School is starting in Hawaii as rising global temperatures and decreasing trade winds have led to hotter days. Record high temperatures in the state were set or tied on eight days in July, according to the National Weather Service.

For the thousands of teachers that still lack air conditioning in their classrooms, this means they鈥檒l need to get creative.

鈥淚 currently have 20-plus fans in my room,鈥� said Aaron Kubo, a social studies teacher at Hilo Intermediate School.

Around 3,400 classrooms in the state lack air conditioning, and it could take another four or five years to get cooling systems installed 鈥� if the department gets an additional $10 million a year from the Legislature to make the improvements, said Randall Tanaka, Department of Education assistant superintendent in charge of facilities and operations.

The  by the Legislature last year for cooling classrooms has already been committed, Tanaka said. It will cover air conditioning units in 860 classrooms. Installing a window unit costs about $5,000 per classroom, but electrical upgrades cost more and vary depending on what work is needed, he said.

Teachers and advocates say they are frustrated with the pace of the department鈥檚 progress and the lack of transparency around exactly how many units still need to be installed and where.

Corey Rosenlee, former president of the Hawaii State Teachers Association and a teacher at James Campbell High School, said the department should be transparent about which classrooms in the state already have AC, which do not, and which still need electrical upgrades.

The most important thing is taking care of children鈥檚 basic needs, he said. 鈥淒o they have something to eat, something to drink? Do they have a classroom environment that鈥檚 conducive to learning?鈥�

Tanaka said the department has a list of the schools that still need air conditioning but has not provided it despite numerous requests. He said he did not want to 鈥渃reate any more anxiety鈥� among teachers in classrooms that are lower on the list because they are not at high-priority schools.

But Rosenlee said the push for ACs in schools has gone on too long, and the department needs to be held accountable.

鈥淚t鈥檚 frustrating that we鈥檙e still fighting after all these years,鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檝e been fighting for this since I got to Campbell in 2006.鈥�

Campbell High School now has air conditioning.

Slow Progress

Former Gov. David Ige signed legislation in 2016  projects in schools and pledged to air condition 1,000 classrooms by the end of the year. About 7,000 of the state鈥檚 roughly 11,000 classrooms didn鈥檛 have air conditioning at the time.

But the pace of the progress was slow, and Ige called for the work in 2017.

Around 880 solar-powered air conditioning units were installed at a total cost of about $125 million, Tanaka said. That cost also included some infrastructure upgrades.

鈥淏ack in 2016, I think it was a relatively new idea, and it was a pretty tough lift,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think we fully understood what that effort would take.鈥�

But the units .

They were only designed to carry three or four hours of charge and would automatically shut down, Tanaka said. Some malfunctioned when contractors ran software updates.

Now, many are outside of their warranty period, and eventually, they鈥檒l all need to be replaced, he said.

For Rosenlee, the time and money spent on the faulty solar ACs could have been used more efficiently to cool more classrooms.

Osa Tui Jr., president of the Hawaii State Teachers Association, called the solar-powered ACs a 鈥渄isaster鈥� and said he feared it could make legislators more reluctant to fund other education initiatives.

鈥淭his only perpetuates the idea that the department is given too much money and that government is wasteful,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 fiascos like this that cause problems elsewhere in the system.鈥�

鈥楾hey鈥檙e Dripping Onto The Floor鈥�

Kubo said last year, despite the 20 fans whirring in his Hilo classroom, his students had difficulty focusing many days.

鈥淭he kids come in, they sit down and they start sweating, and the sweating doesn鈥檛 stop,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e dripping onto the table. They鈥檙e dripping onto the floor.鈥�

Kubo has been tracking the temperature of his classroom in a spreadsheet since 2018, and the temperature is consistently above 80 degrees. With the humidity factored in, it often feels like it鈥檚 above 90.

Sometimes, as he tries to teach students a concept, he can tell it鈥檚 not sinking in.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not the lesson, it鈥檚 just the situation,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t is heartbreaking. There鈥檚 nothing I can do.鈥�

In a survey conducted by the HSTA in June, many teachers reported not having AC in their classrooms, and some who did said the machines often malfunctioned. Some said having multiple ACs running in their schools trip the electrical circuits and cause power outages. Others said they had to buy fans, Gatorade or popsicles for their classrooms with their own money or ask parents for donations.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a shame that kids in Hawaii are still having to go to classrooms that are just too hot to learn in,鈥� Rosenlee said. 鈥淎nd we know .鈥�

As Kubo was setting up his classroom for the first day of school, it was 87.4 degrees inside, and that was without 25 to 30 students in the room.

He鈥檒l continue to do what he can to keep his students cool, but he said the state needs do its part to make sure everyone has a productive environment to learn in.

When asked what his message was for teachers who would have to continue waiting, Tanaka said, 鈥淲e鈥檙e going to get to you. It may be later than sooner 鈥� just hang in there with us.鈥�

Civil Beat鈥檚 education reporting is supported by a grant from Chamberlin Family Philanthropy.

Each weekday, more than half of the K-12 students in the U.S. 鈥� 鈥� ride a school bus. Until very recently, nearly all of these ran on diesel fuel.

Nationwide, diesel-powered school buses produce of carbon dioxide emissions. They also generate that are harmful to children鈥檚 health 鈥� especially . Studies show that exposure to diesel tailpipe emissions and can lead to increased hospital admissions and emergency room visits.

Shifting to cleaner buses is especially important for low-income students. Across the U.S., ride the school bus, compared with 45% of other students. School buses often while they are loading or unloading, which exposes children directly to exhaust fumes.

I study issues at the intersection of , including sustainability and equity in transportation. While electrifying school bus fleets requires big investments, I believe the evidence makes clear that it will more than pay off over the long term in health and economic benefits, and I am encouraged to see public and private investments moving in that direction.

Early movers

Decisions about switching from diesel to electric school buses typically lie with cities and school districts, although state governments are getting involved. As of , 415 school districts or contracted fleet operators had committed to deploy 12,275 electric school buses in a wide range of settings, from large cities to rural counties, across 38 states and lands of two Native American tribes.

California, a in clean vehicle policy, acquired its first electric school buses in 2014. Now the state is spending nearly US$70 million to to advance its climate and air-quality goals.

Another notable case is Montgomery County, the largest school district in Maryland, which is and building five charging depots. The district serves a diverse population of .

In Virginia, the utility company Dominion Energy that it would provide 50 electric buses for 16 school districts across the state as one of its initiatives to reduce pollution and promote sustainability. Dominion is paying for infrastructure costs and absorbing the cost difference between a diesel and an electric bus.

The biggest obstacles: Funding and space

As Dominion鈥檚 gesture suggests, converting bus fleets isn鈥檛 an easy step for many school districts. An electric school bus , of a diesel bus.

But electric buses have , so they save districts an estimated $4,000 to $11,000 per bus per year compared with diesel versions. That can make the costs of electric buses comparable over their lifetimes.

Electric bus motors have about 20 parts, compared with 2,000 in a diesel engine, and require far fewer maintenance steps such as regular fluid changes. And because many of their mechanical systems, such as braking and steering, are similar to those in diesel buses, electric buses are relatively easy to service, especially in districts where both bus types operate.

Charging stations also require money and space, especially in areas where bus routes are long and battery range is a constraint. Most buses now on the market have ranges of about to (160-190 kilometers) on a single charge.

