Federal

School Facilities Bill Stuck in Senate Limbo

By Katie Ash — June 11, 2009 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

A bill awaiting action in the U.S. Senate could set aside up to $6.4 billion in fiscal 2010 for modernization, renovation, and repair projects aimed at producing school facilities that are energy efficient and environmentally friendly.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed the bill May 14 in a 275-155 vote, split mostly down party lines with Democratic support and Republican opposition.

“This is landmark legislation, because it’s the first sign that the federal [government] is getting involved in the facilities part of education,” said John K. Ramsey, the executive director and chief executive officer of the Council of Educational Facilities Planners International, or CEFPI, based in Scottsdale, Ariz.

The bill, HR 2187, would set aside $32.4 billion over five years for environmentally friendly, or “green,” school modernization, repair, and renovation projects over the next five fiscal years—2010 to 2015—distributed through Title I formulas. It would also provide an additional $100 million for each of those five years for schools damaged by Hurricane Katrina.

The total cost of the bill is expected to be about $32.9 billion.

“It costs too much. It borrows too much. It controls too much,” U.S. Rep. Howard P. “Buck” McKeon, the ranking member of the House Committee on Education and Labor, said of the bill in a May 6 statement.

But supporters point to the cost savings on energy and the need for modern facilities.

A “green” building can save a typical school enough money in energy costs to hire another full-time teacher, said Andrew Goldberg, the senior director of federal relations for the Washington-based American Institute of Architects, who based his savings estimate on data published in a 2006 report on green schools.

The Senate did not take any action on a similar bill passed by the House last year. And in negotiations over the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in January, the Senate stripped that economic-stimulus package of money specifically for school modernization, repair, and renovation.

Still, facilities experts are optimistic.

“The Senate’s been very noncommittal,” said Mr. Ramsey, from CEFPI. “But we think a bill will get through, although we don’t know what the final form will be.”

A version of this article appeared in the June 17, 2009 edition of Education Week

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Assessment Webinar
Reflections on Evidence-Based Grading Practices: What We Learned for Next Year
Get real insights on evidence-based grading from K-12 leaders.
Content provided by Otus
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Student Well-Being Webinar
Creating Resilient Schools with a Trauma-Responsive MTSS
Join us to learn how school leaders are building a trauma-responsive MTSS to support students & improve school outcomes.
School & District Management Live Online Discussion A Seat at the Table: We Can’t Engage Students If They Aren’t Here: Strategies to Address the Absenteeism Conundrum
Absenteeism rates are growing fast. Join Peter DeWitt and experts to learn how to re-engage students & families.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Federal Opinion The U.S. Dept. of Ed. Has Been Cut in Half. We Have Thoughts
Absent clear explanation and deft management, the push to downsize the department invites confusion and risks political blowback.
7 min read
The United States Capitol building as a bookcase filled with red, white, and blue policy books in a Washington DC landscape.
Luca D'Urbino for Education Week
Federal Linda McMahon Abruptly Tells States Their Time to Spend COVID Relief Has Passed
Secretary Linda McMahon said the Education Department would no longer honor the extensions it had granted states.
3 min read
Education Secretary Linda McMahon arrives before President Donald Trump attends a reception for Women's History Month in the East Room of the White House, Wednesday, March 26, 2025, in Washington.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon arrives before President Donald Trump attends a reception for Women's History Month in the East Room of the White House, Wednesday, March 26, 2025, in Washington. In a letter Friday, McMahon told state leaders on March 28 that their time to spend remaining COVID relief funds would end that same day.
Jacquelyn Martin/AP
Federal McMahon Says Schools With 'Gender Plans' Could Be Violating Federal Privacy Law
The U.S. Department of Education opened investigations under FERPA into two states, alleging violations of parents' rights.
5 min read
Secretary of Education Linda McMahon speaks to reporters at the White House in Washington, Thursday, March 20, 2025.
Secretary of Education Linda McMahon speaks to reporters at the White House in Washington, Thursday, March 20, 2025. McMahon said that the U.S. Department of Education would make a "revitalized effort" to pursue federal student privacy law violations for parents' rights, asserting that school "gender plans" that aren't available to parents violate the federal law.
Ben Curtis/AP
Federal Dramatic Cuts to Ed. Data Programs Will Have Far-Reaching Consequences, Researchers Warn
Education research organizations asked Congress to intervene in cuts to ed. data, research staff.
6 min read
Image of performance data analysis.
NicoElNino/iStock/Getty