School Facilities: Condition of America's Schools (Letter Report,
02/01/95, GAO/HEHS-95-61).

GAO surveyed school officials across the country on the physical
condition of their facilities.  The survey projects that the nations'
elementary and secondary schools need about $112 billion in repairs and
upgrades to restore them to good condition. Although two-thirds of
America's schools are reported to be in good overall condition, about 14
million students attend schools needing extensive repair or replacement.
Also, problems with major building features, such as plumbing, are
widespread even among schools said to be in adequate shape.  Nearly 60
percent of America's schools reported at least one major building
element in disrepair; most of these schools had multiple problems.  In
addition, about half the school officials reported at least one
environmental problem in their schools, such as inadequate ventilation
or poor heating and lighting; most of these schools had multiple
environmental problems.  Some school officials attributed the physical
decline of the nation's schools to decisions by school districts to
defer vital maintenance and repair expenditures from year to year due to
lack of money.

--------------------------- Indexing Terms -----------------------------

 REPORTNUM:  HEHS-95-61
     TITLE:  School Facilities: Condition of America's Schools
      DATE:  02/01/95
   SUBJECT:  Elementary education
             Secondary education
             Public schools
             Facility maintenance
             Facility repairs
             Cost control
             Budget cuts
             Hazardous substances
             Repair costs
             Safety standards
IDENTIFIER:  National Education Goals
             Dept. of Education Impact Aid Program
             Dept. of Education Schools and Staffing Survey
             Chicago (IL)
             New Orleans (LA)
             Montgomery County (AL)
             District of Columbia
             New York (NY)
             Ramona (CA)
             Raymond (WA)
             Grandview (WA)
             Pomona (CA)
             Richmond (VA)
             Education Infrastructure Act of 1994
             Goals 2000
             
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Cover
================================================================ COVER


Report to Congressional Requesters

February 1995

SCHOOL FACILITIES - CONDITION OF
AMERICA'S SCHOOLS

GAO/HEHS-95-61

Condition of America's Schools


Abbreviations
=============================================================== ABBREV

  EPA - Environmental Protection Agency
  HVAC - heating, ventilation, air conditioning
  SASS - Schools and Staffing Survey
  UST - underground storage tank

Letter
=============================================================== LETTER


B-259307

February 1, 1995

The Honorable Carol Moseley-Braun
The Honorable Edward M.  Kennedy
The Honorable Claiborne Pell
The Honorable Paul Simon
The Honorable Paul Wellstone
United States Senate

The nation has invested hundreds of billions of dollars in school
infrastructure to create an environment where children can be
properly educated and prepared for the future.  Almost exclusively a
state and local responsibility, this infrastructure requires
maintenance and capital investment.  However, public concern is
growing that while laws require children to attend school, some
school buildings may be unsafe or even harmful to children's health. 
Recently, for example, a federal judge would not allow the schools in
our nation's capital to open on time until thousands of
life-threatening fire code violations were corrected.  Similarly,
noncompliance with asbestos requirements kept over 1,000 New York
City schools closed for the first 11 days of the 1993 school year. 
Although such situations may be well publicized, little information
exists documenting the extent to which the nation's schools may lack
the appropriate facilities to educate their students. 

Widely quoted studies\1 conducted in recent years report that school
facilities are in poor condition.  While these studies documented
some problems and provided much anecdotal information, they had
different methodological problems limiting their usefulness. 
Further, the Department of Education has not assessed the condition
of the nation's school facilities since 1965.  Accordingly, you
requested that we conduct a study that could be used as a basis for
determining the condition of the nation's school facilities. 

In response to your request and subsequent discussions with your
office, this report presents national information on (1) the amount
of funding that the nation's public elementary and secondary schools
report needing to improve inadequate facilities and (2) the overall
physical condition and prevalence of schools that need major repairs. 
Another report is forthcoming shortly that will report the location
of and other demographic analyses for schools that need major
repairs.  These reports are the first in a series responding to your
request.\2


--------------------
\1 Education Writers Association, Wolves at the Schoolhouse Door:  An
Investigation of the Condition of Public School Buildings
(Washington, D.C.:  1989); American Association of School
Administrators, Schoolhouse in the Red:  A Guidebook for Cutting Our
Losses (Arlington, Va.:  1992). 

\2 Subsequent reports will address (1) the capability of schools to
meet education reform goals and the needs of 21st century education,
(2) state role in school facilities, and (3) the relationship of
facility conditions to select school and staffing data. 


