Michigan's K-12 schools need $22.8B in repairs, statewide facilities study says
Michigan's K-12 school buildings need $22.8 billion in repairs, renovations or replacement, according to the state's first school facilities study released this week.
The nonprofit School Finance Research Foundation, a coalition of 12 regional superintendents who launched the study, announced the figure on Thursday during a virtual media roundtable where they discussed results of an 18-month comprehensive look at the state's 2,534 school buildings.
According to the study, 26 schools need to be replaced at a construction cost of $208 million. For 2,508 buildings, the analysis determined that repairing the facilities was the most cost-effectivesolution to bring them to a common health, safety and wellness standard. That cost is $22.6 billion.
Of the 26 schools, 6 are in Metro Detroit, 16 are outstate in the Lower Peninsula and four in the Upper Peninsula. The report did not break down suggested repair or replacement status for specific schools; that data will be released to local districts, according to Christopher Behnan, a spokesman for the foundation.
The largest drivers of repair costs are HVAC ($7.5 billion), roofing ($3.4 billion), and electrical improvements ($2.8 billion). Of the repairs, 23.3% ($5.3 billion) are needed in the next three years, 30.5% ($6.9 billion) are needed in the next four to six years and 46.2% ($10.5 billion) are needed within the next seven to nine years, the study says.
Ken Gutman, Oakland Schools superintendent, said students deserve to learn in schools that meet safety, health and wellness standards.
"The SFRF comprehensive facility assessment illustrates there is much work to do to ensure every student in Michigan has access to a facility that helps them learn, grow and achieve," Gutman said.
Officials said 552 districts were included in the study, which represents 93% of traditional public schools. Charter schools were not included, official said, because their buildings are not publicly owned.
From a geographic perspective, the total cost repairing and replacing is centered aroundmajor metro areas where there is a higher concentration of students and schools, most notably Metro Detroit. However, the cost per student is spread throughout the state, with many districts in northern Michigan having the highest need per student.
Across Michigan, 243 million square feet of school building space was assessed by 1,500 people from 33 engineering teams that walked through every school building to identify aging or unsafe infrastructure, needed safety or security upgrades, and unused space that could be repurposed.
Only instructional space was included. Athletic fields, playgrounds and other non-learning areas were not, officials said.
Engineers inspected and collected data on in every participating building. They looked at HVAC, including boilers, ventilation, piping and temperature controls; roofing; electrical, including emergency lighting, exterior building lighting, fire alarms, security cameras and emergency generators; and plumbing, including toilets, sinks, faucets and water heaters.
The review also included exterior closures, including exterior walls, windows, exterior doors, overhead doors, and secure entry points; interior construction; fire protection; site improvements; and floor construction framing, roof construction framing and canopies.
Other building components, including foundations, tunnels, staircases, elevators, window treatments, auditoriums and kitchens were also included.
"This study will help educate the policymakers, school community and general public about the critical infrastructure needs facing so many of our schools," said Steven Ezikian, executive director of the foundation.
"We look forward to working with school leaders across Michigan to make school facilities an important part of the school funding conversation in 2025 and beyond. We encourage policymakers, school leaders, members of the media and the public to use this groundbreaking study as a resource for shaping important public policy discussions that affect our students for generations to come."
In 2023, the Michigan Legislature approved $20 million for the study. Michigan is one of a dozen states that provide no state aid for facilities, according to a Michigan State University report on school finance. Building repairs for local school district facilities are the responsibility of each local district.
School districts, with voter approval, can levy debt or sinking fund property taxes to pay for facilities and capital improvements. Charter schools, which are independent public schools, can't levy property taxes for their buildings.
Foundation officials said the facilities study builds on the findings of the 2018 School Finance Research Collaborative study, which determined the true cost to educate a child in Michigan.
Superintendents said they hope the study's results will give state lawmakers, state education officials and the public a better understanding of the condition of school infrastructure in Michigan and the need for improvements.
"While this data gives us an invaluable look into the condition of Michigan’s schools, there is more work to be done," said Nick Ceglarek, Northwest Education Services superintendent. "It will take a collective effort from legislators, school officials and community leaders to make the investment needed to ensure facilities are maintained to a standard suitable for the health, safety and well-being of our students and staff."
The goal is to improve in-person learning environments for students and staff across the state — especially after the pandemic, the Flint water contamination crisis and recent school safety incidents have raised concerns about protecting children and adults in buildings, officials said.
"The health, safety and wellness of our students is our top priority,” said Daveda Colbert, Wayne RESA superintendent. “We know from experience and research that the condition of our schools and facilities, things like temperature, ventilation and air quality just to name a few, are key factors in health and morale, which lead to educational success."
The study aligns with recommendations in the School Finance Research Collaborative's study of Michigan's school finances in 2018, along with its 2021 update, officials said.
Detroit schools is spending $700 million in federal COVID funds on repairing aging school facilities and building new schools as part of its 20-year facilities master plan, an effort that aims to chip away at $2.1 billion in infrastructure needs there.
jchambers@detroitnews.com
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Michigan's K-12 schools need $22.8B in repairs, statewide facilities study says
