Politics

Greening Our Schools

By Karina

Research shows a correlation between school facility quality and student achievement but according to recent estimates, America?s schools are without the funding they need to bring them up to good condition. Today, the House began consideration of the 21st Century Green High-Performing Public School Facilities Act (H.R. 2187) which will make critical investments to modernize, upgrade and repair school facilities across the country ? authorizing $6.4 billion for school facilities projects for fiscal year 2010 to create healthier, safer, and more energy-efficient teaching and learning climates. This legislation will improve education, create jobs, and encourage energy efficiency and the use of renewable resources in our schools. In addition, modernizing school buildings will help revive our economy by creating jobs and preparing workers for the clean energy jobs of the future.

The House will vote on final passage of the bill tomorrow. Learn more about the the 21st Century Green High-Performing Public School Facilities Act>>

Rep. David Loebsack (D-IA):

Rep. Loebsack: “Many schools in my district and across the state and indeed across the country have already begun to go green. For example, the Cardinal Community School District has a wind power classroom that I visited that saves energy and gives students a hands on experience on an emerging industry.”

Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR):

Rep. Blumenauer: “Schools are the foundation, the building block of a livable community and green schools are the schools of the future. It’s where America and the world is going in terms of being sustainable, efficient and healthier. But green schools are also the schools of today. This is an opportunity?to be able to illustrate our environmental values, that young people who are in school will be able to see through the operation of this legislation that we are going to walk the talk, we’re going to implement our values.”

Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-NJ):

Rep. Pascrell: “This legislation would provide the dollars in grants for FY 2010 to local school districts so that they can make the repairs, provide the modernization, and green their facilities so that our kids can learn in safe, modern, well equipped and environmentally friendly facilities. Many schools are not safe and the states don’t have the money, local communities don’t have the money to make them safe. This is not acceptable to anybody.”

Rep. Dale Kildee (D-MI):

Rep. Kildee: “Some years ago in Flint, Michigan, my hometown, a judge ordered a jail to be torn down because it was unfit for human occupation. Yet, many local educators at that time told me that that jail was in better shape than some of the schools in which they worked hard every day.”

Full post as published by The Gavel on May 13, 2009 (boomark / email).