   RESULTS IN BRIEF
------------------------------------------------------------ Letter :1

Based on estimates by school officials in a national sample of
schools, we project that the nation's schools need about $112
billion\3 to repair or upgrade America's multibillion\4

dollar investment in facilities to good overall condition.\5

Of this, $11 billion (10 percent) is needed over the next 3 years to
comply with federal mandates that require schools to make all
programs accessible to all students and to remove or correct
hazardous substances such as asbestos, lead in water or paint,
materials in underground storage tanks (UST), and radon or meet other
requirements. 

About two-thirds of America's schools reported that all buildings
were in at least overall adequate condition, at most needing only
some preventive maintenance or corrective repair.  However, about 14
million students attend the remaining one-third of schools that
reported needing extensive repair or replacement of one or more
buildings.\6

These schools are distributed nationwide.  Also, problems with major
building features, such as plumbing, are widespread even among those
schools reported in at least adequate condition.  Almost 60 percent
of America's schools reported at least one major building feature in
disrepair, needing to be extensively repaired, overhauled, or
replaced.  Most of these schools had multiple problems.  In addition,
about half reported at least one unsatisfactory environmental
condition in their schools, such as poor ventilation, heating or
lighting problems, or poor physical security.  Most of these schools
also had multiple unsatisfactory environmental conditions.  Some
district officials we spoke to told us that a major factor in the
declining physical condition of the nation's schools has been
decisions by school districts to defer vital maintenance and repair
expenditures from year to year due to lack of funds. 


--------------------
\3 Sampling error is + 6.61 percent. 

\4 No complete national data has been compiled for current
replacement value of school buildings.  Researchers have used the
$422 billion estimate made by the Education Writers Association in
Wolves at the Schoolhouse Door. 

\5 "Good" condition means that only routine maintenance or minor
repair is required.  "Overall" condition includes both physical
condition and the ability of the schools to meet the functional
requirements of instructional programs. 

\6 Any one school may have more than one building. 


   BACKGROUND
------------------------------------------------------------ Letter :2

Elementary and secondary education, the nation's largest public
enterprise, is conducted in over 80,000 schools in about 15,000
districts.  America's public schools serve over 42 million students. 
About 70 percent of schools serve 27 million elementary students; 24
percent serve 13.8 million secondary students; and 6 percent serve
1.2 million students in combined elementary and secondary and other
schools. 

America's traditional one-room school houses have been replaced by
larger facilities that may have more than one building.  Comprising
classroom, administrative, and other areas like gymnasiums and
auditoriums, a school may have an original building, any number of
permanent additions to that building, and a variety of temporary
buildings--each constructed at different times.  Buildings that have
been well maintained and renovated at periodic intervals have a
useful life equivalent to a new building. 

A number of state courts as well as the Congress have recognized that
a high-quality learning environment is essential to educating the
nation's children.  Crucial to establishing that learning environment
is that children attend school in decent facilities.  "Decent
facilities" was specifically defined by one court as those that are
"...structurally safe, contain fire safety measures, sufficient
exits, an adequate and safe water supply, an adequate sewage disposal
system, sufficient and sanitary toilet facilities and plumbing
fixtures, adequate storage, adequate light, be in good repair and
attractively painted as well as contain acoustics for noise
control...."\7 More recently, the Congress passed the Education
Infrastructure Act of 1994,\8 in which it stated that "improving the
quality of public elementary and secondary schools will help our
Nation meet the National Education Goals."\9 Despite these efforts,
studies and media reports on school facilities since 1965 indicate
that many public elementary and secondary schools are in substandard
condition and need major repairs due to leaking roofs, plumbing
problems, inadequate heating systems, or other system failures. 

Although localities generally finance construction and repair, with
states playing a variety of roles,\10 federal programs have monies to
help localities offset the impact of federal activities, such as
Impact Aid,\11 improving accessibility for the disabled, and managing
hazardous materials.  However, these programs do not totally offset
all costs.  For example, prior GAO work found that federal assistance
provided for asbestos management under the Asbestos School Hazard
Abatement Act of 1984 did not meet the needs of all affected schools. 
From 1988 through 1991, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
received 1,746 qualified applications totaling $599 million but only
awarded $157 million to 586 school districts it considered to have
the worst asbestos problems.  EPA was aware of the shortfall in
federal assistance but believed that state and local governments
should bear these costs.\12

Because of the perception that federal programs--as well as current
state and local financing mechanisms--did not begin to address the
serious facilities needs of many of America's schools, the Congress
passed the Education Infrastructure Act of 1994.  The Congress then
appropriated $100 million for grants to schools for repair,
renovation, alteration, or construction. 