In a 2013 study, analysts at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory reviewed school bus drive cycles in Colorado, New York and Washington and found that the average school bus was typically in operation for . Driving distance averaged about 32 miles, (50 kilometers), with some buses traveling over 127 miles (200 kilomaters) daily.

School districts need places to charge buses easily and efficiently, especially between morning and afternoon routes. Building this infrastructure, especially as diesel buses continue to operate concurrently with growing electric fleets, can pose a challenge in school districts where .

Buses as power sources

At the same time, charging infrastructure can make school bus fueling and management more efficient. Today鈥檚 allows districts to plug in a bus whenever it is parked at the depot but have the bus charge only when needed. Chargers can be programmed to function at times of day when energy demand is lowest and power is less expensive.

Manufacturers are introducing buses equipped with that can send stored electricity back to the grid when they are not in service. During summer months, when many school buses are not in use and power usage often peaks, utilities soon may be able to call on school districts to make charged buses available to help ease demand load. These buses can also during power outages and emergencies.

In a 2022 study, researchers at the University of North Carolina analyzed how the state鈥檚 utilities could use school buses with vehicle-to-grid charging to manage peak power demand while taking the buses鈥� schedules into account. They estimated that a fleet of 14,000 buses could on an average winter weekend day in North Carolina, reducing utilities鈥� dependence on natural gas and avoiding up to 1,130 tons of carbon dioxide emissions per day.

Cleaner air is likely to pay off in improved student performance. In a , researchers found that 2,656 diesel buses in Georgia 鈥� adding new components to reduce the buses鈥� emissions 鈥� was associated with positive effects on students鈥� respiratory health, and that districts with retrofitted diesel buses experienced test score gains in English and math. Since even modernized diesel vehicles still generate air pollutants, shifting to electric buses would likely produce even larger increases.

Spreading the benefits

Federal and state agencies are moving to speed up the transition to electric school buses. The American Rescue Plan, enacted in 2021 to provide economic relief during the COVID-19 pandemic, included for school districts in underserved communities, Tribal schools and private fleets serving schools that purchase electric buses.

In March 2022 the Environmental Protection Agency for 23 electric school bus replacement programs and associated charging infrastructure in 11 states. And New York state鈥檚 includes a nation-leading requirement that all new school bus purchases must be electric starting in July 2027, and that all school buses in service must be zero-emission by 2035. The budget allocates $500 million in potential state funding for school bus electrification as part of a larger environmental bond act, which will be on the ballot in November 2022.

Riding the iconic yellow school bus is a formative experience for millions of kids across the U.S. If more districts make the shift away from diesel, I believe it will become a greener and healthier trip and a step toward the zero-emissions future our nation鈥檚 children deserve.

This article is republished from under a Creative Commons license. Read the .

The House passed President Joe Biden鈥檚 Build Back Better plan Friday morning by a 220 to 213 vote. One Democrat, Jared Golden of Maine, voted against it.

The $1.75 trillion package 鈥� which Democrats say creates a vital social safety net for American families but Republicans call a reckless spending spree during a period of inflation 鈥� now heads to the Senate, where its future remains uncertain. The legislation would fund universal pre-K, child care and K-12 educator preparation programs over a 10-year period.

“The impact of this proposal on educational equity, excellence and opportunity 鈥� from cradle to college and career 鈥� will be nothing short of transformative,” U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said in a statement.

On Thursday, the Congressional Budget Office released its  of the bill, showing the programs would increase the deficit by $367 billion over the 10-year period, a figure that doesn鈥檛 include additional revenue from tax enforcement. 

The House is expected to vote next week on President Joe Biden鈥檚 $1.75 trillion social spending plan, but its future in the Senate remains uncertain with some progressives wanting to add more programs to the package and two budget-minded Democrats likely to oppose those efforts.

For now, however, Democrats are celebrating the passage of half of Biden鈥檚 legislative agenda 鈥� the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill that includes funds to expand broadband access, replace diesel school buses and rid schools of lead pipes.

Some of those efforts are well-timed. Just last week, a released from the National Association of State Boards of Education showed that while 45 states have voluntary or mandatory lead testing programs for schools, only 15 provide any financial support for mitigation.

鈥淭he influx of money would help bolster state and local efforts for lead testing in schools and provide more opportunities for states to engage in the work,鈥� said Renee Rybak Lang, spokeswoman for the association.

States, she said, will need 鈥渃lear guidance鈥� on how schools and districts can apply for the funds 鈥� $15 billion for replacing lead pipes and $23.5 billion for water treatment projects, fixing pipes and other work to provide clean drinking water.

Families and educators, however, have been more invested in whether the social spending plan 鈥� which includes funds for universal pre-K, child care, tax credits and educator preparation programs 鈥� makes it to Biden鈥檚 desk. For three months, progressive Democrats in the House delayed a vote on the infrastructure bill, arguing they wanted to pass both parts of Biden鈥檚 agenda at the same time. But it didn鈥檛 work out that way. While they passed the infrastructure bill Friday night, and Biden said he will , the House was only able to pass a rule setting up a future vote for the so-called 鈥淏uild Back Better鈥� plan. Moderates aren鈥檛 ready to sign off on it until they can ensure cost estimates from the Congressional Budget Office square with what the president has told them about its impact on the deficit.

To advance the bill, Democrats are using a process known as reconciliation, which requires only a simple majority to pass. But some observers suggest it could be well into the holiday season before a vote is scheduled in the Senate. And if changes are made, it would have to go back to the House for approval.

鈥淚 do have faith that when we get it out of the House, it will pass in the Senate,鈥� said Julie Kashen, a senior fellow at The Century Foundation, a left-leaning think tank. 鈥淲hat鈥檚 driving me right now is a lot of hope and the knowledge that there are tons of constituents in West Virginia and Arizona who will benefit from what鈥檚 in there.鈥�

Those are the home states of Sens. Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema, the two fiscally conservative Democrats who drove the cost of the package down from its original $3.5 trillion price tag. 

To reach that deal, the White House agreed to extend a higher child tax credit for one year instead of four, eliminated the president鈥檚 plan for free community college and took out over $80 billion for school construction. Nonetheless, Manchin, of West Virginia, has said he still for the $1.75 trillion plan, regardless of what the Congressional Budget Office concludes.

鈥�Not the first time鈥�

Losing funds for building and renovating schools has been the biggest disappointment for K-12 leaders, who say it鈥檚 not just lead pipes but also mold, asbestos, leaky roofs, and inadequate heating and air-conditioning systems that threaten the health and safety of students. 

鈥淢embers of Congress cannot keep punting on funding the second largest infrastructure sector in the country and claim they want global competitiveness, high-quality educators and equitable academic outcomes for students of color,鈥� AASA, the School Superintendents Association, said in a strongly worded statement when the $1.75 trillion agreement was announced. 

The association is asking the U.S. Department of Education to give districts more time to spend relief funds from the American Rescue Plan, which provided $122 billion for K-12, on facility needs. According to the organization鈥檚 September , a quarter of respondents said the 2024 deadline to spend the money is an obstacle because contractors are hesitant to work under that timeline as long as supply chain disruption is driving up costs and making it hard to get materials.

A spokesman for AASA said the organization has not received a response. But in a statement, the department emphasized the American Rescue Plan鈥檚 鈥渉istoric and unprecedented investment in education鈥� and said it would 鈥渃ontinue to work with state and local education communities鈥� to provide support, but did not say whether it would extend the deadline.

