THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, July 24, 1996 TAG: 9607240006
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A14 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Editorial
LENGTH: 66 lines
Virginia's public-school buildings are crumbling.
A just-released report from the state Department of Education is even more ominous than a recent survey by the U.S. General Accounting Office. Both contain bad news for Virginia parents and taxpayers.
According to the state study:
52 percent of Virginia schools have deferred maintenance needs.
43 percent are using temporary classrooms to stretch space.
30 percent of classrooms are overcrowded.
27 percent of facilities are obsolete.
32 percent need air conditioning.
20 percent have problems with contaminants like asbestos or leaded paint.
Overall, more than three out of five Virginia schools need major renovation or replacement.
School systems anxious to win public sympathy - and dollars - might be expected to adopt a grim face in the sort of anonymous survey that produced these results. But on-site studies in recent years have turned up even more problems than the written reports.
The numbers also ring true when one considers the age of Virginia school buildings. Sixty-three percent are 25 years or older. Buildings constructed prior to the 1960s often require major renovation to accommodate new technology. Those built in the 1960s typically were designed for a 30-year life span. For them, obsolescence looms.
What to do?
The report estimated that it would cost $6.3 billion to bring all the state's public schools up to par and build needed new ones. About $4.1 billion worth of projects are on the drawing board, including plans approved by the 1996 General Assembly and the governor to upgrade technology.
But that still leaves a huge gap in unfunded needs.
The standard way of paying for the debt service on school-construction projects is through local taxes. Many of the communities with the poorest school buildings are the most fiscally stressed, however.
The report notes that ``in some localities, property taxes could double and still not generate the revenue needed to meet projected debt service for a modern school infrastructure.''
The commonweath's primary role in financing school construction has been as a source of loan money - either through the Literary Fund, a repository for collections from various fines and fees, or the Virginia Public School Authority, which assists in securing low-interest debt.
In tight times over the past decade, the Literary Fund has been regularly raided to help balance the budget. No new direct construction loans were made between January 1991 and March 1995, contributing to the current problem.
Today, the funding stream is flowing again but it's still partially diked. About two-fifths of the $100 million in annual revenues are going to another cause, teacher retirements.
At minimum, the General Assembly should intensify efforts to return the Literary Fund to its intended use. Beyond that, it should look to the work of a new Commission on Educational Infrastructure for a range of options - from increasing Literary Fund borrowing limits to creating more direct state involvement in building local schools.
The problem of crumbling classrooms points once again to the need for a frank debate in next year's gubernatorial election over the fiscal direction of the state.
Parsimony has ruled for eight years. This appears to have been what the voters wanted. However, we should be clear about the consequences, including marginalized school buildings. Learning can occur anywhere, but its less likely in classrooms where leaking roofs and cracked plaster are a bigger diversion than logarithms. by CNB