Bristol-Plymouth building project could come in 25% under budget. Why? Impact on taxes?
-- Taunton Daily Gazette Massachusetts: 11/04/2024 [ abstract]

TAUNTON — The price tag for the new B-P high school building that voters approved in 2022 could end up dropping by as much as 25%, according to new projections from the school administration and project management team.
That would bring the cost of the project down from $180 million to about $135 million — after factoring in state matching funds.
B-P Superintendent Alexander Magalhaes, along with the project management firm PMA Consultants, met with Taunton City Council’s Committee as a Whole on Oct. 1 to give an update on the construction of the new school building, about a year after the groundbreaking in October 2023.  
Which cities and towns are in B-P school district?
Originally built in 1972 and located in Taunton, B-P serves Taunton, Raynham, Middleboro, Berkeley, Bridgewater, Dighton and Rehoboth.
 
-- Daniel Schemer
Northwest ISD is spending nearly $3B on construction, upgrades. Here’s the progress so far
-- Fort Worth Report Texas: 11/02/2024 [ abstract]
As the fastest-growing school district in North Texas, Northwest ISD is preparing for further expansion.  The district currently enrolls nearly 33,000 students. By 2033, it’s expecting 18,000 more. As bonds in 2021 and 2023 funneled more than $2.7 billion to the district for construction projects and technology updates, the district is experiencing a boom in construction.  The district’s construction department currently oversees nine projects funded by those voter-approved bonds. Tommy Osborne, the district’s construction director, presented the projects to school board members during September and October meetings. Here’s an update on how the district is managing all of them: 
-- Matthew Sgroi
Of 13 MPS schools that could close, 6 are in one of Milwaukee's poorest ZIP codes: 53206
-- AOL Wisconsin: 11/02/2024 [ abstract]
Of the 13 schools that could be closed in Milwaukee Public Schools, six are in one ZIP code: 53206. The remaining seven are just miles down the street in ZIP codes 53205, 53210 and 53212. They form a square in the northwest-central part of Milwaukee's most segregated, primarily Black neighborhoods that have been subjected to poverty-driving inequities for decades. Of the 13 schools that could expand, 10 are in the southern half of the city. MPS' consulting firm that made the recommendations, Perkins Eastman, has advised changes like those would give all Milwaukee kids a better education. In an interview, consultants also said they are well aware of Milwaukee's past and present racial segregation. "We understand that these are difficult conversations, and that we're not dealing with just today. We're dealing with histories of disinvestment in communities," consultant Patrick Davis said in an Oct. 31 interview. "We need to be able to understand that." The firm argues that decades of change in Milwaukee's population mean that today, many northwest-central schools have more space than needed to enroll every eligible child living nearby. That's the case even as many families choose to bus their students to schools that are farther away in search of better academics, often filling seats in already-crowded southside schools.
-- Cleo Krejci, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Leading Through the Storm: How Schools Become Hubs of Support During Crisis
-- NAESP.org National: 11/02/2024 [ abstract]
When disasters like Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton strike, everyone in a community is impacted one way or another, and it take support from well beyond the affected communities recover and rebuild. The U.S. Department of Education and state organizations like the Florida Association of School Administrators have action plans in place to assist schools during these difficult times. And on a local level, communities look to school leaders for guidance, compassion, and support—and a path to move forward.   We talked to two school leaders whose schools and communities were impacted by these devastating storms and asked them to share how they supported their students and staff and navigated challenges in the immediate aftermath of the storms. Addressing the Most Pressing Needs First
For Carlos Grant, principal of Wade Hampton High School in Greenville, South Carolina, whose school was closed for eight school days in late September and early October following Hurricane Helene, his priority was on the well-being of staff and students. Starting with staff, Grant reorganized the school’s leadership team to ensure they could speak with each staff member individually and receive regular updates on their situations. For the students, they focused on reassuring parents that the school closure was designed to prioritize safety. “We wanted families to feel supported, especially as some were without power or internet or faced dangerous road conditions, which made it impossible for eLearning,” said Grant.
