2021 State of our Schools National Report Released

The 2021 State of Our Schools Report (SOOS2021) and state profiles were released Wednesday, Sept. 8. This national report provides an overview of research on the impact and importance of public school facilities to education, health, the environment, communities and resiliency. It analyzes facilities spending and investment in the years from FY09 following the great recession to FY2019. SOOS2021 was conducted by the 21st Century School Fund in partnership with the National Council on School Facilities and International WELL Building Institute. NCSF members and other state facilities officials were key in providing data and input for this report. State facilities officials’ participation and input are critical in improving our nation’s school facilities for all children, staff and communities. See the report and state profiles.

NCSF Welcomes New Executive Director

The National Council on School Facilities (NCSF) Board of Directors is excited to announce that they have selected Mike Pickens as the Executive Director of the National Council. Mike worked as the Executive Director for the Office of School Facilities at the West Virginia Department of Education from 1999 - 2018. During his tenure at WV Dept of Education, Mike was Treasurer to the NCSF from 2016 to 2018, until he left the State in 2018.

"These are such important times for the NCSF to have the capacity to support state offices. Mike is an experienced state official and we look forward to his leadership." - Juan Mireles, NCSF President & Director of Facilities & Transportation, California Department of Education.

Mike's top priorities from now until the end of the year include:

• Reaching out to state officials to see how the Council can better serve the membership;

• Planning the 2021 Annual Meeting in December;

• Establishing partnerships and building capacity with other state offices, e.g. energy, public health, and finance;

• Growing membership;

• Expanding sponsorships.

You can reach out to Mike at mpickens@facilitiescouncil.org. He will be reaching out to state officials soon.

21CSF Testifies for PK12 Education Facilities at House Committee on Education and Labor

Mary Filardo, staff lead for the National Council on School Facilities and Executive Director of the 21st Century School Fund testified for PK12 Public School Infrastructure before the full committee of the House Committee on Education and Labor on April 28th. Read her oral and written testimony. Watch the recording. Mary’s testimony begins at the 45:11 mark.

Invitation Announcement to join the U.S. Dept. of Energy’s Healthy Schools Initiative

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced plans to help states, districts, and schools leverage federal recovery funds to invest in healthy-efficient schools. Through the Healthy-Efficient Schools Resource Center, DOE will connect K-12 institutions with resources to address deferred maintenance, enable facilities improvements, and provide schools with technical assistance for school retrofits. As a part of this initiative, DOE is seeking school partners to work with us as part of a healthy-efficient schools campaign. DOE, National Labs, and other healthy-efficient schools experts will provide additional technical assistance and recognize districts and schools that demonstrate best practices. Districts, schools, and other interested parties are invited to engage with DOE by emailing healthy.efficient.schools@ee.doe.gov.

NCSF Recommended Guidance for PK12 Facilities Covid Relief Funds Released

On March 30, 2021 the National Council on School Facilities released their recommendations on COVID relief funding for school facilities. The recommendations represent best practices in educational facilities management and have been identified and vetted during weekly webinar presentations and discussions with state and district stakeholders. The recommendations are:

1. States should allocate at least 1% of their state reservation funding toward state level functions related to school facilities.

2. Districts should allocate at least 15% of their federal Relief and ARP funding (excluding 20% for learning loss) for healthy school facilities.

3. U.S. Department of Education and State Departments of Education should encourage district flexibility in the facility uses of federal funds.

4. States and districts should engage their staff and communities in setting priorities for healthy facilities-related improvements.

5. Where local communities identify facilities improvements for healthy environments that exceed the 15%, the U.S. Department of Education and States Departments of Education need to make clear that districts can spend in excess of the recommended 15% allowance for healthy facilities-related improvements.

6. Districts and states must be accountable for equity and advancing healthy school facilities by publicly reporting data on the scope, schedule, and amount of federal funding for healthy facilities improvements.

7. School districts should use federal funds to supplement their FY2018 levels of operations and maintenance of plant.

National COVID-19 Outdoor Learning Initiative

The Green Schoolyards America's National COVID-19 Outdoor Learning Initiative provides information and strategies for "reopening safely and equitably on using outdoor spaces as strategic, cost-effective solutions to increase capacity with physical distancing measures in place."

