Experts vary on the estimated cost to bring our school facilities up-to-date so that they are all safe and well constructed - but the price tag starts at over $100 billion. In 2003, the Modular Building Institute estimated that more than 220,000 portable classrooms were in use by public school systems in the United States. Public school buildings are in desperate need of modernization - the average age of public school buildings in 1999 was 40 years old. And, public elementary and secondary school enrollment is expected to increase 6% between 2003 and 2015.

Where do we start?

• Expand federal tax credits to support increased use of school construction bonds.
• Increase federal grants for high-poverty, high-need school districts.

Resources

Congress Should Invest in Modernizing America’s School Facilities. House Education Committee.

Building America’s Schools: State Efforts to Address School Facility Needs. National Governors Association.

National Center for Education Statistics. U.S. Department of Education.

Greening America's Schools. American Federation of Teachers.