-- Krysia Gabenski
Keep or sell: Amid dropping enrollment, Colorado districts decide what to do with closed schools
-- Chalkbeat Colorado Colorado: 11/01/2024 [ abstract]
Construction workers in hardhats and safety vests bustled around the 7,000-square-foot Loveland building, installing fixtures and painting. It was late October, and they had two months to go before the grand opening. Soon, the former Thompson School District preschool would become “The Landing,” the first shelter for homeless youth in northern Colorado. Leaders of the effort say the state-of-the-art-building will give young people ages 15 to 20 a safe place to live and receive services while they get their lives back on track. The $9 million project is just one example of how Colorado school districts are repurposing shuttered schools. Often, such facilities keep serving students in some fashion — becoming child care centers, career education programs, or private or charter schools. In some cases, they are transformed into housing or nonprofit hubs. Finding the right use for shuttered schools is a timely debate as enrollment declines in districts around Colorado and education officials face tough decisions about when to cut bait on underused buildings.
-- Ann Schimke ,Melanie AsmarandYesenia Robles
Newest green schoolyards at MPS include two microforests
-- Milwaukee Public Schools Wisconsin: 11/01/2024 [ abstract]
Milwaukee Public Schools now has 31 green schoolyards, with the opening of five more this fall. For the first time, two of them feature microforests, a worldwide trend with roots in Japan. And one of the schools is the site of the largest redevelopment—by far—since the first MPS green schoolyards opened as a pilot project in 2018.  At all of the five new green schoolyards, asphalt has been replaced with more sustainable elements. That includes bioswales — depressions that have native plants at the surface and engineered soils below ground to collect and filter rain runoff from — as well as trees, porous pavement, and other ways to manage stormwater. Each redevelopment, though, is designed for its specific site and community.  
-- Staff Writer
Brandywine hoping for major school upgrades as DOE continues to mull statewide needs
-- WDEL.com Delaware: 10/30/2024 [ abstract]
It can be a lengthy timeframe to get the State of Delaware to approve major school renovations, but the Brandywine School District has hopes for their two Mount Pleasant schools. Both Mount Pleasant Elementary and Mount Pleasant High Schools would be the subject of a Capital Referendum later this school year if their Certificate of Need (CN) is approved by the Delaware Department of Education. Districts submit CNs to the state in late August, and typically they hear back by late October or early November on whether the DOE budget request will include the typically 60% match for what can be expensive projects. The other 40%, and the actual approval, would then come down to voters in a Capital Referendum. Brandywine's request is valued at $217,283,710, and is focused on five separate projects. $76.3 million is earmarked for a complete renovation of Mount Pleasant Elementary School, which was built in 1932, and still has a portion of its original roof, and a wooden frame. The kindergarten classrooms are roughly half the size of the Department of Education's recommendations, and Facilities Director John Read told the School Board when they supported the CN that there are other major needs. "We have to relocate the gym and cafeteria. Our cafeteria looks like it should be storing airplanes, not having lunch in there."
-- Sean Greene
Biden-Harris Administration Celebrates $34M in Grants to Reduce Air Pollution at Schools; Highlights Efforts in Philadel
-- EPA Federal: 10/30/2024 [ abstract]
Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) celebrated $34 million in Inflation Reduction Act grants awarded to the five organizations across the country that will use these funds to work with school districts to improve indoor air quality in schools. EPA Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Adam Ortiz joined grantees at Horatio B. Hackett School in Philadelphia to congratulate them on their awards.  
“The Biden-Harris Administration’s Investing in America agenda continues to put kids, communities, and public health first – this time by working to improve indoor air quality in schools,” said Adam Ortiz, EPA’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator. “EPA is proud to celebrate both the School District of Philadelphia, a leader in school sustainability, as well as the five grantees who will work with districts across the country to keep our students healthy.” 
 
-- Staff Writer
Which Students Fare Worst When Natural Disasters Close Schools?
-- NC State University North Carolina: 10/29/2024 [ abstract]
Researchers have examined the impact of school closures due to natural disasters and found that these closures have similar impacts on student performance across economic groups. The researchers find white students and high-performing students are least affected, but nearly every group of students sees test scores decline. The topic is of particular interest following Hurricane Helene, which caused students in parts of western North Carolina to miss weeks of school. Schools in Asheville, N.C., re-opened on Oct. 28. “Schools can be closed due to a variety of natural disasters, from wildfires to hurricanes, and research suggests that the frequency of these disasters is only going to increase due to global climate change,” says Melinda Morrill, corresponding author of the study and Jenkins Family Distinguished Professor of Economics in North Carolina State University’s Poole College of Management. “As a result, it’s important for us to not only understand the extent to which these closures affect student learning, but whether certain groups of students are more affected than others. That latter question is what we focused on with this work.”
