education

President Bush's fiscal 2004 budget calls for total federal education funding of $53.1 billion, and while the amount will not be spent solely on construction and design, educational facilities?new and renovated?are still in demand. As reported in Contract last year, about 25 percent of all public schools were built before 1950 and 45 percent were built between 1950 and 1969. These aging facilities, combined with a student population predicted to increase slightly through 2005, will provide the impetus?whether the funds can be obtained, however, will be key.

According to a 2000 National Center for Education Statistics study, one in four American schools reported having at least one type of onsite building in "less than adequate" condition. For many institutions, this includes deteriorating structures, outdated technology, and insufficient space. The U.S. Department of Education estimates that 53.2 million children were enrolled in elementary and secondary schools in 2001-2002, and that number is expected to climb to 54.2 million by 2009.

While new buildings are needed, the budgets of many institutions mandate renovations and upgrades instead of construction, says Glenn Neinhuis, vice president of marketing and educational planning at Kingscott Associates in Kalamazoo, Mich. "We're seeing more in renovations now than in new construction," he says. "Due to the operating funding crisis hitting the Midwest and other states, finding operations dollars to fund new facilities is difficult right now. More schools are waiting and leaning toward renovations and upgrades in the meantime."

In both cases, prominent issues topping school wish lists include technology, security, air quality, and lighting. As teaching methods change and continue to lean more toward team teaching and group learning, space is a key concern. In aging facilities, narrow hallways and small classrooms don't provide the elbowroom needed for today's student populations.

As the economy picks up, construction may increase. "In the next year or two, if the economy stays strong, we may see a continued upgrade in the business environment," Neinhuis says. The design team at PBK in Houston agrees. "Although there is a projected drop in overall education construction spending, the educational market has been pretty strong compared to the commercial construction market in the past couple of years," says Eric Smith, AIA, senior project manager. He notes that national surveys have shown that recent construction was split 33 percent on elementary schools, nine percent on middle schools, and 30 percent on high schools, and "we believe this trend will continue to be the case for 2004 on a national basis."

But simply adding more schools and classrooms will present a new set of challenges. "We need better schools," states Lionel Meno, dean of the College of Education at San Diego State University, and Margaret Karnyski, lead researcher for the National Center for the 21st Century Schoolhouse in "An Evolving Mission," an article for American School and University. "The next generation of schools must consider such community-based issues as healthcare, daycare, recreation, public safety and education needs beyond Pre-K to 12."