--------------------
\7 Pauley v.  Kelly, No.  75-C1268 (Kanawha County Cir.  Ct., W. 
Va., May 1982); Edgewood Independent School District v.  Kirby, N. 
362, 516 (259th Dist.  Ct.  Travis Cty., Tex., June 1, 1987), rev'd. 
761 S.W.  2nd 859 (Ct.  App.  Tex., 1988), rev'd.  777 S.W.  2nd 391
(1989). 

\8 The Education Infrastructure Act of 1994 was introduced by Senator
Carol Moseley-Braun and was passed as part of Improving America's
Schools Act (P.L.  103-382, Oct.  20, 1994). 

\9 The National Education Goals are set forth in Goals 2000:  Educate
America Act (P.L.  103-227, March 31, 1994).  The goals concern (1)
school readiness; (2) school completion; (3) student achievement and
citizenship; (4) teacher education and professional development; (5)
math and science achievement; (6) adult literacy and lifelong
learning; (7) safe, disciplined, and alcohol- and drug-free schools;
and (8) parental participation. 

\10 School Construction Specification and Financing, National Survey
Data 1994, MGT of America, Inc., prepared for Hawaii's State
Department of Education (Tallahassee, Fla.:  1994).  See also our
forthcoming report on state role in school facilities. 

\11 The Impact Aid program is administered by the Department of
Education and provided $12 million in fiscal year 1994 for
constructing and renovating schools in districts that educate
"federally connected" children, such as those whose parents live
and/or work on military installations and Indian reservations. 

\12 Toxic Substances:  Information on Costs and Financial Aid to
Schools to Control Asbestos (GAO/RCED-92-57FS, Jan.  15, 1992). 


   SCOPE AND METHODOLOGY
------------------------------------------------------------ Letter :3

To determine the amount of funding needed to improve inadequate
facilities and the overall physical condition and prevalence of
schools that need major repairs, we surveyed a national sample of
schools and augmented the survey with visits to selected school
districts.  We used various experts to advise us on the design and
analysis of this project.  (See app.  III for a list of advisers.)

We sent the survey to a nationally representative stratified random
sample of about 10,000 schools in over 5,000 school districts.  The
sample was designed for the Department of Education's 1994 Schools
and Staffing Survey (SASS), which is sponsored by the National Center
for Educational Statistics. 

We asked about (1) the physical condition of buildings and major
building features, such as roofs; framing, floors, and foundations;
exterior walls and interior finishes; plumbing; heating, ventilation,
and air conditioning (HVAC); and electric power; (2) the status of
environmental conditions, such as lighting, heating, and ventilation;
(3) the amount districts and schools had spent in the last 3 years or
plan to spend in the next 3 years due to federal mandates that
require managing or correcting hazardous materials problems and
providing access to all programs for all students; and (4) an
estimate of the total cost of needed repairs, renovations, and
modernizations to put all buildings in good overall condition.  (See
app.  IV for a copy of the questionnaire.)

We directed the survey to those officials who are most knowledgeable
about facilities--such as facilities directors and other central
office administrators of the districts that housed our sampled school
buildings.  Our analyses are based on responses from 78 percent of
the schools sampled.  Analyses of nonrespondent characteristics
showed them to be similar to respondents.  Findings from the survey
have been statistically adjusted (weighted) to produce nationally
representative estimates.  All of the data are self-reported, and we
did not independently verify their accuracy.  (See the forthcoming
report on location and demographic analyses of schools in need of
major repair for a detailed description of our data collection
methods and analysis techniques, confidence intervals, and the like.)

In addition, we visited 41 schools in 10 selected school districts
varying in location, size, and minority composition.  During these
visits, we observed facility conditions and interviewed district and
local school officials to obtain information on facilities
assessment, maintenance programs, resources, and barriers encountered
in reaching facility goals.  (See app.  I for profiles on the
districts visited.)

We conducted this study from April 1994 to December 1994 in
accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards. 