-- Matt Shipman
Billings Public Schools saves more than $1 million on energy
-- KTVQ.com Montana: 10/24/2024 [ abstract]

Billings Public Schools decreased its energy bill by 26.3 percent or $1,056,033 last year with energy-efficient equipment and practices.
It's projects such as installing solar panels at Riverside Middle School that have allowed School District 2 to save money on energy.
Scott Reiter, the district’s facilities director says with solar panels, the meter can run backwards, not enough for credit, but still a savings to the district each year.
Reiter says the 50-kilowatt solar panels cost more than $300,000.
With about $230,000 in grants, Reiter expects the system to pay for itself in less than 10 years with savings of about $10,000 annually.
The savings is one of several for the Billings public schools which adds up to more than $1 million in energy savings over the last year.
 
-- David Jay
A sweltering classroom with a leaky ceiling: Inside the school Soda Springs leaders want to replace
-- ID ED News Idaho: 10/23/2024 [ abstract]
SODA SPRINGS — In Jeff Uskoski’s college-level statistics class, students are used to sweating it out — and not because of the math.  His classroom at Soda Springs High was sweltering on a cool fall Wednesday — and that was in spite of open windows and three fans. “Math is kind of next door to Hades,” he joked. In the corner, next to the fans, a ceiling tile drooped from frequent leaks. It’s not a question of if, but when, that ceiling will leak again, said Jess McMurray, the principal at Soda Springs High.  That classroom is a microcosm of the bigger issues at the high school. There’s the cracked foundation, the outdated auditorium, the questionable roof on the modular classrooms — the list goes on. Essentially, the 65-year-old building is at the end of its lifecycle, Superintendent Scott Muir said.  On Nov. 5, Soda Springs leaders are asking the community to support a 20-year, $55.2 million bond so they can replace the high school, which was built in 1959. If passed, $10.3 million would go toward more classrooms and a gym expansion at Thirkill Elementary.  It’s the only bond on any Idaho November ballot, and the biggest ask of the total $244 million school leaders are seeking from local taxpayers.
-- Carly Flandro
Bid challenge holds up Amherst school construction contract
-- Daily Hampshire Gazette Massachusetts: 10/23/2024 [ abstract]
AMHERST — A challenge against the low bidder for the $97.5 million elementary school project, filed with the state attorney general’s Fair Labor Division, is prompting town officials to hold off on executing a contract with that company. Town Manager Paul Bockelman told the Town Council on Monday that the $73.48 million bid from CTA Construction Managers of Waltham, the lowest of three bids and $4.8 million below the funding agreement between the town and the state, has been awarded, but the protest filed by the Foundation for Fair Contracting of Massachusetts and the North Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters is holding up signing the contract. “The execution of the contract has been put on hold pending resolution of bid protests filed by two construction industry organizations and one of the other bidders,” Bockelman said.
-- SCOTT MERZBACH
With thousands of empty seats and budget challenges, should CMSD close schools?
-- Ideastream Public Media Ohio: 10/22/2024 [ abstract]
Enrollment at the Cleveland Metropolitan School District has dropped by tens of thousands of students in recent decades, creating a problem: Dozens of buildings are not fully occupied and thousands of seats don't have students in them. Collinwood High School on Cleveland’s Northeast Side has one of the lowest occupancy rates in the district, with just 13% of its 2000 seats full, according to district building capacity data. Teacher Marcella Hall has watched the decline of students at that school over her 30-year tenure. She’s also watched as programming and support for the facility has also declined. "Collinwood was the beacon of the neighborhood when I joined," she said, standing outside the century-old building. "We had tons of staff. We had tons of programs. We had everything. We're barely making it. We're struggling now." Hall said that several decades ago it seemed like every “room and closet” was used. Now, the building’s third floor is vacant. Its Olympic-sized swimming pool sits unused. And she said its career tech program — situated in a once-bustling industrial hub of Cleveland that's lost many of those businesses — is nonexistent. Collinwood High School is a good example of the challenges facing CMSD and urban districts across the country. As enrollment has dropped with families leaving Cleveland for the suburbs, many districts have been put in a lose-lose situation: maintain buildings that aren’t being utilized fully, or close buildings and risk the ire of residents, among other potential negative consequences.
