For decades, schools have spent very little on maintenance, earning the education system a “D+” for infrastructure. With most schools nearing 50 years old, experts recommend that leaders find space in their budgets to improve aging facilities.
In school year 2021-22, only 10% of spending nationwide went toward facility expenses, according to a new report from the American Society of Civil Engineers. The researchers note that this is a decades-old trend, and that most district leaders spend on new construction rather than maintenance of existing buildings.
“Better management of existing assets will be needed along with the most up-to-date building codes and standards,” the report reads.
Among the most pressing infrastructure upgrades are plumbing upgrades and installation of cooling systems to address lead in drinking water and rising temperatures, respectively.
Unfortunately, schools lack the funding necessary to make such changes. The annual funding gap to reach a state of “good repair” for public schools nationwide grew to $85 billion in 2021, the report adds.
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Another problem is the sheer age of most school buildings. Twenty percent of all public schools report they do not know what year their building was built. Despite their age, fewer than half of public school buildings have undergone “significant renovations” since their original construction, and fewer than one-third have undergone improvement since 2010.
The researchers offer several recommendations for improving public school facilities, including:
- Adopting life-cycle cost analysis principles in planning and design processes
- Develop capital planning frameworks at the school district level to enhance resilience to extreme weather
- Explore alternative financing for public school facilities, including lease financing, as well as ownership and use arrangements
For more information, read the full report here.
