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named a variety of essential construction projects, including health and safety related issues such as lead and mold, outdated electrical, HVAC and plumbing systems, leaky roofs, expired boilers, aging technology, and building capacity due to growth in student enrollment.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

  • Amazon Expands Lockers to More Than 500 College, University Campuses

    Amazon recently announced that its Locker Network now totals more than 750 locations at more than 500 college and university campuses around the United States, according to a company news release.

  • UPenn Announces Completion of New Veterinary Education Facility

    The University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Penn., recently finished construction on an 11,800-square-foot veterinary education building, according to a news release. The Gail P. Riepe Center for Advanced Veterinary Education is the first dedicated classroom facility at the New Bolton Center, a large-animal hospital and campus about 35 miles west of the campus proper.

  • Sam Houston State University Completes Athletic Stadium Renovations

    Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas, recently announced the reopening of Elliott T. Bowers Stadium after an extensive renovation project, according to a news release. The university partnered with Stantec and DLR Group for the project’s design.

  • Wold Completes Geothermal Projects at Two Minnesota Schools

    Wold Architects & Engineers recently announced that it has completed two geothermal expansion projects for Mounds View Public Schools in Shoreview, Minn., according to a news release. The work at Highview Middle School and Irondale High School serves the district’s long-term goal of reducing energy costs and dependency on non-renewable fuel sources, as well as improving building performance.