   PRINCIPAL FINDINGS
------------------------------------------------------------ Letter :4


      SCHOOLS REPORT NEEDING
      BILLIONS TO IMPROVE
      FACILITIES
---------------------------------------------------------- Letter :4.1

On the basis of our survey results, we estimate that the nation's
schools need $112 billion to complete all repairs, renovations, and
modernizations required to restore facilities to good overall
condition and to comply with federal mandates.  (See fig.  1.) This
amount includes $65 billion--about $2.8 million per school--needed by
one-third of schools for which one or more entire building needs
major repairs or replacement.  Another 40 percent of schools (those
in adequate or better condition) reported needing $36 billion--about
$1.2 million per school--to repair or replace one or more building
features,\13 such as the plumbing or roof, or to make other
corrective repairs. 

   Figure 1:  School Officials
   Report Billions Needed for
   Repairs and to Comply With
   Federal Mandates in the Next 3
   Years

   (See figure in printed
   edition.)

Note:  "Other" includes lead in water/paint, underground storage
tanks, radon, and other mandated requirements. 

Almost two-thirds of the schools reported needing $11 billion--an
average of $.2 million per school--to comply with federal mandates
over the next 3 years.  Of this amount, about $5 billion (54 percent)
is needed to correct or remove hazardous substances, such as
asbestos, lead in water or paint, materials contained in UST, and
radon or meet other requirements while about $6 billion (55 percent)
is needed by schools to make programs accessible to all students. 
(See fig.  1.)

This $11 billion is in addition to the $3.8 billion reported spent by
three-quarters of all schools in the last 3 years to comply with
federal mandates.  (See fig.  2.) Of the money schools reported that
they spent to comply with federal mandates, $2.3 billion (60 percent)
went to correct or remove hazardous substances--primarily
asbestos--while $1.5 billion (40 percent) went to make all programs
accessible to all students. 

   Figure 2:  Amount Schools
   Reported Spending Over the Last
   3 Years and Need in the Next 3
   Years to Fulfill Federal
   Mandates

   (See figure in printed
   edition.)

Note:  Other mandated requirements may include those governing
pesticides or other chemicals and the like. 

District officials we spoke with reported that they must also comply
with many state and local mandates.  For example, one urban district
reported how federal, state, and local regulations govern many of the
same areas such as hazardous materials management and some aspects of
indoor air quality.  In addition, officials cited numerous state
health and sanitation codes, state safety inspections for building
features, as well as city zoning ordinances, local building codes,
and historic preservation regulations.  By 1992, the enormity of the
requirements as well as decades of capital needs underfunding have
resulted in only the 2 newest of their 123 schools complying with all
current codes. 

The district further described how these regulations and the
accompanying cost could apply to the installation of air
conditioning.  For example, air conditioning could be installed in a
building for $500,000.  However, this may also require an additional
$100,000 in fire alarm/smoke detection and emergency lighting systems
as well as $250,000 in architectural modifications for code
compliance.  Additionally, the location of outside chillers may be
regulated by zoning and historic preservation ordinances. 

In our visits to selected districts, officials from major urban areas
reported needing billions to put their schools into good overall
condition.  (See table 1.)



                Table 1

  Major Urban School Districts Report
 Needing Billions to Bring Schools Into
         Good Overall Condition

               Amount needed
----------------------------
                     ns $7.8
                         2.9
                         0.5
                         0.5


--------------------
\13 Building features include roofs; framing, floors, and
foundations; exterior walls, finishes, windows, and doors; interior
finishes and trims; plumbing, heating, ventilation, and air
conditioning; electrical power; electrical lighting; and life safety
codes. 


      TWO-THIRDS OF SCHOOLS
      ADEQUATE BUT MILLIONS OF
      STUDENTS MUST ATTEND OTHER
      ONE-THIRD
---------------------------------------------------------- Letter :4.2

School officials reported that two-thirds of the nation's schools are
in adequate (or better) condition, at most needing only some
preventive maintenance or corrective repair.  However, about 14
million students must attend the remaining one-third (25,000
schools), in which at least one building is in need of extensive
repair or replacement.  Even more students, 28 million, attend
schools nationwide that need one or more building feature extensively
repaired, overhauled, or replaced or that contain an environmentally
unsatisfactory condition,\14 such as poor ventilation.  (See tables 2
and 3.) These schools are distributed nationwide. 



