What People Are Saying: The Rebuild America’s Schools Act
The Rebuild America’s Schools Act of 2023 invests more than $130 billion in our schools’ physical and digital infrastructure
WASHINGTON – Last week, Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA), House Committee on Education and the Workforce, and Representative Donald Norcross (NJ-01) introduced the Rebuild America’s Schools Act (RASA) of 2023. Advocates and experts agree that this legislation would take key steps to ensure that schools are safe environments to learn and work. Here's what they're saying:
[Re]Build America’s School Infrastructure Coalition (BASIC) Executive Director Ally Talcott: “We applaud and are grateful for Senator Reed and Ranking Member Scott for their steadfast leadership in support of modernizing our nation’s schools and grounds, especially in our most underserved areas. RASA is the key piece of legislation that, if enacted, would help ensure millions of students and educators learn and work in safe, supportive, and healthy places.”
Mary Filardo, Co-Founder of BASIC, and Executive Director of 21st Century School Fund: “Modernizing our public school buildings and grounds so they are healthy, safe, and educationally excellent, energy efficient, environmentally sustainable, and resilient to weather and climate risk is a challenge for our time and responsibility of our time. Without RASA, many of our school districts, particularly small and rural districts, and high-need urban districts, will not be able to modernize their schools–leaving their students and staff in unhealthy, unsafe, and entirely educationally inadequate conditions.”
National Education Association President Becky Pringle: “Public schools are the heart of our communities. But sadly, in too many of those communities, America’s public school facilities are crumbling and in such poor physical condition that they undermine student learning. Modernizing school buildings is a necessary investment in our students’ futures and Rebuild America’s Schools Act would take bold steps to making our schools safe places to work and learn. NEA wholeheartedly supports the Rebuild America’s Schools Act again and applauds Chairman Bobby Scott and Sen. Jack Reed for reintroducing such critical legislation.”
International Unions of Bricklayers & Allied Craftworkers President Tim Driscoll: “We owe it to students, teachers, and other school workers to make certain that our school facilities are safe and conducive to learning. The average school building is over 40 years old and in need of repair. Investment in our school infrastructure is long overdue.”
National Association of Energy Service Companies (NAESCO) Executive Director Dr. Timothy Unruh: “The Rebuild America’s School Act will transcend energy efficiency and building infrastructure improvements. This legislation will create improved learning environments, safe and resilient facilities, and ultimately foster a brighter future for students, educators, and communities. The National Association of Energy Service Companies (NAESCO) and its 100-plus member companies support the reintroduction of this bill and applaud the efforts in moving it forward.”
Mike Pickens, Executive Director of the National Council on School Facilities, and former Director of the West Virginia Department of Education Office of Facilities: “Last year the Congress appropriated $40 million as a first down payment to help state facility agencies improve their capacity to provide technical assistance to low wealth school districts in high need communities. The Rebuild America’s School Act is another essential piece of what is needed to address our aged public school facilities, particularly in our rural communities.”
American Industrial Hygiene Association CEO Larry Sloan: “The American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) commends Members of Congress for reintroducing the Rebuild America’s Schools Act, which would help improve the learning and working conditions of schools throughout the nation. In particular, this bill would improve the indoor air quality, energy efficiency, and water safety of schools while reducing the presence of toxic substances, excessive noise, and other health, safety, and environmental hazards that could impact student learning. The bill would also collect key data on school infrastructure that would help parents, policymakers, and other key stakeholders make informed decisions. AIHA encourages Members of Congress to swiftly pass this critically needed bill.”
Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council Director Anisa Heming: “The Rebuild America’s Schools Act is an essential piece of legislation to protect our kids and strengthen our communities, and we are proud to support its reintroduction. Our nation’s school buildings should be safe, healthy places for children to grow, learn, and reach their full potential. However, in many of our communities—particularly those with low wealth and those in rural areas—school buildings are falling apart, wasting energy and natural resources, and posing hazardous conditions to the students, teachers, and staff who step foot in them each day. School districts need federal resources to help them keep these critical pieces of infrastructure working for everyone.”
Heart of America (HOA) President and CEO Jill Hardy Heath: “For our 25-years, Heart of America has been committed to ensuring that every student has the room to learn, discover and thrive through access to vibrant learning spaces and we applaud the reintroduction of the ‘Rebuild America’s School Act’ which will help make this goal a reality. It is an undisputed fact that the quality of an educational environment has a dramatic impact on a child's development. Given the poor condition of so many school facilities, we believe that the Rebuild America’s School Act is a critical component for providing education equity for communities most in need of improving its infrastructure.”
Erik Malmstrom, CEO of SafeTraces, and BASIC Coalition Board Member: “SafeTraces applauds the reintroduction of the Rebuild America's School Act (RASA). Improving the health, efficiency, and resiliency of our nation's learning environments is an absolutely critical and urgent priority in the face of unprecedented public health and climate change-related challenges. With a $85 billion annual funding deficit for America's school infrastructure, which is growing each passing year, Congress must act in a bipartisan manner to pass this long overdue and much needed legislation.”
American Institute of Architects 2023 President Emily Grandstaff-Rice: “This legislation being reintroduced is a step in the right direction to create learning environments where every student can succeed. The challenges facing schools are complex and ever evolving and with this legislation architects can modernize, renovate, and build school facilities with thoughtful design.”
The Association for Learning Environments (A4LE) Chairperson Troy Glover: “Our Association is committed to providing a platform where professionals from a myriad of industries can come together to address the planning, design, and construction of schools and through collaboration define best practices. The implementation of this bill will serve as an important step in rebuilding aging school infrastructure and providing the qualitative and quantity information necessary to help school systems make informed and thoughtful decisions about the future of their school facilities. The A4LE encourages members of Congress to quickly pass this much needed and important legislation.”
American Federation of Teachers (AFT) President Randi Weingarten: “Every day, millions of students across the country attend schools that put their health and safety at risk—black toxic mold on floors, classrooms without heat, leaking ceilings, and contaminated water. We cannot send our kids to schools in these conditions and expect them to learn and thrive. Our children deserve better. Thanks to the leadership of Chairman Bobby Scott and Sen. Jack Reed Congress can take long-overdue action to address the deteriorating and obsolete school facilities that exist in far too many of our communities. Rebuilding America’s public schools requires making our school infrastructure a priority and committing resources to back that claim up.”
Council of the Great City Schools (CGCS) Executive Director Raymond Hart: “The historic lack of federal investment in the condition of our nation’s school buildings, classrooms, and school support spaces has hindered the core mission of schools: educating children. The Rebuild America’s Schools Act is essential to address long-established local needs and will help more urban students receive a high-quality education in safe, modern, and well-equipped buildings.”
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