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The Center for Green Schools at U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), along with 21st Century School Fund and National Council on School Facilities, released a report projecting a shortfall of $46 billion deficit in school funding, despite effort from local communities.
“State of Our Schools: America’s K–12 Facilities” features an indepth state-by-state analysis of investment nationwide, as well as highlight the funding needed to make up for annual investment shortfalls for essential repairs and upgrades moving forward.
“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 USGBC’s CEO Rick Fedrizzi. “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 wellbeing. U.S. public school infrastructure is funded through a system that is inequitably affecting our nation’s students and this has to change.”
The report proposes recommendations for investments and reforms to improve learning environments. It compares historic spending levels to the investment needed moving forward to maintain today’s school building inventory.
Only Georgia, Florida, and Texas’ average spending levels meet or exceed the standards for investment. Six states pay for nearly all of the capital construction costs for schools, while a dozen provide no direct support to their districts and the remaining 31 vary.
To download the report, click here.
