Sponsors (19)
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
The bill directs federal resources and technical support to create healthier, education‑focused schoolyards—especially in high‑need and Tribal schools—but does so with match requirements, administrative complexity, funding caps and open‑ended cost exposure that may strain local budgets, disadvantage smaller districts, and make long‑term costs and allocations less predictable.
Students in high-poverty and Tribal schools gain prioritized access to funding (including a 5% tribal set‑aside and match waivers) that increases the likelihood these schools receive schoolyard revitalization support.
Students and school communities receive improved outdoor learning spaces that support hands‑on education, physical and mental health, and environmental resilience (greening, reduced heat/flood risk, nature play).
The program creates predictable multi‑year planning and implementation grant structures (biennial cohorts, planning-to-implementation pathway and transfer/reallocation rules) and sets per‑award caps to spread funding across applicants.
Taxpayers and districts may face substantial and open‑ended costs for maintenance, liability, clearinghouse administration, and ongoing program funding because appropriations levels for 2027–2031 are unspecified.
The required 20% non‑Federal match (unless waived) can strain local budgets and delay or block projects in cash‑limited districts.
Smaller, rural, or under‑resourced LEAs may be disadvantaged by partnership requirements, limited planning capacity, and one‑size‑fits‑all federal guidance, reducing their ability to apply for or implement grants effectively.
Based on analysis of 7 sections of legislative text.
Authorizes a competitive federal grant program to plan and build "revitalized schoolyards" at public K–12 schools, with tribal set-aside, poverty-based priorities, match rules, and a national clearinghouse.
Creates a federal grant program to fund planning and implementation of "revitalized schoolyards" at public elementary and secondary schools, emphasizing outdoor learning, ecological improvements, health, and shared public use. Grants are issued in two-stage biennial cohorts (planning then implementation), include competitive priorities for high-poverty schools, and set matching, accessibility, and tribal set-aside requirements. The Secretary of Education administers the program, reserving 5% of annual appropriations for Bureau of Indian Education and tribally operated schools administered by the Secretary of the Interior; authorizes appropriations for FY2027–FY2031 as "such sums as may be necessary." The bill also requires a national clearinghouse of outdoor learning resources and design best practices.