-- Conor Morris
Shapiro Administration Makes First-Ever Investment of $175 Million to Repair School Buildings Through New Initiative
-- Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania: 10/22/2024 [ abstract]
Harrisburg, PA – Today, Governor Josh Shapiro announced that the Commonwealth Financing Authority (CFA) has approved 208 investments in Pennsylvania school facilities, totaling $175 million, under the new Public School Facility Improvement Grant Program(opens in a new tab) that was created by the 2023-24 bipartisan budget. This program, proposed by Governor Shapiro in his first budget address and secured in his first budget, provides grants of up to $5 million to public school districts and career and technical schools for critical safety and environmental repair projects — ensuring facilities are modern, safe, healthy, and conducive to learning. Last month, Governor Shapiro also announced(opens in a new tab) $75 million of new investments in 109 Pennsylvania school districts, career and technical education centers, and charter schools through the Department of Education’s new Environmental Repair Grant Program to eliminate lead, mold, asbestos, and other environmental hazards. Altogether, this brings the total investment in environmental repairs and upgrades for Pennsylvania schools to $250 million since Governor Shapiro took office, creating facilities that are safe and healthy for students and teachers alike. The Governor and bipartisan group of legislators built on that progress by including another $25 million for Solar for Schools, in the 2024-25 budget(opens in a new tab).
-- Staff Writer
How Greener Schoolyards Benefit Colorado Kids, Communities
-- North Forty News Colorado: 10/22/2024 [ abstract]
When Lois Brink’s kids were in elementary school, she remembers being struck by how uninviting their schoolyard was. She described it as “scorched earth” — little more than a dirt field coated in “I don’t know how many decades of weed retardant” and some aging play equipment. But Brink, a landscape architect and professor at the University of Colorado Denver, didn’t just see a problem. She saw fertile ground for a solution. Over the next dozen years, she helped lead a transformation of nearly 100 elementary school grounds across Denver into more vibrant, greener spaces, dubbed “Learning Landscapes.”
Public schools alone cover about 2 million acres of land in the U.S. Although comprehensive data is hard to come by, the “scorched earth” that Brink witnessed is the norm in many places — according to the Trust for Public Land, around 36 percent of the nation’s public school students attend school in what would be considered a heat island. And as with green spaces writ large, a dearth of schoolyard trees and other vegetation tends to be most common in lower-income areas and Black and brown neighborhoods.
 
-- Eric Galatas and Claire Elise Thompson
Alabama State Department of Education requests large increase in school security funding
-- News From the States Alabama: 10/21/2024 [ abstract]
The Alabama State Department of Education is seeking a major increase in school security funding in their Education Trust Fund (ETF) budget request for fiscal year 2026. The requested amount is nearly $53 million, around $51.4 million more than what was allocated last year. The State Board of Education approved the request last week. It will go to Gov. Kay Ivey’s office, which will make the budget proposal to the Legislature at the start of the 2025 regular session in February. Legislators will make the final determinations on budget allocations.  The Department’s K-12 budget request was around $6.4 billion. The current ETF is around $9.349 billion. The board has spoken about the increased request for school security before. The funding would cover a bill sponsored by Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, to increase school security. Orr’s legislation requires the State Board of Education to set criteria for school safety inspections; allows the board to award grants to local school boards to bring security features in compliance; requires local school board to hire district safety coordinators, and directs the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency to work with local school boards to map schools. 
-- Jemma Stephenson
ASD to release plan to close schools, redraw middle school boundaries in November
-- Alaska Public Media Alaska: 10/21/2024 [ abstract]
The Anchorage School District is considering redrawing some middle school boundaries as part of its plan to close or consolidate schools in response to a shrinking student population. At an Anchorage School Board work session on Oct. 15, Deputy Chief of Schools Kersten Johnson-Struempler noted that declining birth rates in Anchorage have led to fewer students in many of the district’s elementary schools. Middle schools are more varied, and only two schools hold fewer than 60% of the students they were built for. “What that tells us about the boundaries is we need less elementary schools to house our students, and we need to take a really good look at our middle school boundaries so that we get more equitable distribution of students across the district and balance that load a little bit,” Johnson-Struempler said. In an email sent out to parents Friday, ASD Superintendent Jharrett Bryantt said the plan for closing schools and redrawing boundaries will be released on Nov. 1, with a work session to discuss the list on Nov. 4 and a board vote planned for Dec. 17. The district has scheduled five separate community conversations in mid-November to gather additional feedback about the plan.
