ReportWire

Tag: Education budgets

  • East Coast mayors call for more office-to-apartment conversions

    East Coast mayors call for more office-to-apartment conversions

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    Mayors in cities across the U.S. want to loosen rules that can slow the pace of office-to-residential conversions. In some instances, cities have offered generous tax abatements to developers who build new housing.

    “We have a great opportunity to change the uses in the downtown,” said Washington, DC, Mayor Muriel Bowser at a December 2022 news conference in support of her housing budget proposals.

    “It’s absolutely a budget gimmick” said Erica Williams, executive director at the DC Fiscal Policy Institute, referring to Bowser’s 2023 proposal to increase the downtown developer tax break. “We fully support the idea that some of these buildings could be turned into residential properties or into mixed-use properties, but that we don’t necessarily need to subsidize that.”

    In New York City, a task force of planners assembled by Mayor Eric Adams is studying the effects of zoning changes, and possible abatements for developers who include affordable units in conversions.

    Cities like Philadelphia have previously embraced these policies to revitalize their downtowns. In Philadelphia, homeowners and investors received more than $1 billion in tax breaks for their renovation projects.

    A small collective of developers have taken on this challenging slice of the real estate business. Since 2000, 498 buildings have been converted in the U.S., creating 49,390 new housing units through the final quarter of 2022, according to real estate services firm CBRE.

    Prominent investors Societe Generale and KKR have worked with developers like Philadelphia-based Post Brothers to finance institutional-scale office conversions in expensive central business districts.

    “Capital has gotten much more limited,” said Michael Pestronk, CEO of Post Brothers. “We’re able to get financing today. … It is a lot more expensive than it was a year ago.”

    Many experts believe local governments will alter zoning laws and building codes to make these conversions easier over the years.

    “Our rules are in the way, and we need to fix that,” said Dan Garodnick, director of New York City’s Department of City Planning.

    Watch the video above to learn how cities are getting developers to convert more offices into apartments.

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  • Arkansas governor recommends school funding increase

    Arkansas governor recommends school funding increase

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    LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Thursday recommended that lawmakers increase public school funding by $550 million over the next two years to raise teacher pay, as the Republican prepares to leave office in January.

    Hutchinson presented his budget recommendations to a legislative panel days after Republican Sarah Huckabee Sanders was elected the state’s next governor. Hutchinson, who was barred by term limits from seeking reelection, acknowledged that the decision on the budget will be up to the Legislature and Sanders next year.

    Hutchinson said his funding proposal “allows the next administration and the General Assembly maximum flexibility in terms of raising teacher salaries and raising the outcomes for education in the state.”

    The proposal calls for increasing public school funding by $200 million in the fiscal year that begins July 2023 and by $350 million the following year.

    Hutchinson earlier this year called on lawmakers to raise teacher pay, but decided against putting it on the agenda for a special session in August due to a lack of support in the majority-Republican Legislature.

    The House and Senate education committees have since endorsed proposals to give teachers $4,000 raises, though they differ on when the raises should be granted.

    Sanders, who announced her transition team on Thursday, stopped short of saying whether she agreed with Hutchinson’s budget recommendation.

    “Governor-elect Sanders looks forward to continued conversations with the governor and her legislative partners during the transition as she works to develop a budget that makes government lean and efficient, cuts taxes, and prioritizes the promises she made to Arkansans to make our state one of the best to live, work, and raise a family,” Sanders spokesman Judd Deere said in a statement.

    Hutchinson recommended the state’s overall budget increase by 5% to $6.3 billion in the next fiscal year. The budget proposal projects the state will end that year with a nearly $255 million surplus.

    Hutchinson, who has clashed with the Legislature in recent years on issues such as a ban on transgender medical care and COVID-19 restrictions, alluded to the at-times rocky relationship as he addressed lawmakers.

    “When iron strikes iron, what do you get? You get a few sparks,” Hutchinson said, referring to a Bible passage. “But you also get a sharper outcome, and I believe our relationship has reflected that scriptural principle.”

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  • Mississippi judge blocks private schools’ tax-funded grants

    Mississippi judge blocks private schools’ tax-funded grants

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    JACKSON, Miss. — A Mississippi judge on Thursday blocked a state law that put $10 million of federal pandemic relief money into infrastructure grants for private schools.

    The ruling by Hinds County Chancery Judge Crystal Wise Martin is a victory for Parents for Public Schools. The nonprofit group sued to block the program, arguing that the funding gives private schools a competitive advantage over public schools.

    The lawsuit cites Section 208 of the Mississippi Constitution, which prohibits the use of public money for any school that is not “a free school.”

    “Any appropriation of public funds to be received by private schools adversely affects schools and their students,” Martin wrote. “Taxpayer funding for education is finite.”

    During this year’s legislative session, Mississippi’s Republican-controlled House and Senate made plans to spend most of the $1.8 billion the state is receiving from the federal government for pandemic relief.

    Republican Gov. Tate Reeves signed two bills in April. One created a grant program to help private schools pay for water, broadband and other infrastructure projects. The other allocated the $10 million of federal money for the program, starting July 1.

    The program allows grants of up to $100,000 to any in-state school that is a member of the Midsouth Association of Independent Schools and is accredited by a state, regional or national organization. Public schools cannot apply for the infrastructure grants.

    Legislators created a program to provide interest-free loans to public schools to improve buildings and other facilities, with money coming from the state. Those loans must be repaid within 10 years. The grants to private schools do not need to be repaid.

