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Every state in the nation - and virtually every town and city - is struggling to repair its aging school buildings. Our country's schoolhouses face a wide range of challenges. Broken windows and leaky roofs. Lead paint and asbestos. Electrical systems that cannot meet the demands of today's need for technology in the classroom. A lack of basic facilities such as gymnasiums, science labs, and lunchrooms. Ancient boilers that no longer keep our children warm, and missing air conditioners in climates where temperatures climb into the 90s even during the school year. In 1995, the U.S. General Accounting Office estimated that U.S. schools had to make $112 billion worth of repairs. Since that time, about $12 billion of those have been completed. That means $100 billion remain to be made.

Overcrowding

Most of those towns and cities also face classrooms that are packed to the rafters. Overcrowding is a serious problem in both cities and their suburbs, in large metropolitan areas and in rural parts of the country. While overcrowding is generally worst in the South and the West, other parts of the country have to suffer their share of packed classrooms. And, according to the U.S. Dept. of Education, the problem is only going to get worse. The children of the unusually large "Baby Boom" generation are now reaching elementary school age, and their rising numbers are expected to make the overcrowding problem even worse. In several years, these children will become high school students, and ground zero for the overcrowding problem will shift to our secondary schools.

Overcrowding means that there are too many students in the classroom for every one teacher. It means that children are forced to learn in places that were never meant to be classrooms - hallways, restrooms, and storage rooms, for example. School districts are looking for quick and inexpensive ways to relieve the problem in their most severely overcrowded buildings, but the long-term solution is hardly cheap. Building new schools is an important but expensive task, and almost every school district is struggling to come up with the necessary funds.

Better Buildings = Better Education

But why should we invest so much time and money in improving the condition of our school buildings when there is so much to be done to improve the quality of education our children receive? There is a growing awareness that the quality of our school facilities has a direct effect on how well our children learn. This connection makes basic sense. Students who are forced to learn in storage closets and restrooms when no other space is available probably won't learn as well as those who attend class in state-of-the-art classrooms. Children who attend schools with leaky roofs, broken windows, and peeling paint probably won't feel the same school pride - or the same pride in their own work - as students who attend brand-new buildings or beautiful historic schools. Similarly, good teachers are less likely to remain at schools where the physical working conditions are poor. Academic research is beginning to confirm this common-sense connection.

The Chicago Experience

This report seeks to take the experience of one city - Chicago, Illinois - and use it as a detailed example of how the struggle to rebuild our schools has played out in the real world. Chicago's school construction and repair program has often been hailed as a national model, and for many reasons it has earned that reputation. Chicago has issued $1.9 billion worth of capital improvement bonds since 1996 and completed over $800 million worth of projects. In just four years, Chicago managed to build six new elementary schools, two high schools, and 43 elementary school additions. Meanwhile, the Chicago Public Schools launched a massive repair campaign designed to stabilize its worst-off buildings and ensure that they did not deteriorate any further.

But while Chicago can claim many successes, it is also a prime example of just how hard it is to launch and sustain a large-scale program aimed at rebuilding existing schools and constructing new ones. As Chicago's Capital Improvement Program tackles its fourth year, the stresses and strains of such a massive undertaking are beginning to take their toll. Delays are starting to creep into the list of planned projects, and money is no longer available for some projects that had previously been promised funding. The communities that had dreamed big dreams for their schools are beginning to face the possibility that they may have to scale back their expectations.

The National Role

Because so many school districts around the country are in a similar situation, there has been a growing chorus of voices calling for the National government to do its part to relieve overcrowding and rebuild America's crumbling schools. There has been a flurry of legislation proposed and discussed on Capitol Hill, but so far Congress has not mustered the political will to pass any far-reaching, comprehensive legislation.

This report is intended to make the case that the National government needs to do what it can to help state and local governments to fix its school buildings and relieve overcrowding. Why should the National government get involved? Because our schools are a national asset, and the economic, cultural, and social prosperity of our nation depend on a thriving public school system that is open to everyone.

Since states and local school districts are unable to shoulder the financial burden of fixing our schools by themselves, the National government should fill the gaps for the districts in the most dire financial need and support the efforts of the rest through innovative strategies.

This report has four main sections:

The Nature of Overcrowding

Chapter One examines the connection between the quality of school facilities and learning, as well as how new ideas about school design may improve the quality of education we give our children. It examines several alternatives, such as small schools and community schools, that could improve our public educational system. Finally, the chapter concludes by making a case for community participation in the school design and capital planning process. The collective wisdom of our parents, teachers, and students will not only help make for better schools, but have a lasting positive effect on the system. Parents who take part in the creation of a new school will have a greater stake in its ongoing success. And greater public awareness of the school construction process will help citizens push their elected officials to set appropriate priorities and then follow through on their goals.