-- Tim Rockery
While many schools in Helene flood zones have reopened, other ask for time, prayers and money
-- Knoxville News Sentinel Tennessee: 10/21/2024 [ abstract]
There is a long road of cleanup ahead for East Tennessee communities ravaged by Hurricane Helene. In some places, even if schools are safe, broken roads and power outages mean kids still can't get back to classes. Many schools have reopened after serving as temporary shelters or distribution hubs in the days immediately after the storm. Carter and Unicoi schools are still closed, though they hope to welcome students back Oct. 28. Between now and then, they have a lot of work to do on the logistics of bringing students to schools where roads have washed away and power hasn't been restored. In Carter County, teachers are visiting affected families and supervisors are working on adjusting curriculum to make sure learning loss is minimal when students are back in school, Carter County Board of Education member Terry Hubbard said.
-- Areena Arora
HISD's $4.4B school bond would remove more than one-third of nearly 1,000 'temporary' class buildings
-- Hourston Chronicle Texas: 10/21/2024 [ abstract]
Benavidez Elementary Principal Rania Khalil says it isn’t normal for students as young as 9 to learn in decades-old portable classrooms — or at least it shouldn’t be. However, about half of the students at her school, including all third and fourth graders, attend class in portables located just outside the school’s main building, she said. More than 40% of students at Benavidez are recent immigrants, and every student is considered economically disadvantaged, according to HISD demographic data. “Our kids are mostly newcomers, and when they come to the campus, if this is the only experience we provide them, that's the only experience they see,” Khalil said. “They don't know any better about the schools in the U.S., so they think this is normal.” If HISD’s $4.4 billion school bond passes in November, Benavidez would receive more than $29.3 million, which would largely go toward a partial renovation of the campus, including the removal of 13 portables containing 24 classrooms. The Gulfton school is one of 31 HISD campuses where portable classrooms would be removed if the bond passes. 
-- Megan Menchaca, Anastasia Goodwin
West Paris voters to decide on $6 million repair or closure of local school
-- Fox23 Maine Maine: 10/19/2024 [ abstract]

WEST PARIS (WGME) - Voters in RSU 21 will soon go to the polls to decide the fate of a deteriorating school in West Paris.
In February, a report from Agnes Gray Elementary School showed safety violations including a failing roof, dangerous fire escapes, and eroding plumbing.
According to the superintendent, tight budgets pushed off maintenance.
The board of directors will now vote to either raise six million dollars to fix the school building or vote to close the school permanently.
Officials say they could also replace the school for twenty-five million dollars.
 
-- Staff Writer
After public school closures, what happens to the real estate?
-- The San Francisco Standard California: 10/18/2024 [ abstract]
A severe budget crisis at the San Francisco Unified School District means that regardless of what happens with the superintendent, a wave of school closures and mergers is likely coming. While reducing costs shores up one side of the balance sheet, generating cash is critical for the other. As a nonprofit public agency, the district is limited in its ability to raise money outside of government funds (which are tied directly to enrollment) and local taxes and fees (which are sporadic). But one asset the district does have at its disposal is real estate.  In total, SFUSD owns 9.9 million square feet across 155 properties, making it the third largest holder of city-owned property, according to the district’s most recent facilities master plan. Of that portfolio, SFUSD recently identified 13 schools for closure or merger. In the private sector, companies are incentivized to either sell distressed assets or walk away from underwater loans. Business logic would have the school district do the same, since it claims it can no longer afford to operate or maintain those properties. But in reality, public schools are reluctant to let go of real estate, especially in San Francisco, where the scarce commodity would be difficult to acquire again by a district with limited resources.
