The 21st Century Green High-Performing Public School Facilities Act

Improving Education, Creating Jobs, Fighting Global Warming

School buildings should be safe and healthy learning environments for children. But according to recent estimates, America’s schools are hundreds of billions of dollars short of the funding needed to bring them up to good condition. Research shows a correlation between school facility quality and student achievement. Modernizing school buildings would help revive our economy by creating jobs and preparing workers for the clean energy jobs of the future. And by upgrading school buildings to make them more energy efficient and more reliant on renewable sources of energy, modernized school buildings can also help reduce the emissions that contribute to global warming. Congress already has endorsed these principles by making green school modernization, renovation and repair part an allowable use of funds under the state fiscal stabilization fund in H.R. 1, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Click here to download estimates of the amount of funding that each state and school district would receive under H.R. 2187 if it were to be enacted »

The 21st Century Green High-Performing Public Schools Facilities Act (H.R. 2187), passed by the House on May 14, 2009 by a vote of 275-155, would:

Provide schools with access to funding for modernization, renovation and repair projects

Authorizes $6.4 billion for school facilities projects for fiscal year 2010, and ensures that school districts will quickly receive funds for school modernization, renovation, and repairs that create healthier, safer, and more energy-efficient teaching and learning climates.
Allocates the same percentage of funds to school districts that they receive under Part A of Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, except that it guarantees each such district a minimum of $5,000.

Encourage energy efficiency and the use of renewable resources in schools

Requires the majority of funds (100 percent by 2015) to be used for projects that meet green building standards.
Allows states to reserve one percent of funds to administer the program and to develop a plan a statewide database of school facilities, including their modernization and repair needs, energy use, carbon footprints, and an energy efficiency quality plan.
Requires school districts to publicly report the educational, energy and environmental benefits of projects, how they comply with the green building requirements, and the percentage of funds used for projects at low-income, rural and charter schools.
Requires the Secretary of Education, in consultation with the Secretary of Energy and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, to disseminate best practices in school construction and to provide technical assistance to states and school districts regarding best practices.

Provide additional aid to Gulf Coast schools still recovering from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita

Authorizes separate funds – $600 million over six years – for public schools that were damaged by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Many students still attend school in temporary classrooms.

Ensure fair wages and benefits for workers by applying Davis-Bacon protections to all grants for school modernization, renovation, and repair projects