![]() ![]() The state’s school construction debt limit - stalled at $126 million since 2014 - is insufficient to finance even the top 20 school construction projects every few years. The majority, however, will never see a dime. The last time applications opened in 2016, a total of 74 schools applied. But the application process is competitive and requires extensive reporting on the condition of the building, grounds, programs and enrollment - deterring some districts from even applying. Local school districts rely on the state’s Major Capital School Construction program to access money to replace aging buildings. “We’re in an interesting and, I would say, an ominous time with crumbling infrastructure,” said Commissioner of Education Pender Makin. In that time, the state has approved 75 new school construction projects, but those account for only 30 percent of school districts’ identified needs. Maine has been chipping away at a backlog of more than $500 million of school construction and major renovation projects for the past 20 years. As the state’s ability to pay for new schools has slowed to a crawl, students are increasingly left to learn in buildings that are structurally unsound, lack modern electric, plumbing and heating or contain hazardous materials. Maine’s older neighborhood schools remain in use well beyond their expected life spans. Built 66 years ago in 1953, the building has recently had problems with sewage and water backing up inside the school. North Elementary School in Skowhegan is the second highest priority school to replace. ![]() “We ripped everything apart, cleaned it and put everything back new,” said David Leavitt, facilities manager for MSAD 54. While students were out of the building during February vacation, crews pulled the shelves off the wall and repaired the pipes, which wrapped around the perimeter of the elementary school. When books and class projects on the back shelves started getting wet last year, she knew there was a problem.Īging pipes buried behind the built-in shelves were leaking large amounts of moisture into the classroom and the musty smell warned maintenance staff the problem was worse than past steam leaks. Goggin’s kindergarten classroom, except for a wide gap in the middle where a green steam radiator was installed when North Elementary School in Skowhegan was built in 1953. Built-in bookshelves cover the entire back wall of Mrs. ![]()
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