Learn about the National COVID-19 Outdoor Learning Initiative.

Federal School Facilities Funding Updates

The 2nd COVID Relief Package (HR 133) included $54.3 billion that will go to State Departments of Education, by Title I Part A Formula, with set asides for the Bureau of Indian Education, and outlying areas. The states must send, at least 90% of this directly to K12 school districts for the increased costs of COVID in schools.

The following language which explicitly states that the K12 education funds can be used for facilities was added to the second COVID-19 Relief Package (HR 133):

"(13) School facility repairs and improvements to enable operation of schools to reduce risk of virus transmission and exposure to environmental health hazards, and to support student health needs.

(14) Inspection, testing, maintenance, repair, replacement, and upgrade projects to improve the indoor air quality in school facilities, including mechanical and non-mechanical heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems, filtering, purification and other air cleaning, fans, control systems, and window and door repair and replacement.

(15) Other activities that are necessary to maintain the operation of and continuity of services in local educational agencies and continuing to employ existing staff of the local educational agency."

While the emergency relief is essential, the multi-year funding to help states and districts with the long standing critical needs for school modernizations and replacements in low wealth districts is yet to be law. A bill, known as, the Rebuild America's Schools Act (RASA) has been reintroduced into the 117th Congress with the same language as the 116th Congress version. The Act already has about 165 co-sponsors in the U.S. House of Representatives, but has not started moving through the regular process. This bill includes $100 billion in grants for capital facilities funds and $30 billion in interest free bonds.

Federal School Facilities Policy Update

Senator Schumer introduced a proposal a few weeks ago to show how Democrats would use the unspent $365 billion in CARES funds, with a strong focus on racial justice and equity and to address community disinvestment. This proposal is to become the Economic Justice Act and includes funding for public school PK12 infrastructure investments closely aligned to Rebuild America's Schools Act - RASA, included in H.R. 2, which was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives this summer. Below is the outline of some key provisions: 

The key elements of RASA have been retained:

• It is a formula grant program to the states; 

• The states are required to target funds to highest need districts and schools, with additional clarity regarding how such determinations should be made; 

• Funding for BIE, outlying areas, and impact aid funds are included, with BIE funds increased and impact aid construction funds made mandatory;

• Buy American and Green practices are still required; and

• States have responsibilities to provide technical assistance, an online database on school facilities inventory, review health and safety plans and standards; and  

• State must match federal funds with 10% match.

There are some differences in this bill and RASA:

• Covers only 3 years FY21-23 with $11.6 billion distributed each year;

• Federal funds allowed to be used for state administrative threshold is 5%, not 1%;

• No bond provisions in Senate bill;

• Includes as allowable uses, facilities improvements for COVID mitigation measures; and

• Specifically calls out facilities improvements for disaster preparedness. 

The timeline for introduction is unclear given the SCOTUS situation but was intended to be this week.

The Center for Cities + Schools at U.C. Berkeley Provides Technical Assistance on School Reopening

In late August, CC+S published a guidance brief titled, Reopening Schools Safely and Equitably Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic.The brief describes how the SARS-CoV-2 virus spreads and why mitigation measures are recommended for schools. It argues that it will be more difficult for schools with poor condition facilities to effectively implement the SARS-CoV-2 mitigation measures. As a result, students and staff attending these schools will face greater health risks.

CC+S is also curating tools developed by experts to assist local schools and states in safely and equitably reopening their school facilities. 

Guide for Outdoor Classrooms During Coronovirus-era Reopening

Photo: New York City, 1915, Bureau of Charities, Library of Congress

The North American Association for Environmental Education and the National Wildlife Federation has released, Guide to Advocating for Outdoor Classrooms in Coronavirus-Era School Reopening. 

"The purpose of this Guide is to help energize a large-scale nationwide force of advocates to encourage school officials and educators to apply some portion of the federal reopening funds and other public funding resources being made available to the effective use of outdoor classrooms."