Nation 鈥榥ot partisan鈥� on pre-K 

While public schools won鈥檛 see more federal funds for construction anytime soon, states would potentially have up to $50 billion over the next three years for in the child care sector 鈥� including expanding and renovating facilities. Child care centers are among the settings that would accommodate new universal pre-K classrooms.

The combined $400 billion for child care and pre-K in the social spending bill would lower or eliminate the cost of care and preschool for many families. But experts say it鈥檚 still hard to predict if states that have never offered public pre-K 鈥� such as Idaho, New Hampshire, South Dakota and Wyoming 鈥� would participate.

鈥淭hey don鈥檛 think they need it,鈥� Steve Barnett, senior co-director of the National Institute for Early Education Research, said about those states. While the bill would allow locally funded programs to participate, Barnett added that governors would 鈥渉ave to decide whether they would rather be in control or turn it down and have localities go their own way.”

When pressed recently on whether he supports universal pre-K, Wyoming Republican said he thinks Biden鈥檚 policies aren鈥檛 helping people. 

But Kashen of the Century Foundation noted that many Republican governors were early supporters of state-funded pre-K. While the bill in Washington is partisan, she said, 鈥渢he nation is not partisan on this issue.鈥�

CEO Evan Marwell estimates about half of those families include school-age children. 

鈥淭he narrative is that it鈥檚 been about building infrastructure in rural America,鈥� Marwell said, but added, 鈥渁fter decades of investment, affordability is now the biggest problem.鈥� 

In 43 states, the inability to pay for internet service accounts for more than half of the digital divide 鈥� even in those with large rural populations, according to the report, entitled 鈥淣o Home Left Offline.鈥�

Congress included a $7.1 billion Emergency Broadband Benefit in the American Rescue Plan last March, but less than 17 percent of eligible households have signed up, the report said. A lack of awareness of the program, skepticism over whether the benefit will actually cover internet costs and confusing enrollment procedures are the primary obstacles to participation, the authors note.

Since the start of the pandemic, millions of students have missed out on learning because of insufficient internet access because they lack stable or strong-enough connections to complete tests, upload assignments and interact with teachers and classmates over Zoom. Problems with technology are among the reasons for high absenteeism rates among remote learners, an issue that has persisted this year with students in quarantine. Experts say states and communities need strong and targeted marketing campaigns to get wary families to take advantage of free and discounted programs.

The report comes as the $1.2 trillion infrastructure package 鈥� which includes $65 billion for broadband 鈥� awaits a vote in the House. The bill renames the benefit the Affordable Connectivity Fund and allocates $14.2 billion to make it permanent.

鈥楥an鈥檛 rely on volunteers鈥�

The federal benefit program primarily serves existing customers who have faced economic setbacks because of the pandemic 鈥� not those who have never subscribed to an internet provider, according to the report. That鈥檚 why it鈥檚 important, Marwell said, to have staff dedicated to getting students connected.

鈥淥ne of the big takeaways from the pandemic is you can鈥檛 rely on volunteers,鈥� he said. 鈥淵ou need paid staff, and you need really specific data about who you are trying to sign up.鈥�

In Little Rock, Arkansas, Maddie Long is already doing that work.
On a break from finishing her master鈥檚 in Indigineous studies at the University of Kansas, she was working as a landscaper in Little Rock when she saw the opening for an fellow. Heartland Forward, a think tank focusing on the needs of states in the middle of the country, is funding the position to help reduce the digital divide.

Now Long attends community events, such as a recent vaccination clinic at the Guatemalan consulate, to talk to those who qualify and provide flyers about the program for the Little Rock School District to stuff in food pantry bags for families.

Parents, she said, are sometimes resistant because they鈥檝e heard the benefit will run out when the pandemic is over (That鈥檚 true unless the infrastructure bill passes). The program also includes a one-time $100 credit toward a device, but participants have to get it through their internet provider, which may not be participating in that part of the program

鈥淚 don鈥檛 think that was set up in the most user-friendly manner,鈥� she said. 鈥淓very federal benefit has its own challenges.鈥�

鈥楢 real turn-off鈥� 

The Los Angeles Unified School District is trying another strategy 鈥� using the federal Emergency Connectivity Fund, another part of the American Rescue Plan, to pay for students鈥� at-home internet service. 

Tanya Ortiz Franklin, a Los Angeles school board member, said that while many internet providers launched discounted programs last year, parents would get turned down because of previous late payments or faced increased costs after trial periods. 

鈥淭hat was a real turn-off to a lot of high need families,鈥� she said.

The district was inspired by a , run by the nonprofit Partnership for Los Angeles Schools, that serves over 400 families in three low-income communities in the city. The district has now received responses from 22,000 parents who want to participate in the larger, districtwide program, when the contract is finalized, Franklin said. While the district promotes the Emergency Broadband Benefit, she doubts many families are participating.

鈥淚t鈥檚 another layer,鈥� she said. 鈥淎 lot of these things are super well-intentioned, but the implementation requires so much social work.鈥�

Students who often put up with dropped connections, broken devices or maxed-out wireless plans are also speaking out about improving access to Wi-Fi.

鈥淧eople talk about it, but nothing really gets done,鈥� said Marylin Terrazas, an 11th grader at Travis High School near Houston. She鈥檚 among the Fort Bend Independent School District students producing and moderating a live Nov. 17 broadcast organized by Connected Nation, a nonprofit focused on eliminating the digital divide. 鈥淚 thought this was a great way to spread the word that there are people who need help,鈥� she said.

Joey Dyrud-Lange, the district鈥檚 media production teacher, said lower-income students with parents and grandparents who 鈥渁ren鈥檛 necessarily the most educated on technology鈥� are especially at a disadvantage.

鈥淚 saw a huge gap in learning [last year], and it’s not the students鈥� fault,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey go to extreme lengths on their cell phones to try to access their learning.鈥�

The EducationSuperHighway report recommends 鈥渂roadband adoption centers,鈥� staffed with employees who can help parents enroll in the benefit program. Under the infrastructure bill, the broadband subsidy would drop from $50 a month to $30. With many internet companies already offering low-cost programs for $10 to $15 a month, that鈥檚 more than enough, Marwell said, for companies to not only cover their costs but offer faster internet speeds and even make a profit. 

鈥淭hey鈥檙e going to look at this and say, 鈥楴ow, we have 18 million potential customers. We need to build a business plan to get these people signed up,鈥欌�� Marwell said. 鈥淭he idea that we can do this is not a pipe dream.鈥�

The child care and universal pre-K proposals in President Joe Biden鈥檚 social spending plan have survived efforts to slash the original $3.5 trillion price tag down to a figure more acceptable to two fiscally conservative Democrats in the Senate.

But the new $1.75 trillion released Thursday, leaves out some programs that would have directly impacted the K-12 system, such as funding for school construction, while reducing original amounts reserved for student鈥檚 at-home internet access and teacher and principal preparation. Progressive leaders in the House say they still want to see the of the reconciliation bill before agreeing to vote for a separate $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill 鈥� another major piece of Biden鈥檚 first-year agenda. That leaves both bills in jeopardy for now.

鈥淣o one got everything they wanted 鈥� including me,鈥� Biden said after meeting Thursday with Democrats at the Capitol.