    Attorney General Lynn Fitch’s staff is reviewing the judge’s order and “evaluating next steps” of whether to appeal, chief of staff Michelle Williams said Thursday.

    The American Civil Liberties Union of Mississippi, the Mississippi Center for Justice and Democracy Forward filed the lawsuit June 15 on behalf of Parents for Public Schools, an advocacy group founded more than 30 years ago.

    Democracy Forward attorney Will Bardwell said in a statement that Martin’s ruling is “a victory for the Mississippi Constitution and every person who cares about public education in the state.”

    “When the state legislature violated the constitution by directing public money to private schools, it did more than merely continue Mississippi’s shameful history of undermining its children’s public schools. It broke the law, period,” Bardwell said. “Today’s ruling makes clear: No one, not even the Mississippi legislature, is above the law.”

    The private schools’ infrastructure grant program is overseen by the Mississippi Department of Finance and Administration. A spokeswoman for the agency said Thursday that no applications have been received and none of the money has been distributed.

    Martin noted that Mississippi’s public education system has been “chronically underfunded.” A 1997 state law established a complex funding formula called the Mississippi Adequate Education Program, which was designed to ensure schools receive enough money to meet midlevel academic standards. Legislators have fully funded the formula only two years.

    Martin noted that the same day she heard oral arguments in the case, Aug. 23, Jackson’s public Forest Hill High School had to dismiss early because of low water pressure. By Aug. 30, all of Jackson’s public schools had to go to online-only classes temporarily because problems in the city’s main water treatment plant caused most of Jackson to lose running water for a few days.

    “This court need only sit in Hinds County and take notice of current events to find that exclusive public infrastructure funding for private schools adversely affects public school students differently than the general public,” Martin wrote.

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    Follow Emily Wagster Pettus on Twitter at http://twitter.com/EWagsterPettus.

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  • energyware™ Encourages School Leaders to Learn About the Benefits of Energy-Efficient Technology in Classrooms

    energyware™ Encourages School Leaders to Learn About the Benefits of Energy-Efficient Technology in Classrooms

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    The nation’s premier energy efficiency provider is raising awareness in school districts across the country for the betterment of generations of students in the years to come.


    SUNRISE, Fla., June 21, 2021 (Newswire.com)
    –
    energyware™, a leading national provider of energy-efficient technology, is encouraging school administrators and leaders from across the country to learn the important role that energy-efficient technology can play in modern classrooms. Efficient lighting has been proven to have a positive impact on school environments, as increased student performance has been found to have a direct correlation with proper lighting configurations.

    With energy-efficient technology in place, school districts in the U.S. have been able to cut down on student eye strain and headaches while increasing overall focus in the classroom. Studies have shown that environments with light-emitting diode (LED) lighting instead of fluorescent and/or incandescent lighting have enhanced students’ circadian rhythm, the internal process that regulates the sleep-wake cycle. This cycle also plays a significant role in student performance and allows them to be alert throughout the academic school year.

    “This initiative is all about creating an environment that gives students the best chance of success in the classroom,” said Jake Jacques, CEO of energyware™. “By providing an environment where students have the greatest advantage in achieving success in academics, we are setting them up to prosper as they progress through life.”

    Jacques added, “Although proper lighting may seem like a small aspect to a physical school environment, the truth is that the benefits of proper lighting and energy-efficient technology extend not only to students’ academic performance but also to school district budgets. Schools can take the cost savings they get from energy-efficient lighting and reinvest them into educational resources and hiring more teachers. This can make a tremendous difference in the lives of students over time.”

    The cost savings accrued from the implementation of energy efficiency technologies have allowed schools the opportunity to reinvest into their infrastructure, teacher pay and education. The funds that have been saved from energy-efficient investments can be repurposed for campus improvements, funding new faculty positions and new programs within the curriculum.

    LED lighting systems have become a popular choice for thousands of schools in the U.S., as these components do not contain any harmful contaminants. Some compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) lighting products contain mercury and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), these components can be detrimental to the health of children and cause long-term side effects if exposed over time.

    In addition to the safety benefits, LED lighting has been proven to achieve consistent lighting performance compared to alternative options. Glares or flickering issues that are commonly associated with legacy lighting can negatively impact students and teachers, causing visual discomfort, pain and negative behavior. When students are unable to see the study material, find it difficult to concentrate, or have difficulty navigating the building, performance often drops across the institution as a whole. LED lighting resolves these issues entirely, while simultaneously improving focus.

    As the understanding of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and other studying-related medical issues grows, student concentration becomes more and more critical in relation to academic achievement. LED lighting has shown to assist students during classes as it allows them to focus more effectively on their work. Increased concentration in the classroom ultimately results in increased levels of memory recall and full information comprehension.

    Learning environments that utilize LED technology reap the benefits of increased productivity. With studies having shown that cooler temperatures (4100K-5000K) can help with concentration on certain tasks and projects, teachers can take advantage of the flexible nature of LED technology by controlling the color temperature and dimming capabilities for optimal learning environments.

    To learn more about energyware™’s educational initiative regarding energy-efficient technology and the crucial role it plays in classrooms, please visit http://www.energywarellc.com.

    About energyware™

    A national provider of energy-efficiency technology, energyware™ eliminates the guesswork of energy efficiency by bringing engineers, designers, best-in-breed manufacturing and trained energy technology installers all under one umbrella.

    Contact Information
    morgan@newswire.com

    Source: energyware

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