Rebuilding America’s Schools

By William D. Eggers and Tiffany Dovey

Built in the 1920s, Washington’s James F. Oyster Bilingual Elementary School was on its last legs by the early 1990s. The school’s strong academic record stood in contrast to a structural crisis—leaking roofs, building-code violations and accompanying shutdowns, lack of computer hookups, and limited space. Yet the District of Columbia didn’t have the $11 million required to build a new school, nor did it have the borrowing power.

The city had to make a hard decision: shut down the decrepit building and relocate students, or find another way to bring the school up to code.

School districts around the country may soon find themselves in a similar predicament. What is to be done when facilities are falling apart and there isn’t enough...