Bill Clinton Releases Report Detailing Half Trillion In Facilities Upgrade Needs

AP (3/12, Elliott) reports that according to a new report released by former President Bill Clinton and the Center for Green Schools, "America's schools are in such disrepair that it would cost more than $270 billion just to get elementary and secondary buildings back to their original conditions and twice that to get them up to date," noting that Clinton wrote in the foreword, "'we are still struggling to provide equal opportunity' to children and urged the first federal study of school buildings in almost two decades." The report found that schools should have spent $271 billion more than they did on facility upkeep. The article adds that the US Green Building Council wants ED to begin keeping track of schools' age and conditions and districts maintenance and utility costs. "'Would you send your kids or grandkids to one of these schools?' asked National Education Association President Dennis Van Roekel, who supported the report along with the 21st Century School Fund, the American Federation of Teachers, the American Lung Association and the National PTA."