With schools, pay less now or pay more later

As Congress weighs whether to include schools in an infrastructure package, the choice is not whether the federal government should spend money on school construction and renovation. It already does. The choice is whether the federal government should spend less now or more later through a broken, wasteful and disruptive cycle of damage and repair.

School construction is currently funded by local and state governments with one notable exception — rebuilding schools after disasters. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has invested billions in fixing schools that have been damaged by extreme weather events such as flooding, wildfires, hurricanes and cold snaps. In 2005, FEMA spent almost $4 billion to help schools recover from Hurricane Katrina. 

Older school facilities present a heightened risk. They do not reflect the latest advancements in building science and disaster preparedness that can minimize damage and keep occupants safe. According to a 2017 report by FEMA, “older school buildings are particularly vulnerable to natural disasters and in most cases, school administrators do not have the financial resources to address these vulnerabilities.” If schools did have resources, investing in resilience would be an excellent use of funds. The National Institute of Building Sciences reports that for every $1 of preventative spending, we save $6 in post-disaster recovery. 

Schools across the country are at risk from a variety of extreme weather events. Hurricane Sandy damaged 72 schools in New York City, costing FEMA over $700 million. Initial accounting suggests that FEMA will spend tens of millions to repair schools in Texas after the February 2021 cold snap. West Virginia schools required $130 million in repairs after flooding in June 2016. Analysis by the Pew Charitable Trusts and ICF found that 6,353 schools serving 4 million students are located in the 100 most flood-prone counties in the country.

Moreover, the risks to our schools posed by extreme weather are increasing. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reports that extreme weather events have become more frequent and more severe. In 2020, the United States experienced 22 separate “billion-dollar weather” events, with costs exceeding $95 billion. The bipartisan Congressional Budget Office has raised the red flag about the budgetary impacts of spending associated with hurricane damage. FEMA provides reimbursement for 75 percent of the cost to repair buildings and comply with code.

With America’s schools receiving a D+ grade from the American Society of Civil Engineers and an estimated annual shortfall of $38 billion in capital investment, schools will be particularly costly for FEMA to replace. Failing to rebuild schools is not an option. As Denis Rousselle, a Superintendent in New Orleans said, “[W]e wanted to rebuild our communities… People would not come back if you didn’t have schools.”

While the most catastrophic of events will continue to be costly and damaging, we must embrace the Scouts’ motto and “be prepared.” Providing our school infrastructure with the equivalent of preventative medicine will enhance safety and resilience and reduce the cost and time required for recovery. Installing flood doors, elevating critical mechanical systems within buildings, creating tornado-safe rooms, performing seismic retrofits, and installing building materials that are mold-resistant are examples of recommended strategies. These investments need to be guided by our latest understanding of which schools are worth the investment and which schools need to be replaced or relocated first. By failing to deploy these cost-saving investments, the federal government is needlessly imposing extraordinary costs on taxpayers. Never mind the impact on devastated communities.

There are countless additional benefits from a federal investment to modernize our school infrastructure. A multi-year effort to improve our schools would create an estimated 2 million jobs. Decades of research have established that high-quality school facilities improve the health and performance of students. Investing in energy efficiency, renewable energy, water conservation, and improved stormwater management will reduce operating costs. A federal contribution to school construction could mitigate the inequitable conditions that result from heavy reliance on local property taxes.

Following the damaging and fatal floods in June 2016, West Virginia lawmakers voted unanimously to approve $85 million in state funding for recovery. Former State Senate president, Bill Cole (R), praised the bipartisan action, “I’m proud of the House and I’m proud of my colleagues in the Senate for not allowing this to become a political football.” 

Lawmakers in Washington should include funding for school construction in an infrastructure package so that we can renovate these critical assets for increased resilience. This isn’t partisan; it’s just practical and fiscally responsible. Anything less is just political football. 

Jonathan Klein is a co-founder of UndauntedK12, a national nonprofit organization with a mission to support America’s K-12 public schools to make an equitable transition to zero carbon emissions while preparing our youth to build a sustainable future in a rapidly changing climate.