Survey: School Construction Up Slightly in '96

The nation's school districts spent nearly $11 billion on construction last year, reversing a decline over the preceding two years, according to an annual survey by American School & University .

Despite widespread concern over the condition of the nation's schools, the spending in districts was just 3 percent above the $10.7 billion annual average for the 1990s. That modest increase, which is wiped out when inflation is taken into account, attests to continued reluctance by many voters to approve bonds for...