This Los Angeles Times article highlights L.A. Unified School District’s school construction woes.
Like all public school districts, L.A. Unified complains of a funding shortfall for school construction, but the issue goes beyond funding. Bids for new schools are coming in at $500 to $625 per square foot. That is more than twice the average square foot cost of new school construction anywhere else in the United States.
Clearly, it is time for the school district to implement serious alternatives to conventional construction and student assignment arrangements. To complicate matters, enrollment is declining. Thus, voters may be reluctant to approve additional funding if they perceive that demand for school facilities is decreasing.
What can the Wake County Public Schools learn from this? Not much. Instead, they should read my new policy report on school construction in Wake County.
