![](\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/-mm-\/5c8bf163d61d56de560dacb3f845b9116f1adc6e\/c=118-0-2003-1414\/local\/-\/media\/2021\/03\/16\/USATODAY\/usatsports\/child-learning-school-getty.jpg?width=540&height=405&fit=crop\")
<\/p>\nOn America\u2019s\u00a0Infrastructure Report Card, our school buildings received a D-plus, indicating they are in poor and at-risk condition.<\/p>\n
With nearly 100,000 schools across the country on about 2 million acres of land, one in every six Americans in a typical year relies on\u00a0our school buildings and grounds for learning, work\u00a0and wellbeing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As debates about America\u2019s infrastructure continue, Congress and the Biden administration must include our schools in this critical investment not only because of their scale, use\u00a0and condition, but also because this\u00a0investment can benefit\u00a0our economy, build community resilience, and improve the environmental and fiscal sustainability of our schools.\u00a0<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The poor physical condition of our schools directly affects\u00a0students' health and learning. (Photo: Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n The underinvestment in school buildings and campuses,\u00a0estimated at about $46 billion annually, has resulted in poor indoor air quality, leaky roofs\u00a0and unaddressed environmental hazards. The\u00a0Government Accountability Office\u00a0found nearly half of all districts need to replace one or more major building systems.<\/p>\n The poor physical condition of our schools directly affects\u00a0students’ health and learning.\u00a0Before the pandemic,\u00a0childhood asthma, linked to exposure to poor air quality, resulted in about\u00a013.8 million missed days of school annually.\u00a0Researchers also have\u00a0found that high temperatures\u00a0in classrooms without sufficient cooling systems hurt\u00a0student learning and performance.<\/p>\n With school districts often having to use local taxes to pay\u00a0for\u00a0maintenance and improvements, schools in lower-income communities are in worse condition, meaning students of color and low-income students are hit hardest by the\u00a0poor physical conditions of our schools.\u00a0<\/p>\n USA TODAY’s opinion\u00a0newsletter:\u00a0<\/strong>Get the best insights and analysis delivered to your inbox.<\/p>\n Just as roads and bridges are essential for our economy, sustainable schools also are critical. Since the start of the pandemic, school closures have prevented parents from working, and mothers in particular have\u00a0disproportionately left the workforce\u00a0due to increased responsibilities for childcare at home. The poor\u00a0condition of school buildings has made the reopening of schools more difficult in particular in under-resourced communities.\u00a0<\/p>\n It is critical to realize that any disruptions to schooling hurts women\u2019s ability to participate and excel in the workforce. Before the pandemic and this summer,\u00a0school disruptions\u00a0due to\u00a0excessive heat have\u00a0increasingly occurred\u00a0across the country. These disruptions are likely to accelerate as climate change worsens.<\/p>\n Infrastructure investments can help reduce the impact of heat on schools and help build community resilience. In addition to improved heating, ventilation and air conditioning\u00a0systems, school infrastructure investments can be used to transition heat-trapping impermeable asphalt in schoolyards to green permeable schoolyards.<\/p>\n This transition can reduce excessive heat and flooding in the surrounding community. In Chicago, for example, the city acknowledged the untapped potential of school grounds to help meet\u00a0community infrastructure needs, including storm water management, by\u00a0expanding\u00a0access to green schoolyards.\u00a0<\/p>\n Including schools in an infrastructure package can also help schools reap the environmental and economic benefits of renewable energy. Energy is\u00a0the second highest cost for schools behind salaries, but schools across the country are now using\u00a0solar, geothermal and other renewable energy sources to reduce expenses.<\/p>\n Batesville School District\u00a0in Arkansas, for instance, decided\u00a0to install solar on some schools. This investment has helped the district move from a budget deficit to a surplus and enabled administrators\u00a0to shift\u00a0money previously spent on energy to increased teacher pay. But only about 5% of schools now use solar energy, which means there’s ample room for growth.<\/p>\n The American Jobs Plan has proposed critical federal support for improving the physical infrastructure of our schools. Additionally, the\u00a0Reopen and Rebuild America\u2019s Schools Act\u00a0introduced by Rep.\u00a0Bobby Scott, D-Va.,\u00a0and Senator Jack Reed, D-R.I.,\u00a0shows how a federal school infrastructure program can work. That\u00a0legislation is projected to create 2 million good-paying construction jobs.<\/p>\n Yet,\u00a0Republican counter proposals\u00a0and\u00a0the\u00a0current bipartisan proposal\u00a0make no mention of schools, and the status of schools in\u00a0ongoing\u00a0negotiations remains unclear.<\/p>\n As the debate continues, schools should remain a pillar of the infrastructure package. The physical needs of our school buildings and grounds are substantial, the impact on our economy is significant, and the opportunity to advance a better future for our communities, schools\u00a0and children is essential.<\/p>\nPoor air quality hurts students<\/h2>\n
Green energy can save schools money<\/h2>\n