Two years of free community college, another signature Biden campaign promise, has been eliminated from the package. It extends an increase in the child tax credit, but just for one year, instead of the four Biden wanted. There will be enough to expand free school meals to 8.7 million students for five years and provide 29 million children with $65 per month for food during the summer.

The bill is a 鈥渃ommentary on what is achievable with such a small and slim majority in the Senate and the House,鈥� said Sean Worley, a senior policy associate at EducationCounsel, a consulting firm advising districts on policy and legal issues. The Biden administration, he added, proposed a 鈥渧ery robust 鈥� new vision for what education speeding could and should be. They just ran headfirst into some political headwinds.鈥�

The hard-won agreement over the size of the legislation was expected to be a step toward getting a vote on the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill, which includes electric school buses, broadband access and eliminating lead pipes from schools. But progressives have repeatedly threatened to withhold their support for the infrastructure bill until they have a guarantee that the social spending package will pass. With a budget process known as reconciliation, the president doesn鈥檛 need any Republicans to vote for the plan, but he鈥檚 had a hard time getting consensus within his party. It took multiple meetings with Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona to reach this point. Experts note that just because some of the family and education programs have been cut from the legislation doesn鈥檛 mean they won鈥檛 resurface in a future bill, and Congress still has other unresolved budget issues to address in early December: approving a budget for fiscal year 2022 and lifting the federal debt limit to continue paying for past spending bills. 

For now, however, Biden is aiming for a win with an early-childhood proposal that would reduce families鈥� costs for child care and allow states to launch or expand universal pre-K programs for 3- and 4-year-olds

鈥淭his is a fundamental shift in education,鈥� he said Monday while visiting at East End Elementary School in New Jersey鈥檚 North Plainfield School District. 鈥淲e鈥檙e going to make sure it鈥檚 available for everybody.鈥� 

The fact that the plan 鈥� paid for with taxes on corporations and those earning over $400,000 a year 鈥� still includes $400 billion for both child care and pre-K 鈥渟peaks to the recognition of early care and education as critical to our nation鈥檚 infrastructure and the well-being of families,鈥� said Lea Austin, executive director of the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment at the University of California, Berkeley. She said both working mothers and those with a background in the field 鈥� including Senate education committee Chair Patty Murray 鈥� have come together 鈥渢o change the conditions.鈥�

The child care provision promises to limit costs to no more than 7 percent of a family鈥檚 income and increase wages for staff. But Austin said she wants to see pay and working conditions for providers match those for preschool and elementary school teachers.

Some experts say it doesn鈥檛 make sense to expand pre-K without also improving preparation programs for K-12 educators. Biden鈥檚 original plan would have included $197 million for grow-your-own programs that recruit and train young people to become teachers in their own communities, as well as $198 million each for teacher residency and principal preparation programs. Those three provisions have been reduced to $112 million each. 

鈥淚t would be a head-scratcher to pump all this money into pre-K but not also bolster the educator pipeline 鈥� it鈥檚 core to successfully expanding high-quality pre-K,鈥� said Danny Carlson, assistant executive director for policy and advocacy at the National Association of Elementary School Principals.

In a statement, American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten said the plan makes 鈥渉istoric down payments鈥� on pre-K and child care, but she didn鈥檛 address the lack of K-12 programs in the plan. 

鈥淎ny transformational change is hard to get done, and this historic compromise is no different.鈥� the statement said.

Mary Filardo, executive director of the 21st Century School Fund, which advocates for modernizing schools, was more direct.

鈥淲e are deeply disappointed that funding to repair or replace crumbling schools in our most underserved communities has been left out of the final [Build Back Better Act],鈥� she said in a . 鈥淭he disparities in conditions result in disparities in education delivered and student achievement.鈥�

Worley said there鈥檚 a chance Democrats would either try to add those initiatives to the fiscal year 2022 appropriations bill 鈥� which Congress has to address by Dec. 3 鈥� or revive the proposal next year in a fiscal 2023 budget. But he notes that the administration already  faced a tough time winning support for proposed increases to Title I for low-income schools. And that bill would have to win support from Republicans, who have so far rejected most of Biden鈥檚 attempts to increase government spending.

Biden鈥檚 free community college plan could also make a comeback in a reauthorization of the HIgher Education Act, which is now 13 years past due, said Carrie Warick, director of policy and advocacy at the National College Attainment Network.

During a last week Biden said it looked like he would still be able to get a $500 Pell Grant increase into the bill.

鈥淚ncreasing the Pell Grant is meaningful to … recipients, but the size of the bump will determine how much so,鈥� Warick said, adding that 鈥渁n emergency as low as $300 can lead to a student dropping out.鈥�

The nonprofit鈥檚 shows a gap of $855 between the current Pell Grant award of $6,495 and the average community college student鈥檚 expenses. A $500 increase, plus another $400 proposed increase in the fiscal 2022 appropriations bill, would cover that gap.

Another signature piece of Biden鈥檚 plan would have been a four-year extension in the higher child tax credit that was included in the American Rescue Plan last March 鈥� $3,600 a year for  children under 6 and $3,000 for older children. Now the increase will last for one year.

Any extension is good, said Chris Swanson, who leads the Institute for Innovation in Development, Engagement and Learning Systems at Johns Hopkins University. But he added, 鈥淭he reality is things are not getting better for the American people. We still are in the midst of a pandemic coupled with major shifts in economics and employment.鈥�

The House will resume consideration of the $1.2 infrastructure bill Friday morning after Thursday night slipped away without a vote. 

Negotiations that would secure moderate Democrats鈥� support of President Joe Biden鈥檚 separate social spending bill 鈥� the deal that progressives are waiting for in order to vote for the infrastructure package 鈥� are continuing.

 鈥淎 great deal of progress has been made this week, and we are closer to an agreement than ever,鈥� White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement. 鈥淏ut we are not there yet, and so, we will need some additional time to finish the work, starting tomorrow morning first thing.鈥� 

Meanwhile Biden signed a continuing resolution Thursday night, avoiding a government shutdown and giving the Senate until Dec. 3 to work on the fiscal year 2022 budget. The president鈥檚 proposed budget includes significant increases for Title I, special education and community schools.

鈥淭here鈥檚 so much more to do,鈥� the president said in a statement. 鈥淏ut the passage of this bill reminds us that bipartisan work is possible and it gives us time to pass longer-term funding to keep our government running and delivering for the American people.鈥�

Democrats, however, wanted to include language that would lift the debt ceiling, which the government will hit Oct. 18. Republicans voted against that plan.

With Congress tackling overlapping budget issues this week, advocates are most focused on saving President Joe Biden鈥檚 bold agenda for schools and families.

The proposed $3.5 trillion 鈥淏uild Back Better鈥� plan, which would lower costs that are 鈥渟queezing families month after month and year after year,鈥� includes major increases for early-childhood education, teacher and principal preparation, school construction and community college. But Democrats don鈥檛 have enough support to pass it, even though they鈥檙e using a process known as reconciliation, which doesn鈥檛 require a single Republican vote.

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Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, who along with fellow Democrat Krysten Sinema of Arizona to such sweeping legislation, made it clear in a statement Wednesday night that he can鈥檛 be convinced otherwise.

