A TOOLKIT FOR EDUCATORS: "GREEN SCHOOLS, NOT FOSSIL FUELS!"
JUST THE FACTS: The Outrageous Conditions of Our Schools, Teachers, and Students
- from “The Rise and Fall of the Teaching Profession: Prestige, Interest, Preparation, and Satisfaction over the Last Half Century”
Excerpts from American Society of Civil Engineers - 2021 report:
U.S. schools infrastructure received a grade of D+
This is after a D-minus in 2001 and a D in 2013
There are approximately 84,000 public schools with nearly 100,000 buildings in the U.S.
Nearly 41% of schools reported issues with HVAC systems
Four in 10 public schools do not have a long-term facility plan
Data indicates that 53% of public school districts report the need to update or replace multiple building systems, including HVAC systems.
More than one-third of public schools have portable buildings due to capacity constraints, with 45% of these portable buildings in poor or fair condition.
As a share of the economy, state capital funding for schools was down 31% in fiscal year 2017 compared to 2008. That is the equivalent of a $20 billion cut.
Meanwhile, public schools often serve a secondary function as emergency shelters and community resource facilities during man-made or natural disasters, and facility upgrades are needed to effectively fulfill this important community purpose.
From expert Jerry Roseman on toxic schools:
A 1995 GAO report troublingly found that 15,000 schools were so dilapidated that they had air unfit to breathe.
Children and school staff spend a significant portion of their day in schools. Research suggests that each year, the average child spends about 90 percent of his or her time indoors, approximately 1,300 hours of which is spent in a school building.6
Studies have concluded that low-income and minority children are more likely to attend schools that are in poor physical condition.
Districts with predominantly white students spent significantly more on their school facilities than districts with predominantly minority students.
Numerous studies have concluded that students in substandard school buildings perform at lower levels than students in newer, functional buildings.
Researchers have found that students in deteriorating school buildings score 5 to 11 percentile points lower on standardized achievement tests than students in modern buildings, after controlling for income level. In addition, some experts believe that the negative impact of substandard school buildings may be cumulative and continue to increase the longer the student attends an older, deteriorating school.
The Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council 2013 "State of Our Schools" report warns that "every day we let pass without addressing inefficient energy practices, poor indoor air quality, and other problems associated with unhealthy learning environments, we are passing up tremendous opportunities."
The 2016 State of Our Schools report calls for using the following four strategies to improve our public school buildings: (1) ensure the public and policymakers understand local facility conditions, and provide access to up-to-date, accurate data; (2) engage communities in all phases of school facilities planning; (3) find and pilot new innovative funding sources; and (4) leverage public and private resources in new ways.