GAO Releases New Report on Conditions of U.S. School Facilities

More than Half of School Districts Need Significant Building Repairs; Ventilation Systems Are Major Concern

On June 4, the U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO) released a report on the condition of public schools. Forty eight states and D.C. responded to the survey. This was excellent participation from the states. Good work!! Some of the key findings include:

• In nearly every category of building systems, almost one quarter of the districts had half or more of their schools needed updates or replacement.

• There was great disparity in capital outlay when comparing low-poverty districts and high-poverty districts. Low-poverty districts spent 40% more for their school building projects in FY16 than high-poverty districts, a difference of about $300 per student.

• Only about half of the 49 states that responded to the GAO survey provide standards and/or guidance on planning, design or construction key facilities systems, structures, or spaces.

This report was improved by the excellent participation and insights of state facilities officials. Only two states did not return their state surveys. Thank you all for your help on this important work. There is little research or information from official national sources and this report is already helping secure critical help for districts.

Chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, Bobby Scott from the Third Congressional District in Virginia, said:  "Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, outdated and hazardous school buildings were undermining the quality of public education and putting students and educators at risk. Now, the pandemic is exacerbating the consequences of our failure to make necessary investments in school infrastructure...This report offers clear, irrefutable evidence that we must launch an urgent, nationwide effort to rebuild America's schools. As workers face record unemployment, there is no better time for a historic investment in school infrastructure that will make classrooms safer and get millions of people back to work." Read the Education & Labor Committee's Press Release.

For a clear connection between the challenges with facilities conditions and reopening schools, see U.S. News & World Report article, "Schools Plan to Reopen as Federal Watchdog Finds Major Facility Problems" with interviews with national school facilities experts

Reopening and Rebuilding America's Schools

On June 23, "the Committee on Education and Labor held a virtual briefing to discuss the state of school infrastructure. The briefing, entitled "Reopening and Rebuilding America's Schools," came on the heels of a new Government Accountability Office (GAO) report which projected that 54 percent of school districts across the country must replace or update major systems in more than half their buildings." "The briefing featured Jackie Nowicki, Director of K-12 Education at the Government Accountability Office (GAO), and Randi Weingarten, President of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT)."

Stimulus Funding: What you Need to Know Now - On-Demand Webinar

On June 24th, Dude Solutions hosted a webinar featuring a panel discussion with industry experts on:

• What type of stimulus funding will likely become available

• How you can prepare to submit your organization for funding opportunities

• How to use your operations data to make the biggest impact with funds. 

Panelists: Mary Filardo, 21st Century School Fund; Seth Robertson, WithersRavenel; Steve Roth, Dude Solutions. Register to view the on-demand webinar.