more appealing design. With the all the sympathy expressed for Eastern Guilford High School, a corn field school built in 1974 and recently destroyed by fire, perhaps no one would grumble if a 21st century Grimsley replaced it. It won't happen, Hill says, but the new Eastern will be more attractive than the old one. It will have the same green design as Northern Guilford. When school officials show off county schools, Northern and Eastern will be on the van stops. But so will Grimsley and Central, architectural marvels after more than 75 years.

MAINE: A program designed to help school districts cut energy costs is producing significant results three years after its inception. Seven new schools in Maine -- including Cony High School in Augusta and Hall-Dale Elementary School in Hallowell -- report cheaper utility bills after installing lighting with daylight controls and occupancy sensors, carbon dioxide sensors for ventilation, and other energy-saving technology. The installations were made possible through grants as part of the Efficiency Maine High Performance School program, using federal funds administered by the Maine Public Utilities Commission.

Cony will save $21,483 in electricity this year -- an amount equal to that used by 19 homes -- and use 6,948 fewer gallons of fuel oil, saving $6,809. The state will send a $100,000 check to Augusta schools Dec. 20 for using energy-efficient equipment. The district already received $20,000 to reimburse it for design costs. Hall-Dale's new elementary school on Winthrop Street will reap $18,194 in electricity savings this year -- equal to 17 homes -- and use 13,191 fewer gallons of fuel oil than last year. The district received $120,000 from the program for its energy improvements.

The U.S. Department of Energy said U.S. schools spend more than $6 billion a year on energy, and estimates they could save as much as $1.5 billion by building with energy-efficient in mind. Augusta schools Superintendent Connie Brown said the city and state invested substantially in the new Cony, so the building needs to be suitable for the next 40 or 50 years. "The cost-saving measures implemented today, we hope, will not only bear fruit this year but for the next 20 years," Brown said. "We are all painfully aware that the cost of utilities is significantly higher than they were two or three years ago -- as much as 30 or 40 percent. By taking these measures, it at least mitigates that a little bit." At Cony, an automatic building control system regulates air flow, air compressors and refrigerators are high-efficiency and heavily insulated, and efficient lighting, air conditioning, motors and appliances all save energy costs.

Energy management not only saves money; Brown said it also improves the learning environment. She said studies show poor air quality in schools because of inadequate ventilation harms the health, performance and attendance of students and teachers. Nicole Clegg of the Public Utilities Commission said studies also have found that students taught in classrooms with more natural light score as much as 25 percent higher on standardized tests than other students in the same school district. Natural lighting has also been linked to a 40 percent drop in absenteeism, she said. "It just goes without saying that the new building far surpasses the old one," Brown said. "If you talk with kids, they'll talk about being in a building that's properly heated and ventilated and the climate is one where you don't have to wear ... jackets and mittens. It does have a positive impact on the learning of students."

KENTUCKY: Kansas public universities have launched a statewide campaign to urge lawmakers to spend $180 million annually for the next five years to address deferred maintenance in campus buildings. Leaders from the University of Kansas and Kansas State University said that the maintenance problem at the state’s public universities has grown dangerous and is a crisis. University officials are touring the state appealing to taxpayers and local leaders to lobby the Legislature for money to repair campus buildings. Students on each campus started a letter-writing campaign calling for Gov. Kathleen Sebelius’ support. A recent review of the 567 academic and administrative buildings on the six campuses showed maintenance needs amounting to $727 million, up about 24 percent from two years ago when university officials reported $584 million in deferred maintenance. Many of the problems — including academic and research buildings with crumbling brick, rotten roofs, rusted pipes and outdated electrical wiring — stem from age and years of not getting enough money from the state to repair buildings. About 75 percent of the total deferred maintenance needs are at KU and K-State, the two largest universities.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA : The District's public school libraries are undergoing their most substantial upgrades in decades as the school system, federal government and private donors invest millions of dollars to add new books, update computer technology and redesign spaces to spruce up the aging media centers. Last month, improvements to three public school libraries in the Capitol Hill area were completed as part of a $2.4 million public-private initiative that ultimately will include eight schools. The Capitol Hill Community Foundation joined the school system and parent volunteers to raise money for the project. The Capitol Hill project coincides with a broader school system plan to spend $12 million, including some federal funds, updating its elementary school libraries this year and in 2007.

