CONNECTICUT: After more than two years of demolition and construction, the $70 million flagship of the citywide school construction project, the downtown Cooperative Arts and Humanities High School is slated to open Jan. 20, despite unfinished stairways and unpacked furniture. “I used to shake,” said Superintendent of Schools Reginald Mayo, of seeing down-to-the-wire construction projects. “I don’t anymore.” The school “will be ready to roll,” he said.
The city is in the midst of a $1.4 billion effort that began in 1995 to rebuild or renovate every public school. Twenty-seven schools have been completed, six are under construction and three more are in design.

Coop has been particularly ambitious in the quality of the arts spaces, as well as the downtown setting near Yale University and its arts community, the Shubert Theater and the planned new location of the Long Wharf Theatre. The city has paid a premium to locate the school downtown, including protracted legal battles with displaced property owners. The building is the first high school to be designed by architectural giant Cesar Pelli, who is based in New Haven. “This really takes the school to a new level academically,” Mayo said. “So many little spaces that make a difference.”

With opening day just weeks away, those arts spaces, in addition to the library, gym, cafeteria and science labs, have taken form, and crews are working seven days a week to finish the effort. “Over the next few weeks, until the school opens, you’ll see amazing changes within the building as we get ready to open,” said School Construction Coordinator Susan Weisselberg. “Does that mean it won’t be down to the wire? It will be down to the wire.” On the second floor, a corner dance studio with floor-to-ceiling windows looks out onto College and Crown streets. The windows of an adjacent dance studio and choral room frame the arches of the Temple Street garage. Across the hall are sound-proof practice rooms. Downstairs, a 65-foot tall theater holds 350 seats, an orchestra pit, professional lighting and sounds systems, and accommodations for movable scenery. The theater is not expected to be completed until February, but the school has a smaller theater and advanced editing and lighting equipment that is expected to be ready by opening day. Also downstairs, a film viewing room and lecture hall has stadium seating for 83 students. Two ground-floor retail spaces will also still be under construction past January, and school officials said they have yet to find tenants for the site.from 425 students to 650

CALIFORNIA: President-elect Barack Obama can't fix every leaky roof and busted boiler in the nation's schools. But educators say his sweeping school-modernization program - if he spends enough - could jump-start student achievement. More kids than ever are crammed into aging, run-down schools that need an estimated $255billion in repairs, renovations or construction. Although Obama is likely to ask Congress for only a fraction of that, education experts said it still could make a big difference. "With limited funding under the state-funded programs, any funding or money is welcome," said Craig Misso, director of facilities planning and operations for the Ontario-Montclair School District. "We would envision its use to augment the district's current facility plan as well as expand the district's efforts in energy conservation and use of green technology." Kathy Kinley, former Chaffey Joint Union High School District board member and former president of the California School Boards Association, said, "Any additional help will be more than welcome because we all know schools are used and they're used heavily." Kinley also said it will be interesting to see how the proposed modernization program will be funded. If the state has to match the money, modernization could be jeopardized because the state has announced it cannot sell its bonds to raise the money, Kinley said.

Educators also caution that throwing huge sums of money at programs that haven't proved to be effective, such as the federal "E-Rate" program that gives technology discounts to schools, won't help student achievement or the economy. Obama is promising to give every student access to the Internet - the federal "E-Rate" program. Outgoing Education Secretary Margaret Spellings said billions already have been spent through "E-Rate." "It's made very little difference in enhancing student achievement," she said. "We should never spend money in the public sector, especially in education, unless we're getting something for it. Unless it's to some good end," Spellings said. "I commend him (Obama) for taking that on. That's another very ripe area. But not unless it's moving the needle for kids."

But Kinley said that while the money will be used for public projects, the people who will receive the money will be contractors and architects. There's widespread agreement, however, that improving classrooms helps student performance. Studies in Houston, New York City and North Dakota have made a link between classroom conditions and performance. In the New York study, researchers found kids in crowded classrooms scored lower in math and reading. Nearly half the principals in primary and secondary schools said deteriorating conditions are interfering with learning, according to the Education Department. Kinley said a clean and well-lit classroom free of health hazards can enhance learning. "It may not directly change the curriculum, but things like being able to enhance technology or provide (interactive whiteboards) versus a chalkboard can make the curriculum more accessible to teacher and student use," she said. Upgrades can also make kids healthier. Preventing mold can alleviate asthma, the No. 1 chronic illness making kids miss school.

