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When Alaska Governor Tony Knowles sought a photo opportunity last year to illustrate the need for school construction dollars, he boarded a plane for Togiak. In this rural community in Southwest Alaska, 265 students cram into a school built 50 years ago to house about 100. The roof leaks, and the heating system works so poorly that children often wear coats during class.

Although the governor wanted $510 million to repair existing schools and build enough new facilities to accommodate growth, the legislature approved a more modest plan. Over the next decade, the state will spend $198 million in bond funds on school construction and maintenance. The funds are not sufficient to pay for a new school in Togiak and don't begin to cover the nearly 100 school maintenance projects ranked by the state as high need. This session, Governor Knowles has sent another school construction bill to the legislature.

Across the Northwest region, states struggle with the same difficult math problem: How to stretch not-enough dollars to pay ever-increasing costs for school construction, renovation, and maintenance?

The Northwest is far from alone. The General Accounting Office (GAO) reports that 25,000 schools need major repairs or outright replacement, with 60 percent of schools having at least one major building feature in need of repair. The U.S. Department of Education reports that 46 percent of schools lack the basic wiring to support computers, modems, and up-to-date communications technology.

The National Education Association uses data from the GAO and other government sources to estimate school modernization needs. In the Northwest, according to the NEA, every state faces major challenges to bring schools up to overall "good" condition, by GAO standards. As of August 2000:

• ALASKA 80 percent of schools need to upgrade or repair buildings.
• IDAHO 87 percent of schools need to upgrade or repair buildings.
• MONTANA 70 percent of schools need to upgrade or repair buildings.
• OREGON 96 percent of schools need to upgrade or repair buildings.
• WASHINGTON 89 percent of schools need to upgrade or repair buildings.

The National Governors Association suggests that state policymakers consider key areas relating to the adequacy of school facilities, including:

• Have there been recent enrollment changes? Are changes projected?
• Is school building maintenance up to date? How old are the state's schools?
• Does the state have an inventory of all school buildings?
• Are the state's schools equipped for technology?
• What's the state's role in funding school construction?
• What funding options exist to subsidize local investments in schools?

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