Upgrades at 48 elementary schools were completed in October with the addition of new computers, digital cameras, shelving, carpeting, painting, electrical fixtures, furniture and access to electronic databases. An additional 37 elementary school libraries are scheduled for similar improvements next year.

NEW YORK: It is the single biggest project in the biggest school construction plan in the history of New York City: a $235 million campus of four schools, with a football field and basketball courts, to be built on old railyards in the South Bronx. Local groups that pushed for the plan cheered wildly when Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg endorsed it two years ago. But the project, intended as a hallmark of the mayor’s effort to improve education in neighborhoods with historically lower-performing schools, was stalled by City Council members who said they wanted to force Mr. Bloomberg to give them a greater say in school admissions rules, especially for the dozens of small high schools he has created in recent years.

FLORIDA: DeBary officials have a new tool to reject developments to help prevent school overcrowding. The City Council passed a school-planning ordinance that requires officials to examine school capacity before approving any new development. Under the new rule, officials can turn down developments in areas with overcrowded schools or in areas where no schools are planned. DeBary is the first city in Volusia County to enact such an ordinance. It echoes a recently approved county policy and a state rule that takes effect in 2008. Volusia voters approved an amendment to the county's home-rule charter that mandates the government to consider school capacity before allowing land-use changes or growth.

LOUISIANA: The St. Tammany Parish school system opened four bids for the proposed high school near Mandeville, and the lowest bid came in 55 percent higher than the $32 million the school system had expected to pay before Hurricane Katrina. The bids, which ranged from $49.7 million to $55.8 million, far exceeded the project's pre-Katrina budget and reflect the high construction costs that have troubled district officials since the storm.

ARKANSAS: Arkansas governor-elect Beebe said the top education issue that must be addressed in the 2007 session is funding to fix crumbling school buildings. Beebe said he anticipates the amount needed for school facilities over the biennium will be higher than the $250 million originally estimated. Sen. Shane Broadway, who has headed legislative efforts to upgrade school buildings, has said the number could be as high as $300 million to $400 million but said the figure won’t be known until late December. Beebe and lawmakers will likely have to use money from the state’s surplus, which is predicted to grow to $843 million by the end of this fiscal year. “The good news with the facilities issue is that the bulk of that is capital and can be funded from the accumulated surplus as opposed to ongoing general revenue,” Beebe said. "Obviously there are going to be ongoing needs annually that will have to be addressed."

TENNESSEE: Every Memphis elementary school will now have a playground, thanks to a $1.1 million project for playgrounds and stadiums. The project is part of $18.9 million in spending approved by the Memphis Board of Education. The money goes to long overdue projects, like replacing the fire alarm in the administration building, which is so old that replacement parts are not available. This is the case in five schools also getting new alarm systems this year. The largest share is going to replacing windows at six schools and replacing or repairing boilers and air-conditioning vents at seven schools. Other projects include replacing ceilings, floors and outdated bleachers. But with $500 million in these projects and less than a tenth of that to spend each year, choosing which projects happen when becomes increasingly difficult, said Michael Goar, the district's chief operations officer.

FLORIDA: If you think your electric bill is high, imagine getting one for $2.7 million each month. That's the average tab for Orange County Public Schools to keep the lights on, as well as air conditioners, computers, kitchen appliances, vending machines -- and everything else with a plug stuck into an outlet. Like homeowners and businesses, Orange and other school districts across Central Florida and the state have faced steep increases in electric charges during the past year as fuel costs pushed power companies to raise rates. Progress Energy upped its fuel charges for large governmental users such as schools 19 percent to 22 percent at the beginning of the year, and other companies feeding area schools had increases, too. Electric costs for schools served by Progress Energy are expected to rise 1 percent to 3 percent in January, a company spokesman said. With the increases, the power bill for Orange County schools will top $32 million this year, up more than $3 million from last year. But watt-watching is keeping costs down, officials said, considering that nine new schools were opened in August. The higher bills are bringing new conservation measures in the schools. Officials are counting on energy-efficient light bulbs, power-saving gizmos on vending machines, stricter controls on air conditioning and other steps to save money.

