The nation faces a projected annual shortfall of $46 billion in school funding, according to The State of Our Schools: America’s K-12 Facilities report, by the Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), the 21st Century School Fund, and the National Council on School Facilities.
The report features in-depth state-by-state analysis of investment in school infrastructure and a perspective on 20 years of school facility investment nationwide. It also makes recommendations for investments, innovations, and reforms to improve learning environments in all U.S. public schools.
“One out of every six people in the U.S. spends each day in a K-12 public school classroom, yet there is very little oversight over America’s public school buildings,” said Rick Fedrizzi, CEO and founding chair, USGBC. “It is totally unacceptable that there are millions of students across the country who are learning in dilapidated, obsolete and unhealthy facilities that pose obstacles to their learning and overall well-being. U.S. public school infrastructure is funded through a system that is inequitably affecting our nation’s students and this has to change.”
“The data on funding school infrastructure paints a clear picture of the importance of a national conversation regarding the way improvements are funded,” said Mike Rowland, president, National Council on School Facilities and director of Facilities Services for the Georgia Department of Education. “The conversation surrounding student achievement must also include a component addressing the places where our children learn.”
To download the full State of Our Schools: America’s K-12 Facilities report, and to find out the conditions in your local school district, visit here.
Related Stories
| Aug 11, 2010
PBK, DLR Group among nation's largest K-12 school design firms, according to BD+C's Giants 300 report
A ranking of the Top 75 K-12 School Design Firms based on Building Design+Construction's 2009 Giants 300 survey. For more Giants 300 rankings, visit http://www.BDCnetwork.com/Giants
| Aug 11, 2010
AGC unveils comprehensive plan to revive the construction industry
The Associated General Contractors of America unveiled a new plan today designed to revive the nation’s construction industry. The plan, “Build Now for the Future: A Blueprint for Economic Growth,” is designed to reverse predictions that construction activity will continue to shrink through 2010, crippling broader economic growth.
| Aug 11, 2010
Section Eight Design wins 2009 Open Architecture Challenge for classroom design
Victor, Idaho-based Section Eight Design beat out seven other finalists to win the 2009 Open Architecture Challenge: Classroom, spearheaded by the Open Architecture Network. Section Eight partnered with Teton Valley Community School (TVCS) in Victor to design the classroom of the future. Currently based out of a remodeled house, students at Teton Valley Community School are now one step closer to getting a real classroom.
| Aug 11, 2010
PCL Construction, HITT Contracting among nation's largest commercial building contractors, according to BD+C's Giants 300 report
A ranking of the Top 50 Commercial Contractors based on Building Design+Construction's 2009 Giants 300 survey. For more Giants 300 rankings, visit http://www.BDCnetwork.com/Giants
| Aug 11, 2010
Webcor, Hunt Construction lead the way in mixed-use construction, according to BD+C's Giants 300 report
A ranking of the Top 30 Mixed-Use Contractors based on Building Design+Construction's 2009 Giants 300 survey. For more Giants 300 rankings, visit http://www.BDCnetwork.com/Giants
| Aug 11, 2010
Report: Fraud levels fall for construction industry, but companies still losing $6.4 million on average
The global construction, engineering and infrastructure industry saw a significant decline in fraud activity with companies losing an average of $6.4 million over the last three years, according to the latest edition of the Kroll Annual Global Fraud Report, released today at the Association of Corporate Counsel’s 2009 Annual Meeting in Boston. This new figure represents less than half of last year’s amount of $14.2 million.
| Aug 11, 2010
Jacobs, HDR top BD+C's ranking of the nation's 100 largest institutional building design firms
A ranking of the Top 100 Institutional Design Firms based on Building Design+Construction's 2009 Giants 300 survey. For more Giants 300 rankings, visit http://www.BDCnetwork.com/Giants
| Aug 11, 2010
Texas school goes for traditional look
Children in McKinney, Texas, will have a new school to attend next year. The 92,213-sf Lizzie Nell Cundiff McClure Elementary School will provide 44 classrooms, library space, a science lab, an auditorium, and a practice gym. PBK Architects and contractor Cadence McShane are cladding the exterior in masonry and stone accents to give the facility a traditional look.
| Aug 11, 2010
Private school in La Jolla gets a much-needed facelift
Faced with an aging campus with cramped classrooms, crumbling infrastructure, and outdated technology, La Jolla (Calif.) Country Day School recently completed a modernization that will add a 7,800-sf kindergarten. An early childhood/preschool village houses classrooms and computer, science, and language art facilities.