Obama has given few specifics about his economic recovery plan, which could cost as much as $850 billion over two years. There is no word on how much of that would go to schools or on how much would go toward repairs versus construction. The only dollar figure from Obama so far is that schools would share with roads in an immediate infusion of $25billion for repairs and rebuilding. It would take 10 times that amount or more to fully modernize schools, according to an analysis last month by the American Federation of Teachers. In all, schools need about $255 billion in maintenance, new construction, renovation and retrofitting for computer technology, among other things, the union said. An earlier estimate from the National Education Association placed the cost even higher, in the range of $360billion. However, it might not take nearly that much money to make a dent. Federal dollars usually account for only a portion of construction and other school needs. State and local governments also kick in a share. But with state and local tax revenues plummeting because of the recession, where would states get the money to match school upgrade dollars from the feds? Already, 19 states have lowered their tax revenue forecasts for 2009, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. "If there is any kind of matching requirement, it's going to be more problematic for state and local governments to match," said David Shreve, education policy analyst for NCSL. "Because everybody is hurting badly and cutting everything else."

NATIONAL : Barack Obama probably cannot fix every leaky roof and busted boiler in the nation's schools. But educators say his sweeping school modernization program — if he spends enough — could jump-start student achievement. More kids than ever are crammed into aging, run-down schools that need an estimated $255 billion in repairs, renovations or construction. While the president-elect is likely to ask Congress for only a fraction of that, education experts say it still could make a big difference. The need is definitely out there," said Robert Canavan, chairman of the Rebuild America's Schools coalition, which includes both teachers' unions and large education groups. "A federal investment of that magnitude would really have a significant impact."

Educators argue that spiffy classrooms help children learn and also remove health risks. But they warn that Obama's school spending plan won't stimulate the economy if it requires matching funds from state and local governments whose tax revenues have been slashed by the recession. And they caution that throwing huge sums of money at programs that haven't proven effective, such as the federal "E-Rate" program that gives technology discounts to schools, won't help student achievement or the economy.
Obama is promising to give every student access to the Internet — the federal "E-Rate" program. Outgoing Education Secretary Margaret Spellings pointed out that billions already has been spent through the "E-Rate" program. "It's made very little difference in enhancing student achievement," she said. "We should never spend money in the public sector, especially in education, unless we're getting something for it, unless it's to some good end," Spellings said. "I commend him (Obama) for taking that on. That's another very ripe area. But not unless it's moving the needle for kids."
There's widespread agreement, however, that improving classrooms helps student performance. Studies in Houston, New York City and North Dakota have made a link between classroom conditions and performance; in the New York study, researchers found kids in crowded classrooms scored lower in math and reading. Nearly half the principals in primary and secondary schools said deteriorating conditions are interfering with learning, according to the Education Department.

Obama has given few specifics about his economic recovery plan, which could cost as much as $850 billion over two years. There is no word on how much of that would go to schools, or on how much would go toward repairs versus new construction. The only dollar figure from Obama so far is that schools would share with roads in an immediate infusion of $25 billion for repairs and rebuilding. It would take 10 times that amount or more to fully modernize schools, according to an analysis last month by the American Federation of Teachers. In all, schools need about $255 billion in maintenance, new construction, renovation and retrofitting for computer technology, among other things, the union said. An earlier estimate from the National Education Association placed the cost even higher, in the range of $360 billion. However, it might not take nearly that much money to make a dent. Federal dollars usually account for only a portion of construction and other school needs; state and local governments also kick in a share. But with state and local tax revenues plummeting because of the recession, where would states get the money to match school upgrade dollars from the feds? Already, 19 states have lowered their tax revenue forecasts for 2009, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. "If there is any kind of matching requirement, it's going to be more problematic for state and local governments to match," said David Shreve, education policy analyst for NCSL. "Because everybody is hurting badly and cutting everything else."

The new Congress begins work on the economic recovery plan on Wednesday with a hearing by the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee. California Rep. George Miller, chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, said school modernization will be part of the hearing. Obama aides working on the stimulus package say they want projects that can start immediately, putting people back to work. A study by the Economic Policy Institute estimates that spending $20 billion on deferred maintenance in school districts across the country would create nearly 250,000 skilled maintenance jobs.