1、Congressional Research Service The Library of CongressCRS Report for CongressReceived through the CRS WebOrder Code RS20171Updated January 27, 2006School Facilities Infrastructure: Background and Legislative ProposalsSusan BorenSpecialist in Social LegislationDomestic Social Policy DivisionSummaryTh
2、e federal governments role in financing school construction and renovationcontinues to be an issue in the 109th Congress, although school construction hasgenerally been considered a state and local responsibility. According to the NationalCenter for Education Statistics (NCES), the unmet need for sc
3、hool construction andrenovation is estimated to be $127 billion, a higher amount than the GovernmentAccountability Office (GAO, formerly the General Accounting Office) previousestimate of $112 billion using a similar methodology. NCES indicates that three-quarters of the nations schools report needi
4、ng funds to bring their buildings into a“good overall condition.” The Department of Education (ED) has documented that theaverage age of a public school building is estimated at 42 years, an age when schoolstend to deteriorate. Indirect federal support for school construction is currentlyprovided by