IDAHO: As the principal of Hansen Elementary School, Tom Standley had worked with members of the Hansen School District, as well as the community, to pass a school bond election by more than 86 percent the highest approval of an Idaho school bond in more than a decade. But when the district began seeking bids for expansion of the elementary school, things suddenly took a turn for the worse. Less than 30 bids were submitted from qualified construction companies, and all were far higher than the district had estimated. The district's construction manager estimated the cost to be about $150 per square foot, but the lowest bid was more than $200 per square foot. Multiply the unexpected markup by more than 12,500 square feet, and the district was left with a construction bill that was more than $500,000 higher than expected. The bidding period ended without a construction contract, and the elementary school continued to put more students into already cramped classrooms.

The unexpected markup had nothing to do with price fixing or poor estimates. The problem is being shared by school districts statewide due to a boom in school facility construction and a shortage of qualified builders. Ultimately, the smaller school districts are lower on the priority list because projects for larger districts are more lucrative.

And school construction shows no signs of slowing down. School administrators say two things are driving the need for expanding school facilities: population growth and increasing demands on school facilities due to federal requirements. In the early 1980s, the federal government passed the Americans With Disabilities Act, which requires schools to provide services for student who were previously turned away. Schools then began converting general classrooms into special-education classrooms and resource rooms into changing rooms for students with severe disabilities. Then during the 1990s, federal and state governments also added more testing and academic programs, which required the use of computer labs and media centers. In 2003, the U.S. Department of Education estimated that most schools under the federal No Child Left Behind Act had converted 10 to 13 percent of instructional areas into areas for special needs or other accommodations for new federal requirements.

There are few problems in states where the majority of school facility construction is paid for through state general funds, but in Idaho the local school districts struggle to receive 66 percent voter approval for school bond issues to pay for construction. But now that small school districts are finally receiving voter approval on school bonds, they are finding that few construction companies are willing to compete in the bidding process. "We've heard of districts receiving 48-hour bids," Standley said. "It's simply because the cost of fuel and other materials rises daily and because the construction companies are already so busy that they don't need to haggle with material prices." But with more small school districts fighting to expand their facilities while large districts seek to build new facilities, it is unlikely that demand will decline anytime soon. So unless the supply of qualified construction companies increases, small school districts will struggle to find ones willing to work for them.

IDAHO: As the principal of Hansen Elementary School, Tom Standley had worked with members of the Hansen School District, as well as the community, to pass a school bond election by more than 86 percent the highest approval of an Idaho school bond in more than a decade. But when the district began seeking bids for expansion of the elementary school, things suddenly took a turn for the worse. Less than 30 bids were submitted from qualified construction companies, and all were far higher than the district had estimated. The district's construction manager estimated the cost to be about $150 per square foot, but the lowest bid was more than $200 per square foot. Multiply the unexpected markup by more than 12,500 square feet, and the district was left with a construction bill that was more than $500,000 higher than expected. The bidding period ended without a construction contract, and the elementary school continued to put more students into already cramped classrooms.

The unexpected markup had nothing to do with price fixing or poor estimates. The problem is being shared by school districts statewide due to a boom in school facility construction and a shortage of qualified builders. Ultimately, the smaller school districts are lower on the priority list because projects for larger districts are more lucrative.

And school construction shows no signs of slowing down. School administrators say two things are driving the need for expanding school facilities: population growth and increasing demands on school facilities due to federal requirements. In the early 1980s, the federal government passed the Americans With Disabilities Act, which requires schools to provide services for student who were previously turned away. Schools then began converting general classrooms into special-education classrooms and resource rooms into changing rooms for students with severe disabilities. Then during the 1990s, federal and state governments also added more testing and academic programs, which required the use of computer labs and media centers. In 2003, the U.S. Department of Education estimated that most schools under the federal No Child Left Behind Act had converted 10 to 13 percent of instructional areas into areas for special needs or other accommodations for new federal requirements.

There are few problems in states where the majority of school facility construction is paid for through state general funds, but in Idaho the local school districts struggle to receive 66 percent voter approval for school bond issues to pay for construction. But now that small school districts are finally receiving voter approval on school bonds, they are finding that few construction companies are willing to compete in the bidding process. "We've heard of districts receiving 48-hour bids," Standley said. "It's simply because the cost of fuel and other materials rises daily and because the construction companies are already so busy that they don't need to haggle with material prices." But with more small school districts fighting to expand their facilities while large districts seek to build new facilities, it is unlikely that demand will decline anytime soon. So unless the supply of qualified construction companies increases, small school districts will struggle to find ones willing to work for them.

