Details best practices for financing and installing photovoltaic (PV) systems on school buildings. The report focuses on financial options developed specifically for renewable energy and energy efficiency projects. Some highlights of the report include: an introduction to financing PV installations on schools; a look at the direct-ownership option, which takes advantage of financing mechanisms such as general funds, bonds, construction funds, and grants; and a review of the third-party finance model, including power purchase agreements and energy services performance contracts. In addition to comparing a range of financing options for PV installations, the report provides real-world examples of financing solar installations on K-12 schools and other public facilities. These examples may be used by school districts around the country to help them navigate the process of financing PV installations. 38p

The enormous costs and burdens of outmoded facilities arrangements represent an immense opportunity for the nation's school systems. In this paper, the author explores the causes of the nation's $300 billion funding shortfall in K-12 facilities and offers concrete recommendations to address this troubling trend. The author posits that public-private partnerships are a promising avenue for tapping the resources needed to address capital needs, but that current financial conditions in K-12 scare off potential investors. By overhauling facilities financing and exploring innovative approaches, policymakers can create the space for private investors to support school facilities. Helping schools better meet their facilities needs, the author argues, entails: (1) Holding educators and schools accountable for academic "and" financial performance; (2) Loosening regulations that limit the reach of charter schools and other nontraditional programs; and (3) Creating more opportunities for schools to take advantage of nontraditional financing options. Enacting such measures, the author asserts, will allow for a more stable and investor-friendly system for financing facilities. [Author's abstract]

Reports on a survey conducted about green revolving funds (GRFs) in higher education. Research for the report took place between November 2009 and January 2011 and includes data from 52 universities in 25 U.S. states and 2 Canadian provinces. Details how GRFs help cut operating expenses and greenhouse gas emissions at 52 schools. Funds surveyed range in size from $5,000 at the College of Wooster to $12 million at Harvard University, with an average size of $1.4 million. The breakthrough in this approach is how cost savings are used to replenish the fund for investment in the next round of green upgrades. 50p.

Profiles a public/private partnership, assisted by grants, that enabled a Connecticut school to install a photovoltaic array on its roof at no cost to the district, while allowing immediate access to cheaper electricity that will save $25,000 in the first year alone. 2p.

This report explains what a P3 is and why it may be used, provides a value for money assessment of the P3 for 18 new schools, and provides a project report. By using a Public Private Partnership (P3) to design, build, finance and maintain 18 schools in Calgary and Edmonton, the Alberta government saved $97 million over 32 years (in today’s dollars) compared to a traditional approach ($634 million instead of $731 million, a 13% savings)1. It will also deliver the schools two years earlier than with traditional methods. The government chose a P3 to deliver the Alberta Schools Alternative Procurement Phase 1 project, known as ASAP 1. The assessment shows that using a P3 delivered value for money and that it was the right way to procure the 18 schools. 23p

This describes a community-based, public/private partnership effort to renovate libraries at eight District of Columbia schools. The goal is to turn school libraries into first-class libraries with beautiful, inviting spaces that welcome children and provide community space after school hours. The Capitol Hill Community Foundation is working with the Washington Architectural Foundation and the architects who have been assigned to each school to develop designs.

Explores joint use as a way to provide services to children and families in convenient locations, improve opportunities for physical activity of youth and adults, leverage capital investments, and reduce the consumption of land. The report attempts to frame the basic challenges and opportunities for joint use to increase the quantity and quality of joint use policy and practice. 17p.

Reports on alternative financing of public schools in Maryland, describing examples of the leasing and adaptive reuse of commercial buildings in Hagerstown and Bel Air, energy performance contracts throughout the state, private developer funding of schools, and in-kind donations. Project procurement and delivery strategies are described as well. 23p.

This video profiles the Rosa Parks School, which opened in 2007 to students in one of the most impoverished areas of Portland, Oregon. Facing a burgeoning population and a tightened budget, Portland Public Schools (PPS) and the Housing Authority of Portland (HAP) joined forces with The Boys & Girls Club of Portland and the City of Portland’s University Park Community Center to create a two-acre educational campus. PPS developed a gold-standard Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified sustainable building. The school is a model for how multiple partners and creative design can result in a sustainable school and a sustainable community.

Public-private partnerships (P3s) are emerging as a promising way to tap the resources needed to address schools’ capital needs. Discusses public-private partnerships that are focused on renewable energy. In a different P3 scenario, school districts issue bonds and then loan the proceeds of their efforts to private developers, who in turn build the school. Once completed, the facility is leased to the district on a long-term basis at a lesser cost than the construction itself.

Outlines sources for hidden funding to help construct and maintain school buildings, including local and state tax revenues, with some limited support from state and small federal initiatives; Local School Construction Bonds and Qualified Zone Academy Bonds; Impact Aid Discretionary Construction Grant Program and the Impact Aid Facilities Maintenance Program; Credit Enhancement for Charter School Facilities Program and the State Charter School Incentive Grants Program; Department of Defense Military Construction Program; State Energy Program Grants; Department of Agriculture Rural Community Facilities Program. Also describes competitive grant funds from federal or state agencies or from private grants awarded by community and corporate foundations.

Recommends public-private partnerships for construction of new lab buildings, contracting with a developer rather than with a design/build team. In many instances, the developer also operates the building once it is completed. Topics include establishing a collaborative team, financing options, final fixed price, preproposal work, establishing the scope, basis of design, maintenance and operations, and management of changes.

Discusses the Victoria (Australia) Department of Education and Early Childhood Development's Program Management of Schools Capital Works. Current state funding, capital improvement programs, design management, and sustainability efforts are addressed.

Advocates for use of public-private partnerships in school buildings, which enables districts to access the skills and efficiencies of private developers, while minimizing the financial risk by barring cost overruns.

Profiles the Northwest Career and Technical Academy in Skagit County, Washington. The new technical and career training facility is the result of a coalition of the local school system, Skagit Valley College, and private service industries.

Briefly describes foundation and other non-profit efforts to improve education, including school design.

Discusses the design and delivery of the Cronkite School at Arizona State University. The article focuses on this joint city/university project, the time and site constraints, and the project management method.

Discusses Alberta's creative ways of providing school infrastructure that meets the needs of 21st century learning. Solutions are being found through the use of alternative financing and procurement arrangements and through innovative approaches to creating flexible school facilities.

Lists creative cost-saving and revenue-generating plans that some school districts are implementing to close budget shortfalls.

Discusses the trend toward public-private partnerships in higher education construction. Privatized housing is highlighted, as are benefits of federal stimulus funds and the tight bond market. Examples of seven creatively funded capital projects are described.

Profiles public/private partnerships that are helping to build and furnish schools during the present economic downturn.

Presents findings from a survey on the effect of the 2008-2009 economic crisis on educational building programs. The survey covered the impact of the crisis on publicly funded projects, the impact on projects funded by private finance initiatives or through a public-private partnership, and the extent to which the crisis has affected the constructionindustrys ability to build schools. A key point One key point emerging from the survey is that although countries are using public sector building and civil engineering construction, including education buildings, as one of the means to stimulate their economies, the primary focus of these initiatives is economic, rather than educational.

Profiles this multi-building campus funded by a lease-back arrangement between the developer and the local school district. Building statistics, a list of the project participants, cost details, a floor plan, and photographs are included.

Identifies sources of funding to help build "green" schools, including federal and state programs, foundation grants, and partnerships with business.

Discusses affinity marketing as a fund-raising technique, in which supporters of an institution patronize a particular business, and a portion of the funds are returned to the institution. Criteria for selecting affinity partners are described, including shared values, strong commitment to customer service, and fiscal reliability.