RSSFeed.aspx RSS Feed With its single-story design and cinder-block walls, Plaza Towers Elementary School may have seemed sturdy when it was built a couple of generations ago. But a powerful tornado revealed the building's lack of modern safety standards, destroying the school and killing seven students. Unlike several other schools in the Oklahoma City area, Plaza Towers had no "safe room" in which students and teachers could seek protection from a twister. http://finance.yahoo.com/news/school-storm-protection-spotty-tornado-123402976.html;_ylt=AwrNUbJ.H55RriAAAUjQtDMD 2013-05-23T05:00:00Z What was expected to be a showdown vote on plans to build a new Kramer Elementary School using a unique funding vehicle, turned into a celebration Monday when the Talawanda Board of Education was told it should expect $11 million from the state this fall. A resolution to use Certificate of Participation (COPs) funding to pay for the construction, was tabled at the suggestion of district treasurer Mike Davis, who said he had learned that day about the early arrival of the state money. http://www.oxfordpress.com/news/news/local/11m-windfall-from-state-will-help-finance-kramer/nXyTC/ 2013-05-23T05:00:00Z Security is now more than ever a top priority for school districts across the nation, and Hatboro-Horsham officials have been working tirelessly to improve the district&rsquo;s school safety measures. While security has always played a pivotal part of the district&rsquo;s structure, in the months following the Sandy Hook massacre, Hatboro-Horsham has taken several large strides to keep students safe. http://www.phillyburbs.com/my_town/willow_grove/a-glimpse-into-h-h-updated-school-security/article_d4763de8-3d38-5fcb-bbb1-ce0e4534bc4a.html 2013-05-23T05:00:00Z After what happened to schools in Moore, Okla., when an E-F5 tornado hit, we asked about safety and shelter for students in Kansas and Missouri. We learned FEMA has given $67 million to Kansas since 2001. So far, that money was approved to build 217 tornado safe rooms -- 24 of those in Johnson, Leavenworth and Wyandotte counties. State officials say approximately 190 of those rooms are for schools, but a list of their exact locations was not yet available. http://www.kshb.com/dpp/news/education/breakdown-of-ks-and-mo-schools-with-fema-funded-tornado-safe-rooms 2013-05-22T05:00:00Z The South St. Paul district passed a $26.7 million building bond Tuesday, with 61 percent of voters in favor of the request. The funds will be used to pay for facilities improvements in four areas, including maintenance, relieving elementary school overcrowding, addressing security concerns and reducing rental costs. To address elementary school issues, the district will add on to its secondary building, making room for sixth graders there. http://www.startribune.com/local/south/208565801.html?refer=y 2013-05-22T05:00:00Z Following the deaths of seven elementary school children in Monday's deadly tornado, some are questioning the safety of the building on which they depended for shelter. Plaza Towers Elementary was directly in the path of the two-mile wide twister, which brought winds of up to 200 miles per hour that ripped off the roof of the building and left little more than a pile of cinder blocks. http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/critics-blast-oklahoma-school-safety-deadly-tornado-article-1.1350486#ixzz2U3sWzKWU 2013-05-21T05:00:00Z The University&rsquo;s oldest residence hall is finally getting a makeover. Built in 1954, Founders Hall doesn&rsquo;t look much different than it did when it opened, save for the installation of new roofs, windows and other minor facelifts completed during the past half-century. That changed this month when construction started on a $10 million renovation project to put Founders in line with other residential facilities on campus. Construction will be completed in August.<br /> http://www.udayton.edu/news/articles/2013/05/summer_construction.php 2013-05-21T05:00:00Z The Yuba River Charter School stresses love of the arts and the outdoors in a "whole child" learning program "to serve the whole world." Yet when administrators and parents for the unique Nevada County school went looking for pastoral locations for a new campus, they ran into a world of abandoned mines and toxic contamination from the region's gold mining era. "Some properties had old mines on them, actually shafts on the property," said school director Caleb Buckley. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/05/20/5435022/nevada-county-school-gets-epa.html#storylink=cpy 2013-05-21T05:00:00Z A school that was filled with Halloween decorations and several inches of water for months after superstorm Sandy looks more like a construction zone lately. But in the wreckage left by Sandy, school officials saw an opportunity to complete a much-needed roof renovation project with a smaller impact on taxpayers. With the hallways already vacant, the borough school district could begin construction in the less-competitive spring, a change that is saving about $270,000. http://www.app.com/article/20130517/NJNEWS2002/305170134/Watchdog-Timing-Seaside-Heights-school-roof-renovation-trims-cost?nclick_check=1 2013-05-20T05:00:00Z As soon as students leave the halls of School District of University City schools for summer vacation, work will begin on several construction projects. The Board of Education Thursday approved the sale of bonds from the Proposition U measure, allowing the district to begin work on school improvement projects immediately.The board also approved an initial construction contract with Ameresco Construction for Phase 1 of the work. http://universitycity.patch.com/articles/board-approves-bond-sale-construction-begins-this-summer 2013-05-20T05:00:00Z On May 17, the Live Oak School District celebrated completion of solar power installations and lighting efficiency upgrades at its six schools by dedicating a solar-shaded garden bench to the late Bernard "Barney" Bricmont, former member of the Live Oak School District Board and long-time supporter of solar and sustainability projects in the district. http://www.pennenergy.com/articles/pennenergy/2013/05/chevron-dedicates-new-solar-installation-for-ca-school-district.html 2013-05-20T05:00:00Z The following seven schools were recertified this year: Appeal Elementary, Calvert Elementary, Calvert Middle, Huntingtown High, Saint Leonard Elementary, Sunderland Elementary, and Windy Hill Elementary. Schools must report and document their efforts every four years to remain certified.