Our opinion: A historic fix is needed for North Dakota’s aging schools

In 1997, then-President Bill Clinton lamented the condition of the nation’s aging schools.

“We cannot expect our children to raise themselves up in schools that are literally falling down,” Clinton said during his State of the Union speech that year. “With the student population at an all-time high, and record numbers of school buildings falling into disrepair, this has now become a serious national concern.”

That was 27 years ago. Apparently, the issue remains.

Throughout North Dakota, school infrastructure needs are becoming acute. We suspect many of the state’s schools were built in the post-World War II baby boom years or before; now, those schools are showing their age, both physically and educationally.

Thankfully, lawmakers from the state are discussing a potential solution.

As reported recently in the Grand Forks Herald

, they are considering ways to create a funding mechanism that would see the state offer aid to districts where infrastructure work is needed.

The Herald report noted that “a proposed state-backed construction assistance plan would have defined criteria for assessing two points — the need for a new school versus refurbishment and addition, along with determining how a school district would qualify.

“An initial proposal presented by the North Dakota Education Committee’s school funding task force includes a sliding scale based upon a district’s number of students, the value of a mill in the district and its access to federal funding. The scale for funding ranges from 5-95% of the total project cost and all districts must have money in the process. Funding of less than 25% requires the use of state-approved plans, bulk purchasing and construction management. The proposal would preserve local control for finishes and some exterior design, limited to preserve cost savings.”

To better understand the problem, consider the rising infrastructure concerns in the Oakes School District. There, a needed HVAC system and new windows likely will cost approximately $12 million. The superintendent says there really is no way to afford the fixes.

“This is so detrimental to the town if we lose our school,” Superintendent Anna Sell said. “We know what happens to the towns in North Dakota if they lose their schools. They cease to exist.”

Grand Forks Republican state Rep. Eric Murphy says it’s an “impending cliff” that could greatly impact rural schools. He believes the need in North Dakota could be somewhere around $1 billion.

It’s still early in the process, and the task force is working to understand the true need, as well as what some other states are doing to combat the problem.

We don’t know what the solution should be, but only that a solution must be found. Rural districts especially need help, since big project costs could be a huge burden for local taxpayers, or could even lead to losing a school.

Something big is needed, and it’s good to know lawmakers are considering a fix. Let’s support their work and someday, when specific options emerge, urge them to push through a historic solution.