鈥淪ince the beginning of this reconciliation debate, I have been consistent in my belief that any expansion of social programs must be targeted to those in need, not expanded beyond what is fiscally possible,鈥� Manchin . 鈥淲hile I am hopeful that common ground can be found that would result in another historic investment in our nation, I cannot 鈥� and will not 鈥� support trillions in spending or an all or nothing approach that ignores the brutal fiscal reality our nation faces.鈥�

The debate over the president鈥檚 agenda has revealed sharp divides among Democrats, while Republicans have held a united front against compromise proposals. Disagreement among Democrats is most obvious over the $1.2 trillion infrastructure package, which House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was weighing whether to bring to a vote Thursday. Moderates have demanded a vote on the funding for roads, bridges and broadband, while progressives have said they won鈥檛 support the infrastructure bill unless they first get a vote on the larger reconciliation bill.

It鈥檚 not the infrastructure bill THEN maybe the Build Back Better package down the road. That wasn鈥檛 the deal.

Progressives won鈥檛 back down. We鈥檙e fighting the people鈥檚 fight and we鈥檙e going to deliver the entire Build Back Better agenda.

鈥� Pramila Jayapal (@PramilaJayapal)

Adding to the tension, Congress will try to avert a government shutdown Thursday by passing a continuing resolution that keeps the government open past the end of the fiscal year. Democrats are also faced with meeting an Oct. 18 deadline to keep the U.S. from defaulting on its loans.

The House on Wednesday passed, along party lines, a bill to raise the government’s $28 trillion debt limit 鈥� the total amount the government can borrow to cover its obligations. But the bill is not expected to pass in the Senate. Defaulting can lead to , hinder and make it much harder to cover the costs of the reconciliation bill if it passes.

Democrats argue that the Trump administration was partially responsible for the increase in spending, so Republicans should bear some of the responsibility for raising the limit. But Republicans have said as long as Democrats control Congress and the White House, they can add it to their reconciliation bill.

The ongoing stalemate has some wondering whether the bill will survive.

鈥淵ou鈥檝e got to figure there鈥檚 now a chance, very small but real, that the bill stalls out,鈥� Rick Hess, a senior fellow at the conservative American Enterprise Institute, said about the proposed $3.5 trillion package.

Dropping the total price tag, perhaps as low as , could 鈥渟et off some brutal intramural battles among the [Democrats],鈥� Hess said, and would 鈥渃ertainly offer a stress test of various Democratic priorities.鈥�

Mary Filardo, executive director of the 21st Century School Fund, which advocates for modernizing schools, is among those lobbying to keep their priorities in the final package. She鈥檚 been meeting with Senate staff members about the $82 billion slated for school construction and repairs.

鈥淭hey seem pretty subdued, like they don鈥檛 really know what is going on,鈥� she said, adding that they 鈥渟upport the issue, but it doesn鈥檛 seem to be a must have.鈥�

Cutting school construction funding, she said, could impact another key priority in the package 鈥� universal preschool. While Biden鈥檚 $200 billion plan would put some classrooms in community-based centers, schools would also need to accommodate more pre-K students.

鈥楥ould still be effective鈥� 

Some observers suggested there鈥檚 room to negotiate amounts over the big-ticket provisions, such as pre-K, child care and free community college.

鈥淎ll of these could still be effective even if the top line numbers go down,鈥� said Julia Martin, legislative director at Brustein and Manasevit, a law firm specializing in education.

But Shantel Meek, a professor at Arizona State University and director of the Children鈥檚 Equity Project, said she hopes lawmakers don鈥檛 trim the preschool proposal by 鈥減itting access and quality against one another. In order for [universal pre-K] to meet the promise we know it can, we need access to quality 鈥� that means supporting the whole child, whole family.鈥�

Others are concerned whether some of the smaller provisions would get cut from the package, such as the $4 billion to continue the Emergency Connectivity Fund, which addresses the digital divide for students learning at home.

鈥淲e want to make sure the connectivity [and] devices provided 鈥� aren鈥檛 in a position to go dark and disconnect students,鈥� said Noelle Ellerson Ng, associate executive director for advocacy and governance at AASA, The School Superintendents Association.

Originally part of the American Rescue Plan, the $7 billion program allows school districts to purchase devices for students and cover the cost of at-home internet service. According to the , more than $1.2 billion in funds have been awarded so far to 3,040 schools, 260 libraries and 24 organizations that include both. A second application window runs through Oct. 13.

Even if all of the education-related proposals stay in the package, Martin warned that one way negotiators could lower the final figure is to increase states鈥� share of the cost. The for example, currently calls for the federal government to pick up 100 percent of the cost of serving all 3- and 4-year-olds for the first two years, with states contributing increasing percentages of the cost over time.

鈥淢y concern would be if the state matches were to go up,鈥� Martin said. 鈥淚 think that would result in a patchwork implementation at best, and may make it more difficult for states to access funds.鈥�

Linda Smith, director of the Bipartisan Policy Institute鈥檚 Early Childhood Development Initiative, said another option would be to limit the number of years covered by the legislation or to limit the program to children with greater needs. But she said that would be hard to do after the president pledged it would be universal.

Nonetheless, she remains hopeful that the early-childhood proposals would remain a centerpiece of the final plan.

鈥淚t always gets a little crazy when the sausage-making gets into high gear,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 still think something will come out of this.鈥�

Funding for federal programs expires on Sept. 30, but that鈥檚 just one budgetary challenge facing Democrats in the coming weeks as they seek to pass President Joe Biden鈥檚 massive agenda for schools and families.

The House has already , known as a continuing resolution, to keep funding programs at the same level through early December. That would give lawmakers more time to work on the fiscal year 2022 budget.

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On Thursday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi appeared open to removing a provision to increase the debt limit, which Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the minority leader, has threatened to block. The standoff was leading to a potential . To pass in the Senate, the bill would need 60 votes 鈥� or 10 Republicans in addition to the 50 Democrats.

鈥淲e will keep government open by Sept. 30 鈥nd continue the conversation about the debt ceiling,鈥� she said.

Democrats will need to find compromise as well in order to pass Biden鈥檚 鈥淏uild Back Better鈥� plan to lead the nation out of the pandemic 鈥� even though they control both houses of Congress and the White House. Majority leaders in the House and Senate are trying to balance competing priorities among progressive and more fiscally conservative wings of their parties. Those differences could impact two major pieces of the president鈥檚 agenda apart from the fiscal year 2022 budget 鈥� a $1 trillion infrastructure package that is scheduled for a House vote on听Thursday and a much larger $3.5 trillion proposal that includes universal preschool, school construction and free school lunches for more children.

Democrats are using what is known as a budget reconciliation process for the $3.5 trillion plan, which means they can pass the package without a single Republican vote in the House or the Senate. But experts say they still may have to scale back the size of the package in order to secure enough Democratic votes.

Biden met with leading Democrats Wednesday in an effort to to bridge some of their differences, but according to the White House, 鈥渢here is more work ahead in the coming days.鈥�

鈥楪ame of chicken鈥�

While federal law dictates timing for the annual budget, Democrats are also treating Biden鈥檚 legislative agenda with a sense of urgency. Sean Worley, a senior policy associate at EducationCounsel, a consulting firm advising districts on policy and legal issues, suggested that it would get harder, politically, to pass either package if they drag into next year because of mid-term elections.

First up is the infrastructure package. That plan includes $200 million over five years to replace lead pipes in school, $5 billion for electric school buses and an increase in funding to $1 billion a year to improve safety for students biking and walking to school. Another $65 billion would go toward improving the nation鈥檚 broadband access and making the internet more affordable.

