Sponsors (19)
The bill funds and prioritizes schoolyard revitalizations that can significantly improve student learning, health, and climate resilience—especially in high‑need and tribal schools—at the cost of increased local matching, maintenance and liability obligations, implementation complexity for under‑resourced districts, and uncertain long‑term federal spending.
Students (K‑12) nationwide will get upgraded outdoor learning spaces that support hands‑on instruction, ecological education, and improved physical and mental health through funded schoolyard revitalizations.
Schools (especially those receiving grants) will gain durable infrastructure, funded longevity/maintenance plans, educator professional development, and funded staff stewards to sustain outdoor programs and ensure long‑term use.
High‑poverty schools (those with high FRPL shares) are prioritized and can receive a waiver of the 20% non‑Federal match, increasing access to improvements in disadvantaged communities.
Local districts and taxpayers face higher local costs — required 20% matches (unless waived), increased maintenance, and potential liability for open schoolyards — which could strain local budgets and delay projects.
Smaller, rural, or under‑resourced districts may be unable to meet partnership, planning, or application requirements (lack of nonprofit partners, capacity to prepare compliant plans), disadvantaging those communities.
The bill creates open‑ended potential federal costs and reduces predictability and congressional control because specific appropriation levels for 2027–2031 are not set, making program costs harder to predict.
Based on analysis of 7 sections of legislative text.
Authorizes a two-stage federal grant program (planning and implementation) to create revitalized schoolyards at public K–12 schools, with priorities for high-poverty and tribal schools.
Official title: To authorize the Secretary of Education to award grants to revitalize schoolyards.
Introduced April 15, 2026 by Summer Lee · Last progress April 15, 2026
Creates a federal grant program to help public elementary and secondary schools design and build “revitalized schoolyards” — park-like outdoor learning and play spaces that improve ecology, health, and outdoor education. Grants come in two stages: planning grants to develop detailed concept plans and implementation grants to build the projects; priority and matching relief target high-poverty and tribal schools. The Department of Education runs the program, reserving 5% of funds for Bureau of Indian Education and tribally controlled schools via the Department of the Interior, requires competitive priorities for high-poverty schools, sets grant caps and match rules (20% match with waivers for high-poverty and tribal schools), establishes a clearinghouse of best practices, and authorizes appropriations for FY2027–FY2031 with no dollar amounts specified.