NORTH CAROLINA: Wake school leaders say they expect to be leasing schools from developers sometime in the future, but for now they want to know more about how the costs compare to building schools themselves. A Nov. 15 article in The News & Observer that suggested the district was putting the brakes on the idea set off a firestorm of debate over the future of the proposed public-private partnerships. Board member Horace Tart, a proponent of the partnerships, said he was barraged with e-mail messages, some accusing him of using the proposal to get the bond passed. "At no time has the board not been willing to pursue public-private partnerships," said Tart, who is on the facilities committee. "We're going right now as fast as we can go to get the job done." A bill approved by the legislature earlier this year allows developers to build schools and lease them to districts for 40 years. After that time, districts would have the option of buying the schools at a discount. Proponents of the bill say private companies can build schools faster and cheaper than school districts. In Wake County, the partnerships have been championed as a way to slow the pace of schools being converted to the year-round schedule and ease the burden on taxpayers. Wake voters recently approved a $970 million bond issue that will increase property taxes.

NEW JERSEY: In the latest upset plaguing the construction of city schools, officials from the state's Schools Construction Corporation said the land where Trenton's Daylight/Twilight high school is being erected is tainted with petroleum products and lead. The contaminants are slightly above residential levels and would not require massive remediation, according to Jerry Murphy, the SCC's chief operating officer. "This is what you would typically find in the historic fill of schools being built in urban areas," Murphy said.

School construction sites in urban areas tend to be tainted with contaminants due to the prior industrial use the ground endured, according to Dwayne Mosley, the city school's construction manager. In Trenton, that translates to at least three schools currently being built on lots that were formerly used for commercial purposes dur ing the city's industrial era from the early-to-mid 1900s.

Soil contamination is a problem that seems to keep coming up at every school construction site in the city and many urban districts statewide. A year ago it was found at the Martin Luther King Jr.-Jefferson School site. Two weeks ago state officials announced that additional metal contaminants and asbestos were found on the grounds of the Roebling school construction site. Contamination at the MLK-Jefferson School caused major delays and almost tripled the cost of the project, which was originally esti mated at $28 million. Across town, the Roebling School project is also facing delays due to various metals and asbestos found on the premises. The future K-8 school is being built on the site that was home to the Roebling steel factory, which manufactured cables for major U.S. bridges including the Brooklyn Bridge. Construction and remediation of the former industrial site are es timated at $94.3 million, up from $64.6 million.

OHIO: Caught in a steep enrollment decline, the Cleveland school district must revise its $1 billion construction program. This year’s enrollment of 54,000 students reflects a drop of 28 percent since 2001, when voters approved a bond issue that, with state matching funds, allowed the district to undertake a program to replace, repair, or renovate most of its 122 buildings. But recent state enrollment projections suggest that only 45,300 students will remain on the district’s rolls by 2010, prompting its leaders to start redrafting the facilities plan. “Needless to say, with a lot less kids, your building plan needs to change,” said Dan Burns, Cleveland’s chief operating officer. Mr. Burns hopes to have the new plan ready for the school board to review in the spring. It would need approval by the board and by the Ohio School Facilities Commission, the state agency that oversees school construction.

OREGON: In the fast-growing Evergreen School District just north of the Oregon-Washington border, builders face a school impact fee of as much as $6,819 a house. Ten miles down Interstate 205, in the fast-growing North Clackamas School District, developers pay nothing for schools. North Clackamas Superintendent Ron Naso wants his district to impose a school fee. But for years, Oregon's Legislature hasn't let local governments charge for schools. Builders say the fees would slow housing construction -- a key driver of the economy -- and further increase home costs.

