New Policy Brief: State School Facilities Policies for Rural Schools

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State School Facilities Policies for Rural Schools

Even though states nationwide spend $30 billion annually on school facilities, rural schools are frequently ignored, neglected, or under-funded-a condition that negatively impacts student learning, according to a major policy report released by the Rural School and Community Trust. The report, Rural School Facilities: State Policies that Provide Students with an Environment to Promote Learning, chronicles the challenges faced by rural school districts to build and maintain quality schools and offers policy options for fair and effective state school facilities programs.

Because states are playing a greater role in funding school construction and renovation as a result of school finance lawsuits and the movement for higher standards, the report assists state policymakers, educators, and community members in crafting sound state facility programs.

The report defines the essential components of a fair and effective state school facilities policy and suggests a series of policies in five key areas:

Setting priorities for approving and funding school facilities;

Adopting funding mechanisms that do not penalize rural and low wealth districts;

Creating standards for school facilities;

Defining the appropriate state role, setting ethical standards, and encouraging local participation; and

Establishing processes to evaluate state school facility programs and projects.
The report concludes with a series of school facility guiding principles for policymakers and a checklist to ensure that state school facilities policies are sound and operate to promote the education of all students.
Read the full report (PDF, 181Kb)