Pelosi听originally听scheduled the vote for Monday as part of a deal with moderate Democrats who said they would withhold their support for the $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill unless the infrastructure bill made it to the president鈥檚 desk first. But听听have issued their own ultimatum, arguing they won鈥檛 support the infrastructure legislation unless they simultaneously vote on the larger reconciliation package.听Now a floor听debate is expected Monday.

Worley predicted this 鈥済ame of chicken鈥� could lead to the infrastructure bill鈥檚 failure.

鈥淚 would expect progressives to vote against the bill and an insufficient number of Republicans will vote in favor,鈥� he said. 鈥淭his could deepen rifts within the party and will make intraparty negotiations on the [$3.5 trillion] bill that much more difficult.鈥�

The infrastructure deal with Republicans does not include facility improvements for the nation鈥檚 schools. But the current version of the reconciliation bill 鈥� what Biden calls a 鈥渉uman infrastructure鈥� proposal 鈥� would provide $82 billion for school construction and renovation projects. The plan鈥檚 $3.5 trillion price tag, however, looks shaky with Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Krysten Sinema of Arizona breaking with their fellow Democrats over the cost.

Manchin, earlier this month, called for a on the plan, saying it鈥檚 not smart policy to pass such a large package amid rising inflation. In addition to funding for school construction, the package proposes almost $200 million each for teacher residencies and , more than $100 billion for two free years of community college, $35 billion to provide free meals to more children and $450 billion for child care and preschool.

So far, early-childhood education advocates aren鈥檛 ready to settle for less.

鈥淚t鈥檚 sizable, but it鈥檚 sizable for a reason, because there is that much need,鈥� said Sarah Rittling, executive director of the First Five Years Fund, which focuses on federal early-childhood policy.

Biden鈥檚 plan seeks to limit the cost of child care to no more than 7 percent of a family鈥檚 income, increase wages for child care providers, and work with states to make universally available to 3- and 4-year-olds.

Rittling said she doesn鈥檛 expect the early-childhood provisions in the package, which have broad support among Democrats, to get cut. 鈥淚t is so incredibly popular on top of being so incredibly necessary,鈥� she said.

The reconciliation bill includes much of Biden鈥檚 agenda for social and education programs.The also features major increases for programs such as Title I, special education and Head Start.

The House passed the 2022 appropriations bills at the end of July, but Worley suggested that even without the debt limit debate, those increases 鈥渨ere going to be difficult to see across the finish line.鈥�

The library, on the National Register of Historic Places, a hub for Brisbee families, has a leaky roof, and cracks in the facade. The ceiling in the young adult room collapsed recently, forcing the room to close for three weeks.

鈥淵ou can follow the story of Bisbee through the story of our library, because we鈥檝e been here all along,鈥� said library manager Jason Macoviak.

The Copper Queen is at the center of community life: From hosting an event every Halloween for the community to bringing fairytales to life; to creating a separate room for teens 鈥� until the ceiling collapsed and the room had to be closed for a time.

鈥淭hat is the hardest demographic to reach,鈥� said Macoviak. 鈥淲e lost that engagement for a bit.鈥�

Hundreds of library buildings in the U.S. are more than 100 years old and are in dire condition, according to a recent report from the American Library Association which many of the nation鈥檚 17,000 libraries need $32 billion dollars for construction and renovation. 

During the pandemic many libraries across the country became lifelines for residents, providing everything from Wi-Fi from parking lots, notary services and curbside crafts projects for kids.

Though the average age of a library building is more than 40 years old, there has not been dedicated federal infrastructure funding since 1997.

As a result the buildings are plagued with old wiring, plumbing, leaky roofs, malfunctioning fire alarms and sprinklers, the report found. Because of the old wiring, they often lack internet access. At current funding levels it would take 25 years for the work to get done, the report found.

Nine states 鈥� Alaska, California, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, New York, Washington, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia 鈥� estimate their public libraries need more than $8 billion for construction and renovation.

The Build America鈥檚 Libraries Act, which was introduced back in January 2021, would fund upgrades to library infrastructure to recover from natural disasters, environmental hazards, and accessibility barriers. With Congress working on a $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation plan, the Senate has until September 15th to finish allocating the funds. The ALA has lobbied to include the Build America鈥檚 Libraries Act in the new plan.

鈥淲e know that libraries are well loved by communities across the country,鈥� said ALA president Patty Wong. 鈥淭his legislation offers us an opportunity to reinvest in our libraries in a significant way to bring about a stronger equity throughout our community, and to make sure that we have libraries in our future.

鈥淟ibraries are not just bricks and mortar, but they are anchors within the community that need a little bit of structure in order to provide the service we deliver,鈥� Wong said.

Throughout the pandemic, communities relied on libraries. And libraries found ways to deliver while other public facilities shut their doors.

A good example of how libraries got creative during COVID-19 is in the work of a consortium of 34 public libraries in rural upstate New York.

鈥淒uring COVID-19 it was sometimes the only place in town to get things,鈥� said consortium director Sara Dallas of the branches. Hamilton County libraries provided access to materials and Wi-Fi 24/7, so their parking lots were filled, even to the streets across the library.

鈥淭he Indian Lake Public Library provided takeaway crafts to kids curbside so families would have activities to do with their children,鈥� said Dallas, 鈥渁nd often these libraries were the only places with notaries and access to printing documents curbside.鈥�

California libraries distributed Chromebooks, laptops and hotspots to students during the pandemic, Wong said.

鈥淲e’ve seen firsthand that so many in our community were lined up or parked in (library) parking lots, using the Wi Fi because they didn’t have digital access at home,鈥� said Wong of libraries in her state of California.

Some projects have had to be put on hold because California libraries need close to $5 billion in infrastructure funds, she added.

At the Copper Queen in Bisbee, Arizona, Macoviak said last year鈥檚 Halloween party was called off because of the pandemic. This year he hopes the event will go on.

Teens have already started holding monthly planning meetings.

To Macoviak, the event and all the enthusiasm and planning surrounding it underscores the importance of libraries and the need to keep them functioning.

鈥淭hey create their own program, and take ownership of their library,鈥� said Macoviak. 鈥淚t just shows the utter importance of having these spaces available.鈥�

Libraries, he continued, 鈥渁re safe. They’re open to everybody. No matter who you are, how much money you make, or what your status is.鈥�

The U.S. Senate passed the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill on Tuesday, with 19 Republicans joining 50 Democrats in approving the measure.听

“I want to thank a group of senators, Democrats and Republicans for doing what they told me they would do,” President Joe Biden听said. “They said they’re willing to work in a bipartisan manner, and I want to thank them for keeping their word.

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the result of a long negotiating process with Republicans, addresses the “clear and present danger” of lead pipes carrying drinking water, reduces transportation costs and increases internet access, Biden said.

“During remote learning during the pandemic last year,” he said, “we saw too many families forced to literally sit in their vehicles in a fast food parking lot so their children can get on the internet they couldn’t afford and didn’t have access to at home.”

The bill 鈥� the first phase of Biden’s domestic agenda 鈥� now heads to the House, but Speaker Nancy Pelosi isn’t expected to introduce it until it’s clear that all Democrats will support the second, and larger, social spending package.

The U.S. Senate is expected to pass a bi-partisan $1.2 trillion on Tuesday that includes funding for electric school buses, eliminating lead pipes in schools and expanding the nation鈥檚 access to broadband.

