Public school facilities across the country received a much-needed boost last week when the House passed the 21st Century Green High-Performing Public School Facilities Act.

But the bill – H.R. 3021 – is awaiting Senate approval, and the White House has “threatened a veto, saying it was wrong for the federal government to launch a costly new school building program,” according to the Associated Press.

The bill would provide funding to states and school districts to help ensure school facilities and learning environments are safe, healthy, energy efficient, environmentally friendly, and up to date technologically. The bill authorizes $6.4 billion for school renovation and modernization projects for fiscal year 2009.

To further encourage energy efficiency and the use of renewable resources in schools, the bill would require districts to use most of the funds for school modernization to support projects that meet widely recognized green-building standards. The bill also would provide states with funding to create a statewide database of schools’ facilities, modernization and repair needs, energy use, carbon footprint, and an energy-efficiency quality plan.

The National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities lists articles from publications across the country that address the need for K-12 facilities funding. Normally, the articles highlight districts in larger cities. But districts both large and small need monetary support to help create the best possible learning environment. For example, a recent article in a suburban Milwaukee newspaper discusses why families are applying to leave the local school district via open enrollment. For the first time, families who were surveyed cited facilities as their primary reason for leaving.

About 8 percent of families leaving the West Bend Joint School District say they are enrolling elsewhere due to sub-par facilities. Another 8 percent say they are leaving because their students are experiencing difficulties academically. So while the educational experience obviously is important, the physical environment also weighs heavily in families’ decision making. These survey results come off the heels of a $119.3 million facilities referendum for the district that was rejected in fall 2007. So there appears to be a disconnect between what certain people envision for their schools and what the community wants to pay for.

To help build support for a new referendum being crafted for fall 2008, proponents of the funding plan talk about how overcrowding and run-down facilities hamper students’ educational experience. West Bend is not alone. As the 21st Century Green High-Performing Public School Facilities Act suggests, monetary support for K-12 facilities might be evolving into a pressing issue nationwide.

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