Obama: Federal Stimulus Plan to Address
School Facilities Needs
PRINTER FRIENDLY:
Barack Obama probably cannot fix every leaky roof and busted boiler in the nation’s schools, says an Associated Press article posted on the website of CBS News. But educators say his sweeping school modernization program—if he spends enough─could jump-start student achievement. More kids than ever are crammed into aging, run-down schools that need an estimated $255 billion in repairs, renovations or construction. Educators argue that spiffy classrooms help children learn and also remove health risks.
Vermont school districts are waiting for more than $42 million in outstanding state aid obligations. The outstanding obligations break down like this: $15M for regular school construction and renovation; $16M for technical center additions and renovations; $10M for biomass heating projects; and $400,000 for energy performance contracts. The Department of Education has requested $14M in state ad for FY2010. The General Assembly has also enacted an ongoing moratorium on state aid for new school construction starting in 2007; as a result, there are additional needed school construction and renovation projects that have been deferred due to the moratorium.
Educators warn that Obama’s school spending plan won’t stimulate the economy if it requires matching funds from state and local governments whose tax revenues have been slashed by the recession. And they caution that throwing huge sums of money at programs that haven’t proven effective, such as the federal “E-Rate” program that gives technology discounts to schools, won’t help student achievement or the economy. Obama is promising to give every student access to the Internet through the program. “It’s made very little difference in enhancing student achievement,” said outgoing Education Secretary Margaret Spellings of E-Rate. “I commend him (Obama) for taking that on. That’s another very ripe area. But not unless it’s moving the needle for kids.”
There’s widespread agreement, however, that improving classrooms helps student performance. Studies in Houston, New York City, and North Dakota have made a link between classroom conditions and performance; in the New York study, researchers found kids in crowded classrooms scored lower in math and reading. Upgrades can also make kids healthier; measures to prevent mold can decrease asthma, which is the No. 1 chronic illness making kids miss school. A study by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) estimates that spending $20 billion on deferred maintenance in school districts across the country would create nearly 250,000 skilled maintenance jobs.
This article was adapted and reprinted with permission from
the NSBA’s
Legal Clips service. State information written by David Cyprian.