                           Table 2
           
           Millions of Students Attend Schools With
            Less-Than-Adequate Physical Conditions

                                                 Estimate of
                                 Number of          students
Building feature                   schools          affected
------------------------  ----------------  ----------------
Roofs                               21,100        11,916,000
Framing, floors,                    13,900         7,247,000
 foundations
Exterior walls,                     20,500        11,524,000
 finishes, windows,
 doors
Interior finishes, trims            18,600        10,408,000
Plumbing                            23,100        12,254,000
Heating, ventilation,               28,100        15,456,000
 air conditioning
Electrical power                    20,500        11,034,000
Electrical lighting                 19,500        10,837,000
Life safety codes                   14,500         7,630,000
------------------------------------------------------------
Notes:  See appendix IV for survey question. 

Ranges for building or building feature condition were excellent,
good, adequate, fair, poor, or replace.  A building or building
feature was considered in less-than-adequate condition if fair, poor,
or replace was indicated. 



                          Table 3
          
          Millions of Students Attend Schools With
          Unsatisfactory Environmental Conditions

                                                 Number of
Environmental                    Number of        students
condition                          Schools        affected
----------------------  ------------------  --------------
Lighting                            12,200       6,682,000
Heating                             15,000       7,888,000
Ventilation                         21,100      11,559,000
Indoor air quality                  15,000       8,353,000
Acoustics for noise                 21,900      11,044,000
 control
Physical security                   18,900      10,638,000
----------------------------------------------------------
Note:  See appendix IV for survey question. 


--------------------
\14 Environmental factors include lighting, heating, ventilation,
indoor air quality, acoustics for noise control, energy efficiency,
and physical security of buildings.  Although flexibility of
instructional space is included as an environmental factor in our
questionnaire (see app.  IV), we are not addressing those issues in
this report.  They will be addressed in a forthcoming report. 


      PHYSICAL CONDITION
---------------------------------------------------------- Letter :4.3

Specifically, about one-third of both elementary and secondary
schools reported at least one entire building--original, addition, or
temporary--in need of extensive repairs or replacement.  (See fig.  3
and pictures in app.  II.) About 60 percent (including some schools
in adequate condition) reported that at least one building feature
needed extensive repair, overhauling, or replacement; and
three-quarters of those schools needed multiple features repaired. 
Features most frequently reported in need of such repairs were HVAC;
plumbing; roofs; exterior walls, finishes, windows, and doors;
electrical power; electrical lighting; and interior finishes and
trims.  (See fig.  4 and pictures in app.  II.) Further, while 41
percent of all schools reported unsatisfactory energy efficiency, 73
percent of those schools with exterior walls, windows, and doors and
64 percent of those with roofs in need of major repair reported
unsatisfactory energy efficiency.  These unrepaired features not only
reduce energy efficiency but may also have an adverse environmental
effect on students.  As one Chicago elementary school principal told
us, "Heat escapes through holes in the roof; the windows leak (the
ones that are not boarded up) and let in cold air in the winter so
that children must wear coats to class." Following are some other
examples: 

In New Orleans, the damage from Formosan termites has deteriorated
the structure of many schools.  In one elementary school, they even
ate the books on the library shelves as well as the shelves
themselves.  (See app.  II.) This, in combination with a leaking roof
and rusted window wall, caused so much damage that a large portion of
the 30-year-old school has been condemned.  The whole school is
projected to be closed in 1 year. 

At a Montgomery County, Alabama, elementary school, a ceiling
weakened by leaking water collapsed 40 minutes after the children
left for the day. 

Water damage from an old (original) boiler steam heating system at a
60-year-old junior high school in Washington, D.C., has caused such
wall deterioration that an entire wing has been condemned and locked
off from use.  Steam damage is also causing lead-based wall paint to
peel. 

Raw sewage backs up on the front lawn of a Montgomery County,
Alabama, junior high school due to defective plumbing. 

A New York City high school built around the turn of the century has
served as a stable, fire house, factory, and office building.  The
school is overcrowded with 580 students, far exceeding the building's
400 student capacity.  The building has little ventilation (no vents
or blowers), despite many inside classrooms, and the windows cannot
be opened, which makes the school unbearably hot in the summer.  In
the winter, heating depends on a fireman's stoking the coal furnace
by hand. 

In Ramona, California, where overcrowding is considered a problem,
one elementary school is composed entirely of portable buildings.  It
had neither a cafeteria nor auditorium and used a single relocatable
room as a library, computer lab, music room, and art room. 

Last year, during a windstorm in Raymond, Washington, the original
windows of an elementary school built in 1925 were blown out, leaving
shards of glass stuck in the floor.  The children happened to be at
the other end of the room.  This wooden school is considered a fire
hazard, and although hallways and staircases can act as chimneys for
smoke and fire, the second floor has only one external exit. 