The Chicago Experience

Chapters Two and Three look in detail at Chicago's experience in repairing its school buildings and alleviating overcrowding. This state of affairs exists despite the best efforts of a school administration that has received unprecedented financial and political backing from its local mayor. The Chicago Public Schools have been able to tap partnerships and funds from other local taxing bodies, the State, and the limited National program. Yet the school construction and repair needs far outstrip the available resources.

Please Note: The report is designed so that information on high schools and elementary schools is contained in separate "stand-alone" chapters that can be pulled out and read separately from the rest of the report. In order to accomplish this, some sections (such as data on increasing residential development) is intentionally repeated in each section.

Among the report's most important findings are:

• 41 percent of Chicago's high schools were overcrowded during the 1998-99 school year. That means that 57 percent of all Chicago high school students attended an overcrowded school.
• One-third of all Chicago elementary schools were overcrowded during the 1998-99 school year. That means that 40 percent of all elementary school students attended an overcrowded school building.
• Eliminating overcrowding in Chicago would cost between $1.3 billion and $2 billion even if no more students ever entered the public school system.
• The Chicago Public Schools have been forced to scale back their capital program as costs mount and projects are delayed. Over $400 million in projects was eliminated outright from the Capital Improvement Program this year.

The National Problem/A National Solution

Chapter Four and the Conclusion to this report return to a national perspective to look at the extent of the school building crisis, national enrollment trends, and what state and local governments have been able to do on their own to solve their problems. Chapter Four also includes case studies on how some of the nation's fastest-growing school districts are dealing with the need to fix their schools, as well as innovative financing options that have been tried around the country.

The report concludes with a look at the legislation that has been proposed by the Clinton administration, as well as alternative proposals that are on the table.

Recommendations for Action

The Chicago Public Schools should . . .
Release to the public a clear estimate of what its construction and repair needs are at each school, along with a plan for raising the funds it needs to make these repairs. CPS must also explain to individual schools why some projects have been delayed or eliminated and estimate when they will be completed.

The State of Illinois and Gov. George Ryan should . . .
Expand their commitment to school construction beyond the amount contained in the Illinois FIRST program, and commit state funds to school construction and repair for the long run.

President Bush and the U.S. Congress should . . .
Act quickly to establish an equitable, effective way to assist local school districts with their school construction and repair needs. Such a program should include direct grants and low-interest loan programs for school districts that are unable to borrow money on their own. While current proposals on Capitol Hill may be a valuable starting point, some school districts are still likely to fall between the cracks.

Major Findings

During the 1998-99 school year:

• The number of high schools in Chicago declined, but overcrowding remained a serious problem. 41 percent of Chicago's high schools were overcrowded, meaning that 57 percent of secondary school students attended an overcrowded facility.
• Meanwhile, elementary school overcrowding increased over the previous year. One-third of all elementary schools were overcrowded, and 40 percent of elementary students attended an overcrowded school.

New additions are filling up as fast as they are built. In fact, two-thirds of all new additions were overcrowded within two years of construction.

Chicago's school enrollments are expected to increase substantially. About 35,000 additional students are expected to enter Chicago elementary schools by 2004.

To alleviate current levels of overcrowding Chicago will have to construct seats for another 140,000 students at a cost of $1.3 to $2 billion.

Currently, 24 of the 29 overcrowded high schools (83 percent) have no planned capacity additions, along with 70 of the 152 overcrowded elementary schools (46 percent).

Despite its many accomplishments, CPS is beginning to feel the financial strain of the school facility crisis. CPS eliminated $400 million worth of capital projects from its 2000-2004 capital plan, and had to revoke funding from over $400 million more projects for the time being, until more funding can be found.

But Chicago schools aren't the only ones feeling the strain. Overcrowding and school repair is also major a national problem . . .

• In 1995, the U.S. General Accounting Office estimated that fixing America's crumbling schools (not including solving the overcrowding problem) would cost $112 billion. Since then, about $12 billion worth of repairs have been made. Still, that leaves the national repair bill at $100 billion not counting the need to reduce overcrowding in many districts.
• Nationwide, public school enrollments have hit record highs for 14 straight years. The number of school children is expected to continue rising through at least 2004. By then, U.S. public schools will have added another 800,000 students.
• Over $17 billion was spent on school construction and repair during 1998, by far the highest total for any time this decade. But many school districts still cannot afford to pay for their school construction needs, and much more remains to be done to address overcrowding and rebuild America's schools.