-- Kevin Nguyen
Transitional kindergarten can’t expand without the right kind of classrooms
-- Stocktonia California: 10/17/2024 [ abstract]
Transitional kindergarten for all 4-year-olds has been touted as a way to boost declining enrollment and offer universal preschool. One major roadblock: Some districts just don’t have the space. Some do not have room to accommodate additional transitional kindergarten, or TK, classes at all schools. Others, especially those in less affluent areas, lack the resources to add toilets and playground equipment made for 4-year-olds. A lack of state funding makes the problem worse. “We’re going to see inequitable outcomes as a result of the inequitable access to appropriate facilities for transitional kindergarten,” said Jessica Sawko, education director at Children Now, an advocacy organization. “The state needs to continue to invest in the facilities that it has asked school districts to create.” Some districts, such as Oakland Unified, are losing potential TK students because they don’t have space at all schools. Some elementary schools in Oakland don’t have any TK classrooms, and many have only one. As a result, some children end up on waitlists for their preferred school, and families are opting to wait until kindergarten to enroll their children. Oakland district spokesperson John Sasaki acknowledged in an email that “there is a general capacity issue as we build out TK-appropriate classroom spaces,” noting that demand also varies between schools. “School A may have 100 applications for 24 seats and school B may have 15 applications for 24 seats. Those families for school A may not go to school B because it’s far away, etc. and so it’s less that we weren’t able to accommodate, and more about family choice and preference,” Sasaki wrote. Emily Privot McNamara applied for her 4-year-old son to attend transitional kindergarten in Oakland as soon as the district opened enrollment in 2023.
-- Zaidee Stavely and Lasherica Thornton - EdSource
Wyoming lawmakers hesitate to increase major school maintenance funding ahead of projected revenue shortfalls
-- Buffalo Bulletin Wyoming: 10/17/2024 [ abstract]
CHEYENNE — In the face of projected revenue shortfalls, some Wyoming lawmakers are hesitant to change the state’s major maintenance formula that would increase funding for school facilities projects. Sen. Larry Hicks, R-Baggs, voted against a bill draft Wednesday, during the Legislature’s Select Committee on School Facilities meeting in Cheyenne, that changes how the state calculates its major maintenance funding for schools. The bill, as written, increases the allowable square footage in the formula from 115% to 135%, which would make 18 out of 48 school districts eligible for total coverage. However, this still leaves 1.9 million square feet unfunded, according to Legislative Service Office senior school finance analyst Matthew Willmarth. To fund all 48 school districts, the percentage needs to be raised to 235%, he said. The bill also increases the replacement cost value multiplier from 2% to 2.5% and comes with a $43.6 million appropriation from the Public School Foundation Program (SFP) account. The SFP is largely funded through Wyoming’s federal mineral royalties (FMRs). A Consensus Revenue Estimating Group (CREG) report in January projected a decline in FMR distributions to the SFP over the next two bienniums.
-- Hannah Shields
Boise schools recognized by U.S. Department of Energy
-- KTVB7 Idaho: 10/16/2024 [ abstract]

BOISE, Idaho — Fifteen Boise School District facilities are setting the standard for energy management, earning national recognition from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).
Energy efficiency is becoming a cornerstone in the Boise School District with its greater goal to be environmentally responsible and resource efficient.
The fifteen facilities achieved the DOE’s 2024 designation as “50001 Ready”.
The DOE describes this designation as “a clear indicator that your organization is a leader in energy management.”
BSD is committed to maintaining clean energy by reducing energy consumption and lessening its carbon footprint.
The facilities achieved this milestone by collaborating with Idaho Power and Strategic Energy Group (SEG), which helped BSD create recycling programs and power-down challenges while tracking electricity, gas, and water usage.
Boise School District Sustainability Supervisor Ali Ward said, "It’s actually a 25-step plan and process for each site that you attest to."
"We also are doing that with public dollars, and so it's important for us to be as efficient as possible," she told KTVB Wednesday.
 
-- Audrielle Tackett
Many schools in North Carolina still closed weeks after Hurricane Helene, worrying teachers about long-term impact
-- PBS News North Carolina: 10/16/2024 [ abstract]
Tens of thousands of students in the Southeast are dealing with school disruptions after Hurricane Helene wreaked havoc so severe — on homes, campuses and municipal power and water systems — that some districts have no idea when they will reopen. While virtual learning helped during the COVID-19 school closures, that has not been an option for this crisis because internet and cellphone service has remained spotty since the storm struck in late September. In hard-hit western North Carolina, some districts warn students will miss up to a month of school, and others say they can’t yet determine a timeline for returning to classrooms. “I feel like a month is a lot, but it’s not something that can’t be overcome,” said Marissa Coleman, who has sent her four children to stay with grandparents in Texas because their home in North Carolina’s Buncombe County has no running water. “But if we get further into Thanksgiving and Christmas, it’s like, how are they actually going to make this up?”
-- Jocelyn Gecker and Moriah Balingit