In rural Grandview, Washington, overcrowded facilities are a problem. 
At one middle school, the original building was meant to house 450
students.  Two additions and three portables have been added to
accommodate 700 students.  The school has seven staggered lunch
periods.  The portables have no lockers nor bathrooms and are cold in
the winter and hot in the spring/summer. 

In a high school in Chicago, the classroom floors are in terrible
condition.  Not only are floors buckling, so much tile is loose that
students cannot walk in all parts of the school.  The stairs are in
poor condition and have been cited for safety violations.  An outside
door has been chained for 3 years to prevent students from falling on
broken outside steps.  Peeling paint has been cited as a fire hazard. 
Heating problems result in some rooms having no heat while other
rooms are too warm.  Leaks in the science lab caused by plumbing
problems prevent the classes from doing experiments.  Guards patrol
the outside doors, and all students and visitors must walk through
metal detectors before entering the school.  (See app.  II and fig. 
6.)

   Figure 3:  Percent of Buildings
   Reported in Less-Than-Adequate
   Condition

   (See figure in printed
   edition.)

   Figure 4:  Building Repairs
   Reported Needed in America's
   Schools

   (See figure in printed
   edition.)

Note:  Life safety codes could include such things as stairwells,
adequate exits, panic hardware, fire extinguishers, rated corridor
doors, fire walls, sprinkler systems, and the like. 

During our school visits, we found wide disparities between schools
in the best or even average condition and schools in the worst
condition, and these schools were sometimes in the same district. 


      ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS
---------------------------------------------------------- Letter :4.4

About 50 percent of the schools reported at least one unsatisfactory
environmental condition; while 33 percent reported multiple
unsatisfactory conditions.  Of those, half reported four to six
unsatisfactory conditions.  Those conditions most frequently reported
to be unsatisfactory were acoustics for noise control, ventilation,
and physical security.  (See fig.  5.) Additionally, three-quarters
of schools responding had already spent funds during the last 3 years
on requirements to remove or correct hazardous substances such as
asbestos (57 percent), lead in water or paint (25 percent), materials
in USTs such as fuel oil (17 percent), radon (18 percent), or other
requirements (9 percent).  Still two-thirds must spend funds in the
next 3 years to comply with these same requirements--asbestos (45
percent), lead (18 percent), UST (12 percent), radon (12 percent), or
other requirements (8 percent). 

   Figure 5:  Percentage of
   Schools Reporting
   Unsatisfactory or Very
   Unsatisfactory Environmental
   Factors

   (See figure in printed
   edition.)

We saw numerous examples of unsatisfactory environmental conditions
during our school visits: 

In the Pomona, California, school district, the student body has
increased 37 percent over the last 10 years.  Some schools must have
five staggered lunch periods to accommodate all students.  As a
result of overcrowding, in one elementary school, students are housed
in temporary buildings installed in 1948 that are unattractive,
termite ridden, dark, and underequipped with electrical outlets.  The
temporary buildings get very hot as well as very cold at times
because of poor insulation. 

A Raymond, Washington, high school--a three-story structure with
walls of unreinforced concrete with roof and floor not adequately
secured to the walls that may not withstand earthquakes--contains
steam pipes that are not only extremely noisy but provide too little
or too much heat from room to room. 

In Richmond, Virginia, schools in the district close early in
September and May because the heat, combined with poor ventilation
and no air conditioning, creates health problems for students and
teachers, especially those with asthma. 

A Chicago elementary school, built in 1893 and not painted for many
years, has walls and ceilings with chipping and peeling lead-based
paint, asbestos, and several boarded-up windows.  Some rooms have
inadequate lighting due to antiquated lighting fixtures that are no
longer manufactured, so bulbs could not be replaced when burned out. 
One section of the school has been condemned due to structural
problems.  However, the auditorium and gym in this area are still
used.  The school was scheduled for closure in 1972 but remained open
due to community opposition to the closure with promises of
renovation by the district.  (See app.  II.)


