Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Survey Finds More Than $4.2 Billion in Pressing Construction Needs at Federally Impacted School Districts

  • 08/25/17

Washington, D.C. – A new survey, conducted by the National Association of Federally Impacted Schools (NAFIS), identifies more than $4.2 billion in pressing construction needs at federally impacted school districts nationwide. These school districts encompass nontaxable Federal property, such as military installations, Indian lands, low-rent housing, and other Federal properties.

School construction is financed primarily at the local level, usually through bonds. Federally impacted school districts often have minimal assessed land value - and thereby minimal bonding capacity - because of the presence of nontaxable federal property. These school districts lack the local resources to address urgent facility needs, not to mention modernize facilities.  

NAFIS surveyed its member school districts about the status of their school facilities. Respondents – 218 school districts from 37 states – reported compelling facility needs.

Twenty-six percent of respondents cited school district facilities that are more than 80 years old, and 65-percent said the overall condition of facilities in their school districts are either fair or poor. Respondents named a variety of essential construction projects, including health and safety related issues such as lead and mold, outdated electrical, HVAC and plumbing systems, leaky roofs, expired boilers, aging technology, and building capacity due to growth in student enrollment.

The total estimated cost to address pressing construction needs in these school districts exceeds $4.2 billion, with the estimated cost of all capital construction needs topping $13 billion. Yet Congress only appropriated $17.4 million in construction funding for the Impact Aid Construction line item in Fiscal Year 2017. What's more, 82-percent of respondents cited lack of funds as a reason to defer capital construction projects, and 83-percent of respondents said they could start their most pressing capital project within a year if funds were available. 

To read the full report, visit www.nafisdc.org

Featured

  • Stanford Completes Construction on Graduate School of Education Facility

    Stanford University in Stanford, Calif., recently announced the end of construction on a new home for its Graduate School of Education, according to a news release. The university partnered with McCarthy Building Companies on the 160,000-square-foot project, which involved two major renovations and one new construction effort.

  • Deferred Maintenance Issues Growing at Universities, Gordian Reports

    U.S. colleges and universities are falling increasingly behind on facilities maintenance and repair, according to Gordian’s 13th annual State of Facilities in Higher Education report. The deferred capital renewal burden has reached $156 per gross square foot, an 8% increase over the previous year.

  • Full Sail University Announces First Student Housing Facility

    Full Sail University in Winter Park, Fla., recently announced that development has begun on its first student housing community, according to a news release. The university is partnering with Nvision Development for construction and long-term management of the facility, which will stand five stories and have the capacity for more than 570 beds.

  • Vanderbilt to Partner with ABM for Campus Preservation and Modernization

    Vanderbilt University recently announced that it has selected ABM Performance Solutions for a preservation and modernization project at its New York City campus, according to a news release. ABM will deliver its end-to-end ABM Performance Solutions (APS) model to manage critical operations during renovation and maintenance.