A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

FOR RELEASE
May 3, 2000

Contact:
Erica Lepping
(202) 401-3026

President Clinton Releases New Resource Guide on School DesignPresident Clinton Releases New Resource Guide on School Design

President Clinton, in Iowa on a school reform tour, today released a new report from the U.S. Department of Education, Schools as Centers of Community: A Citizen's Guide For Planning and Design.

The guide, endorsed by the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the American Association of School Administrators, discusses how educators, architects and facility planners can work with other citizens to plan and design new schools. An estimated $322 billion is needed to build, repair and modernize public schools, according to a report released today by the National Education Association. This is more than double the 1996 cost estimate of the U.S. General Accounting Office to bring existing schools into overall good condition.

"We have a tremendous and growing task facing communities all across the country," said U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley. "We can, and must, invest in building, repairing and modernizing the nation's schools."

The president has proposed to expand available federal resources to supplement state and local efforts to meet the increasing demand for renovation and new schools. Under the president's plan, states and school districts would be authorized to use nearly $25 billion in new tax credit bonds to build and modernize up to 6,000 schools. To date, schools in at least 22 states are taking advantage of a limited federal program to support local school construction efforts.

Riley touted the new guide as helpful for communities facing the immediate need for safe and up-to-date learning environments. "We are in a time when we need to see school facilities more and more as community learning centers, as real centers of community," he said. "We need to have school buildings that are open longer, later and for more members of the community." Tomorrow the secretary will address the AIA national conference in Philadelphia and challenge architects to do their part to make schools into year-round centers of learning for entire communities: "Architects have a unique opportunity and can play a vital role in making a profound difference on behalf of American education."

The guide explains step-by-step how citizens can participate in the design and planning of new schools. The guide also highlights examples of innovative school designs, including:

• Flagstaff, Arizona's Arts and Leadership Academy
• Lincoln, California's Western Placer Unified School District
• San Francisco, California's Tenderloin Community School
• Chicago, Illinois' Chicago Public Schools and Drake Transition School
• Winnetka, Illinois' Crow Island School
• Dearborn, Michigan's Henry Ford Academy of Manufacturing Arts and Sciences
• Gaylord, Michigan's Gaylord Community School
• Big Lake, Minnesota's Big Lake School District
• Rocky Mount, Virginia's Center for Applied Technology and Career Exploration
• Vancouver, Washington's Discovery Middle School

"Presently, there is a bipartisan bill in Congress to provide critical federal resources for urgently needed school construction," Riley said. "I urge all members to act now on this important legislation and allow the places in which our children learn to be as safe and modern as are Congressional offices."

The report, Schools as Centers of Community: A Citizen's Guide For Planning and Design, is no longer available on-line. Try calling 1-877-4ED-PUBS (1-877-433-7827).

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