Eight states -- including Washington, California and Florida -- allow fees for schools. Naso and other proponents of the fees say there are signs the 2007 Oregon Legislature may follow suit, with school construction a huge issue from Bend to Beaverton. Democrats, not as closely tied to the builders lobby, are taking over. A bipartisan work group that includes a representative from the Oregon Home Builders Association is considering school fees in exchange for what would be a controversial cap on park fees allowed under state law. The issue is growing in importance along with the state's need for new and revamped schools. Oregon's enrollment is projected to grow 6 percent by 2014, with much of it concentrated in the Willamette Valley. The Portland region alone is projected to get 1 million new residents by 2030.

ARIZONA: Across Tucson, school districts are turning to cameras, former police officers and tall fences to keep campuses safer for students and teachers. School officials, parents and students agree that schools need to be safer than they were 10 years ago, after events at Columbine High School and others across the country, and that some of the tried-and-true practices are in need of an upgrade. Traditional schools are more secure than they were a decade ago, an Arizona Daily Star review found, but officials are using only minimum safety policies that remain largely inconsistent within many school districts. That could result in mixed signals and confusion if a response to a major event was needed. Some schools are sealed tight during school hours. On other campuses, visitors can walk around for a long time before being spotted by a staff member. Some schools have the highest level of security technology, while others are relatively unguarded. Local and state officials have worked together to put all schools on the same page by requiring that schools use a manual that spells out stricter minimum guidelines for lockdowns and evacuations. New schools could get improved safety specifications from state officials that don't require districts to pay from their own budgets to secure their property. But most importantly, everyone is putting a greater emphasis on the human eye as a safety factor.

Though school officials applaud the advances in technology and construction that have made schools safer, districts still had different minimum safety standards in place at their schools. This was most evident recently during the March walkouts for immigration protests, when some schools relied heavily on police to keep students in school while others almost literally came up with procedures on the spot as students made their way toward Downtown. But that is changing this year. For the first time, the Arizona Department of Education is requiring all districts to use the Arizona School Site Emergency Response Plan Template, a 79-page manual that provides districts with comprehensive guidelines to follow in case of fire, a bomb threat or act of nature. The manual was created years ago as a recommended reference, but officials saw that some schools were using bare-bones procedures.

INDIANA: The fate of the project to bring Fort Wayne Community Schools buildings up to current education standards will ultimately be determined locally. But it’s impossible to ignore state and national influences that suggest public schools are on a spending spree. A closer inspection, however, reveals the building boom is in affluent districts, not districts that, like FWCS, serve a lot of low-income and minority students. It’s important that this distinction isn’t lost and that the project is not rejected or compromised by misplaced assumptions about lavish school spending.

An October report by the 21st Century School Fund, a Washington-based advocacy group supporting improvements in urban public school facilities, reveals spending on school construction is far from equitable. “Growth and Disparity: A Decade of U.S. Public School Construction” finds that affluent districts, with more construction dollars available, are more likely to spend on computer rooms and science labs. Meanwhile, less affluent districts spend on roof repairs and asbestos removal.

Of the $600 billion spent on school construction between 1995 and 2004, the most affluent districts invested $9,361 per student while the least-affluent spent $4,800 per student. That matters because the condition, design and use of school buildings affect the quality of education. “An increasing body of research indicates that poor building conditions such as lack of temperature control, poor indoor air quality, insufficient daylight, overcrowded classrooms and a lack of specialty classrooms are obstacles to academic achievement,” the report states.

Count FWCS among the less affluent districts that have spent conservatively. While the 10-year national average on construction spending was $6,519 per student, Fort Wayne spent just $1,344 per student. Gov. Mitch Daniels has criticized school-construction expenses as a drain on classroom spending, citing Indiana’s rank among the top states for per-pupil spending on construction. But those numbers are skewed by spending in affluent districts, where the projects sometimes include athletic facilities that rival those of many colleges. Lafayette Jefferson High School, for example, built an $8 million stadium featuring a video scoreboard with instant replay.

In response to taxpayer complaints about such projects, the Daniels administration has imposed controls on construction costs. The Department of Local Government Finance credits those measures with tax savings of about $90 million. If those controls make local decision-makers think twice about investing in lavish facilities that do little to advance student achievement, they are worthwhile. But they do a disservice if taxpayers then believe all school-construction spending is baseless. The investments must be judged on local needs – and in the context of a growing divide between wealthy schools and poor schools.

