Statement by Edward J. McElroy, President, American Federation of Teachers, On Expanding Federal Funding for School Construction
House Education and Labor Committee today held a hearing on various alternatives for expanding federal funding for school construction.

WASHINGTON, DC –There is a direct relationship between the success of schoolchildren and the physical conditions of the schools they attend. Our school buildings are increasingly unsuitable learning environments for a growing student population, which must suffer through overcrowding, out-of-date structures, leaks or unhealthy air quality. We would like to commend the House Education and Labor Committee for holding a hearing on school construction after years of inaction from previous Congresses.

Modernizing and repairing public schools should be a local and a national priority. In 2006, the AFT released “Building Minds, Minding Buildings,” a report that highlights the problems and potential solutions for our ailing school buildings. AFT members and school district officials nationwide have worked to address the issue at the state and local level. But these efforts will have minimal impact unless we make school construction a federal priority.

 The AFT supports the implementation of the following legislation that addresses school construction. These proposals are based on two highly successful programs—the Emergency School Repair Program and the Qualified Zone Academy Bond Program—that demonstrate that federal support for school construction and repair can be accomplished without interfering with state or local activities:

• The America’s Better Classrooms Act, H.R. 2470, provides federal support through federal tax credits for $25 billion in state and local school construction bonds. This legislation has 217 co-sponsors.

• The Public School Repair and Renovation Act, H.R. 3902/S. 1942, provides $1.6 billion in grants to communities that continue to struggle to fund needed school facility repairs.

• The 21st Century High-Performing Public School Facilities Act, H.R. 3021, authorizes $32 billion in grants and loans over a five-year period for school repair and modernization.

Public schools are cornerstones of our neighborhoods and communities. The students in these buildings are tomorrow’s leaders. As Congress works to develop legislation to stimulate the economy, we can not neglect this critical component of our country’s future.

Information on the “Building Minds, Minding Buildings” campaign can be found at www.aft.org/buildingminds.

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