      INSUFFICIENT FUNDS
      CONTRIBUTE TO DECLINING
      PHYSICAL CONDITIONS
---------------------------------------------------------- Letter :4.5

District officials we spoke to attributed the declining physical
condition of America's schools primarily to insufficient funds,
resulting in decisions to defer maintenance and repair\15
expenditures from year to year.  This has a domino effect.  Deferred
maintenance speeds up the deterioration of buildings, and costs
escalate accordingly, further eroding the nation's multibillion
dollar investment in school facilities.  For example, in many schools
we visited, unrepaired leaking roofs caused wall and floor damage
that now must also be repaired.  New York school officials told us
that, while a typical roof repair is $600, a full roof replacement
costs $300,000, and painting and plastering 10 rooms on a top floor
that has been damaged by water infiltration costs $67,500 plus $4,500
to replace damaged floor tiles.  In other words, for every $1 not
invested, the system falls another $620 behind.  In addition,
unrepaired roofs cause energy costs to increase as heat escapes
through holes, further depleting already limited funds.  Further, due
to lack of routine maintenance in the Chicago district, many schools
have not been painted since they were painted 20 years ago with
lead-based paint. 

In an elementary school in New York City, repair problems had not
been addressed since the school was built 20 years ago.  Problems
that could have been addressed relatively inexpensively years ago
have now caused major problems such as sewage leaking into the first
grade classrooms, a leaking roof that is structurally unsound, and
crumbling walls. 

Similarly, in Chicago, we visited an elementary school whose roof,
the principal told us, had needed replacement for 20 years.  Because
it had only been superficially patched, rather than replaced, the
persistent water damage had caused floors to buckle and plaster on
the walls and ceilings to crumble.  It had also flooded parts of the
electric wiring system.  One teacher in this school would not turn on
her lights during rainstorms for fear of electrical shock; in another
classroom the public address system had been rendered unusable. 
Buckets had to be placed on the top floor of the school to catch the
rain. 

Some district officials we spoke with reported that they had
difficulty raising money for needed repairs and renovation due to an
anti-tax sentiment among voters resulting in the failure of bond
issues as well as passage of property tax limitations.  About one in
three districts reported that they have had an average of two bond
issues fail in the past 10 years.  Further, school officials told us
that often bond proceeds are far less than needed for repairs.  For
example, in Pomona, California, a $62.5 million bond issue was
submitted to the voters after a survey indicated that the $200
million needed for repairs would be rejected.  At the time of our
survey, 6 percent of districts had a bond issue before the
electorate.  However, as one survey respondent commented, "the
current public attitudes about the economy and education are
generally so negative that passing a bond referendum is a fantasy."
Other states have reduced school funding by passing property tax
limitations.  One survey respondent reported, "The state's
contribution to local schools has dropped by 40 percent over the last
few years..." According to another survey respondent, "This is a 1913
building which many of the taxpaying citizens feel was good enough
for them...it is looked at as a monument in the community.  Unless
some form of outside funding is arranged, the citizens may never
volunteer to replace this building since it will require raising
their taxes."

Further, districts reported a lack of control over some spending
priorities as they must fund a large portion of federal mandates for
managing or correcting hazardous materials as well as making all
programs accessible to all students.  A recurring theme in comments
from survey respondents was, "Unfunded federal and state mandates are
one of the prime causes of lack of funds for replacing worn-out
heating and cooling equipment, roofs, etc...." Another survey
respondent stated, "The ADA requirements were a major reason we had
to replace two older schools.  These costs, when added to other costs
for renovations and modifications, resulted in overall costs for
repairs which exceeded the costs for new facilities." On the other
hand, Chicago school officials told us that due to limited funds and
the installation of one elevator costing $150,000, very few schools
are able to provide program access to all students. 

In looking at the uses of bond proceeds in the districts, the average
amount of the most recently passed bond issue was $7 million.  While
about 3 percent was provided for federal mandates, 54 percent was
provided for school construction and 38 percent for repairing,
renovating, and modernizing schools.  The remaining 5 percent was
spent for purchases of computers and telecommunications equipment. 

Districts also said that they must sometimes divert funds initially
planned for facilities maintenance and repair to purchase additional
facilities due to overcrowding.  This has resulted from both
demographic and mandated changes.  For example, additional funds were
required for construction and purchase of portables due to large
immigrant influxes as well as population shifts in districts or
climbing enrollment due to overall population increases.  Further,
some mandated school programs, such as special education, require
additional space for low pupil-teacher ratios. 

One survey respondent described the competing demands on limited
funds as follows:  "Our school facilities are not energy efficient or
wired for modern technology.  Our floor tile is worn out and the
furniture is in poor shape.  Our taxpayers don't want to put any more
in schools.  Our teachers want better pay.  Our students and parents
want more programs and technology.  HELP!!!"