WISCONSIN: The Janesville School Board faces a key decision early in the high school construction process: How will the project be managed? The school board has chosen the large, local company J.P. Cullen & Sons to oversee the construction in all the school district's recent projects. The various parts of the projects-for example, masonry, excavation, electrical, plumbing-were bid out separately, and the work was divided among contractors, including the Cullen company. That style of construction delivery is know as the "negotiated construction contract," according to a memo to the school district from the project architect, Bray Associates Architects. "Unlike other public entities, schools can utilize three distinct construction-delivery approaches-each having advantages and disadvantages-with some projects being better suited for a particular approach than another," according to the memo.

The methods are: 1) Design-bid-build-A traditional approach in which the architect completes the design and submits documents to the marketplace for competitive bidding. Typically, the lowest bona fide bid is awarded. Disadvantages of this method: The process is longer; the cost of construction is unknown until bids are received; adversarial relationships are more likely, and cost savings go to the contractor. 2) Negotiated construction contract-This is the most popular method in recent years, used in about 75 percent of educational projects, according to Bray. The district sends out a "request for proposals," or RFP. The district interviews applicants from among the proposals submitted and reviews past performance, personnel, costs and ability before selecting a general contractor. The district and contractor then negotiate a fee. Then the district, contractor and architect work together to design the project. Some think getting a contractor involved early in the planning provides more accurate cost estimates and could save money. This also is considered a "fast-track" method. The general contractor typically does its own concrete, carpentry and masonry work. Other parts of the project are open to competitive bids by qualified companies. Disadvantages: The contractor is selected with only its fees on a bid basis. Ten percent to 20 percent of the work is not competitively bid. A contractor experienced in "conceptual estimating" is required. In using this method, the Janesville district has added its own twist, requiring the general contractor to bid on any part of the work it wants to perform, and it must provide its bids one day before the actual bid date. "This was done to ensure as competitive a bid process as possible," according to the memo. 3)Construction management-This method is divided into two types, "construction manager" and "construction manager, at risk." In the construction-manager variant, a company oversees the project as an agent for the district but does not perform any of the construction work. The company has little risk because construction contracts are between the district and the various contractors. The district assumes the risk for the subcontractors' performance, financial stability and fluctuations in the cost of materials. In the construction manager, at risk method, the construction manager holds all the subcontractors responsible for their work. The construction manager might or might not perform some of the work, similar to the "negotiated construction contract" method described above. Disadvantages: Traditional roles are confused, and relationships are complex. Additional fees are charged for construction management. There is less loyalty between the contractors and the construction manager.

WYOMING: Future elementary schools built in Wyoming must follow a handful of established designs, a state commission has ruled. The Wyoming School Facilities Commission adopted a policy requiring the use of five or six prototypical school designs. Officials say using the same designs for schools built around the state should make construction simpler and cheaper. Commission Director James "Bubba" Shivler said the policy applies primarily to elementary schools. He said it's harder to apply it to middle schools and high schools because they generally have more specific needs. "What it saves you more than anything is time," Shivler said.

The state now has five or six commission-approved elementary school designs, including the new Freedom School in Cheyenne and a school in Torrington. Shivler said it's not accurate to call the approved designs a "cookie-cutter" approach when the schools will be spread out all over the state. He said school district officials can visit the existing elementary schools and pick the design they like the most.

Prototype designs will be used for the construction of two planned elementary schools in Casper. Jim Lowham, superintendent of the Natrona County School District, said the district used a model for the construction of several schools in the past and found the approach saved money on construction and maintenance. However, Lowham said the new commission policy may lead to some bickering over designs if school officials don't find a design they like. The School Facilities Commission has responsibility for funding school construction under state Supreme Court rulings that require the state to pay for new school construction. Local school boards handle contracts with architects and builders. The commission's new policy states that if the commission decides that a prototypical school design won't work in a particular situation, it can still require a school district to incorporate as many of the design features as possible.

CALIFORNIA: After years of delays and legal challenges, Los Angeles school and city officials broke ground on the school being built on the site of the famed Ambassador Hotel — a campus now expected to cost more than $300 million. The price tag, estimated at $309 million, has jumped more than 14% in recent months after the discovery of potentially explosive methane gas deposits beneath the site that will require an elaborate mitigation plan. And, unless staggering increases in construction costs that have persisted in Los Angeles abate, the final cost of the school could climb higher, district officials said.