Most of President Joe Biden鈥檚 agenda for education and families, however, is included in a separate $3.5 trillion Senate Democrats unveiled Monday, with plans to pass legislation over Republican opposition.

Progressive House members have been threatening for months that they won鈥檛 approve one without the other, setting up a potential drawn-out battle this fall if Democrats don鈥檛 get everything they want in the larger 鈥淎merican Family Plan.鈥� Republican leaders, meanwhile, have urged Democrats to separate the two packages to ensure that to fix roads and bridges and expand public transportation, among others, make it to the president鈥檚 desk. Thus far, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi the piecemeal approach, showing a determination to pass as much of the president鈥檚 agenda as possible within his first year in office.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 believe leadership would move one [bill] without being confident the other is locked down,鈥� said Julia Martin, legislative director of Brustein and Manasevit, a Washington-based education law firm.

The strategy, she said, is an effort to ensure the larger social spending bill 鈥� which includes universal pre-K, free community college and an extension of the Child Tax Credit 鈥� would pass despite reservations from moderates over the cost and objections from more liberal members that it doesn鈥檛 go far enough.

With Democrats in control of both houses in Congress, they can pursue a process known as reconciliation, which doesn鈥檛 require any Republican votes.

鈥淚f you鈥檙e doing a one-party bill anyway, there鈥檚 a lot of pressure to pass long-standing and more liberal priorities,鈥� Martin said.

Some Democrats, for example, want to see the larger Child Tax Credit, which families began receiving last month, . The one-year increase passed as part of the March relief bill, and Biden鈥檚 plan extends it through 2025. House and Senate Democrats are also pushing for , but Biden鈥檚 proposal doesn鈥檛 go that far. He鈥檚 calling for free school meals for all students in the , covering about 70 percent of students in the elementary grades.

The chance Democrats could lose more seats in Congress is another reason they鈥檙e pushing to pass both packages. With midterm elections next year, some experts expect Republicans to challenge the majority on issues such as .

Democrats 鈥渃ould very likely lose the House in 鈥�22, so this is the moment,鈥� said Danny Carlson, associate executive director for policy and advocacy at the National Association for Elementary School Principals.

The $3.5 trillion package includes $726 billion for the Senate education committee, which will write bills for pre-K, expanding access to child care, building and renovating schools, and addressing teacher shortages. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, in a letter Monday, asked the committees to submit their bills by Sept. 15.

He also urged Democrats to 鈥済o on the offense鈥� during the upcoming recess 鈥渢o explain how our budget will lower costs and cut taxes for American families.鈥�

But Republicans argue it will only increase the national debt. In , Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell called the package 鈥渇ar-left radicalism鈥� and said on the floor Saturday that budget committee Chairman Bernie Sanders鈥檚 鈥渟ocialist shopping list will make every disagreement we鈥檝e had in landing the infrastructure compromise look like a rounding error.鈥�

Last week, the Congressional Budget Office released showing the infrastructure bill would increase the federal deficit by $256 billion over the next 10 years. That figure the bill, but is fueling objections to additional spending

McConnell specifically mentioned the administration鈥檚 child care proposal, calling it 鈥済overnment meddling … that would privilege certain families鈥� choices over others.鈥欌��

Biden鈥檚 plan seeks to lower the cost of child care, while still giving parents options, including centers and family child care providers. But some conservatives argue there鈥檚 still too much emphasis on group settings.

Katharine Stevens, a resident scholar at the conservative American Enterprise Institute, said while she understands that full-time child care is essential for working parents, 鈥渋t’s not optimal for the majority of children 鈥� even harmful for some 鈥� during the most crucial period of development.鈥�

The plan would increase pay for providers, which can allow centers to hire better-qualified teachers, but Stevens said ensuring all programs reach high quality is still 鈥渁 very big if.鈥�

When Congress returns in the fall, the Senate will also have to take up the fiscal year 2022 budget. The House has already passed seven appropriations bills, including nearly $103 billion for the Department of Education, a $29 billion increase over 2021.

When the pandemic shut down schools in March, it created a new urgency to narrow the digital gap in the U.S. as millions of to participate in remote learning because they didn鈥檛 have internet access at home. It also reinforced the reality that the divide doesn鈥檛 just exist between rural and urban communities, but also within America鈥檚 largest cities. Some lack reliable connection in New York City, for example; in Chicago, don鈥檛 have broadband, according to data published at the start of the pandemic.

As many local governments have scrambled to secure internet access for children in virtual school, some policies could last past the pandemic. One popular approach in cities like Washington, D.C., and Chicago has been providing low-cost or to families who can鈥檛 afford a broadband subscription, and the tech devices to go with them. Some measures are currently set up to , while others, like Chicago鈥檚, will continue for several years. Recognizing that the digital divide will persist after the pandemic, digital inclusion advocates say there is a need for more permanent solutions.

One approach that鈥檚 gained traction is for local communities to play a direct role in providing internet service 鈥� in many cases by building their own or relying on their own infrastructure.

鈥淭he options in front of them looking at the affordability barrier were to pay for existing service 鈥� cellular through hotspot, or wireline 鈥� or build something,鈥� says Angela Siefer, executive director of the National Digital Inclusion Alliance. 鈥淎nd I think the the folks who went with the build-it solution are the ones thinking, 鈥楾his problem isn鈥檛 going away after the pandemic.鈥欌��

Municipal broadband

Establishing a municipal network to cover an entire city isn鈥檛 new; Chattanooga, Tennessee, was the first to accomplish this in 2010. The local government installed its own fiber-optic cables on streetlights across the city, serving not just residents but also businesses that were than was previously available. But the city-run initiative set off both legislative and that have barred Chattanooga from expanding its network to neighboring jurisdictions 鈥� and muted the movement to bring similar ideas to other U.S. cities.

As of 2020, have laws that deter or even prohibit local governments and communities from establishing their own networks, according to the group Broadband Now. They鈥檙e in large part the result of lobbying from commercial providers who argue the laws are necessary to prevent unfair competition. Siefer says they continue to restrict communities from connecting everyone in need.

This year in a number of cities, the pandemic has inspired some narrower versions of municipal broadband that get around these restrictions, focused on creating 鈥渁ffordable networks鈥� that specifically target low-income households. Several of these were born out of the immediate need to bridge the homework gap.

鈥淧re-Covid there were at most a handful of networks being built to address affordability; now, we鈥檝e started informally keeping a list and we鈥檙e over 30,鈥� Siefer says. 鈥淭he phenomena of setting up a network for that reason, in that way, is new.鈥�

The concept is simple: 鈥淏asically try to offer free connectivity in areas that are heavily populated by people who cannot afford the connections that are available,鈥� says Chris Mitchell, director of the Community Broadband Networks Initiative with the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. The methodology varies, but often, these solutions aim to set up a system that can address the affordability barrier well beyond the pandemic.

In some cases, they rely on infrastructure the city has already built out. Chattanooga, for example, to provide low-income students with free internet access after the pandemic began.

San Antonio, Texas, where more than lack in-home internet access, also relied on pre-existing infrastructure. The municipally owned utility had years ago built an extensive network of fiber-optic cables that delivered internet to government buildings and community centers like schools and libraries, and when those centers closed 鈥� leaving underserved students in the lurch 鈥� the city decided to use $27 million in CARES Act funds to to the homes of some 20,000 students across the city鈥檚 50 most vulnerable neighborhoods.