--------------------
\15 We are referring to maintenance as the upkeep of property and
equipment while repair is work to restore damaged or worn-out
property to a normal operating condition. 


         BUILDING AGE--BY
         ITSELF--IS NOT
         SIGNIFICANT
-------------------------------------------------------- Letter :4.5.1

While some studies cite building age as a major factor contributing
to deteriorating conditions, older buildings often have a more sound
infrastructure than newer buildings.  Buildings built in the early
years of this century--or before--frequently were built for a life
span of 50 to 100 years while more modern buildings, particularly
those built after 1970, were designed to have a life span of only 20
to 30 years.  A study of English school facilities found that the
schools built during the 1960s and 1970s were built quickly and
cheaply and have caused continuing maintenance problems.\16 As one
survey respondent commented, "the buildings in this district are
approximately 20 years old, but the exterior siding was inferior from
the beginning...it has deteriorated and ruptured extensively...." A
principal in Chicago stated about her 1970s building, "Our most
pressing problem is that the school is crumbling down around us.... 
From the beginning, this building has had serious roof problems. 
Water leaks throughout the building from the roof and from the walls. 
Pools of water collect in the floors of the classrooms.  One wall has
buckled and is held in place with a steel stake.  The windows leak
and let cold air in...." According to some school officials, the
misperception about the age factor has been reinforced because older
buildings are sometimes not maintained but allowed to deteriorate
until replaced. 

Three schools we visited in Chicago presented a good example of the
difficulty of using age to define condition.  All three were built
between 1926 and 1930 and had the same design and basic structure. 
Today, their condition could not be more different.  One school had
been allowed to deteriorate (had received no renovation since the
1970s) until it reached a point where local school officials
classified it as among those schools in the worst physical condition. 
The second school had received some recent renovation because of
community complaints about its condition and was classified as a
typical school for the school district.  The third school had been
well maintained throughout the years, and now school officials
classified it as a school in the best physical condition.  (See
pictures contrasting the three schools in fig.  6.)



(See figure in printed edition.)Figure 6:  Same Age (60+), Same
Design; Now Examples of Best, Typical, and Worst of Chicago Schools


--------------------
\16 Repair and Maintenance of School Buildings, National Audit
Office, Report by the Controller and Auditor General, London,
England, Ordered by the House of Commons to be printed July 25, 1991. 


   CONCLUSIONS
------------------------------------------------------------ Letter :5

Two-thirds of America's schools report that they are in adequate (or
better) overall condition.  Still, many of these schools need to
repair or replace one or more building feature, manage or correct
hazardous materials, or make all programs accessible to all students. 
Other schools have more serious problems.  About 14 million students
are required to attend the remaining one-third of schools that have
one or more entire buildings in less-than-adequate condition, needing
extensive repair or replacement.  These schools are distributed
nationwide. 

Our survey results indicate that to complete all repairs,
renovations, or modernizations needed to put school buildings into
good overall condition and comply with federal mandates would require
a projected investment of $112 billion.  Continuing to delay
maintenance and repairs will defer some of these costs but will also
lead to the need for greater expenditures as conditions deteriorate,
further eroding the nation's multibillion dollar investment in school
infrastructure.  In addition, if maintenance continues to be
deferred, a large proportion of schools that are in only adequate
condition and need preventive maintenance or corrective repair will
soon deteriorate to less-than-adequate condition. 

As one survey respondent observed, "It is very difficult to get local
communities to accept this burden (facilities
construction/renovation).  Our district, one of the wealthiest in the
state, barely passed a bare bones budget to renovate.  It must be a
national crisis."


   AGENCY COMMENTS
------------------------------------------------------------ Letter :6

We spoke with Department of Education officials at the National
Center for Educational Statistics who reviewed a draft of this report
and found the report well done and generally approved of the
approach.  In addition, staff from the Office of the Undersecretary
provided us with technical comments that we incorporated into our
report.  They did not comment, however, on our methodology, reserving
judgment for the detailed technical appendix in our forthcoming
report. 


---------------------------------------------------------- Letter :6.1

Copies of this report are also being sent to appropriate House and
Senate committees and all members, the Secretary of Education, and
other interested parties. 

If you have any questions about this report, please contact Eleanor
L.  Johnson, Assistant Director, who may be reached at (202)
512-7209.  A list of major contributors to this report can be found
in appendix VII. 

Linda G.  Morra
Director, Education and
 Employment Issues