Sponsors (97)
Introduced February 4, 2026 by Robert C. Scott · Last progress February 4, 2026
The bill channels sizable federal investment and new financing tools to modernize, green, and make school facilities safer—especially for high‑need districts—but does so with matching and maintenance rules, reporting and eligibility constraints, and labor/material requirements that raise costs, administrative burdens, and the risk some schools will be left behind.
Millions of students, teachers, and local school systems will gain substantial new federal capital support (large annual authorizations, bond allocations, and reimbursement programs) to modernize, repair, and build school facilities.
Students, staff, and school visitors will see improved health and safety from funded HVAC, lead/PFAS remediation, seismic retrofits, indoor air/water projects, and targeted foundation repairs.
High‑need, low‑resource, rural, and federally‑connected schools are prioritized for funding and technical support, increasing access for schools serving low‑income students and disadvantaged communities.
State and local taxpayers and school districts face bigger fiscal burdens because of required state/local matching (including 10% matches and up to 50% caps), maintenance‑of‑effort rules, and only partial federal coverage of project costs.
States, LEAs, and local school officials will face substantial new administrative, reporting, and planning burdens (databases, 10‑year plans, frequent assessments, applications, and standardized data) that could delay projects and strain staff capacity.
Narrow eligibility rules, exclusions (e.g., some Bureau‑funded schools, certain charter schools run by for‑profits), and ties to specific bond categories risk leaving some schools—especially small, rural, or tribal schools—unable to access funds.
Based on analysis of 14 sections of legislative text.
Creates a grant and bond-based program to fund school construction, repairs, decarbonization, health/safety upgrades, and pyrrhotite foundation repairs, plus studies and labor rules.
Creates a federal program to help states, local school districts, Bureau-funded schools, and outlying areas modernize, repair, and build public school facilities. It funds a wide range of projects — construction, major repairs, energy efficiency and decarbonization, indoor air and drinking water safety, accessibility upgrades, and remediation of toxic substances — revives certain tax-credit bond authorities to finance school infrastructure, requires studies and regular reports on school conditions, and sets up a targeted grant program to repair concrete foundations damaged by pyrrhotite with a 50% federal share cap. Establishes formula allocations tied to Title I funding for FY2027–FY2031, reserves small shares for outlying areas and Bureau-funded schools, restores and modifies qualified tax-credit and zone academy bond rules, requires federal studies and GAO reporting on project impacts, and applies labor standards to newly financed projects. States and LEAs must apply and meet program conditions to receive funds; several administrative deadlines and matching requirements are specified.