Chapter 5: Capital Needs and Spending in Urban Public School Systems: Policies, Problems, and Promises

After decades of piecemeal policies in which states have reluctantly and haltingly played a limited role in addressing the infrastructure needs of urban school systems, it is time to recognize a national problem requiring a federal response. Some critics may argue that this is appropriately a state and local responsibility. Yet the perceived dangers of a heavy federal hand are considerably less in the area of facilities assistance than in federal aid flows to support specific education programs or widespread school testing. In the case of capital spending, the rationale for federal involvement is clearly consistent with decades of federal education policy: to address the needs of special underserved populations and resource-challenged schools; and to improve the capacity of state and local policymaking systems to address a critical national need. Where state and local policy makers have been unable or unwilling to act to address an enduring crisis, the justification for federal involvement is clear and compelling.