Pass or Fail: Are School Buildings Measuring Up?

The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) has released its 2005 Infrastructure Report Card. The report details numerous reports – both recent and in past years – the highlight the need for dire need for funding in K-12 school facilities. According to the report, “Without a clear understanding of the need, it is uncertain whether schools can meet increasing enrollment demands and the smaller class sizes mandated by the No Child Left Behind Act.”The report details conditions in some of the nation’s largest cities and indicates actions taken by many states to either provide or deny funding to school districts for facility needs. The ASCE strongly recommends the U.S. Department of Education update the 1999 report titled Condition of America’s Public School Facilities: 1999, stating that “While school operations and facilities are primarily state and local concerns, their performance is an issue of national importance.”The 2005 Infrastructure Report Card details recommendations including encouraging school districts to explore and pursue alternative financing; adopt regular, comprehensive construction and maintenance programs; and establish a federal, multi-year capital budget for public works infrastructure construction and rehabilitation. To read the American Society of Civil Engineers’ 2005 Infrastructure Report, visit (www.asce.org/reportcard/2005/page.cfm?id=31).