Congress takes up school construction bill
For the first time in several years, legislation to support school construction is moving quickly through Congress.
The House Education and Labor Committee reported a bill April 30 that would authorize $6.4 billion for school construction projects in fiscal year 2009. The 21st Century High-Performing Public Schools Facilities Act (H.R.3021) would provide funding for school modernization, renovation, and repair projects that improve the teaching and learning climate, health and safety, and energy efficiency.
Committee Chair George Miller (D-Calif.) hopes for quick floor consideration by the full House. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has announced her support for including domestic funding in a 2008 supplemental appropriations bill to fund the war in Iraq.
Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.) and Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) are leading efforts to provide funding for school facilities in the Senate version of the supplemental appropriations bill.
Federal help for school facility projects is badly needed, as “the infrastructure for significant numbers of public schools across the nation is inadequate, outdated, or even crumbling, thus adversely affecting school and student performance,” NSBA Associate Executive Director Michael A. Resnick wrote in a letter to Miller.
The House bill “will help ensure that the educational infrastructure for our school systems is conducive for a 21st century learning environment,” Resnick said.
Federal assistance for school facilities is particularly critical now. More than 20 states are projecting budget cuts, while property tax revenues are declining in many communities due to the housing crisis.
A report issued by the Economic Policy Institute April 30 calls for $20 billion in federal funding to repair and modernize K-12 schools, which it says would stimulate the economy by creating jobs.
Under H.R.3021, funds would be allocated to school districts according to the same formula used to distribute Title I money, except no district would receive less than $5,000.
The funds would have to be used for projects that meet certain standards for “green buildings.” School districts would have to report to the public on the educational, environmental, and energy-saving benefits of their projects and the percentage of funds used for low-income and rural schools.
The bill also would authorize $500 million over five years for schools damaged by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
Reproduced with permission from School Board News. Copyright © 2008, National School Boards Association. Opinions expressed in this newspaper do not necessarily reflect positions of NSBA. This article may be printed out and photocopied for individual or educational use, provided this copyright notice appears on each copy. This article may not be otherwise transmitted or reproduced in print or electronic form without the consent of the Publisher. For more information, call (703) 838-6789.