&nbsp; To obtain recertification, each school must document its actions towards waste reduction, decreased pollution, habitat restoration, energy conservation, and creating healthy learning environments. http://www.thebaynet.com/news/index.cfm/fa/viewstory/story_ID/32219 2013-05-20T05:00:00Z Kenston High School was named a 2013 U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon School by Secretary of Education Arne Duncan April 22. The announcement, appropriately made on Earth Day, honored Kenston and 64 other recipients for their exemplary efforts to reduce environmental impact and utility costs, promote better health, and ensure effective environmental education, including civic and green career pathways.<br /> http://www.cleveland.com/west-geauga/index.ssf/2013/05/kenston_high_school_named_gree.html 2013-05-20T05:00:00Z On school opening day, Monday, August 19, 2013, the South Area of Palm Beach County will be the location for the Greenest School in the Galaxy, the new Galaxy E3 Choice School. Replacing a 53-year old school building, the new Galaxy Elementary School will be a state-of-the-art campus featuring the latest technology of the twenty-first century along with offering an educational curriculum that will invent a new direction for K-5 instruction in Palm Beach County. http://browardnetonline.com/2013/05/palmbeach-county-schools-opening-new-elementary-school-touted-as-greenest-school-in-the-galaxy/ 2013-05-17T05:00:00Z After extensive review of past recommendations, current facilities and long term needs, a facility committee recommended a new high school building and reallocation of grades throughout the Prescott School District. In April, the school district held two public listening sessions to communicate information about the recommendation, and to hear input and questions from residents. http://www.piercecountyherald.com/event/article/id/53271/ 2013-05-17T05:00:00Z That was the sentiment of Clarks Harbour Elementary School principal Lesley Smith after a $3.7-million tender for a major retrofit at Clarks Harbour Elementary School was accepted last week (May 5) by the Tri-County Regional School Board. The bid by Delmar Construction, of Yarmouth, (Nova Scotia) was the lowest of five tenders for the first phase of the project that will include the construction of a new 5,400 square foot gymnasium and three additional classrooms. http://www.dailybusinessbuzz.ca/Construction%20&%20Transportation/2013-05-17/article-3251241/NS-37million-tender-accepted-for-CH-School-upgrade/1 2013-05-17T05:00:00Z The entire building remains on schedule to open for the beginning of school in September.&nbsp; Electrical rough-in will be completed in Ronald School and sheetrock will be installed this month. Exterior metal panels installation is nearing completion with the theater being the final area to complete. Windows at the library, commons, main entry and south classroom entry are nearly complete.<br /> http://www.shorelineareanews.com/2013/05/high-school-construction-update.html 2013-05-17T05:00:00Z Baltimore schools chief Andr&eacute;s Alonso went to Annapolis last year seeking approval for a bold $2 billion plan to replace many of the city system's crumbling buildings. The idea didn't even make it out of committee. Prospects still looked bleak in January when the Senate president described the financial package as "ridiculous." But by the end of the legislative session in April, a $1 billion version of the proposal had cleared both chambers by overwhelming margins. http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2013-05-16/news/bs-md-schools-bill-analylsis-revised-20130516_1_new-city-schools-schools-bill-house-speaker-michael-e 2013-05-16T05:00:00Z Between now and the first week in August, when Milwaukee Environmental Sciences is expected to open, the new principal and others have a lot of work to do to get the former 65th Street School building ready. Milwaukee Environmental Sciences will be a year-round Expeditionary Learning school, using hands-on projects to explore topics in depth. More than 150 schools in 31 states and Washington, D.C., use this model. http://urbanmilwaukee.com/2013/05/16/new-green-education-school-to-open/ 2013-05-16T05:00:00Z A new resource has been added to the ACEF repository on the effectiveness of automated flagger assistance devices.<br /> <br /> <strong>Studies to determine the effectiveness of automated flagger assistance devices and school crossing devices:&nbsp; </strong><br /> <br /> This report describes the methodology and results of analyses performed to determine motorist understanding, as well as the operational and safety effectiveness, of automated flagger assistance devices (AFADs) relative to the use of flaggers at lane closures on two-way roadways. http://www.acefacilities.org/Search.aspx?Keyword=studies%20to%20determine%20the%20effectiveness&Publisher=&Type=&Role=&Category=&Page=0 2013-05-08T05:00:00Z