The Role of School Facilities in Advancing Educational Equity The Second National Summit on Equitable Development, Social Justice and Smart Growth Mary Filardo Executive Director May 23, 2005 Founded in 1994 to build the public will and capacity to improve urban public school facilities to improve education and communities Research Government Reform Innovation Collaboration of the 21 st Century School Fund to support: Broad-based, comprehensive educational facility planning Schools as centers of community Responsible management of public school buildings Adequate funding for maintenance and capital projects 1
Partners 21 st Century School Fund, Washington, DC Education Law Center, Newark, NJ Neighborhood Capital Budget Group, Chicago, IL New Schools Better Neighborhoods, Los Angeles, CA New Visions for New Schools, New York, NY KnowledgeWorks Foundation, Cincinnati, OH National Trust for Historic Preservation, Washington, DC National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities, Washington, DC Mark Schneider, State University of New York, Stony Brook, NY Findings of 1995 GAO Study on Public School Facilities Most schools (66%) were in overall adequate condition needing maintenance or corrective repair. An estimated 14 million children attended schools in buildings needing extensive repair or replacement. Poor and minority children were far more likely to attend school where major building problems existed; Students in central cities or districts with over 50% minority population were more likely to have insufficient technology and more unsatisfactory environmental conditions than other schools An estimated 25 million children attended schools in buildings with at least one unsatisfactory environmental condition. Estimated need for $112 billion to bring existing public schools into good repair. 2
"Modernizing Our Schools: What Will It Cost? NEA 2000 NEA research contained state-by-state data Study showed $322 billion was needed for America's public schools facilities: $268B for infrastructure repair and new construction for enrollment growth $54B for educational technologies (including wiring and networking for Internet access). Research of Building Educational Success Together (BEST) How much has been spent on public school construction since 1995? How was this money spent? How much for new construction to meet enrollment growth demands? How much to address needs of obsolete or substandard building conditions in existing schools? Who benefited from the expenditures? Which states? Which school districts? Which schools benefited by achievement and grade levels and size? Which students benefited by race, income, region, school size? Which neighborhoods benefited by income levels, percent home ownership, level of education of mother? 3
K-12 School Construction Total Construction Only 1995-2004: $253 billion. In 2004 dollars: $293 billion. Excludes cost for land acquisition, design, engineering, and project management and administration. Total project cost estimate: $352 billion. K-12 Public School Construction Contracts 1995-2004 (Source: McGraw Hill) Billions $40 $35 $30 28.64 30.33 32.07 34.65 34.44 34.54 $25 23.64 24.82 $20 19.12 19.89 $15 $10 $5 $- 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 Expenditures $14,807,951,59 $15,719,711,22 $19,296,999,75 $21,049,843,66 $25,104,893,88 $27,644,650,45 $30,057,649,65 $32,779,729,21 $32,680,071,87 $34,541,531,73 In 2004 $$$ 19,117,065,511 19,885,434,694 23,638,824,696 24,817,765,677 28,644,683,923 30,326,181,553 32,071,512,178 34,648,173,777 34,444,795,756 34,541,531,730 4
Comparison of Constructions on New and Existing Buildings from 1995 to 2004 134 billion 53% 120 billion 47% New & Additions Constructions on Existing Buildings State Enrollment Change SY1994-2003 = 1-13% decrease = 0% to 3% increase = 4% to 10% increase = 11-47% increase 5
Expenditures per Student from 1995 to 2004 New England Division $10,000 $4,368 $4,574 $6,111 $8,756 $9,435 $3,453 Maine Vermont New Hampshire Massachusetts Connecticut Rhode Island Expenditures per Student from 1995 to 2004 Middle Atlantic Division $7,413 $6,200 $6,058 New Jersey New York Pennsylvania 6
Expenditures per Student from 1995 to 2004 South Atlantic Division Maryland $5,116 Dela ware $8,093 West Virginia $2,373 Virginia $5,758 $5,414 $6,774 North Carolina South Carolina Georgia $5,826 $5,281 Florida DC Expenditures per Student from 1995 to 2004 East South Central Division $4,602 $4,216 $4,009 $3,647 Kentucky Tennessee Alabama Mississippi 7
Expenditures per Student from 1995 to 2004 West South Central Division $6,641 $2,812 $3,105 $2,519 Oklahoma Arkansas Texas Louisiana Expenditures per Student from 1995 to 2004 East North Central Division $6,862 $6,023 $6,175 $4,872 $4,844 Wisconsin Michigan Ohio Indiana Illinois 8
Expenditures per Student from 1995 to 2004 West North Central Division $2,997 $4,141 $4,402 $5,482 $4,063 $4,222 $5,758 North Dakota South Dakota Nebraska Kansas Missouri Iowa Minnesota Expenditures per Student from 1995 to 2004 Mountain Division $8,190 $3,583 $4,126 $4,963 $4,480 $5,702 $5,006 $1,680 Idaho Montana Wyoming Colorado Utah Nevada Arizona New Mexico 9
Expenditures per Student from 1995 to 2004 Pacific Division $11,000 $10,000 $5,377 $10,722 $4,517 $4,241 $2,555 Washington Oregon California Alaska Hawaii Observations from State Comparisons Construction spending in all states with declining enrollments (12 states and the District of Columbia) was below the national average. Montana, West Virginia, Louisiana and Hawaii spent less than half the national average. Construction spending in states with stable enrollment (12 states) was below the national average except Pennsylvania, Minnesota and Kansas. Of the 12 high growth states, all spent over the national average, except California, Colorado and North Carolina. The five highest spending states were Alaska, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Nevada, and Delaware. 10
Expenditure Per Student State California vs. Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) $1,500 $500 State of California (exclude LAUSD) 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 $139 $176 $381 $205 $408 $395 $475 $507 $736 $762 LAUSD $66 $55 $174 $253 $243 $155 $115 $359 $1,139 $1,221 Expenditure Per Student State Ohio vs. Cleveland Municipal School District (CMSD) $1,800 $1,600 $1,400 $1,200 $800 $600 $400 $200 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 Ohio exclude CMSD $156 $322 $281 $293 $327 $467 $600 $910 $762 $797 Cleveland Municipal SD $9 $39 $135 $283 $44 $200 $85 $123 $674 $1,579 11
Expenditure Per Student State of New Jersey vs. Newark City Public Schools $3,500 $2,500 $1,500 $500 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 NJ exclude Newark $340 $372 $384 $528 $417 $557 $806 $1,052 $1,078 $1,660 NEWARK CITY $193 $32 $24 $756 $5 $6 $9 $2,260 $1,617 $3,227 Expenditure Per Student State of Pennsylvania vs. Philadelphia & Pittsburgh Public School Districts $1,500 $500 PENNSYLVINIA exclude Philadelphia & Pittsburgh 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 $531 $263 $415 $645 $697 $681 $852 $850 $827 $738 PHILADELPHIA CITY SD $264 $222 $181 $324 $378 $398 $288 $148 $146 $99 PITTSBURGH SD $180 $137 $190 $140 $1,065 $1,036 $625 $1,528 $568 $983 12
Application of Research Findings What strategies should advocates pursue? At the national level: Encourage a dialog about an appropriate federal response to the design, condition and utilization of public school buildings. At the state levels: Have states done enough? Do they have the capacity to do more? How effective are the adequacy and equity court cases at increasing investment in school construction? What is state policy affecting public school facility planning, design, utilization, management and funding? At the district levels: Is your investing at or below the national average, your state average? What is the allocation between districts within a state? What is district policy on planning, design, utilization, management and funding of school facilities? 13