Antennas from those school buildings will send internet signals to receivers fixed to students鈥� homes and apartment buildings where the city鈥檚 fiber cables don鈥檛 reach. The initial phase of the project focuses on six of those neighborhoods near two high schools where more than half of the student population live in homes without internet access. Over the next eight months to two years, the city plans complete the expansion to all 50 neighborhoods.

Because of a Texas law that restricts local government telecom networks, the city likely wouldn鈥檛 be able to expand the service to a broader population . 鈥淚n San Antonio, that network is only available to students because there鈥檚 a state law that says that the city can鈥檛 be in competition with commercial providers,鈥� says Siefer.

The wireless approach

While equipping homes with wireline broadband is typically thought of as the gold standard, few cities have the infrastructure ready. In the absence of an extensive network of municipal-owned cables, some communities are establishing wireless networks to connect low-income students to free or low-cost internet.

One such initiative is the Every1online program in the Pittsburgh metro area, a 12-month pilot project aiming to connect at least 450 families and low-income school children to high-quality internet, for free. Spearheaded by the nonprofit internet provider Meta Mesh Wireless Communities, with partners like Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh, the program uses antennas mounted on top of tall structures to beam internet signals to the homes of residents in Homewood 鈥� one of the city鈥檚 poorer neighborhoods 鈥� and of low-income school children in the nearby New Kensington and Coraopolis school districts.

Connecting communities through mesh wireless networks isn鈥檛 new, but Every1online is one of the new initiatives born out of the pandemic to target low-income families. After the , school districts have the option to purchase service for students in need 鈥� a model that organizers hope to . (Pennsylvania鈥檚 law prohibiting city governments from setting up their own network does not apply to nonprofits.) Rather than connect individual households to the internet, the nonprofit hopes to partner with school districts and other community groups in underserved neighborhoods to set up a network for multiple families in a concentrated area.

In a newer strategy made possible only recently, a handful of school districts from California to Texas to Utah have begun leveraging a band of wireless spectrum known as Citizen Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) to establish high-speed wireless networks for students. Unlike other bands that are allocated for private use, the Federal Communications Commission made some of the CBRS band publicly available in early 2020 so anyone, including local governments, can access it. It also sits in a sweet spot on the spectrum range that makes it useful for offering relatively high-speed connection with enough coverage for a small area.

One of the first to test the technology is the Fontana Unified School District in California, where more than half of students lack reliable internet at home. In April, the district a five-year initiative to build out a private wireless network for some 36,000 students. Partnering with the network infrastructure provider Crown Castle Fiber, the district will install about 400 鈥渁ccess points鈥� that will transmit signals to thousands of Wi-Fi hotspots near students鈥� homes, which can then be used to connect school-provided devices to the internet.

The initiative does come with a hefty price tag of $40 million, with Crown Castle paying most of the upfront costs. But in an with New America, Fontana superintendent Randal Bassett called it more cost-effective than paying for subscription service from an existing carrier. In the long run, the infrastructure can be expanded to cover more households and be used for other city services such as digitally connected infrastructure.

Experts like Mitchell and Doug Brake, director of broadband and spectrum policy at the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, say they are cautiously optimistic about the potentials of CBRS. It could be a game changer for municipalities, but it鈥檚 a finite resource with a lot of uncertainty about how it will scale.

鈥淚t鈥檚 an exciting technology, but it’s also not clear to me that there is enough spectrum yet to be able to ensure that you can provide high-quality service,鈥� Mitchell says. adding that students living in an apartment building could experience different speeds than a peer living in a single-family home. 鈥淥ne of the things I really hope the FCC does is create more spectrum that would be available to be shared in this way because I would worry that in many cities, it might be exhausted and congested very quickly.鈥�

Other options

Brake says it might be redundant and costly for some cities, particularly those that are cash-strapped, to build their own system using CBRS when there are other private-sector providers with already-established infrastructure. It 鈥渙pens up new opportunities, so I am excited to see how it plays out,鈥� he says. 鈥淏ut I don鈥檛 think a good tool to be building an entire network on, especially where there鈥檚 such a competitive market already providing services.鈥�

He suggests other options ranging from using Wi-Fi hotspots, as around closed libraries or on school buses, or partnering with private providers, as Chicago has done.

How communities choose to bridge the gap ultimately depends on their needs and resources. With schools fully remote and an estimated lacking internet access in Chicago, the city chose to partner with major broadband providers to fill in the immense gap 鈥� though not before conducting an extensive survey on who needed access the most. The $50 million Chicago Connected initiative, which launched in June, is expected to provide low-income students free internet for at least the next four years, with funding from the CARES Act and, more crucially, from a handful of private donors. The money will be paid directly to Comcast and RCN so that families will not be charged, .

Some major cable companies have also started partnering with cities and offering to low-income customers, though families and officials have .

What鈥檚 next

It鈥檚 no surprise that distance learning has prompted local governments to take more aggressive action on digital access, but going forward, expanding current solutions to a broader community will be a monumental task that will require more involvement from the federal government.

Congress has made digital equity a higher priority since the pandemic began. In December, it included $3.2 billion in its Covid relief package to fund a $50-per-month emergency broadband subsidy for those laid off or furloughed during the pandemic 鈥� part of the connectivity and infrastructure.

But Siefer says solutions need to address all barriers, including the uneven access to devices and the lack of digital literacy among some communities. Advocates are not only calling for more funding, but also more informational and political support. would be a good start, says Siefer: 鈥淔or example, there is no widespread data on the cost of broadband service in the U.S. because internet service providers don’t want their data out there. But the FCC should be collecting it and making it publicly available so that communities can make informed choices when they’re figuring out how to address the problem.鈥�

The effort also calls for policy reforms, in particular one that would prohibit states from restricting municipal networks and other community initiatives. In 2019, the introduced in the House of Representatives sought to do just that, but has not been debated. With a new administration, and new control of Congress by Democrats 鈥� as well as the appointment of senior FCC commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel, who鈥檚 been vocal about digital inequality, as the agency鈥檚 new acting chairman 鈥� there is cause for cautious optimism among advocates.

For their part, commercial carriers, too, are looking to address the gaps. Mobile carriers T-Mobile and Verizon are looking to enter the home broadband market. Both companies offer limited home internet service use their wireless 4G networks, which they advertise as being fast enough to be cheaper alternatives to cable internet. So far, coverage is spotty. Both are also working to bring the highly coveted and blazing fast 5G service to homes, with T-Mobile planning to focus its initial rollout .

Such plans still leave some digital inclusion advocates skeptical about relying on the private sector to bridge the divide. 鈥淢y questions would be, will there be data caps and what鈥檚 the price point?鈥� says Siefer. She points to Starlink, a satellite internet service from Elon Musk鈥檚 Space X that was nearly $900 million in December from the FCC to boost service to rural residents. (Former FCC Chairman Ajit Pai touted the awards as the 鈥渟ingle largest step ever taken to bridge the digital divide.鈥�) The upfront cost for a subscription 鈥� $500 for the equipment and $99 a month for service.

鈥淢ight that change later? Yes. Might T-Mobile, Verizon and the rest of them come up with some other great solutions later? Yes,鈥� Siefer says. 鈥淏ut until these things are real, people are suffering and there need to be solutions now.鈥�

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