Asumag 2633 Joe 2013 V2pngcropdisplay
Asumag 2633 Joe 2013 V2pngcropdisplay
Asumag 2633 Joe 2013 V2pngcropdisplay
Asumag 2633 Joe 2013 V2pngcropdisplay
Asumag 2633 Joe 2013 V2pngcropdisplay

Editor's Focus: Beginning of a Boom?

Feb. 1, 2016
As the nation’s economy continues to struggle, education construction and facilities improvement needs continue to grow.

As the nation’s economy continues to struggle, education construction and facilities improvement needs continue to grow. 

As mentioned in last month’s column, voters across the country approved significant capital-expenditure bonds to provide funding for needed construction and renovation of schools and universities. Even in difficult times, the importance of education to the populace continues to rank high.

The new year shows no signs of slowing down on the education construction front as numerous schools, colleges and communities address their capital-expenditure needs. With this rebound of activity and ever-growing backlog of facilities projects, is this the beginning of another education construction boom?

Next month, North Carolina will propose a $2 billion bond issue for state infrastructure. About two-thirds of the amount—$1.33 billion—would be directed to colleges and universities throughout the state. However, officials say that even with the $2 billion being sought, the amount represents a small percentage of the state’s infrastructure needs.

On the heels of North Carolina’s $2 billion request for state infrastructure, Wake County, N.C., announced it will need more than $2 billion over the next seven years for construction and facilities improvement. This announcement comes a little more than two years after the approval of an $810 million bond issue. The district is adding approximately 3,000 students a year.

But North Carolina and other education institutions in the East are not the only ones spending on construction and facilities improvement. Schools and universities across the nation are in building-mode.  

Further west, the Albuquerque, N.M., school district just passed this month a $575 million bond and levy. The funds will allow the district to build new schools, renovate and expand campuses, plan for additional repairs and modernizations, and upgrade technology. 

This activity comes after an impressive success rate for education capital-expenditure bond issues in 2015, including a massive election in November that saw the Dallas ISD easily pass a $1.6 billion proposal.  

While it may be premature to call what has been happening over the past year or so an education construction boom, it is safe to say that schools and universities are ramping up their focus on constructing and improving their facilities.

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