Opened in 1921, the Ambassador was Los Angeles' playpen for the rich, famous and powerful. Every president from Herbert Hoover to Richard Nixon and other world leaders stayed there, while headliners like Sammy Davis Jr. and Frank Sinatra played at the hotel's Cocoanut Grove nightclub. The hotel closed in 1989. The Los Angeles Unified School District purchased the dilapidated property on Wilshire Boulevard in 2001, after an unsuccessful attempt by developer Donald Trump to erect the world's tallest building there. In 2004, a split school board narrowly approved plans to raze most of the complex to make way for a campus, looking to ease severe school overcrowding in one of the city's most densely packed areas. The Los Angeles Conservancy and other preservation groups filed lawsuits to block the hotel's destruction. Last year, the conservancy enlisted state and national politicians in a failed, last-ditch effort at a compromise that would have turned the hotel's main building into affordable-housing apartments and situated the campus along the lot's perimeter. Soon after, a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge dismissed the conservation groups' proposal. Despite the district's plans to use much of the Grove for the school's auditorium and to keep the hotel's coffee shop, conservationists' emotions continue to run strong.

Completion of the elementary school portion of the campus is scheduled for late 2008, and the middle and high school is expected to open a year later. When it is finished, with a swimming pool, soaring ceilings and modern design, the school will be the second most expensive ever built by the district. The Belmont Learning Complex, which Romer revived after years of environmental problems. To mitigate the methane deposits at the Ambassador site, workers will employ a $30-million plan similar to the one designed for Belmont. A heavy layer of sand will be laid beneath the campus' playing fields, while a ventilation system and a synthetic, impermeable membrane will be installed under the buildings. District construction officials also are wary of dramatic increases in labor and material costs that have nearly doubled since 2002. Though the $309-million figure is based on the expectation that construction bids will be set at $380 per square foot, facilities executive Jim Cowell said the district is setting aside cash to pay as much as $500 per foot.

LOUISIANA: Although 53 public schools have reopened in New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina, another 52 buildings appear to have been largely untouched for more than 14 months, with a handful of other state-run campuses either ready for use or under renovation. What's more, inside -- amid the blight caused by water, looters, and open doors and windows -- lay a treasure-trove of untouched, and apparently undamaged, school equipment, including copiers, computers, and box upon box of new or slightly used textbooks, some still in shrink-wrap. Ten schools visited by The Times-Picayune late last month were left wide open and largely unsecured, their upper floors still filled with supplies easily worth millions of dollars -- all of which school officials plan to throw in the garbage. That's because state school officials and FEMA fear the supplies may be contaminated with mold or spores, leaving students susceptible to infection and the system open to lawsuits, officials said. Though some environmental experts say such fears are justified, others call them a severe overreaction.

While there's no reliable way to calculate the value of the abandoned equipment, it costs an estimated $5 million to outfit a high school with equipment and supplies; outfitting an elementary school can cost about $1.5 million. Those figures come from St. Bernard school officials, who oversee a district where every school flooded, and who cleaned, gutted and salvaged equipment from all of its buildings soon after Katrina. State officials put the cost of books, furniture and computers alone for one high school at $1.3 million, a figure that doesn't include big-ticket items such equipment for food service, athletics and bands. In the abandoned New Orleans campuses, signs of neglect have set in around the relatively undamaged school furnishings. At Wilson, pigeon droppings covered the floors of some classrooms, and rodents squeaked and scurried above ceiling tiles. Squatters had left stray beer bottles and obscene drawings on chalkboards. Although black mold left by 4 feet of water in first-floor classrooms has blotted out many of the posters exhorting students to learn, the school's upper floors appear untouched since Katrina. Meanwhile, all the materials needed to outfit a school remain in place: a half-dozen photocopy machines in one room. More than a dozen computers in another. Confidential student records spill from unlocked file cabinets. And in every room there are books, books and more books -- when many reopened schools were struggling without any. Left unsecured, a number of vacant schools have already fallen prey to looters, who have smashed trophy cases, ripped out copper wire and stolen an untold amount of equipment and classroom materials. In some rooms, graffitied walls and upended furniture are all that remains

LOUISIANA: Although 53 public schools have reopened in New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina, another 52 buildi