Action Alert: Tell Senators Not to Leave Schools Out of an Infrastructure Deal

Photo: Cook Academy in Chicago’s Auburn Gresham neighborhood, prior to its schoolyard redevelopment. Thousands more U.S. schoolyards in disrepair are in need of federal infrastructure funding.

The American Jobs Plan calls for a $100 billion investment in school infrastructure to significantly improve the health of children and communities. As President Biden and Congress work to negotiate a bipartisan deal on infrastructure legislation, there is a very real possibility that school funding will be sacrificed.

Please contact your U.S. Senators about including public school facilities in legislation to modernize our nation’s infrastructure. We’ve created an easy-to-use form with a message you can customize.

This past year has made clear that our nation needs to finally recognize the important role schools play and invest accordingly. Leaving schools out of an infrastructure deal would be a catastrophic mistake.

Nationwide, school buildings are in disrepair, as evidenced by a recent GAO report citing 54 percent of school districts must replace or update major building systems, including plumbing and HVAC systems that affect indoor air quality. Many schools also have outdoor spaces and schoolyards that are inadequate for safe play and use. The need, and the health consequences, are greater in high-poverty districts, especially those serving Black and Latinx children.

Now is the time, starting with our most neglected schools, to update and replace outdated and poorly maintained buildings, where students and educators are learning and working alongside asbestos, contaminated water and mold, and to create and improve much-needed outdoor spaces and schoolyards where it is safe for children to play.

We need to invest in the health of our children and communities by ensuring school funding included in the American Jobs Plan makes it into any final legislation. Send a direct message to your Senators today!